Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Its not funny.

There's nothing remotely funny about what has been happening in British politics over the last two weeks. Sure, I can see plenty of scope for ridicule and humour, but not by anyone directly involved in seeking election to the House of Commons. The people of Britain are rightly very cross indeed, and only a politician totally insensitive and completely out of touch would write something like this;

"Its also a shame that the actions of the Telegraph are not being properly scrutinised. I suggest you stick to the Sport. You know what you're getting, and, unlike the Telegraph's info, none of the boobs are remotely dodgy"

Who on earth would treat the voters with such casual contempt? Treat yourself to a banana if you guess correctly. Answers on Vaughan Roderick's blog here.

11 comments:

Caws said...

Glyn,
Mae hwn yn anhygoel fedrai ddim credu beth wyf wedi darllen.

I guess the presence of the Lib Dems in Montgomeryshire is close to ending

I know you are too much of a gentleman and a professional to get drawn in on this topic but surely the voter in the region must see that he does not get voted in WHEN we get an election!!!

JB said...

Glyn,

Do our MP and other politicians really think that by shouting loud enough it will make people look elsewhere. The country is in no mood to shoot the messenger but it has a good few incumbents firmly in its sights and not just those unprincipled graspers who have been identified so far.

The next House (may it be soon) will have a very different complexion and attitude to public service.

frankie said...

Thanks for the link Glyn. I've sent it on to the County Times.

If Clegg has any sense or courage, Lembit's head should roll!

Anonymous said...

Yup, now the smart money really is on Lembit to lose, and all of his own doing. I've heard that the Lib Dems can't wait to get rid of such a liability and that his Radio 5 interview was the last straw. I've also heard that there's more to come on his expenses, No wonder Kirsty would not refute that statement!

What about the Welsh economy? said...

"Give me Liberty, Life, and a Welsh Economy".

Who said that? Certainly not the WAG (Welsh Assembly Government) that has mortgaged Wales's future through lack of leadership on the intellectual property (IP) front.

While Parliament is up to its armpits in expense-gate, the tragedy unfolding in Wales is largely going unnoticed.

The much-vaunted green shoots that WAG hopes for is not going to turn the Welsh economy around.

Where is the Welsh economy? Where we were? Nope.

So where is the Welsh economy - well, its going backwards in terms of GVA UK average - ten years of WAG and it has fallen to 77% of the UK average.

So while we might all smile now that the Speaker has finally smelt the roses, WAG is still in a scrap-yard looking for green shoots.

Meanwhile Wales is giving away its intellectual property - on a grand scale. Wales's universities are in the world-class league because of their publications in learned journals.

Reputations and careers are built on the mantra *publish publish publish* ... which is fine if a provisional patent application was filed either prior to publication or within one year (but can lose foreign filing rights in most countries other than the USA).

I've offered to screen publications before/after publication to find the nuggets that could turn into MASSIVE wins for Wales. I have explained this to several people connected to WAG or working for the WAG.

I will even do it for 'free' whereby my firm takes a % ownership in what otherwise will be squandered IP.

If there is no patent filed (in the UK before the work is published) or within 12 months of publication (in the USA which has a 12 month grace period, but non-USA patent rights will likely be lost) ... absent taking up those options, the IP is not IP, its public domain, unpatentable public domain.

Simple, but WAG doesn't get it.

While Wales bleeds IP, so it bleeds future jobs and family confidence.

There are now former third-world nations, even oil producing countries massively protecting their homegrown IP.

Wales doesn't have a sovereign fund, but it has truckloads of potential IP.

It isn’t IP unless it is protected.

No patent protection, no IP, and zip Welsh R&D from that non-IP.

Did I mention that the R&D spend in Wales is so low it is pathetic in all but name; what investor will pump money into the D in R&D if it can be copied by anyone because the R bit failed to file for patent protection.

It's so easy - yet WAG doesn't want to know.

As Wales's IP goes, so goes the Welsh economy.

It is so bad that the Patent Office in Newport is planning lay offs among its workers.

The Ryder Cup will not save the Welsh economy, will not turn it into a growth economy.

Wales needs to be making product, be it knowledge based product or hard product, but we can't compete on the world-scene absent using Welsh IP, but it isn’t IP if it is not patent protected prior to publication or within 12 months via the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office); incidentally, the USPTO has hired over a thousand new Patent Examiners in the last couple of years or so.

I was the only Welsh person at the BioWales 2009 event who is authorized to practice patent law directly before the USPTO.

I met many nice people, and talked to people from Wales's greatest institutions, but not one asked me to file a patent for them.

Glyn Davies said...

Caws - I've been feeling depressed about about what is happening to our democracy, so I don't mind a stab at humour - but not this puerile rubbish that might amuse a 10 year old.

JB - Like never before in my lifetime, the people are not going to be conned. They know there must be an Election and they will not be satisfied until they have their say - and neither should they be.

Frankie - Saves you buying soft porn I suppose.

Anon - Not much I can say. The Lib Dems across Britain expressed their opinion in the recent election for president of the party.

WaWe - While we watch our democracy struggling to survive, the collapse in our economy carries on almost unnoticed. We no longer have a Government capable of focussing on the biggest problems that we face - and in Wales we continue to fall behind. The Assembly Government cannot escape responsibility for this.

Anonymous said...

Goodness, it's hard to believe that the Lib Dems allow him to carry on like this. Talk about just not getting it. To write such awful glib dross in these unprecedented times, is akin to political suicide.
But who made the statement at the beginning of your link to VR's blog? Was it Vaughan himself or someone else?

Anonymous said...

Kirsty's comments are intersting. Let's just hope that LO takes the hint. She's offering him a way out

Anonymous said...

It is time for root and branch reform of Parliament.

We must have any expense abuse MP de-selected.

The House of Lords should be reformed as an elected senate, with 100 members, selected from the four nations of the UK, alloted as per population (so England gets 55, Scotland 20, Wales 15 and N Ireland 10 or something along those lines). The Welsh and Irish assemblies should be given law making powers along the lines of Scotland, and a totally separate parliament for all England be set up outside London. No one can be an MSP, AM etc and an MP. There should be no two tier MPs, but separate English AMs. The Senate will be elected on PR.

All AMs/MSPs etc should be elected on PR.

All MPs in new House of Commons should be still elected on First Past the Post.

MPs salaries should be controlled by the National Audit Office, or a new Office of Political Servants (OffPol).

All MPs primary residence should be in there constituency, regardless of where they spend most of their time. A halls of residence should be purchased in London for them to use during Parliamentary business. If they chose to own a second London pied-a-terre, its at their own expense.

There must be greater use of referendums as in Switzerland. The results of which are legally binding.

Withdraw from the EU. Repeal all EU statutes. Renegotiate a free trade agreement with the Eurozone.

The Speaker to no longer be an MP, but a nominated official - but elected by the MPs.

Glyn Davies said...

Anon - Not sure what you are asking. The comment was from the LO's column in the Daily Sport.

Anon 2 - Her reticence to offer fulsome endorsement was surprising. Perhaps her words came out not quite as she meant them to. Only she knows.

Roman - I do not agree with all of this - but I do think you are heading along the right lines. For example, while the Speaker is likely to remain an MP, he or she will become much more independent of MPs and become more a defender of the constitution. The only point that I do not think will happen is withdrawal from the EU - though I can envisage some repatriation of power back to the nation states.

Anonymous said...

The last point is a pity, although I agree that it is unlikely with the current system in control. It does seem strange to be arguing about re-arranging the deck chairs (Speaker powers / MPs expenses) when the UK ship is sinking under the £40 million per day of EU membership and loss of sovereignty.

Any way, not much we ordinary folks can do about it.......