tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post3417545551559300200..comments2023-11-05T09:37:36.840+01:00Comments on A View From Rural Wales: How many Welsh MPs are needed?Glyn Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442114752573417252noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-81125893368347170452009-12-07T15:37:59.623+01:002009-12-07T15:37:59.623+01:00Glyn,
Low thirties. Not early thirties.Glyn,<br /><br />Low thirties. Not early thirties.languagepolicenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-48420649468583753012009-12-07T10:33:58.623+01:002009-12-07T10:33:58.623+01:00MH - Don't agree with you. Such an opinion wou...MH - Don't agree with you. Such an opinion would be a gift for 'True Wales'. I can see there is a case for enlarging constituencies, but a lower salary would make MPs 'second class'.<br /><br />Alan - Fancy you thinking that!!Glyn Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17344589217554138315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-9123943436665005252009-12-07T03:36:22.875+01:002009-12-07T03:36:22.875+01:00Turn Westminster into a solely English Parliament ...Turn Westminster into a solely English Parliament and you don't need any Welsh MPs at Westminster.<br />Then Glyn could be a MWP and good luck to him!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258854366964329334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-60445639476333002542009-12-07T00:21:16.056+01:002009-12-07T00:21:16.056+01:00Glyn, I agreed with you, but that's not quite ...Glyn, I agreed with you, but that's not quite the same as you agreeing with me, because I went further.<br /><br />Please allow me to put you on the spot and ask what you think of my idea that Welsh and Scottish MPs should be paid less.MHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329059309196746446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-67826249537463522792009-12-07T00:02:06.746+01:002009-12-07T00:02:06.746+01:00MH - I'd have thought there would be general a...MH - I'd have thought there would be general agreement across Wales on this - except the matter of sparsity, where even I don't call for large concession.<br /><br /> Torytaff - That's what I would have expected Cheryl Gillan to have said. Doesn't stop commentators and academics inventing things to win headlines though. Cutting the number from 40 Welsh MPs to 22 sounds so much more interesting than 30ish.Glyn Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17344589217554138315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-37812547121866153872009-12-06T23:46:26.064+01:002009-12-06T23:46:26.064+01:00Hi Glyn, just stumbled across your blog from Iain ...Hi Glyn, just stumbled across your blog from Iain Dale's Daley Dozen.<br /><br />I was at the IWA event, and when Cheryl Gillan was questioned on this very issue.<br /><br />She clearly stated "The number of MP's would be equalised to England", so an MP to every 77,000, and that was emphatic that there would be "No devolution discount".<br /><br />Hope that clears things up ;)Torytaffhttp://www.torytaff.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-6583196938981152232009-12-06T23:29:55.519+01:002009-12-06T23:29:55.519+01:00I agree with pretty much all you've said, Glyn...I agree with pretty much all you've said, Glyn. Including the issue of sparsity.<br /><br />I've tried to put it in a slightly wider context <a href="http://syniadau--buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/12/should-devolution-mean-fewer-welsh-mps.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.MHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329059309196746446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-50519849614133517612009-12-06T23:20:16.097+01:002009-12-06T23:20:16.097+01:00Jeff - Not moaning. Just putting forward my point...Jeff - Not moaning. Just putting forward my point of view. I think there is a case for recognition of sparsity - and I'll be surprised there is not some allowance for it.Glyn Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17344589217554138315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-84612786384890697062009-12-06T21:49:06.939+01:002009-12-06T21:49:06.939+01:00Stop moaning Glyn about sparsity. How to think the...Stop moaning Glyn about sparsity. How to think the member for Kalgoorlie in Western Australia feels? Whoever represents the 82,000 voters of Kalgoorlie covers an area of 2.3 million square kilometres stretching from Kalumburu in the north on the Timor Sea to Exmouth on the Indian Ocean.Jeff Jonesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-37560122443148172812009-12-06T19:51:50.468+01:002009-12-06T19:51:50.468+01:00Daran - No need to worry. I'm sure that I have...Daran - No need to worry. I'm sure that I have agreed with you before. No doubt Jeff Jones will disagree with my sparsity point as well, but I think it has some merit. <br /><br />Anon - I think the conclusion of my post was early 30s. It was Prof. Hazell who came up with 22, and I disagree with him on this - and more importantly, so does the BBC's leading pundit, Daran Hill.<br /><br />James - How a reduction in the number of MPs would be implemented is another matter altogether. Only problem with your suggestion is that the public will welcome an extra 20 AMs about as much as they would enjoy a rat sandwich. Redrawing constituency boundaries would not be easy. For example, I hear that the current review of local authority boundaries is in such disarray, that it might not happen in time for the next Council election after all.Glyn Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17344589217554138315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-25977968375773060322009-12-06T19:21:12.053+01:002009-12-06T19:21:12.053+01:00Of course cutting the number of MPs has an undesir...Of course cutting the number of MPs has an undesired consequence, namely cutting the number of AMs. Moving, say, from 40 to 32 MPs would mean a cut from 60 to 48 AMs, which is probably the last thing that one would want for effective government (I'm thinking of the Yes Minister rule of thirds) and scrutiny in an Assembly with more powers.<br /><br />Perhaps the law should be changed so that the Boundary Commission draw about 60 Assembly Constituencies (with the regional top-up kept in the same proportion), then pair the constituencies for Westminster.James Dowdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058389162481491681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-42151414076106996452009-12-06T19:20:04.070+01:002009-12-06T19:20:04.070+01:00Glyn, i notice you left out the bit where Professo...Glyn, i notice you left out the bit where Professor Hazel said the reduction would actually leave just 22 Welsh MP's not the 36 you wrote about. <br /><br />That shouldn't be a problem but the trade off is to give the National Assembly more powers if Wales is to have less influence in Westminster and we all know that David Cameron is very unlikey to do that.<br /><br />This reduction of MP's is what is looks like a cost saving exercise and a badly thought out one at that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34112832.post-59206341145172542412009-12-06T18:49:17.583+01:002009-12-06T18:49:17.583+01:00Glyn, agree with you in general terms on the need ...Glyn, agree with you in general terms on the need to reduce the number of MPs across the board and equalise electorates, though I would make no allowance for sparsity. On the third criterion I am also inclined to your viewpoint. Perhaps that virtually total agreement on this matter should worry us both ;)Daranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09033007216826351828noreply@blogger.com