Bit knackered again tonight, after another five hours on the road today. In Cardiff - this time in the heart of Welsh democracy, where I was chairing a 'Sustainability Forum'. Our aim is to make recommendations to Darren Millar, Conservative 'sustainability' spokesman - with a view to influencing Conservative policy. I'd been hoping that we would all agree about recommendations, but it will probably prove impossible to come up a form of words on onshore wind. Still, I've been pleased about the large measure of agreement.
There were two big stories centred on the National Assembly today. The first involved some poetry reading which we're told took place in the building. I say 'we're told' because the media were banned from the reading. Interesting that this argument has been about freedom of speech!! Patrick Jones poetry in not for me - but I have to congratulate him on his marketing skills. He might write c*** poetry but he did manage to persuade several Assembly Members to indulge in the sort of public badinage that produced headlines Max Clifford would be proud of.
The second story on every one's lips in tomorrow's release of details about Assembly Member's expenses. I do think that to release the figures on the day after AMs have gone home for Xmas will have wound up the media big-time. So I expect some big headlines tomorrow. I do hope that AMs will be prepared to appear on the media to answer any questions that might be asked about what AMs have spent their access to taxpayer's money on. One person at the heart of things told me today that it will be a rumpus 24 hours, and next week's chip paper. If the details had come out on Monday, as expected, and everybody was willing to stand up and justify them, I could agree. But now, I'm really am not so sure about it.
3 comments:
Actually Glyn, the media were not banned from the reading. There were about 10 journalists in the room.
Peter - Sorry if I was wrong about this. Be interesting to know what bans were in place. Were they selected journalists? Or was it just cameras you banned. We heard the BBC state clearly last night that they had wanted to film the event and had been banned - even from the corridors ouitside.
I know nothing about the corridors outside. My understanding was that filming was allowed in the corridor. We did not allow any recording equipment in the room though still cameras were permitted. It was a private meeting.
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