Carwyn Jones has made a very disaappointing start as First Minister elect, spouting one-eyed drivel about the need to protect Wales from a future Conservative Government. This makes him sound like a pale imitation of Rhodri Morgan. Perhaps he's been spending too much time with his old boss and Peter Hain during his leadership campaign. The BBC tells us that he believes it would be difficult to have a "constructive relationship" with a future Conservative Government which cut public services in Wales. He's supposed to have said "I don't think that a Conservative Government would hold Wales best interests at heart" plus a lot more bilge in similar vein. He's clearly allowed himself to be carried away by his margin of victory over Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis.
Let's just get real here. It's a Labour Government under which the UK economy has disintegrated to such a level that its spending £200,000,000,000 more than it is earning this year - and planning to continue doing into the distant future. It's a Labour Government which has instigated the Governor of the Bank of England to inform us that current public spending plans threaten our nation with bankruptcy. It's a Labour Government that has created a situation where there will have to be real reductions in public spending for years to come, which ever party forms the next Government. There is not a single commentator, outside of the Labour Party who thinks otherwise. And it's Labour and Labour led coalitions that have delivered a Welsh economy in free fall, with unemployment levels hitting record highs, and an education system worse funded than anywhere else in the UK. The rhetoric that Gordon Brown and Peter Hain use is akin to the protestations of a drunk driver blaming the emergency services for the injuries inflicted on the innocent pedestrian. What Carwyn needs to do is not ape this nonsense, but tell us what plans he has to repair some of the damage inflicted on our nation during the shameless 'give-away culture' so loved by his predecessor. I suppose the next thing will be an attack on the wealth of the Conservative AMs, unless there will be more millionaires in his Cabinet that on the opposition benches.
12 comments:
The Welsh Labour Leader is using a straw-man argument to bring the Labour Welsh flock together, so I don't really begrudge him that.
I want to give him a chance, so I have rung his office to congratulate him and request that he speak to me (In re Welsh IP), and a 'leading light' in the Welsh Labour fraternity has (I understand) written a letter to First Minister designate, Carwyn Jones congratulating him and suggesting to him that he acquire me as an international IP expert, and more specifically, how to get the 'biggest bang for the IP buck' - the USA has a single uniform patent system covering all 50 states of the union - in contrast the European Union operates a patent filing system that belongs to the dark ages - there is supposed to be movement towards a single patent filing system covering the EU - apparently there is a recent agreement to that end/effect, but as of today, it costs on average 11 times more to get patent coverage over just 13 states of the EU verses what it costs to get a patent covering all 50 states of the USA. This burden is gravely harming innovation, and it is one of the key reasons I take the time and trouble and am very willing to be a source of key information on helping Welsh firms exploit the US filing system, which I know backwards and sideways. I would be very willing to give Power Point talks to, e.g., Welsh SMEs - and to speak at business meetings etc.
So I am willing to support the FM designate for the sake of Wales. What I know and the strategies I know could be of enormous benefit to transforming the Welsh economy. I will give him a few months to bed down, and after that it will be all downhill or uphill - I rather it was uphill.
". I will give him a few months to bed down, and after that it will be all downhill or UPHILL - I rather it was uphill." (Emphasis added in capitals.)
"Uphill" as in a working relationship that is going someplace instead of downhill. Reminds me of that saying, "You take the high road, I will take the low road" or something like that - ahh, I miss bonnie Glasgow - being an honourary Glaswegian for some 3 odd years - 'how I miss that'. (I did my Chemistry PhD at Glasgow, in Glasgow's 'west end').
Have you seen what Guerilla Welsh-Fare's nicknamed Carwyn Jones? There's a strange sense of déjà vu here in more ways than one...
There are millionaires on the Tory Assemby benches? I never knew. Though I know who you are referring to as the potential wealthy Labour Cabinet member!
Check out what David Davies -Monmouth is saying- This is where fear of the Tories come, he isn't doing you any good Glyn.
Real bully boy tactics
Synadiau comments on this
I wait to see what Carwyn Jones Jones makes of his cabinet -that to me will be a marker
Chris - Hope the interview goes well. Most of us wish Carwyn Jones well, but he'll have to do better than the nonsense he was coming out with yesterday - or it will be downhill.
Peter - I always think William Graham looks as if he should be a millionaire, though I have no idea whether he is one. If Labour do end up having millionaires in the Cabinet, perhaps David Cameron will mention it next time Gordon Brown brings up the issue of MPs wealth at PMQs.
And where is our dead duck, supine am in all this??
VM - You have to judge to what extent any political representative speaks for the party, or just for themselves. I have not heard anyone else make similar statements. I accept that I'm but a candidate, but no-one asked me for my opinion. I would not have suggested that granting law making powers to the National Assembly in currently devolved areas would have any effect whatsoever on Wales' financial settlement, and I would be surprised if David Cameron, Cheryl Gillan or Nick Bourne would differ from that opinion. What I notice is that those who wish to paint the Conservatives in certain colours tend to ask the opinions of those who will oblige. I judge accordingly.
you havent waited long to take the gloves off. i thought he was a friend of yours.
good points Glyn,worth remembering
Whoever wins in May or June next year will have to make cuts in public expenditure and raise taxes. Any assembly member or prospective MP who denies this isn't living in the real world. The comments from two AMs in today's Wales on Sunday I found frankly bizarre. Read the latest edition of Public Finance. In England local authority finance directors are talking of cuts in the region of 10 to 15%. The Assembly has no ability to directly raise revenue or borrow. It is really at the mercy of financial decisions made by the UK Treasury and better begin to plan accordingly.At the moment the money markets are not making any judgement on the credit worthyness of the UK until the result of the election is known. By the autumn they will expect any new government to have set out the details of the tax and expenditure cuts required over at least the next three years. The pain is coming for the public sector. The only question that anyone should be asking of Labour or the Tories after June is when and how much. Changes to the Barnett formula which might protect Wales will takes years to even agree let alone implement. Can anyone see any UK politician agreeing to changes which would see huge reductions in the budget of the Scotttish Parliament? These reductions would also be on top of the £3 billion black hole which the Scottish Audit Office already argues is in the budget plans of the SNP government. It really is time for all serious politicians to get real.
Anon - Just self-defence. I reckon he'll learn though.
Jeff - You've taken the words out of my mouth.
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