"However much Gordon wraps it up, its still a Tax Bombshell"

I'm a Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, so I've decided that this blog should do its bit. Its not often that I join a team assault, but here goes. There's but a few hours to go until Alistair Darling, the Prime Minister's proxy, delivers his Pre-Budget Report. After all the hype, I'm quite looking forward to it. The thing about being a blogger is that it makes me a commentator on politics, as well as a (sometimes partisan) participant. And I like having big issues to commentate on.

Now the first observation is that I'm very worried about our Prime Minister. I watched him on today's 'Politics Show', and I saw before my eyes a character in Dan Brown's techno-thriller, 'The Digital Fortress' made real. Commander Trevor Strathmore, Head of the NSA's Cryptography Department was a dedicated workaholic who had given his life to creating a gigantic, secret, devilishly complex code breaking machine - not unlike what I imagine a modern economy to be. Strathmore loved his country, and absolutely knew that both he and his machine were infallible. Nothing would distract him from his faith, his belief that he understood his machine like no other - even when it began wheezing unhealthily, heating uncontrollable and threatening destruction upon America. No risk was too great, because he believed. He deserved his success (and in Strathmore's case, the woman) because of his dedicated service. And the odd thing was that most expert opinion was conned into supported him - until the whole damn shooting match started to go up in flames.

Anyway, back to the prosaic. There's a lot of today's newsprint devoted to a possible cut in VAT tomorrow. Surely this is a red herring. A VAT cut will not make much difference, will not be all passed on, and delivers most of the benefit to the wealthiest sector of the nation, who may well not spend it. They'll be tempted to save it, so that they can pay the 'Tax Bombshell' that will follow in due course. No financial stimulus there. If a tax cut there is going to be, why not keep it simple and just raise allowances, taking low-earning taxpayers out of tax altogether - much more progressive, and more likely to be spent. I daresay there will be parts of tomorrow's package that I'll like though - and if I do I'll say so.

Gordon Brown does seem to have discovered a gambling gene, so anything is possible, but I still feel that tomorrow's PBR will turn out to have been over-hyped. I can see myself listening and thinking 'Is that It'? But lets assume its big, and we have tax cuts of say £30 billion. Fear of a run on Sterling means that we will have to be told how its going to be repaid, and when - which is where the 'Tax Bombshell' comes in. We are already seeing Government borrowing figures beyond anything we could ever have imagined. And another £30 billion on top. I fear for my children. Truth is that 'However much Gordon Brown wraps it up, it is still a Tax Bombshell'.

Touch of Auburn.

Could there be a farmer in the family after all, to follow in the family tradition. Our four have never shown the slightest interest, but little Ffion loves her John Deere. The next generation is coming through. Actually, I suspect she would prefer the full-size version. She's now thirteen months old, about as cute as its possible to be, but just a tad too young to take charge a real John Deere yet. It won't be long though. She's definitely inherited a touch of 'auburn' from her Gran.

Time to Grow the Pond.

Yet again, the All Blacks have shown themselves to be the biggest fish in the pond. But the pond is too small. There are not a dozen seriously competitive international teams (if I group the Pacific Islands together). And I haven't forgotten that it was Fiji wot dumped us out of the last World Cup.

Whatever, we need more nations playing the game seriously. So I'm pleased to see that its a Welshman, Howard Thomas who's in charge of development of rugby in Russia. Simon Thomas, writing in today's Wales on Sunday describes plans by the 'Great Bear' to create a new force in world rugby, even bid to host the 2019 World Cup. We shouldn't hold our breath though, if experience in anything to go by. Single-minded selfishness has been the main factor in deciding the host nation in the past. It was a huge mistake, born of the selfish shortsightedness, not to hold the next World Cup in Japan. Best of luck to Howard Thomas. You'll need it as much as the game needs you to succeed.

We in Wales are more used than most to the bureaucratic madness that seems to infect the way the great game is managed. The short list for today's 'International Player of the Year' looks like it was chosen by the Eurovision Song Contest scoring system. The result should be announced on the Comedy Channel. All I need to say is that Blair of Scotland and Piresse of Italy are in, while Ritchie Macaw and Victor Matfield are out. They'll probably give it to Dan Carter again this year, but I'd forget the disgraceful short listing process and cheer through my one-eyed glasses if they gave it to Shane Williams.

Mahonia 'bealei'.

There are not many genuine winter flowering shrubs. The Mahonia is the best of them - this photograph was taken ten minutes ago on November 23rd. Not the common Mahonia that you sometimes see in hedgerows, but more compact and colourful varieties like this example of the 'bealei' species. This shrub is fully grown at about six feet high, and it flowers for several weeks. Main downside is that its a dense and rather dowdy green through out the summer, so it should not be planted where summer colour is needed. There's a bit of disagreement over its presence in Cil garden, where we have getting on for ten shrubs. I'm a fan, while Mrs D is not.

Violent Wales?

I was horrified when I read yesterday's Daily Telegraph. Not often that Wales features in the London-based media, but we did yesterday. It reported that one of our Chief Constables described Wales as a nation of violent p***heads. I was just about recovered from the shock when Matt Withers of the Western Mail contacted me, seeking my comments on what Barbara Wilding had said. This was my response;

"I do not recognise the Wales that the Chief Constable has been describing. It is certainly not a remotely accurate picture of rural Wales. I accept that Barbara Wilding may be referring to her experiences in Cardiff and other Welsh cities, but even then, I cannot accept that Wales is any different from other cities across the UK.

In general, I agree with what the Chief Constable is trying to achieve by highlighting the problems of binge drinking, and I support the aims of the 'Enough is Enough' campaign. But its very damaging for Wales that her comments are being reproduced in the London based newspapers, giving a very poor impression of our nation to those who might want to visit.

I hope that Barbara Wilding will 'clarify' her comments, or produce the evidence to justify what she has said. My opinion is that there is too much binge drinking, and too much violence flowing from it, but its no worse in Wales than in other parts of the UK."

Hope falls to Macaw.

For 40 minutes we hoped, and at half-time we were more than worth our lead. And then Ritchie Macaw took over. I know I was an open side myself, but the man is barely human. Macaw is the best rugby player that I've ever seen play. When Brian Moore was asked to nominate a 'Man of the Match', it was a very easy question to answer. The man is a mountain.

A Very Odd Story

I was astonished to read the headines in my local newspaper, the County Times today. There is huge coverage announcing that Abermule Post Office has been saved - and that our MP has almost done this single-handedly, by behaving like a tiger. There are photographs of champagne toasts being made. I'd better tell you what I find so odd about this.

Several months ago, Post Office Ltd announced that Abermule Post Office was to be closed, and an 'outreach' service put in its place. It was also proposed that it would be replaced with a mobile van. But at a well attended public meeting in the village, while local people were expressing their outrage over this proposal, Post Office Ltd explained that they would consider any other form of 'outreach' service - but that they were proposing the mobile van as a backstop, if no other form of 'outreach' could be found. Exactly the same proposal was made in Berriew, my village, where at a public meeting which I chaired, local opinion was equally outraged, but agreed that a 'partnership' agreement was preferable to a mobile van. This was quickly agreed, consulted on and has been operational for some time. This option was also available at Abermule, except that at the time, there were no takers for the 'Partnership' agreement. There were also no sites to park a mobile van, so the issue was held in abeyance while Post Office Ltd dealt with another closure programme in North Wales. I know all this because I remained in regular contact with them. I was very worried about the future of Abermule.

So what has actually happened? Well, Post Office Ltd have still closed the independent Abermule Post Office. Its great news that the existing local well regarded Post Office owners have now signed up to a 'Partnership' agreement. What seems strange about today's newspaper headlines is that this arrangement was available from the beginning as far as Post Office Ltd were concerned. I know this because I have remained in close contact since the original announcement. Indeed. I called into the Abermule Post Office a few weeks ago to inform the owners that Post Office Ltd would be calling soon to try to persuade them to agree to a 'Partnership'. So you can see why I find today's huge County Times coverage, and great claims of influence as all bit odd. But I am very pleased indeed by what has been agreed, and said as much when the Shropshire Star asked me about it on Tuesday.

Chwarae Teg Ieuan.

I appeared on a panel at a 'Transport' conference at Aberystwyth yesterday, early evening. It was chaired by Professor Stuart Cole, and there's nobody knows more about transport than him. It was a 'politicians meets professionals' session. I was up for the Conservatives, Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones for Plaid, Sian James, MP for Labour and Mick Bates for the Lib Dems. I suppose I was the only one not claiming my travelling expenses!!

Anyway, I thought Ieuan was in candid form. Firstly, I agreed with his considered approach to dealing with the current jobs crisis. He's the responsible Minister in the Assembly Government, so his opinion counts. When he answered a question about bringing forward infrastructure projects to create financial stimulus, he said they had to be deliverable in a very short timescale and be job intensive. All made good sense to me.

But the Deputy First Minister, with responsibility for transport really struck me with some comments he made about cross-border road improvements. We need to go back a few years here. The issue is the A458 road improvement from Welshpool to the English border, known locally as the 'Middletown By-Pass'. Its been talked about for decades, but seemed to becoming a reality when there was a public consultation on preferred routes around five years ago. At the time I was an Assembly Member and asked, both publicly and privately, whether the cross border financing responsibilities of the project had been cleared. Reassurances followed. Must admit my suspicion was that they were without foundation.

At issue is who pays for the bit of the road improvement that lies over the border in England - only a short distance, but crossing a railway line and perhaps £5 million's worth. For years we've been given assurances that this was 'no problem' - until last night. Our Deputy First Minister informed us that he has now spoken to Transport Minister, Lord Adonis, who has told him that he, Lord Adonis has no power over this issue whatsoever. Allocation of funding for the Middletown By-Pass lies with the West Midlands Highway Agency, and the degree of priority it gives to this road improvement, vital to the economic prospects of Mid Wales is virtually non-existent. All the reassurances we've been given are about as valuable as an IOU from Lehman Brothers.

The truly galling thing is that if the National Assembly had never been established, this 'Berlin Wall' between England and Wales would not have been built. We wouldn't find ourselves being forced into hospitals in Wales rather than those we traditionally used in England. And we would have had a new road from Welshpool to the English Border finished by now. It would have been an infrastructure project that would have brought huge economic benefit to a part of Wales that desperately needs it. At least Ieuan Wyn Jones has finally come clean and told us the truth, which is a whole lot more than you can say for his predecessors.

Wild Beavers.

I'm a trustee of my local wildlife trust. I was a bit late for tonight's Trust meeting - but I was in time for a discussion about beavers. I'm interested in beavers, and in particular whether they should be allowed to run around in a natural state in wild Wales. It was a private meeting so I can only comment on my own opinion. Instinctively and emotionally, I'm attracted to the idea of beavers on the loose - but I'm always a bit suspicious of reintroductions of what have become de facto alien species. The one thing we can be sure of is that the consequences will not be what we think they might be. Personally, I'm pleased that the European Beaver is going to be reintroduced on a trial basis in Scotland, rather than Wales. Hopefully, we will wait until the evidence of these trials are available before we take the plunge.

Only last week, I heard reports of dreadful damage being caused by another animal which has been returned to the wild, the wild boar. Initially, I also instinctively and emotionally liked the idea of this creature roaming through our woodlands as well. But last week they ventured out of their woodland retreats and dug up a cricket pitch. This is a declaration of intent. Something must be done. Well, I also read last week that Henry the Eighth used to hunt wild boar and sent one to Anne Boleyn as a token of his passion for her, pleading that she should think of him when she ate it. Could this be a virtuous circle. We reintroduce new species into our countryside, and then object to what their nature compels them to do, and then we reintroduce the old county sport of hunting them. Just imagine hundreds of Welshmen on horseback, riding off into the woods hunting beavers.

Body Language

Watched the two candidates for the leadership of the Welsh Liberal Democrats on Dragon's Eye tonight. Jenny Randerson and Kirsty Williams were desperately trying to persuade us that they were the best of friends, who are involved in a contest of ideas. But its the body language that does it for me. I thought there was a smouldering resentment, and a genuine antipathy between them. Whichever of them wins is going to have a rather split and unhappy team of five behind them.

Cameron's New Policy.

WARNING - This is a partisan post - born of anger. Lets go back to the beginning. I'm one of those politicians who had to think about which political party I was most aligned with philosophically before becoming actively involved. No family tradition or politically motivated friends. Throughout my Local Government and Quango careers I was 'Independent'. When I was young, my inherent pride in being a Welshman led me to vote Plaid Cymru - instinctive rather than based on any judgement. But when I did think about which political party to join, I concluded that I was and always had been an instinctive Conservative.

Amongst the reasons that I consider myself 'Conservative' is a belief that the private sector delivers services more cost effectively than the state. In my opinion, it follows that I also believe in the state as a strong regulator. Private sector provision of social services with light regulation will not deliver social justice. I was in conversation with Wales Older People's Commissioner last night about provision of care for the elderly, the senile and other dependent people. The issue was how to provide best care. My opinion, (and I emphasise it was my opinion) was that when the public sector delivers the care itself (and also regulates the delivery) abuse, inefficiency and a terrible waste of money are likely to follow close behind. You see, my opinion is based not on some ideology, but on good service delivery.

Anyway, all of this is by way of introduction to my comments on David Cameron's hugely important statement yesterday that a future Conservative Government will not be tied to Labour's future spending plans. The Labour response has been predictable. Jeremy Paxman's sneering last night was verging on the repugnant. I've no idea what this will do to our popular support - but personally, I'm extremely pleased. My background as a small businessman instilled into me a suspicion of entering into debts that I wasn't sure how I would repay. The depth of my personal contempt for the financial systems that have wreaked such havoc with our economy is unmeasurable. My disbelief that so many people believe that Gordon Brown, the main architect of this havoc in Britain (also the individual who b*****ed up the regulatory system) should be thought by many to be the man to sort it out is equally unmeasurable - but it is the case. A good friend, (not political but aware) told me yesterday how she thought Brown was doing a good job. It was a genuine opinion from someone neither Labour nor Conservative. And the opinion polls seem to moving in Labour's direction.

But I wonder what will be the position after Xmas. A good friend of mine in financial services has been made redundant today, which has inspired this post. Others close to me are also expecting to lose their jobs - young able people whose dreams are going to be drowned in a sea of worry. I'm suspicious of the proposed £30 billion reduction in the tax burden that we expect on Monday, but my real worry about this is that there will be no route map outlining how and when it's going to be repaid. I'm not just pleased by David Cameron's announcement yesterday. I'm proud that my party leader has decided to face down the gamblers, the spinners and the spendthrifts, and stand up to the bullies that govern us in order to save our economy from disaster.

Speech Therapy

The presenters of BBC One's Breakfast TV programme really have got a brass neck. There they were toying 'playfully' with each other on their ridiculous settee this morning, giggling like two adolescents responding to the first stirrings of sexual interest in each other. All about as false as Ritchie Macaw's smiling best wishes at kick-off. And they started mocking George Osborne about some supposed attempts to change the tone of his voice. They had even persuaded some 'speech therapist' to come in and join them on their ridiculous settee. I've no idea whether this stuff was true or not, but so b*****y what, I thought. I spent hours learning how to improve my public speaking when I was a member of Berriew Young Farmer's Club. Must admit it was the local headmaster, the late Mr Glynne Jones who 'therapied' me, and in a voluntary capacity. Couldn't afford a proper speech therapist. Every YFC club did the same. It still happens today. Next week, I'll be adjudicating a Montgomeryshire YFC public speaking competition, trying to pass on what Glynne Jones taught me, all those years ago. And last month I adjudicated a Welsh school's debating competition, and tried to offer some advice when I summed up on behalf of the judging panel.

Usually, the key lesson is to slow down. This automatically lowers your voice, makes it easier on the listening ear, and helps give an impression that you are in control of your voice. It also creates opportunity to emphasise a particular point by a quick burst at normal word speed. When not appearing on the media, or speaking in public, I have a tendency to gabble - which when influenced by anger mutates into a squeak. Without some attempt at speech modulation, the audiece would be lost, as would any ability to influence. And I'd lay odds that every BBC presenter has undergone speech training. All they wanted was an excuse to have a go at George. So a curse on all media presenters, and may they lose their voices for an hour as punishment for their snideness.

Abermule Post Office

Its been quite a while since Post Office Ltd announced that the Montgomeryshire village of Abermule's Post Office was to close. Must admit that I've been disappointed that its proved impossible to reverse this decision. Abermule is a rapidly growing village, and local people are outraged that their Post Office is to close. So I'm very pleased that there's been an agreement to establish a 'partnership' arrangement between Abermule and the nearby Newtown Post Office, facilitating the continuation of Post Office services on the same site. Not what we wanted, but a damn sight better than the 'Mobile Van' that was proposed. To be fair to Post Office Wales, their representatives made it clear from the beginning that they were willing to consider a 'partnership'. The major benefit of this arrangement is that the same excellent people continue to provide the service.

The arrangement now agreed for Abermule is similar to that which was agreed at nearby Berriew, (where I live) following a public meeting (which I chaired) where we all decided we preferred it to the 'Mobile Van'. The main difference is that in Berriew, the local 'service supplier' is different, and its a different location. I know its taken a big commitment to learn the ropes. Whatever I'm really pleased that a service is to be retained at Abermule. I had been becoming increasingly concerned that this thriving village might have been left with no service at all.

What is Welsh

Writing in a book entitled 'Politics in the 21st century' Rhodri Morgan has insisted that the Labour Party must become more 'Welsh'. Martin Shipton's report on this in today's Western Mail is here. This has been interpreted by some as being a veiled attack on Don Touhig, Alun Michael and Kim Howells. What occurred to me was the question 'What does he mean by this'? Firstly he refers to a 'perception' that Labour is anti-Welsh - but since he also claims that "The charge is of course false", he must believe that the problem is presentational. I suppose he's watched the Labour Party under Blair and Brown achieve so much electoral success through 'spin' that he believes the 'perception' that Labour is anti-Welsh can also be transformed through 'spin'.

Another rather more complex question that occurs to me is 'What is Welsh' when referring to a political party's policies. Is it a commitment to a bilingual Wales, a willingness to financially support Welsh culture, or support for the transfer of more powers to the National Assembly - or what? Last week I read of a report from an London University which implied that to be Welsh meant to be socialist - conveniently forgetting that Mrs Thatcher almost attracted more votes than Wales-based Michael Foot in 1983.

And then there's the matter of how this discussion might be relevant to the Conservative Party. Often, I hear and read assertions that we are 'Welsh'. I very much want us to be - but I know that just calling ourselves Welsh Conservatives is not enough. Across most of the world, the political party that is most associated with regional distinctiveness and cultural diversity is the right-of-centre party. It should be us in Wales. I want it to be us in Wales. How do we make it us in Wales. And the biggest question of all for me is whether I'm right in believing that it matters.


Normally, I try to post on the basis of my opinion. This post just asks a lot of questions. Answers on a postcard please, or just comment.

'Opposition'.

The first task of an Opposition Party is to oppose the Government when it is acting in a way that is not in the best interests of the country. This involves holding the Government to account for its mistakes, through scrutiny and questioning. So its beyond me why there should be any criticism of George Osborne for warning that Gordon Brown's management of the economy could lead to a run on sterling. Disagree with the content if you want but surely not the fact of the criticism itself. Personally, I hope the Shadow Chancellor steps up the criticism. This will do for starters.

What really surprises me is how journalists can report with a straight face, comments by the Prime Minister that the official Opposition should not be challenging the Government over important issues. It seems to be the latest Gordon Brown ruse to isolate himself from any kind of scrutiny. The way media outlets tend to feed off each other is a bit depressing, especially when it involves criticising one of my favourite politicians, rather than congratulating him for doing his job. Last week, at PMGs, the Prime Minister accused David Cameron of playing party politics with a tragic death. At least, many people saw for themselves the unpleasant ridiculousness of Gordon Brown's behaviour. But this rubbish about George Osborne 'talking down Sterling' really is beyond reason.

And while I'm about it, why on earth is the media allowing the Prime Minister to get away with the incredible nonsense he's spouting about leading the world out of its financial crisis. This article from the New York Times demonstrates all too clearly that Gordon Brown is nothing like as significant a player as he pretends. Its worth reading. We want our journalists to tell us this. It seems to me that the G20 conference has been next thing to pointless. Did they really need to meet up in order to decide that they were 'going to work together'. Iain Dale reports Ken Clarke as commenting thus

"The G20 is a bit of a circus. They decided they wanted more growth. Yes, and we all love mothers too. The summit was held because all 20 of them wanted to use the word 'global' to emphasise that it wasn't their problem. I'm afraid they all went there for a photo opportunity and I fear that the photo that they missed was that with President-Elect Obama".

The proper response of the media should be to give the whole shebang about three column inches on the bottom of page 15.

Trunk Value - Two

Another really attractive betula is the River Birch. We grow several specimen trees, but here I'm trying to create a little grove that we can walk amongst. Its not been very successful yet because I bought bargain trees that were in poor condition and there's been a lot of die-back. But lots of peeling bark, which is main attraction. When I prune back some branches next spring, we should be able to walk amongst them.

The only reason to grow Prunus 'serrula' is for its trunk. Its really glossy and I'm told rather phallic when the tree is about three years old. In my experience, this tree grows quite quickly, but will not become any taller than twenty feet. i think it looks better if some lower branches are removed - usually the case when the trunk is the attractive feature. There's another one in the background, together with two specimen River Birchs.

And sorry about the layout of this post. Just cannot get things right tonight.

More on supermarkets

I seemed to have caused a bit of debate about supermarkets. For those who think a Local Planning Authority can just refuse to allow them, I'd like to share a little true story.

About two years ago, Lidl submitted a planning application to construct a supermarket on the J T Hughes car sales site in Newtown. I never met a single person in favour, including councillors and planning officers. But Powys County Council (the LPA) didn't refuse it - they just did nothing much at all. After a few months, Lidl appealed to the National Assembly on the grounds of non determination - and at the same time submitted a second similar planning application on the same site. Eventually, the first application fell to be heard by an Assembly planning inspector. The Powys Planning Department took a report to councillors, outlining their strategy of opposition to the development, to ensure councillor support. Because of a fear that the appeal would succeed, and they would be subject to huge costs, councillors informed their officers that they were not able to offer the requested support - in other words, they they were on their own. A few days later the planning officers completely changed their position and recommended approval of the second application. At the next meeting, the second Lidl application was approved. The local population (including me) was dumbfounded. Shortly afterwards, the appeal against non determination of the first application was withdrawn. Thats how we came to have the Lidl supermarket built on what seemed to me to be a totally unsuitable location, about half a mile from the town centre.

I live between Newtown and Welshpool, both of which have recently been considering planning applications for supermarkets. In Newtown its been with Tesco directly, and in Welshpool with a developer who has just announced that the client is Tesco. On balance, I'm against the Newtown proposal and in favour of the Welshpool proposal - mainly because the Newtown supermarket will be beyond practical walking distance from the town's retail centre, while in Welshpool it will be on the edge of it. There are other considerations as well, principally concerning traffic flows. Its also the case that the local Council is in favour of both of these developments. I'm meeting Welshpool's Federation of Small Business later this week, when this issue is bound to be a major talking point. So this blog may have yet another supermarkets post on Friday.

Trunk value

Winter interest is important in any garden. Several ways of doing this through leaf colour, shapes, conifers, grasses and some shrubs. Personally, I'm keen on the trunks of trees - and this is my favourite, 'Acer grisium'. Its expensive to buy, and slow growing. But its easyto grow and has good leaf colour as well. I've pruned the lower branches away to show off the peeling bark. This lovely tree is sometimes known as a 'paper bark maple'. When my granddaughter is walking her granddaughter around the Cil Garden, this tree could well be over 30 ft tall.


Most gardens have at least one specimen of the Betula 'utilis' or 'jacquemontii'. I'm never sure what the correct name is for this white stemmed birch. This could even be a special cultivar. We planted a few as a little grove with paths amongst them. They are brilliant in the moonlight. If you have time, they can be improved by washing them down with water. They do grow to be quite a size and because birches are shallow rooted, underplanting is not easy. This photograph shows that I use Phormium and bamboo. And I've just lost two other photographs, so I'll have to post again after supper.

Academics catching up.

"Yawn, yawn." I can almost smell it leaking out of my laptop as I embark on this post. What the H*** am I doing posting on how Wales is governed - again. I apologise to those of you who visit this blog for gossip and 'gaffes', but reading today's Western Mail has set me off again.

Regular visitors will know that this blog supports the granting to the National Assembly for Wales of law making power in the subject areas which are currently devolved. Unfortunately this 'opinion' sometimes leads to derisive snorts that I'm what is dismissively termed a 'Nat', someone who believes Wales should be an 'independent' country. Nothing wrong with being a 'Nat' of course, but I'm not one of them. And that is because the reason I hold the opinion that I hold, is that I support the long term survival of the United Kingdom. I'm pleased to read today's article by Tomos Livingstone, based on a report by the Constitutional Unit at University College, London which seems to lend support to the position policy this blog has long taken. I will just reproduce one of the quoted lines.

"The present arrangements are unstable and hard to make work, and create constitutional entanglement and confusion, so greater autonomy would be in the interests of both the devolved institutions in Wales and at a UK level."

Couldn't have put it better myself. In fact that's just about how I have been putting it since the 2006 Government of Wales Act reached the Statute Book. There's a whole lot of other stuff as well, some of it blindingly obvious, and some of it 'blue skies thinking'. I think I'll try to acquire a copy.

So, Tesco it is.

Jan and Tracy are strong and opinionated women. At the Montgomeryshire Dinner' held in Meifod Village Hall last night I was seated comfortably next to them, tucking in to outstandingly good fare. A most convivial evening suddenly turned quite intimidatory when I mentioned that the new supermarket to be built in the middle of Welshpool is to be a Tesco. I possessed this knowledge because the developers had telephoned me earlier in the day, seeking a supportive quote on the Press Release that has now been issued. Well actually, it wasn't the fact it was a Tesco that brought opprobrium down upon my head, but that I made the announcement with some approval. I've always had a soft spot for Tesco, because I used to know the then Managing Director, David Malpas, and Dr Gwyn Jones, another Director rather well a few years ago. I suppose its a warmth born of personal friendship. But I don't know much about supermarket shopping - though I did once enter Morrison's of Welshpool for the purposes of shopping in May 2007.

Now Jan and Tracy do not want a new supermarket in Welshpool at all, and if it must be, they do not want it to be a Tesco. The situation was manageable. But then I made a fatal mistake - one that politicians are prone to make. I began talking about something of which I know little. I said that Tesco in a very good quality retailer, and than Welshpool's shoppers (thankfully I didn't say housewives) would be really pleased to have this choice, and that many of those who currently choose to travel to shop will now stay in Welshpool. Well, I know at least two who don't agree.

Many local people do not want another supermarket to come to Welshpool at all. Fair enough. But those who hold this opinion should accept that in due course, the town will lose its livestock market. I'm told that the current market is unlikely to comply with various legal requirements for much longer, and will not survive. The only way that sufficient money can be raised to build a new livestock market is through sale of part of the existing site for food retailing.

Whatever, the decisions have now been taken. Welshpool is being redesigned. The new livestock market is being built (the first sod is being turned on 27th Nov), a one-way traffic system is being introduced, and Tesco is coming. I wonder if Jan and Tracy will be able to resist all those juicy introductory offers that are going to be advertised on posters when Tesco of Welshpool opens?

The President's Lunch

President of our local Conservative Association is Lord Gowrie, Alexander Patrick Greysteil Hore-Ruthven. Amongst a host of other things, he was a member of Mrs Thatcher's Cabinet, holding the position of Chancellor, Duchy of Lancaster. He also served as Chairman of the Arts Council, and he's had a heart transplant. And this afternoon he delivered what I consider the best political speech I've heard in Montgomeryshire. Not one of those great oratorical flourishes. It wasn't even 'rousing' in any sense of the word. And I'm not even sure that he'd done much preparation. It was just a man with great knowledge of the world, speaking in a relaxed, generally non-partisan way about the significance of the Obama victory. He'd arrived hotfoot from the US, where he and Lady Gowrie had visited in order to be close to one of the most significant events in the history of the United States. Lord Gowrie lives near Llanfechain and is wonderfully good company.

He told us about his friend Sir Brian Urquhart, who was once sentenced to death - but during the night before the planned execution at dawn, he managed to "talk his executioners out of it". Now that would need a very cool head.

Rarely do I listen to a speech where I agree with all that the speaker says. Well, I nearly achieved that today. Regular readers will know that this blog offered gentle support for John McCain when he was selected as the Republican candidate for the US Presidency, but by the time voting day arrived had decided that the phenomenon that is Barack Obama was the right man for the job - mainly because his election will lead to a willingness on the part of the world to look at the US in a more positive way. While our President told us he thought John McCain is a excellent man, he too believed Obama to be special. The only issue where I might be able to find disagreement with Lord Gowrie is over the issue of abolition of hereditary peerages. He told us that he was very much in favour of the abolition of himself from our Parliament. While I agree with him in principle, I'm not at all sure that I could have supported the 'two stage' process, which has left us in the position where we seem unable to reach an agreement on how our revising chamber should be finally constituted. I bought a 'Yes We Can' top which I'll wear during the General Election campaign. A good day and left Newtown Football Club, where our lunch was held, with confidence lifted up a notch or two.

'Top Cat' in 'full rant'

When we were both members of the National Assembly, I used to enjoy listening to David Davies speaking. He was not always relevant, was sometimes outrageous and I sometimes didn't agree with him. But he usually had a point, which was more than I can say for a lot of the speeches I listened to. Which is why I read this one (from ConservativeHome) in its entirety. Be warned that its not going to be to everyone's taste. Pity it isn't on video. How I'd like to have been there to see the expressions on the mandarin's faces.

The Price of Foolishness.

Its enough to bring despair down upon the head of any reasonable Welshman, who wants to see Wales well governed within a settled British constitution. Since it was first proposed, I have described the 2006 Government of Wales Act as "a constitutional crisis waiting to happen". This BBC report could well describe the arrival of such a crisis. After the Act was passed, I took the view that we must try to make it work. So it was no surprise that I was horrified when the Coalition Government proposed a Legislative Competence Order asking for the powers to abandon Right-to-buy to be transferred to the National Assembly. Fools I thought - bl****y fools. The subtlety of a clunking fist. A stand off was inevitable, as it usually is when politicians start waving their p****s in the air, advertising their virility.

Well, we are where we are. So what happens now. It looks as if Rhodri Morgan wants to back down - but we do not know how many of his AMs agree with him. On balance, I think that this is sensible - but it does depend on the terms of the agreement that MPs and AMs arrive at. Inevitably any agreement will act as a precedent to some degree, but some form of words must be found to minimalise the precedent involved - or the Act becomes meaningless. The big issue is of course the declared intention of the Coalition to ask for powers over the Welsh Language to be transferred. Its ironic that playing silly games over Right-to-buy has made it much more difficult for the Assembly to win powers to legislate for the Welsh Language.

The politics of this are very interesting. Because this issue has reached stand-off stage, Plaid Cymru supporters will be mightily miffed if the LCO is diluted as the MPs want. And they will be even more miffed if the Welsh Language LCO is now watered down as well. (For what its worth I think this would have been a better battleground, if battleground there was going to be). Oh, and then there's the failure to deliver a referendum on law making powers - another promise in the Coalition policy agreement which persuaded Plaid Cymru supporters to back Ieuan Wyn Jones decision to prop up Labour in Government, rather than enter a 'Rainbow' coalition. I suspect it will be a bit more than some supporters will put up with.

UPDATE - just watched Betsan on Dragon's Eye, who reads the situation exactly the same as I do. For months, I thought I was ploughing alonely furrow on this - so its nice to see that I've become 'mainstream'.

Saving the World.

What a stroke of luck for the world that Lembit Opik didn't win the presidency of the Liberal Democrat Party over the weekend. It means that he now has time to focus his attention on ending terrorism. In yesterday's Shropshire Star, this headline took my eye. In fact both of them were taken - and then forced open wide with astonishment. It read 'MP Opik offers to hold bin Laden talks'. I just cannot bring myself to make any comment on this, beyond repeating some of what was reported as direct quotations.

"I was very low after losing the election, but I now realise my biggest political opportunities are just beginning"

"My first goal will be to promote a dialogue to address the motives of international terror rather than simply declaring a so far relatively unproductive war on terror"

"I want to find out why they commit such horrifying acts, so we can help put a stop to it with politics not violence"

"If I could talk to Osama bin Laden, I would ask what outcomes he was trying to achieve. My only request would be for him to listen to my response."

The report did not make it clear whether he intended to discuss his plans with Barack Obama, just to ensure that all the families and friends of those murdered by Osama bin Laden on 9/11 were happy that this meeting should take place. Neither did the report inform us whether Mr David Icke is to accompany the LO team when it leaves for Afghanistan.

UPDATE - Perhaps this news from the CIA will help find him.

'British' or 'Welsh'?

Got a late call from the Richard Evans phone-in on Radio Wales this morning. Could I get to the Newtown Studio by noon - and 'guest' on a panel of three. The issue concerned a document published by Caerphilly Council which had supposedly warned all staff to be cautious of using the term 'British' when dealing with the public, because it might cause offense. Well, I thought this was all very silly, but was cautious myself because I'd not read the document, only the comments that others had made upon it.

Anyway I agreed, and found that one of my fellow panellists was Councillor Ron Davies, former Secretary of State for Wales. The other was journalist, Mario Basini. Richard tried to create some great division between us, as he does, but with little success. I just took the opinion that individuals should be free to decide whether they want to be thought of as British or Welsh - or anything else for that matter. The location that I identify with more than anywhere else is Montgomeryshire - and then Wales - and then Britain. But I'm not displeased to be described as British. In fact, I'm proud to be called British, even though I tend to think of myself as more Welsh - and yesterday, Armistice Day, I felt particularly proud to be British. In general Ron Davies agreed.

All that had happened was that Caerphilly Council had produced one of these documents about equality policy (which very few people actually read), and it had been blown up into an issue that attracted disproportionate comment. The aspect that did concern me was the UK media coverage, which I thought brought ridicule upon Wales. There is something about the UK media which seems to delight in stories that do this.

Anyway, some of the callers were very funny. Cheryl from Bridgend became frustrated with some obscure point Mario was trying to make, and she finished up with an exasperated "You're Bonkers". And then some fellow came on and told Richard that his was a great programme, and that "You really get some 'lemons' on" - and I think he meant the panel. And then another fellow came on and said he thought of himself as a Welsh European'! By this stage, I was laughing like a drain. It was nice to be tangling with Ron again. Whatever else, he's a class act in a debate.

Why do we want to do it?

Anyone who listened to today's Prime Minister's Questions will have been nauseated by the man who has managed to secure the position of Prime Minister of our country. You can listen to it here if you can stand it. I've read the reaction of a few to it and the best is this by Fraser Nelson. He brings a level of disrepute to his office that has rarely been achieved in our history.

'Country Focus' on the CPRW.

Missed Melanie Dole's 'Country Focus' on Sunday morning. For those of you interested in the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales you can listen to the programme here.

The Last Post

"We will remember them". Young men (and I think its all men) who sacrificed their lives. And so we should. I wanted to contribute to the Telegraph Media Group's fundraising campaign to constuct a memorial to the men of Bomber Command. 55,573 were killed in action, almost half of those who flew operations over Nazi Germany and occupied Europe. Bravery that I can barely comprehend. Yes, we should honour them.

So this morning I arranged a coffee morning in Welshpool Town Hall, and invited anyone and everyone to join me. It was free, but there was a 'Donations' box. At 11.00, the Last Post was sounded by bugler, Ian Davies (also born to a Castle Caereinion farming family, but not a relative). Speeches were made by the Mayor, Anne Holloway and by local ex-serviceman, 86 year old John Gwilt, who is a longstanding friend and political non-sympathiser. I write that now, but didn't think of it all day. It was an event where political differences went unrecognised.

Its strange how the incredibly emotional sound of the Armistice Day bugle and the silence brings people together. Political differences are not so much insignificant as irrelevent. Its also strange that out of commemoration of the most awful tragedy, we find a pleasure and a pride midst the awe we sense at the scale of sacrifice. I've not served in the Armed Forces myself, but each year I appreciate more keenly the contribution made by so many others on my behalf. The box marked 'Donations' contained getting on for £200. I'll do the same thing next year.

Blimey - He's Everywhere.

Strolling down Broad Street in Welshpool this afternoon - and who should I encounter but Matt Dicks, one of ITV Wales top journos. He was doing a 'vox pop'. Not exactly sure what he was asking, but he interviewed me in search of an opinion about Montgomeryshire's Member of Parliament, Lembit Opik. It was probably for a follow-up piece on Saturday's announcement of a new President of the Liberal Democrats. Well, dear readers, what on earth could I say?

The following is roughly what I did say. I'd thought Lembit was going to win the Presidency, because no-one had ever heard of Baroness Ros Scott (and he told me on Friday that he was going to) - and that I'd been astounded by the margin of his defeat. I also said that I rather like him, that we get along pretty well, and that I'm not prepared to criticise him. But I did say that it seems that we do have a very different approach to politics. And that this is good for democracy, because it gives Montgomeryshire voters a choice of 'approach to politics' as well as 'political affiliation'.

But the main point I made was that I don't want my campaign to be defined by Lembit. I try to ignore all the celebrity attention that Montgomeryshire politics seems to be attracting. I want my campaign to be about what I want to do. I'm not sure Matt was listening - and I don't blame him. Luckily, I'd had a morning when my approach had worked out exactly as I desire it to - doing something in the constituency for a cause I believe in. (The 'Next Post' which I will call the 'Last Post') . But its not going to be easy. I did note that the media referred to Baroness Scott's stunning victory as her opponent's defeat. When I told Pam in the office that I hoped the same thing wouldn't happen to me, she smiled to herself knowingly, and seemed not to mind at all.

AMs Allowances - read all about them.

So December 8th it is. That's the day when all the juicy little details about how Assembly Members spent their 'Additional Costs' allowances, between May 2006 - May 2007. Details of their 'Office Costs' and 'Travel Costs' allowances from May 2007 - May 2008 are also being published on the same date. But its the 'Additional Costs' which are likely to provide snippets which could boost sales of the Western Mail.

When the 2007 - 08 details were released, there was a real hoo-hah about a £2,000 settee, £1000 TV and audio system, and a few other odd bits. I wonder what will excite the commentariat this time, and whether all the AMs will disappear under their desks again. Last year, the media were so desperate for someone to respond that they asked me - even though I'd not been an AM for many months. I always took the view that if you claim taxpayer's money, you've got to be prepared to defend it - and publicly. I wonder how many AMs will have their mobiles turned off on Dec 7th/8th. It will be a bit awkward for all those who think they are in with a chance of winning a Politician of the Year award. They will want to hear from ITV Wales whether they 'must' turn up for the black tie Awards 'do' on the 9th!

I know all this because I've received the lists of my claims this morning - so that I can check accuracy before publication. It all looks to be in order. I was lucky that I had Phill Carlick as my PA, to make sure it was. He had a lot in common with my accountant. Sometimes I felt outraged that they refused to submit what I reckoned were entirely legitimate claims. But refuse they did - and I accepted it. Anyway, order your newspapers for Dec 8th, and find out precisely how your politicians have been using their allowances.

Looking for the inherent incentive.

Been to a health care conference in Cardiff today arranged by the Institute of Welsh Affairs. Part of my ongoing efforts to broaden my knowledge. We all enjoyed listening to a Cardiff Business School professor comprehensively rubbished the Assembly Government's case for NHS restructuring - or more accurately pointing out that there's been no effort whatsoever to provide any evidence base on which to build justification for the Minister's proposals. And there's no meaningful attempt being made to establish a mechanism for judging in the future whether the reorganisation has been a 'success'. I daresay Cardiff Business School would do it for £100k!

I've never trusted reorganisations. During my eight years as an Assembly Member the two most significant reorganisations were the creation of the NHS structure that the current Minister, Edwina Hart is now demolishing, and the ill-considered, prejudice-driven incorporation of the quangos. Its accepted by all that the first was a disaster, and accepted by some that the second was the same. There was no attempt to base either of them on evidence, or to put in place any attempt to measure whether they were successful.

Now to the point of this post. A contribution by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council helped clarify my thinking today - on a subject he wasn't even talking about. His subject was innovation in the NHS, and he was asking why on earth any senior manager should act innovately. Any failure of innovation inevitably leads to public condemnation, with demands to know why the money wasn't invested in the tried and tested. And unlike in the private sector, there is no bonus structure to reward success, thus making the risk associated with innovation worthwhile. So there's no innovation.

Regular readers will know that this blog has been struggling to arrive at an opinion about 'presumed consent' with regard to human organ donation. And this is what Sir Leszek's comments caused me to think. Under the present system of 'opt-in', there is a systemic incentive driving the desire to persuade people to become organ donors. The more people who 'opt in' and carry a donor card, the more organs there will be available for transplant. Now if a system of 'presumed consent' was introduced and people were to be required to 'opt out', the only systemic incentive would be have no publicity, no public awareness and no public discussion at all. There will be howls of protest that the new 'presumed consent' will be set up with all sorts of safeguards, but in my opinion its always as well to look at the inherent interests when making a judgement..

Return of the Quangos.

Assembly Minister, Jane Davidson is clearly demob happy - and why not. Saying something 'outside the box' is usually healthy. But I don't agree with this. She has identified a problem, but has come to a conclusion that is both partisan and unacceptable. I watched today's interview on the BBC's Politics Show. I also knew about it because David Williamson of the Western Mail asked me what I thought of it sometime last week.

I agree with Jane that there's a problem with how Wales is governed. Because there are only 60 Assembly Members, elected from candidates who are selected by political party machines (except one), there is not much room for the individuals who have been successful in other fields, that Jane Davidson refers to - even if I'm not sure that we need too many 'celebrities'. It is the same old faces that are put in front of the cameras time after time. Its no surprise that the public switch off.

But Jane's idea of using the 20 'regional' Assembly seats to accommodate the new faces is not acceptable. Firstly, this idea is blatantly partisan - just the sort of 'tribalism' she objects to. Its not just a happy coincidence that only two of the twenty are held by Labour AMs. Now I'm not suggesting that this would stop Labour. After all this is the party that forced through the offensively partisan ban on dual candidacy, which was such an affront to democracy. Its just that no other party would accept it. And secondly, its no longer acceptable to have people sitting in our National Assembly who have not been elected by a genuine system of democracy.

Seems to me there are two ways this issue can be resolved. Firstly by establishing a 'Second Chamber' which would be, at least in part, 'nominated' - an idea about as appetising to the Welsh public as a rat sandwich. Or we could reinstate what we used to do until Jane's Government abolished it - appointing these special individuals to Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies, for limited periods to carry out Government objectives - within the confines of a 'Remit Letter'. Now, most people of stature are not going to be interested in being used as 'promotional' material, appointed just to give credibility to Assembly Government policy. There will have to be a good degree of independence. As far as I can see, Jane Davidson is making a case for establishing some high profile quangos.

All aboard the Brrrrm Brrrrm

We used to refer to my 4 wheel drive 42" cut mulcher as the 'Stiga'. Not a very inventive name - even if rather typical of me. My first dog was called 'Pup'. But never again. From now on its going to be called Brrrm Brrrm.

At last Taid's now got some leverage. Until this weekend, Mrs D, Eb and Karen (or Mum and Dad) were always favoured. I felt that I was tolerated - OK as long as I was prepared to carry her around, or happened to have a peeled banana in my hand. And none of the others wanted her for themselves - like when 'Strictly Cum Dancin' is on. But no more. All I have to do is say Brrrm Brrrm and she's mine - rain or shine. She absolutely loves it. Whenever little Ffion is home in future I'll have the ignition keys in my pocket. And before anyone moans, we don't actually 'mulch', or go anywhere remotely dangerous, or on the public highway.

This Week's Elections

Its been a week of interesting elections - three of them. I got the results of two right - and one spectacularly wrong.

First up was Tuesday's US Presidential Election. Like almost everyone in the world, I'd expected Barack Obama to win. Although John McCain is a very special man, I would probably have allowed my heart to rule my head and voted for Obama myself. He's shown himself to be an inspirational politician. And there is no reason to believe that he will be any less 'conservative' than McCain would have been. His main message since has election has been about his commitment to economic recovery and tax cuts for 95% of American taxpayers. Only thing that worries me is the portrayal of the arrival of the new President elect as akin to the 'second coming'. Truth is that Obama cut his teeth in the tough and rough school of Chicargo politics. For all his charm, he must be a devious and unscrupulous operator to have survived. And he's chosen a brute as his Chief of Staff. His foreign policy is going to be dominated by a tougher line in Afghanistan and a hard line in Iran. His election promises us rather more charm from the occupant of the White House, who could well rebuild some love and respect for the US across the world. As always, Charles Moore has written a lovely piece on this today.

Second interesting election was Glenrothes on Thursday. I cannot understand why Labour's victory is being reported by the media as a surprise. Since Gordon Brown decided to visit the constituency himself, I've not had the slightest doubt that Labour would win. He would never have gone there unless his private polling was predicting victory. The margin was a surprise though. Even though I would like to be really churlish, I cannot deny that it was a good result for Labour, and poor for everyone else. It was particularly poor for the SNP. I can see that this opinion is challengable (because there was an 8% swing to the SNP). But in politics, momentum is everything. Labour managed 'expectation' in a very professional and cunning way, while Alex Salmond needed a setback to puncture the insufferable cockiness that seems to have infected him of late.

The third interesting election was for President of the Liberal Democrats. Well, it was of interest to me because I will be Lembit' Opik's Conservative opponent at the next General Election. I met Lembit on Welshpool's High Street yesterday, and he told me that he was confident of victory. Must admit that I agreed with him. Knowing how important 'name recognition' is in elections, I couldn't believe that someone so well known could lose to someone most of us had never heard of. And it wasn't just losing. This was the sort of result we expect to see in places like North Korea! I was truly astounded by the scale of Baroness Ros Scott's victory - 72% to 22%. Obama only won by 52% to 47%. I've no idea what this means for my own chances of becoming an MP - if anything.

Not many shopping days left before Xmas, so in this season of goodwill, this blog offers congratulations to Barack Obama, Lindsay Roy and Baroness Ros Scott.

To have the Heart of a Pig

Now this is not a suitable question to discuss over a cooked breakfast, or a bacon 'buttie' at lunchtime. Better over the vegetarian option. Will 'presumed consent' be extended to pigs? Or will it be considered entirely proper for us to breed pigs (in a totally virus-free environment of course) so that we can whip out their vital organs and implant them into human beings in need of an organ transplant. You may think I'm being a little ridiculous here. Been reading some science fiction. But no - not according to today's Telegraph.

Lord Winston, fertility expert at Imperial College, London is developing a GM pig which could be the harbinger of a limitless source of organs for human use - hearts, kidneys, livers etc.. He thinks such a pig will have been created by 2010, and be ready for use in our hospitals within 10 years. I don't think its a wind-up. I'm sure that many people will think that this is a wonderful development. But it causes me disquiet - a lot of it.

Sports Personality of the Year.

Only 34 shopping days until the Sports Personality of the Year is chosen. The lobbying has already started. Mandrake in today's Telegraph reports that wonderful swimmer and home town girl, Rebecca Adlington is none too impressed by the claims of Lewis Hamilton. She thinks that some of the Olympian gold medallists have a stronger case. I'm definitely with Rebecca on this.

Lewis Hamilton is indeed a world champion - but he wouldn't have won if he'd been driving anything other than a Maclaren or a Ferrari. Also, he made plenty of mistakes through the season, and needed the most incredible stroke of luck in the form of heavy rain on the last lap to win it. Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington and others won through the exertions and skillful deployment of their own bodies, in competition with everyone else in the world. OK, I suppose Chris could have been riding a more aerodynamic bike, or Rebecca could have been wearing a more aerodynamic swimsuit. Whatever, my vote goes to Nicole Cooke, who won the first UK gold medal and set the tone of UK victory for the games. She wins my vote because of her longer record of world beating performances. I thought she should have won it last year. So its 34 shopping days to go. Lets hear it for Nicole. And best of luck tonight Joe Calzhage, last year's winner. Just keep up with the Jones for the first few rounds, and use your fantastic hand speed and relentlessness to drive forward to legendary status. Then retire - please.

Presumed Consent

My opinion is no more settled than it was this morning. This is despite spending an hour and more at what I can only describe as an Assembly Government sponsored 'discussion' in Newtown. The subject was 'Presumed Consent'. The basic question is whether following death, human body organ donation should be carried out unless the deceased has a way of expressing an opinion that he or she did not want it to happen.

The Assembly Health Minister has already expressed a 'personal view' that this should be the position. Today's discussion was constitutionally odd - the Minister checking with the people before translating her 'personal view' into law. Gordon Brown and Rhodri Morgan have expressed the same personal view as Edwina Hart. I pointed out that a cross party Assembly Committee takes an opposing opinion. The problem as I see it is that if 'presumed consent' were to be adopted, there would be many organs removed from dead people who would not have wanted their bodies mutilated. I'm not at all sure that this is morally acceptable. The response that its the recently deceased responsibility to carry an opt-out card seems highly questionable to me.

I learnt some interesting facts today. In no particular order.

People waiting on a transplant list are more likely to die as waiting than to receive the transplant that they need.

Spain, (which has a 'presumed consent' policy), has a higher level of organ donation than any other country. However, it was administrative changes which raised the level rather than the 'presumed consent' policy itself.

The discussion is about organ donation policy, and is not about where the organ distribution policy, or about where organ receivers live in the UK.

In the US, more organs are taken from the bodies of the living than the dead.

I still believe that Government should take more seriously the job of persuading people to carry donation cards, and that the focus of Government policy should remain on promoting agreed organ donation. But I can see that its not easy. One final point. If we are going to go down the 'presumed consent' route, I would much prefer it to be done on a UK basis.

Helen Mary - action speaks louder than words.

Plaid Cymru's Deputy Leader in the National Assembly, Helen Mary Jones attended Llanfair Caereinion High School. So too did I, quite some years before she did I should add. Could this be the reason that she sometimes talks and writes considerable sense? This article which appeared in today's Western Mail is a good example. The issue is one of the main reasons that I'd like to be elected an MP.

But there is one aspect that Helen Mary adroitly sidesteps. Her Party is part of the Government, with a majority sufficient to carry a vote asking the UK Government to hold the referendum needed to make the changes she so articulately promulgates. Increasingly I hear Plaid Cymru activists trying to throw sand into our eyes, hoping we won't notice the paralysis in the Coalition Government. Some of them even try throwing a diversionary light into the Conservative corner.

Dear Helen Mary, The ball is in your own court. Why not play it. Cofion gorau oddi wrth your old school chum, Glyn

The Wales Tourist Board.

I was a member of the Wales Tourist Board between 1989-94. I served under the Chairmanship of Prys Edwards and Tony Lewis, two men of very different style, but both good leaders in their own way. We were served by a savvy and effective Chief Executive named Paul Loveluck. I didn't agree with all that the WTB did, and occasionally I rattled my toys in Board meetings. But it gave Wales a strong profile in the international tourism market. It worked and it delivered. I thought it was a great mistake when Rhodri Morgan abolished the WTB, and incorporated its role within the Assembly Government. I believe that he did this without any prior discussion with any WTB personnel, or even informing his own cabinet, except the Machiavellian Andrew Davies (I think Andrew would like that if someone cares to show him)). This was Rhodri Morgan taking revenge on 'The Quangos' without any regard for the consequences to the Welsh economy or to the Welsh tourist industry. When I was an Assembly Member, I told him to his face, and publicly, that the way in which he abolished the WDA and the WTB rendered him unfit for the position of First Minister. I believed that then, with fervour, and I still believe that today.

There were some in the tourism industry who welcomed the demise of the WTB. They believed the 'spin'. They thought that they, directly representing their industry, would be a more effective champion. They thought that dealing directly with 'Government' would benefit the industry. Well, they were wrong. And this is the inevitable result. If you walk down the street in Welshpool, no-one will have a clue what 'Visit Wales' is. Ten conferences won't change that. The old strapline 'Wales Tourist Board' was worth tens of millions, cast casually aside, together with the equally valuable strapline 'Welsh development Agency' into a disposal bucket marked 'Rhodri Morgan's Prejudice'. Oh what a tragedy. And its the tourism businesses of Wales who are paying the price of one man's vanity. Some day, a new body will be created, very like the Wales Tourist Board. And that may well be what they call it.

Devolution in Wales - The Way Ahead.

I've just noticed that it was made public this afternoon. That's the much anticipated summary of the 'interim report' put together by Lord Roberts of Conwy at the request of David Cameron, to inform the people of Wales of Conservative policy towards devolution. Cannot make a fully considered post at this stage, because I've not had a chance to read it. But I have read what other's have said about it here and here. This report is a matter of great interest to me. It will also be of great interest to the people of Wales if the Conservative Party forms the UK Government after the next General Election.

The top line that seems to be leading the news on this is Lord Robert's belief that we do not have the right devolutionary settlement. I agree with that. But it seems that we are not yet ready to decide on a definitive way forward. I've just watched Lord Roberts being interviewed on Wales Today and he informed us that he wants a future Conservative Government to hold a 'root and branch' review of how the current Government of Wales Act can be improved. A year ago, I would have been disappointed by this conclusion, but the position has moved on. And because the position is going to carry on moving on, I don't think that Lord Roberts had too much alternative. Its the way I've been going myself.

A year ago, I anticipated that there would be a determined effort by the Assembly's Governing Coalition to create some momentum in the direction of a law making Parliament. I also anticipated that a referendum on whether we wanted law making powers in devolved areas would be held before the next Assembly Election. On both issues, I now believe that my confidence was misplaced. This leaves two major questions just hanging there. Firstly, what approach should a future Conservative Government take to Legislative Competence Orders, the complex system by which powers are currently being transferred to Cardiff Bay. And secondly, what would be the response of a future Conservative Government to a request for a referendum on law making powers across the board to be held, if it were to be made sometime in the future. I suspect Lord Roberts has concluded that this is best left to the 'root and branch' review. This does not so much close down the debate as defer it until post General Election - much the same sort of conclusion I'd reached.

But this is not going to fully 'park' the issue. During the General Election campaign, candidates (of which I expect to be one) will have to answer the two outstanding questions. At present I can see no reason why I cannot inform the voters of Montgomeryshire that I would support the holding of a referendum if it were to asked for, and I would support law making powers if a referendum of the people of Wales supported it. I will also be able to promise that I will do all that I can to encourage the processing of LCOs through the Westminster procedures in an efficient and timely way.

Our Iconic Senedd

It cost about £70 million, over 500% more than estimated when the decision to build it was taken. So its no surprise that the National Assembly's Audit Committee has 'found' that the cost of the Senedd, the new (ish) home of Welsh democracy was expensive. But they like it. Must admit that I didn't believe the original figure. I recall being accused of 'scaremongering' when I used a speech to predict that the cost would rise to over £30 million - after having discussed the design with a builder of such large projects. Most people seem to have forgotten that the entire Labour Cabinet at the time also believed that the new building was going to be too expensive, stopped all construction work, and tried to force an utterly ridiculous alternative onto us. Now that was stupid. I was the leading opponent of the decision of Assembly Members to spend so much money on themselves as its first major spending decision, but even I thought the Lord Rogers design was better value than the idiotic plan that Rhodri Morgan's Cabinet all voted in favour of. Thankfully, almost no-one supported the First Minister on his proposals and the entire Cabinet looked like a row of isolated lemons as the vote was taken. In the end, the completion work was done within a fixed-price contract, so its no surprise that it came in within that budget.

Its a stunning building. In my opinion far ahead of the Scottish Parliament in design terms. I love its connection with the water. Only concern I have is that it could look too squat if tall buildings are built too near to it. I've had a bit of trouble explaining how I can be so excited about a beautiful new building, the conception and birth of which I sought to prevent. I've always compared it to that much loved painting that hangs on the sitting room wall. Just because we had to stretch the budget to buy it, and go without essentials for a while, doesn't stop it being a much loved masterpiece.

The only sensible approach for anyone who wants the best for Wales to take, is to want the Senedd to be seen as an iconic building across the world, to be proud of its curves, its femininity and its openness. Its definitely female, so she's not perfect. Its no surprise that sometimes she has occasional little tantrums than need attending to.

One issue that did concern me when I was an Assembly Member was the danger of losing contact with the public who visit the Senedd. Its easily possible for the politicians to conduct all of their business without meeting the public at all - not so in the old Milling Area. There is no need for AMs to venture out of the parts of the building not accessible to the public. I always used to make a point of taking coffee at least once a day in the public cafe area. Ths Senedd is a beautiful building, but it will always be more interesting to the public if they can mix with the people sent there to represent them. Jersey Zoo is also a beautiful place, but visitors like to see the animals as well.

Questions that need to be asked.

There are important questions which Powys County Councillors should be asking of their officers about the Council's deposits in Icelandic Banks. And these questions should be asked in public. The first question is when the most recent deposit of one million pounds in Landbanksi was made - and if it really was made on 5th September 2008, the next question should be whether this was a sensible and reasonable investment to make. We do know that a lot of other Councils had decided against Icelandic investments well before that date - as long ago as March I'm told.

The purpose of this post is not to be critical of the Council's investment decision. But I do think there is a need for a genuine inquiry - and the internal Councillor inquiry that's been set up has not much credibility, in that Councillors on the inquiry team were seen publicly applauding the officer who had taken the decisions before the inquiry had even met. This post asks whether the Council has a legitimate (or at least a moral) claim against the UK Government.

The Icelandic Bank balloon went up on October 8th (or thereabouts) - just one month after Powys made its one million deposit. But there has been an increasing number of reports that the British Government knew of the problems with Icelandic Banks as long ago as March, but kept the information secret. There really must be an 'Independent' inquiry into this. It would be quite shocking if the British Government stood back and allowed Powys County Council to invest one million pounds in banks that it knew to be an unacceptable risk - and I'm sure many other Councils as well.

Lib Dems lighten the gloomy mood.

My main political opponents have always been the Liberal Democrats. That's because I live in Montgomeryshire, which has voted in a Liberal Democrat/Liberal MP for most of the last century - except between 1979-1983, when the Conservatives nipped in for a four year stint. I've known and greatly respected two of these MPs, Emlyn (now Lord) Hooson and Alex (now Lord) Carlile. Before Emlyn was the hugely respected Clement Davies, whom I never met nor heard speak. This long record of success, combined with the requirement for an 11.4% swing, suggests that my ambition to win Montgomeryshire for the Conservatives at the next General Election is a tall order. But there are straws in the wind which I can firmly grasp, as someone once nearly said.

The Conservatives easily beat the Liberal Democrats in Montgomeryshire at the last Euro-elections. The Conservatives also easily beat the Liberal Democrats in the 'regional' vote at the last Assembly Election - when many people in Montgomeryshire thought they were voting for me, (not fully understanding the Additional Member System). And at the recent Powys Council elections, Conservative candidates performed hugely better than anyone could have reasonably expected, winning six of the Montgomeryshire seats, including the three we contested in Newtown, which had been thought to be a Lib Dem stronghold. Clearly it isn't any longer.

Anyway, this post is about other elections, where the Liberal Democrats are fighting each other. The first contest is for the Presidency of the UK Liberal Democrat Party. I had thought this to be a shoe-in for the MP that I hope to replace in Montgomeryshire, Lembit Opik. But I've read reports that the leadership of the party have organised a campaign to prevent Lembit winning. I've also read the weirdest reports of him trying to reassure party members that he's not a 'joker' or a 'political lightweight'. And I heard him last week on the Politics Show claim that this election is not an election at all - but a referendum on himself. Nothing to do with the virtues or otherwise of his opponents. Now that would get right up my nose, if I was a Lib Dem member. Most of the leading Liberal Democrats seem to be favouring a lady named Baroness Ros Scott. I still think it would be an extraordinary rebuff, if someone so well-known is defeated by someone that we don't know at all. We find out on Saturday.

And the other contest is for the position of Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly. Jenny Randerson has launched her campaign today, taking on Kirsty Williams, who is currently reported to be the favourite. I must admit that Jenny was one of the opposition AMs that I had a lot of respect for when I was an AM. So that's her chances gone - sunk by the combined weight of my respect and Lembit's support. This result won't be known until December 8th. Too close to call at the moment in my opinion. Its great to have some entertainment in the midst of all this depression.

UKIP and the BNP

Surprised to see today's publicity concerning a suggestion that UKIP and the BNP should consider an electoral pact by which the two parties stand aside for each other in the next General Election. I hope its not true. UKIP are denying it. I hope its not a case of there being no smoke without fire. This story is very damaging to UKIP, and there is clearly a problem. Two members of UKIP's National Executive Committee have been expelled, and it appears that there are another 40 'disenchanted' members.

The 'relationship' between UKIP and the BNP carries a special interest in Montgomeryshire, as it does for me. The two best known local UKIP activists, Bruce Lawson and David Rowlands are good friends of many years. I've never been able to understand why they make so much effort to help the Liberal Democrat cause. This may not be the intention - but it is the inevitable consequence of UKIP's illogical focus on taking Conservative votes. I don't complain. Its a free country.

And of course Nick Griffin, Leader of the BNP has lived for many years in Montgomeryshire. I know his parents, Edgar and Mrs Griffin quite well. A few years ago the New Statesman ran an article which suggested that Montgomeryshire was a racist hotbed. At the time I was appalled by it, most of which I believed to have been invented. I thought that the journalist was extrapolating Nick Griffin's presence into an assumption that many in Montgomeryshire shared his opinions. I became quite famous when I accused the magazine of lying, and demanded a public apology from the editor, on the Today programme. At first he tried to ignore me, but eventually was pressured into debating the issue on the PM programme, where he admitted that the offending article was 'allegorical', (a synonym for not based on truth) and that the journalist would never write for the New Statesman again.

We don't know the extent of any links there might have been or might remain between UKIP and the BNP, but I can understand why the former are deeply concerned about the publicity about it. Whatever, I do hope that there is no link whatsoever between them in Montgomeryshire.

Three Little Words.

One of the disciplines that Miss Jehu taught me in Llanfair Caereinion School was the ability to condense a huge complex drama into as few words as possible. Three words must always be the target. Probably the best and most used example is "I love you".

A compulsive gambler and his wife arrived at their holiday destination to find two complementary dollar chips in their room, which were to be used at a casino attached to their hotel. She said NO - unless he promised not to gamble a cent of their holiday money. He promised and strolled down to the casino while she took a bath. He staked his two dollars - and won two dollars. So he staked four dollars - and won four dollars. And he carried on with the most amazing winning streak, doubling his money over and over again, until he had half a million dollars. He decided that he would have just one more bet before returning to his room to celebrate, and decided to stake the lot. He lost. When he returned to his room she asked him how he'd got on. He replied "Lost two dollars"

A few minutes ago Mrs D asked me who had won the World Formula One Championship. I replied "Lewis Hamilton won".

Cortaderias

We grow several varieties of cortaderia in the garden, and I've included four in this week's gardening post. First is the best known cortaderia of all, the much loved Pampas Grass - which has been very popular in larger gardens for a century and more. It grows to about eight feet tall, and is totally reliable. I don't propagate it by division, because its too much of a job. Its easier to simply pull pieces out the middle. There will usually be a few roots attached, and will grow away quickly and easily if potted up.

This is the tallest cortaderia that we grow. It reaches 10-12 feet, and is the one I like least - but it is seriously impressive. Needs a very big garden. The plumes have a pink shade but tend to become a bit straggly when its wet and windy. I've not been tempted to divide.

And this is my favourite cortaderia - Sunningdale Silver. Not as vigorous the others, growing to about five feet.

This is the most attractive cortaderia we grow, standing at about 6-7 feet. I have been tempted to divide this variety and probably grow too many. The plumes do not seem to be affected by the weather at all. They will look just as good at Xmas. All cortaderia foliage is dangerous and should not be handled without gloves. This variety seems to be the most cutting of all. So like so many of the things we find beautiful its best looked at rather than played with.

Awards Night

Yesterday was all about awards. Spent two hours, with others, arguing about who should win ITV Wales annual political awards. Decisions were made, and we all just hope that none of the winners completely screw up before the black tie announcement dinner on December 9th. And then it was over to Cardiff City Hall for another black tie do - the Wales Care Awards 2008.

City Hall was full. Most of the women were wearing black strappy frocks - clearly the current fashion. Not a red frock in sight. No-one read my post on this subject of three days ago. But the stage was resplendent. Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services beamed as only Mrs Gwenda Thomas can for a solid hour. She really looked as if she enjoyed every minute. As did BBC newscaster, Sian Lloyd who compered the event. Sian looked to be enjoying herself as well. Before you ask, Gwenda was in powder blue, and Sian was in white. The evening started quite splendidly with ex-rugby playing mezzo soprano Clare Williams.

I was there on the European Care Group table. I chair the company's Wales Advisory Board. We sponsored the Craig Thomas Award for the individual who has made an outstanding contribution to social care. Winner was Mutali Nyoni, Chair of the Care Council for Wales. The focus of Mutali's work is social care, housing, gender, domestic violence and a campaigner on 'Make Poverty History'.

Two other awards of local 'Montgomeryshire' interest. Winner of the 'Catering in Care' Award was Wendy Fine, who retired from Maes-Y-Wennol in Llanidloes earlier in the day. That's what I call ending a career on a high. I hope to arrange for local media to cover this story next week. And the winner of the 'Leadership and Management' Award was Nick Oulton, who has managed The Rhallt at Welshpool since 1999. He's a special man. He has suffered from a form of Parkinson's disease for about 20 years, and has just carried on. He's even learned to write with his left hand. Hope to arrange some press for this as well. I left at ten thirty-ish, and felt that I'd spent the evening with hundreds of special people. Everyone looked set fair for an evening on the dance floor. Carriages were at one, which is about when I arrived back home in mid Wales - too knackered to blog it then.

Travails of Campaigner.

I do very little of what could be called traditional political campaigning. But about once a week I deliver 'introductory' leaflets to a community, offering myself up for discussion, usually on the following Saturday morning. So last Thursday, at about 4.30pm I set out to deliver leaflets through the 250 letterboxes of Tregynon, a village in the heart of Montgomeryshire. Dusk had fallen early. It was the first time I'd been out delivering after darkness had begun its descent, since the intrepid men from the Council had been around removing bulbs from the street lights. It was a nightmare. I won't do it again.

First problem is that I couldn't find the letterboxes. "In the doors" you might sarcastically retort. But which door? And how do you think it looks when a strange man is walking around the house in the dark, bending down to inspect the various doors of all the private houses. And the letterbox itself can be in the middle of the door, at the bottom, vertically under the doorknocker, in a side panel, or built into an adjacent wall. Sometimes there's no letterbox at all - just a container with 'Post' written on it, located in the unlikeliest place. Well, actually there is a letterbox, but its taped over to persuade junk mail deliverers to use the box - not that my leaflets are junk I should add. You would not believe the extent to which some people will go to avoid receiving their mail. None of this would be a problem if the street lights were on. I would not have been surprised to have seen a flashing blue light appearing over the hill. Perhaps one did - three hours later.

But the biggest problem was safety. I had no idea that people placed dustbins in strategic locations in order to trip unwary politicians. And toy tractors. I used to be known as a person able to control an agricultural tractor in dangerous situaations, and ploughed many a hillside, verging on the vertical, with my prairie-buster. But the first time I suffered injury at the hands of a tractor was last Thursday night in Tregynon! And I was also brought down by an unidentified metal object, an incident accompanied by a frightful clattering noise. So embarrassing - a politician cowering in the bushes, while curtains were thrown open by residents disturbed from their dinner by the sound of crashing furniture. But the important point about all this are the bruises, and broken bones. Actually I didn't break any bones - but I could have done. How long until there's a claim against the doubters of the lights for compensation in respect of a serious injury?