Rudbeckias (Coneflowers)

At last. A dry weekend which coincides with me having time to attend to the grass. The weather has been so unfriendly that its run to about 4 inches, which is way too long for the mulcher. It'll need to be cut for three days in a row to bring things back under control. After the first cut it looks a bit as if I'm taking a crop of silage form the lawn.
Its Rudbeckia time in the hot border - and will be until the frost. The wet summer really suits them. This is the most commonly grown Rudbeckia. I think its called 'Goldquelle' and its about 30 inches high. Spreads well, and really easy to divide in spring. Its just about the best value yellow border plant around. No weaknesses - except that it does need water in a severe drought. But then, who doesn't. Its the Bishop of Llandaff Dahlias providing the red in the background. I use 'The Bishop' as a 'gap filler' in the hot border.
I really like this Rudbeckia. Not sure what its called. About 12 inches taller than 'Goldquelle', and just a shade more subtle (though subtlety is not their strenght). No faults - and a bit less prone to succumb to the severe drought. Its crocosmia, Emily McKensie providing the orange/red in front.
This Rudbeckia is about 6 feet tall and only suitable for the back of a border. I don't know its name, but we like it a lot. Its not fully out yet, but you can get the idea. We grow it amongst other tall and strong plants, but it does stand up on its own surprisingly well. No garden is complete without Rudbeckias.

Peter Hain AM - again.

I hope that BBC's Wales man in Westminster, David Cornock is at the Lib Dem Conference this weekend - and not at Plaid Cymru's seaside get-together at Aberystwyth. He would have done unto himself a physical misfortune during an uncontrollable laughing fit. And there'll be a few others laughing over their muesli this morning as they read today's Wales on Sunday offering by David Williamson. The subject of all this mirth will have been the conference speech delivered by Adam Price MP yesterday.

Adam must have been reading my blog, which has been predicting for several months that former Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain might be looking for a 'free transfer' from Westminster to the National Assembly, where he would undoubtedly put a bit of spark into the place. Being honest, I admit that I was indulging in a bit of idle speculation when I floated the idea, albeit based on a calculation of political realities. It still caused Mr Cornock (and others) to pour ridicule upon my person. And then the Western Mail gave the idea another little outing a few weeks back. More laughter from the BBC.

Anyway Adam has been taking the whole thing so seriously that he based his conference speech on it. David Williamson reports that 'Firebrand Price' told the world that he intends to stand against Peter in a Neath by-election, assuming that Mrs Gwenda Thomas AM can be persuaded to move house up the M4 and replace the 'Mrs' with 'Baroness' - certainly not a given.

This blog does occasionally set out to amuse by commenting on the bizarre. Here goes. This is what the 'Firebrand' is reported to have' roared' on the conference platform yesterday.

"He's going to find one heck of a fight if he does call a by-election. In Westminster we represent the same valley, the valley that I'm from. But we represent two very different versions of the future of Wales. If you, Peter, in your hubris, really think you can lead this country when you don't even believe we're ready for a parliament - when you trumpeted the goals of social justice in pamphlet after pamphlet, but sit on your hands in Cabinet - then call that By-election and I'll see you on the streets of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and let the people decide".

It would be interesting to hear what Peter Hain thinks of this 'gauntlet' that has been so flamboyantly cast down in his path, or what Mrs Gwenda Thomas thinks of swapping her cherished title of Mrs, or what former TV pundit, Mr Lee Waters thinks of Peter slipping into the Neath AM slot, and what David Cornock thinks - after he has regained his post-laughter composure.

Siobhain keeps the pot boiling

This blog has been predicting an early challenge to Gordon Brown's leadership of the Labour Party, and his position as Prime Minister - not with certainty, but as a better than even chance. This is why we in Montgomeryshire are gearing up for a General Election next June, as a new leader goes for damage limitation. I just cannot believe that Labour MPs will walk mindlessly over the cliff behind the clearly out-of-his-depth Gordon Brown. A new Prime Minister will not want to wait until June 2010, when the blame for defeat would have been inherited from Mr Brown. I note that the BBC's political experts disagree. They all think the Prime Minister is safe. I think they are too close to the trees to see the wider landscape.

Well, today a Government whip called for a leadership contest - a synonym for the early removal from office of the Prime Minister. BBC covers it here. Its probably the first time that most of us have heard of Siobhain McDonagh, which suggests that she is not one of the 'usual suspects'. Inevitably, she was promptly fired. The question that is hanging in the air is to what extent is this is part of a destabilisation campaign. To this observer, it does not look like an isolated act. She's a whip, and they know a bit about tearoom chatter. I expect another grenade to be lobbed into the Brown Bunker tomorrow from behind another unexpected bush.

As expected, the Brown 'Character Rubbishing And Pulverisation' unit has swung into action - but have to observe that CRAP's spokesperson on tonight's news was even less well known than Ms McDonagh. I'm sorry that I've arranged a few days holiday in Spain during the Labour Party Conference. It promises to be quite a lively affair

Home support evaporates.

I don't take a lot of interest in what my political opposition in Montgomeryshire is up to, but every Parliamentary candidate has to keep at least half an eye on the other side. In my case this involves noting the campaigning strategy of the MP for Montgomeryshire.

I must admit that I'd assumed he would win the contest to become President of the Liberal Democrat Party when Simon Hughes' term is up. I'd factored in the added publicity this would generate. I know, I know. He was totally hammered the last time he stood. But then he was up against a 'big name' - well 'big' in Lib Dem terms anyway. This time his only anticipated opponent is the little known Baroness Ros Scott, about whom my investigations have revealed nothing but good reports. Hmmm, perhaps its not going to be the shoe-in for Lembit Opik that he was expecting - if this is typical of sentiment in the party. Its never a good sign when 'home' support evaporates.

Watch for the 'Weasel Words'.

I like Aberystwyth. I didn't like it when I was a child because it had so little sand on its beach. I preferred Borth and Ynyslas. Anyway, Aberystwyth has made it onto the UK news today, because its currently home to the Plaid Cymru's Annual Party Conference.

BBC tells us that its Parliamentary Leader (and recently defeated Presidential candidate) Elfyn Llwyd is challenging Gordon Brown to hold an election. "Bring it on Gordon" is the clarion call ringing out over Aber tonight. Elfyn reckons that Plaid can emerge from a General Election with a few more MPs. He also reckons that he's going to win a million on the lottery this week. I don't think propping up Labour in Government in Cardiff Bay was a terribly smart idea - if the plan was to win more MPs. I suppose they could be in with a shout in Ceredigion though.

It will be more interesting to hear what Ieuan Wyn Jones says about the commitment he gave his party members to deliver a referendum on full law making powers for the National Assembly (in devolved subject areas) should be held before 2011. Regular readers will know that I think this referendum is about as likely as Elfyn coming up with the winning lottery ticket. But of course, IWJ will have to insist its still on schedule. But watch for the get-out weasel words. You know the sort of thing.

"The reality is that we will deliver the referendum that we promised (wild applause) ....if we are confident that the people will say Yes. And if we're not confident, we'll put the blame on the Tories and Rhodri Glyn Thomas and his lit cigar."

Personally, I'm beginning to think that there might be no referendum at all. IWJ should tell his members that if the Legislative Competence Order procedure carries on even reasonably successfully for the next 5 years, there won't be many more powers to transfer - without extending devolution into completely new fields of competence. Now that would create some fireworks in the Aberystwyth sky.

Bowel Cancer Screening

I joined tonight's meeting of the Montgomeryshire Community Health Council (CHC) as an observer. Person's responsible for developing a Bowel Screening Programme for Wales were presenting an update on progress. I'm interested in this subject.

At long last, it seems that we are finally getting there. Its anticipated that the screening programme will begin in October. Testing kits, which cost just 37p each will be sent out to all 60-69 year olds in Wales. The aim is to extend the age range to 74 in two years time, and eventually include everyone between 50-74. This is the first time that men are involved in a comprehensive screening programme. But I do wonder how many will join in. We men are a bit funny about this sort of thing. It involves spreading a bit of what is delicately termed 'feacal matter' on the 37p card, and sending it back via the Royal Mail. I chuckled when Reg Taylor, an ex-postman, who is a member of the CHC, chipped in the opinion that he was glad that he'd retired! I believe that the 'marked cards' will b ein some sort of sealed envelope. The cards will be tested in a central lab to check for any signs of blood, not easily detected by the naked eye.

If there is blood, there will be follow up, involving a Specialist Screening Practitioner (SSP), who will conduct a phone call to assess whether the next stage is appropriate - a colonoscopy, which is a camera up the backside and around the bowel to search out any nasties. The reason all this is so important is that Bowel Cancer can be wholly curable - as long as its detected early enough. I do know this better than most.

This programme has been too long coming, but we want it to be a success.

Welcome Signs.

I've been out delivering leaflets to the householders of Llandysil in Montgomeryshire tonight. I'm never sure what to do when there's a sign near the post box requesting that 'No junk Mail' should be left. I did come upon two interesting signs though, one of which took the form of a warning. 'Tresspassers will be shot. Survivers will be shot again'. And another one made the suggestion that callers should go away and 'Garden naked and put some colour in your cheeks'.

Hairy Armpits and Rollercoasters.

I concede that I'm no authority on this, but I'd never have put hairy armpits at the top of the wiles that a lady might employ to attract a mate. But this is what Mr Richard Robinson, a psychologist and author told the British Association for the Advancement of Science festival - according to today's Telegraph and Mail. And he told them why.

"The most important thing in attracting a mate is how they smell, because its the best indicator that a person is genetically different from you. You should not shave your armpits because this allows your smell to form".

Personally, I have my doubts about this theory. But with the Great Hadron Collider start-up going so well today, its not a time to be arguing with scientists. It seems that its the 'Phenyl ethylamine' that does it. Its this hormone of love that turns the head - and it works even at a distance. Mr Robinson also informs us that taking a lady on a rollercoaster will fetch the Phenyl ethylamine out at a superfast rate and lead to virtual instant love. Apparently all exciting situations produce the same effect. When I was a young man, some of my friends used to swear by this theory, and drive their sports cars at crazy speeds (whenever a rollercoaster wasn't handy). This tactic wasn't available to me because the only two-seater I had was the farm mini pick-up. Personally, I hated rollercoasters, and was not a stupidly fast driver. But then I didn't have access to Mr Robinson's advice, so didn't know about my inherent disadvantage..

This theory about a lady's smells is to do with attracting opposite genes which give a broader immunity against disease to any issue that might result from the sudden pulse of the hormone of love. I suppose that I didn't really need to be quite so scientific about things when I was young because the lingering ambiance of chicken slurry and cattle manure was sufficient to make me stand out from the crowd. Must admit that I never thought about its magnetic qualities though. I was only saying earlier today that if I could live my life again, I would have fancied being a scientist.

Barnett Review Uncertainties.

Enjoyed a cappuccino this morning at a Cardiff Bay cafe named Mischief. They remember me there because I was their very first customer. Reading my Telegraph in full relax mode when my eye was drawn to an innocuous little report by James Kirkup at the foot of page 4. The issue under report would be a candidate for 'Most boring subject of the decade' - except that its rather important. I speak of course of 'the Barnett Formula'.

This 'Barnett Formula' is the mechanism by which public money approved for spending each year by the Government is distributed amongst the four nations of the UK. Its so named because it was established some 30 years ago when Joel Barnett was the responsible Minister. It hasn't been changed since. During the 8 years I was an Assembly Member, both Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats were vociferous in their demands that the Formula should be abandoned and a new system put in place - usually calling for it to be needs-based and claiming that Wales would benefit to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds. For part of that period I was the Conservative Finance Spokesman,(shadowing the hugely respected Finance Minister, Sue Essex). We were both reluctant to support what we saw as opening an unpredictable can of worms.

Back to today's article and the point of this post. It seems that the Taxpayer's Alliance has just published a report, written by a former Treasury economist, Mike Denham also supporting calls for a review of Barnett. But from a rather different perspective - and one that I feared might prove to be the most influential worm in the can. It claims that £200,000,000,000 has been spent in Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland over and above the equivalent per capita amount that has been spent in England since the Formula was introduced. The report also points out that in 2007/8 per capita spend in England was £7'535, while in Scotland it was £9,179, in Wales it was £8,577 and in N. Ireland it was £9789. I've no reason to think these figures are inaccurate. The reason for this of course is that public money was distributed according to need when Joel Barnett was in charge, and the need has always been greater in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. But its not how everyone sees things - especially in England. Another of the unpredictable worms in the can is the extent to which any review will be subject to political 'manipulation'. My advice to those who assume with casual certainty that huge financial benefit will flow towards Wales following a review of Barnett is 'Be careful what you wish for' and 'Proceed with great care'.

A Free Lunch in Llandrindod.

Don't tell me that blogs are a waste of time. It gets me into all sorts of interesting places. Today it was the Annual Conference of the Society of Local Council Clerks in the Metropole at Llandrindod Wells. I was on immediately pre lunch, which is always a good slot - as long as things are not running late. They weren't today. My invite came courtesy of Jim Griffiths, who acts as Clerk to the Society as well as Aberystwyth Town Council. He also reads this blog. The photo is of me between two serious big wigs in the local council world.

Must admit I blanched a bit when I turned up. For some reason I'd been expecting a fairly informal meeting of around 30/40. I arrived to find 105 delegates in a highly professional setting. Huge display boards, various presentation equipment and what looked like a horribly well informed audience. I was billed as President of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, but Jim had told me I could talk about whatever I wanted - so I did just that. It must be the thespian in me, because I really enjoy this sort of thing. And I have the added benefit that I enjoy it more when I just talk out of my head with no preparation beyond a basic speech structure of 3/4 reference points in my mind.

I stayed on to hear Alan Southerby, who emerged from the Planning Department of Powys County Council to tell the representatives of Welsh Town and Community Councils how they could 'make their views count'. If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear me snort derisively as I type out these words. It would probably have been the same irrespective of which planner's bunker, the speaker had emerged from. The line that caught my attention was that the fact that objection to a proposal from every single resident in a community has absolutely no relevance when a planning application is being considered. It makes not one jot of difference. I wanted to shout out "Why the b***** h*** not", but retained control. Left thinking to myself 'What has happened to the idea of 'local democracy' in Wales'. The problem is that the vast majority of planning applications are now decided by 'officials'. Elected councillors have only the miniest walk-on role. It wouldn't be so bad, but during the 30 years I've been involved in public life, I've never heard so much complaint from virtually everyone involved in trying to secure permission to do something. Sorry Alan, I'm not just picking on you. Its probably the same everywhere. For some bizarre reason in Britain we've reached a position where only the 'trained elite' are deemed competent to take decisions. Its even worse in the European Union. And then I read Janet Daley when I stopped for a coffee in Jay's in Newtown on the way home.

Good day though. Thanks for the invite Jim.

Dan Brown comes to life.

On Wednesday, the world may come to an end.

Last Xmas, I enjoyed reading Dan Brown's thriller 'Angels and Demons'. It seemed total fantasy to me. Who would have thought that there was something as fantastical as a Large Hadron Collider, built and run by a secret and mysterious body called CERN, made up of the world's top scientists, funded by all the nations of the world rich enough to pay for their bit of the action. And that the basis of this secret development would involve particle accelerators which whizzed these little nanodots around a perfect circular tunnel, 27 kilometers in circumference at the tiniest fraction less than the speed of light. And that the plan would be to spin these particles both ways in the hope that some of them will bump into each other, even though no-one had the foggiest idea what would happen when they did. Well this was the basis of Dan Brown's book - but it turns out it wasn't a figment of Dan Brown's imagination at all. The Large Hadron Collider, which cost £4.4 billion to build is being switched on the day after tomorrow in Geneva. There have been some attempts to stop this happening, by those who think it may destroy the world.

Martin Rees is Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society, and he's very excited about all this. I read his article in today's Telegraph - and felt a bit like little Ffion looks when dumped down in the middle of an unfamiliar room. She just sits there, eyes wide open, trying to take in what she's looking at. I read the article twice. Found it difficult to grasp the concept of space as being 10 dimensional - or that atoms only make up 10% of the stuff in the universe, and no-one has any idea what the constitutes the other 90%. This was too much even for Dan Brown. I wonder when we'll read about a plot to blow up the Vatican with anti-matter, the other half of the 'Angels and Demons' plot.

Advice for Gordon Brown.

The Prime Minister must be feeling thoroughly p****d off after reading the weekend's newspapers. Note that despite it being acceptable to Alistair Darling, Vince Cable and Nick Robinson of the BBC, I've decided to censor the use of this lavatorial term from this blog. Standards maketh man. It must have been particularly galling when he turned for blessed relief to Polly Toynbee in the Guardian. Not so long ago she was lauding Gordon Brown as if he was the 'second coming'. On Saturday she begged him to go for the sake of the Labour Party - using the sort of verbals that Charles Clarke confines to singing in the bath behind closed doors.

Anyway, I've found some sound advice for the Prime Minister. This morning I received a Debating Handbook from the Council of Education and World Citizenship. Reason is that I'm adjudicating at the 2008 Wales Schools Debating Championships later this month. This is some of the advice that the Handbook gives to competitors.

Adjudicators will mark you down if:

You provide unclear or irrelevant arguments or points of information.

You only make assertions which are not supported with evidence.

You make a speech which is only a string of statistics.

You use dubious facts or statistics.

You use arguments without a clear structure.

You appear to contradict your partner, or provide repetitive arguments.

Gordon Brown would not do very well in this competition!

Anticipation of Fame

Our neighbour is a blacksmith. Not any old blacksmith, more an artist with iron. His name is William O'Brien and he lives and works in Berriew. The reason that my blog has been a bit sleepy over the weekend is that I've been otherwise occupied - and one of the things I've been occupied doing was attending an exhibition of William's work. The reason I mention this is that if William O'Brien becomes a blacksmith of international renown, you will have heard it here first. The 'Large Poppies' featured was my favorite work.

Another name to note is Roger Hughes, a farmer from Trefeglwys. He was simply brilliant as the master of ceremonies and everything else at Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing in the Village Hall. I was one of the judges, taking the Louis role. I couldn't be the Simon Cowell of the panel. No point in throwing votes away. I'll never forget John the Bull (he's a breeder of Charollais bulls before you get the wrong idea) mincing along in the ballet competition, or Russell's smouldering performance in the Paso Doble. And Jo's white knickers caused a bit of a stir in the Jive - especially for the lorry driver who paid £200 for them when she auctioned them off at the end of the night. He even had to take them off himself. For the record Jo was not prepared to auction off her underknickers. No idea how much they'd have made. All in all, a great evening's entertainment, and for my money, Roger Hughes is worth more than Jonathon Ross and Graham Norton put together. There's so much talent hidden away in the Welsh hills.

Time for delivery on Bovine Tb.

Roman Jones sometimes writes letters in the Montgomeryshire County Times, and this week's is about badger culling. This is one area where he and I disagree. Roman doesn't share my support for the National Assembly's decision to conduct a trial badger cull somewhere in Wales to establish whether such action would help control the spread of Bovine Tb. But it has spawned this post, which asks when are we going to hear the timescale for the Assembly's decision to be implemented.

Not many people outside the farming and animal welfare communities are engaged with this debate - which is why I'm blogging about it. Its highly controversial and opinion is deeply opposed. Its what might be called a 'black and white' issue. This week's Farmer's Gaurdian has gone big on how it effects England's farmers. Latest figures show that the number of cattle culled as a result of Bovine Tb in England has increased by 40% to 17,000 in the last year. 9% of English livestock farms are under movement restriction. Thousands of bull calves, not needed as replacements are being shot at birth as a result of an (unofficial) ban imposed by European countries. The food and animal health committee in Brussels (SCoFCAH) is discussing official sanctions on cattle exports because of the disease. There is also reference to the possible re-emergence of a link between Bovine Tb and humans, though personally I disapprove of this sort of talk without hard evidence. And Defra vets are supposedly in a state of deep depression, as they seek to deal with a disease through slaughtering all the cattle effected, while leaving reservoirs of infection in the badger populations.

Any decision to cull badgers will be strongly resisted, and huge amounts of money will be ploughed into legal challenges. It takes a Minister with real 'b****' to sanction a cull. Hilary Benn, responsible Minister for England is not blessed with the necessary equipment and has decided to do nothing except tighten rules on cattle farmers - the equivalent of a householder tackling increases in theft by putting double locks on all the windows while leaving the front door wide open - adorned with a sign saying "Help yourself".

Welsh Minister, Elin Jones took a brave decision in the spring of this year. This blog, along with many others applauded her for it. But its approaching time for delivery. Several months have passed while she has pondered where the 'pilot' area is going to be located. I accept she has to proceed with certainty and care. I also accept that the inevitable legal challenges will have to be properly anticipated. The Assembly is back in session in two weeks time. If I was still an Assembly Member, my first question to the Minister would be "where's the action?"

Let David Davies Speak Out.

So my good friend, David Davies MP is organising a No campaign. 'No to what' was my first thought. When I played for Shrewsbury, we used to have a prop forward who worked himself up into such a lather during the warm-up that when the match actually started, he was too knackered to push in the scrum. I've never been one for expending too much energy before the contest starts - particularly without knowing kick-off time, or the rules of the game. I don't think this will do much harm at all. Perhaps they should form their own rugby team.

I've never hidden the fact that since the people of Wales declined to accept my advice in 1997 to reject the establishment of a National Assembly, (and voted in favour of it), I've supported full law making powers for the new body in already devolved subject areas. Seemed to me to be simple recognition of the new reality. Anyway the predictable happened. Confusion about responsibility reigned and accountability flew out through the window. So they had another go at making some sense of it last year. Law making powers are now being transferred to the Assembly by this bizarre arrangement involving Legislative Competence Orders. This system has built into it the potential for constitutional conflict between Cardiff Bay and Westminster on an ongoing basis. In my opinion this system is ridiculously complex, beyond the understanding of most people, and the biggest waste of politician's time since the European Parliament decided to shift the whole shebang to Strasbourg for the odd week.

So what's to be done now? 15 months ago, I believed that Labour and Plaid Cymru had resolved to hold a referendum on whether this LCO system should be scrapped and law making powers in all devolved subject areas transferred to Cardiff Bay. Personally, I would have supported such a transfer of powers. But so lacking in intent has the Assembly Government been that I believe there to be no longer any intention to hold such a referendum before 2011 after all. In my opinion, the reason that the Government is not informing the people of this is because it would be very embarrassing for Ieuan Wyn Jones to admit to his party members that they were sold a pup when they agreed to enter into a coalition government with Labour.

So I really cannot understand why anyone should want to organise either a No campaign or a Yes campaign at the moment. Its like putting together a football team which has no matches to play. I discussed this matter with Martin Shipton this morning. Don't know whether he'll run anything though. Quite properly he asked me what I would do at present. Its not an easy question to answer. I suppose its back to recognition of reality. I'm just not sure its possible for an Assembly Government to ride two headstrong horses at the same time - transferring power to the Assembly bit by bit, or transferring it all in one go. Until I believe there is a genuine prospect of a referendum, my commitment is to seeing the current system work effectively. Its the main reason that I want to be a Member of Parliament.

So I'm entirely happy to see my good friend David Davies arrange his cross-party No campaign. As a matter of hypothetical interest, I probably wouldn't join any cross-party Yes campaign. I might agree with its objectives, and would share my opinion to anyone who wanted to hear it, (as I do) but I've never believed these cross party efforts deliver anything that wouldn't be delivered better without them.

A Frustrated Diplomat.

"Hello Edna", I said. "Mrs Mopbucket if you don't mind" was the snooty response. and she sounded as if she'd been to the same voice doctor as Mrs Thatcher used when she went all deep and authoritative in the mid 80s. "Just you remember that I'm a 'hockey mom' with lipstick" she snapped, and then started growling like a pit bull. Edna's always been a touch unpredictable, but suddenly she reckons her background as a hockey player and a mother gives her the same status as an American Vice-President. Sarah Palin is clearly going to unsettle the delicate gender balance that underpins every liberal democracy in the western world.

Anyway, Edna was on with news. She's been doing some cleaning in Cathay's Park last week. She was just passing a dingy little office with 'All wales Convention' scribbled on the door, when she heard strange noises from within. It started with a raised voice, followed by silence, followed by a fist banging the desk and then what sounded like a human head beating itself against the wall. Edna, being Edna, peeped through the keyhole and saw this rather urbane fellow tearing his well groomed hair out. She couldn't see very well but thought he was wearing a badge with something like Sir Emyr Jonah-Pariah written on it. What follows is what she thought she heard him say on the telephone. You can believe it if you want.

"What the hell do you mean by 'slow things down a bit' Rhodri. If I go any slower I'll fall off the b***** bike. Do you want this b****** referendum by 2011 or not.
(Long pause)
Now look here Rhodri. I'm sick of being a pawn in your silly little game. If you don't want a referendum, tell the people. I've faffed around for twelve months already. Enough's enough. Frustrated is what I am Rodders - very frustrated. I've a mind to ring up Martin Shipton and let him know what you just said.
(Another long pause)
Its not my job to help Ieuan Wyn Jones keep his B****** infantry behind him - or to give you a nice comfortable run-in to retirement. When you asked me to help you deliver what you called a 'New wales', I thought you meant it. Just because I've been a diplomat for most of my life does not mean that I never want to actually deliver something - or that I won't rock the boat. Do you hear me Rodders. I am frustrated by the patheiic progress we are making - and you ask me to slow things down a bit. You're really pushing me to the limit. Now what's Shipton's number."
Then there was silence, until the head banging started.

Was that it?

I've always found Stamp Duty to be an insidious tax. It has discouraged movement between jobs and discouraged efficient use of the housing stock. So any move to reduce its impact is going to get the thumbs up from me. So I'm supportive of Gordon Brown's decision to exempt houses worth less than £175,000 from Stamp Duty for the next twelve months. Like I support the shooting of one of the millions of grey squirrels that visit such destruction on our countryside. Its a move in the right direction, but so small as to be dramatically insignificant. And even then, it seems that the Government is trying to mislead us over the scale of the benefit. We're expected to believe that this little wheeze will cost £600 million is forgone tax - but this figure is based on a massive over-estimate of the number of properties that will be sold during the next year. With this lot, nothing is what they say it is. Shake hands and count your fingers is to be advised.

But of course boosting the housing market was never the purpose of a Stamp Duty cut. We all know that the basic problem suffocating the housing market is the inability to get a mortgage. This cut will do nothing about that. The purpose of yesterday's announcement was for the Prime Minister to look as if he was doing something to help. But the Government's 'expectation management' has been such a disaster that what was meant to be the relaunch of the Prime Minister turned out to be another hole beneath the water line of HMS Gordon Brown. They can't even do 'spin' anymore - despite having more 'spin doctors' than ever before in British history.

More than ever, I'm planning for a General Election next June. I know that everyone thinks it will be twelve months later. But I cannot believe that all those Labour MPs are just going to walk like mesmerised lemmings behind Gordon Brown, over the cliff into oblivion, without trying to do something about it. I think that Charles Clarke is speaking for plenty of others, when he in effect called for Brown to be replaced today. A botched relaunch and a lost by-election could open the floodgates. And any new leader will know that the sooner a General Election is called, the more blame for defeat will attach itself to the 'Clunking Fist'. Its clear to me that if Gordon Brown's relaunch is no more than this pathetic little Stamp Duty announcement, the next few weeks are going to be very interesting indeed.

I'm a Noel Gallagher fan

I like the Premiership, despite its brazen vulgarity and shady characters. Its like professional boxing used to be. When Clay beat Liston, the world stopped. Now it stops to tune into the Premiership. Its how most of the world's population defines Britain - second only to the Royal Family. But even by its normal standards of fantasy, the last day or two has seemed bonkers.

The only personal link I've had with this madness was that Mrs D and I dined at the excellent El Puerto's on Monday evening, sitting on the next table to Peter Ridsdale as he was resisting the six million that Stoke City were offering for Joe Ledley. He was glued to his mobile all night. That's big money for Cardiff City to spurn. Shows serious intent though. I reckon its the fear of finishing below Swansea that underpinned this rejection.

I was also feeling very pleased with myself when I first heard that Keegan had resigned. I'd predicted a few weeks ago that he'd the first managerial casualty of the season and was preening myself on my prescience. Seems I was wrong though, in that Curbishly has parted company with Iain Dale's West Ham today. I still predict a tearful Keegan resignation before the end of the season.

The maddest occurrence of all was the takeover of Manchester City by Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, the financial muscle behind Dr Al Sulaiman Al-Fahim of, who is likely to feature in our celebrity gossip columns from now on. Its been a long time since City fans have worn wider smiles that their United equivalents. This interview by Noel Gallagher is really worth listening to.

I'd always thought that he was a bit of an idiot, but No. He was incisive, reasoned and funny. If Gary Liniker retires, the BBC should bring him in as the replacement. His best line was
"It'll be nice to know that every gallon of petrol a Man United fan buys is going into our transfer kitty".
I also liked his obvious delight that the first thing the new owners had done was force Ferguson to pay a few more millions to Spurs for Dimitar Berbetov. There's going to be a rush on fuel efficient cars and bicycles in one half of Manchester from now on.

The case for Huw Lewis

Mrs D used to love Huey Lewis, but that's nothing to do with this post. This is about Mr Huw Lewis, AM and his credentials to be elevated to the First Ministership of Wales. "What on earth has it got to do with him" are the words I hear arise from the bowels of the Welsh Labour Party. (Comment building on this biological theme will be disallowed). I concede that its a fair question. However I think its reasonable for this blog, as an observer of the Welsh political scene to examine the case for Mr Huw Lewis to become the 'Chosen One' - for movement into the First Minister's chair when it becomes vacant next year.

Now this observation has nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of said Huw. I'll leave this to others better placed to judge - and in any case its not relevant to this post. Its just that the elevation of Huw Lewis would bring some desperately needed uncertainty and unpredictability into the politics of Wales. Since sometime in the last century, Rhodri Morgan, Ieuan Wyn Jones, Nick Bourne and Mike German have led the four parties in the National Assembly - and Carwyn Jones has looked to me like the successor to Rhodri since the last century as well. How boring is that. If it wasn't for the determined efforts of His Lordship, the Presiding Officer to be off message and stir up controversy, there would have been nothing for the poor old journos to write.

Things are starting to stir though. It does finally look as if Peter Black (with help from others) has managed to prise open the grip that Mike German's fingers have had on the levers of Lib Dem power (if it can be so described), leaving nail scratches and teardrops all over the leader's desk as he's dragged away. Problem here is that he will be replaced by one of the two ladies who have been lying in wait in the long grasses of Cardiff Central and Brecon for what seems like 100 years. Simon Baynes taking over as President of the Montgomeryshire Society in London will be bigger news. And the Tories and Plaid Cymru show no sign whatsoever of satisfying the public thirst for a leadership dogfight. So the responsibility falls on someone, anyone from Labour to stir things up. This is where Huw Lewis comes in.

What we have at present is Rhodri Morgan touring Wales in his own version of the open top bus, as he winds down to retirement. We have Carwyn Jones and Andrew Davies stirring up apathy with no gusto at all, hoping that the crown will fall quietly into their laps. Welsh politics has gone to sleep. So come on Huw (or Leighton, or Edwina). Tell us what you think. Tell us that you have ambition. Give us a glimpse of the policy underwear that lurks beneath the loyalty cloaks you have shown us so far. Do this before the good ship 'Assembly' sinks completely out of the sight and conciousness of Welsh politics. Huw Lewis, this could be your time - but only if you have the courage to reach out for it.

My Campaign Strategy

I wish I'd thought of it this morning - at our Campaign Strategy Meeting. (We rather grandly refer to it as 'the CSM'). It would have been an interesting subject for debate. But this rather odd and random thought didn't posit itself in my brain until I read Janet Daley's piece in the Telegraph, as I was having a cappuccino in the Great Oak Cafe in Llanidloes this afternoon. It just chugged up and parked itself at the bus stop that is my mind. I intend to fight the next General Election as if I'm a London Red Double Decker. Before my Chairman decides that I've lost it completely, I should explain my thinking.

After the (in my opinion) excess and extravagance of the recent Olympic Games opening ceremony, we all wondered what London could do to match. And then in our 8 minutes at the closing ceremony we showed 'em. Brilliant. London is not going to match the flamboyance and waste. We simply sent in a 'Routemaster'. Solid, familiar, reliable, brilliant. And then there's Barack Obama. Glamorous and exotic. How could poor old bit boring John McCain compete. The Democrats Convention was a masterclass in presentation - apart from Hilary's 'chain gang' trouser suit. So McCain decides to tone down the show bizz, abandon all the psuedo celebration, and act like a serious politician who cares about the people of New Orleans. That was brilliant as well.

All this represents a lesson for me. The current holder of the office I will be competing for at the next General Election is a figure of very great celebrity. He is a man who may well have made more TV appearances than any other living politician - pound for pound that is. He's a sort of De Lorean of the car saleroom - the pink and yellow stretch limo of the highway. My plan is to do a Boris, and present myself as a London Red 'Routemaster'. 'Substance before style'. No pictures kissing babies or pulling faces for the camera. I wonder what our CSM will think of this.