Patrols in Studland.

Studland Bay is a beach near Swanage in Dorset, which is officially designated as a location where naturists can sunbathe without a stitch on. It seems there's been some trouble down there. A police spokesman is reported as saying "There will be a point of contact in incidents that may occur on beaches such as littering, unauthorised fires and barbecues, dog fouling, illegal parking, sexual misconduct or incidents which threaten to bring naturism into disrepute". Sounds like a roughish area to me.

Anyway, the Dorset Police has teamed up with the National Trust, which owns the beach, to train three community wardens to control the foreshore and sand dunes at Studland Beach. The only thing we're told that they will be wearing are bright yellow T-shirts. The patrols will take place throughout July and August. Emma Wright, the visitor and services manager with the National Trust said "We welcome having more eyes and ears on the ground". Not a bad summer job for three lads waiting to go to uni in the autumn.

Waste of Beachreading Time

David Cameron seems to be raising the temperature of his language when commenting on the Prime Minister and his policies. Today's Telegraph front page has him accusing Mr Gordon Brown of "deceit, dishonesty and deception". He's also reported as warning that Britain faces "riots in the streets" if Gordon Brown's dishonesty over public spending enables Labour to win the next General Election. Personally, I see Gordon Brown as looking more unbelievable by the day - and today I reckon the Prime Minister lost it completely. Irvin Stelzer covers it well in tomorrow's edition.

Lets look at where we are. Our Government has spent so much more money than it has available, and our national debt has grown so large that the Governor of the Bank of England and respected bodies like the OECD are informing the Prime Minister publicly that we must have a plan for reducing debt if the UK is to remain solvent - something we have never heard before. The national debt is heading towards levels last seen immediately after the Second World War. Our economy is heading for meltdown - and our Prime Minister announces billions more public spending.

There are some consolations. Firstly, now that the headline spending figures have been reported (the objective), Government spokespersons are changing the story and telling us that its just moving current spending commitments around. Secondly, in the interviews I've seen these spokespersons have that look in their eyes which tell us that they do not themselves believe what they are saying. They look as if they are lying, and know they are lying. And thirdly Government Ministers are in too much of a state of confusion to do anything significant anyway. For example, yesterday Lord Mandelson said that the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review will not take place before next summer, while this morning Liam Byrne denied it, telling us that the Chancellor will inform us about this in due course. And on Newsnight tonight, a Government Minister said that the Conservatives can have access to information that George Osborne has been demanding. Bet you its not true, and will be denied tomorrow. And fourthly, if Gordon Brown carries on with this incredible fantasy, there will be no chance of him and his team being re-elected to continue destroying Britain. Just a few months more to go, but my heart bleeds for my country.

De Villiers is a disgrace to sport.

I make no comment about Schalk Burger's attack on Luke Fitzgerald during the first minute of Saturday's test match between the Lions and the Springboks. I was not in a position to see it. But the linesman reckoned that Burger was guilty of 'gouging' the eyes of a defenceless fellow rugby player, and the referee sent him to the bin for 10 minutes. If he was indeed guilty of such a crime (and I use the word 'crime' deliberately) he should have been sent off and should be banned for six months minimum.

I know these things happen in the heat of the moment. I was far from an angel in my playing days, though I never 'gouged' anyone. But what was a shocking and unforgivable offence was for the South Africa coach to justify this spiteful and cowardly attack as "a part of sport". Its clear that De Villiers is not a fit person to be part of any sport. He should either apologise for his stupidity or be sacked.

Michael Griffith CBE 1934 - 2009

While I was presiding at the Annual General Meeting of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales on Saturday afternoon, my distinguished predecessor in the position of President, Mr Michael Griffith CBE collapsed and died as walking on a hillside in Snowdonia. This sad occurrence is reported on the BBC here. Michael was 75 years old and as far as I knew in good health. He served on a wide range of public bodies, and was a wise man with good judgement. My strongest memory of him is a discussion he and I shared at a Royal Welsh Showin the early 1990s, about some of his ideas for promoting agri-environment schemes in Wales. At the time he was Chairman of the Countryside Council for Wales, and I was Chairman of the Development Board for Rural Wales. I was excited about his ideas, which eventually became reality in the form of a successful grant scheme named Tir Gofal.

He was content to describe himself as a 'crusty old Tory'. He was also a friend of mine, and a very good friend of Wales. Everyone involved with the CRRW are very sad to learn of his death at too young an age, but I can think of no more apt way for this great countryman of Wales to go than walking on a hillside in Snowdonia.

Being 'Right on Devolution'.

Just browsing the net to catch up with today's news. A report that David Cameron has told the BBC that "The Tories were wrong on devolution" caught my attention. Although the Conservative leader is reported as referring to Scotland when making this comment, it gives me encouragement to hope that my opinion will win Cameron's support. I reckon that the Conservative Party should not just allow a referendum on moving to Part Four of the Government of Wales Act (grant full law making powers to the National Assembly for Wales) but should actually promote it. No need to point out that some of my Conservative colleagues will not be falling over themselves to agree with me! Not yet anyway! What the comments that David Cameron is reported to have said certainly do is tell me is that he's willing to be open minded about this issue. I'd like ten minutes on my own with him to make the case.

Regular readers will know that I think there's a real risk that any referendum on law making powers will be lost (despite what the polls say) - which is why I've long thought that Ieuan Wyn Jones will announce that the report of the Sir Emyr Jones Parry is not positive enough to go for it (no matter what the report actually says). But what about if a new Conservative Government decided to hold a referendum without being asked by the Assembly to do so. Not sure whether this can happen - but don't see why not. Anyway, lets imagine it can. On the one hand, the people of Wales might say yes, especially if I win Montgomeryshire and set about organising a strong 'Conservatives Say Yes' campaign. And if it were to lose, the other parties couldn't keep on sniping at us for not holding a referendum - which they will do ad nauseum if they thought there would be any reluctance on the part of David Cameron to agree to it. Seems to me there could be a fox to be shot here. Just speculating. But today's BBC report does make the future look a tad interesting.

Alsteomerias

Summer arrives in our garden when the alstoemerias burst into flower. They are my favourite border plant, flowering from now until the frost, on and off. And the only work you have to do it take hold of the stems after the petals have dropped, and yank it out of the ground. New stems emerge very quickly, producing successive flushes. Some alstroemerias can grow a bit 'lanky' and topple over. We don't grow these (except a few for cutting). Its not possible to know final heights in the first year, because young plants tend to be quite sturdy, but much taller thereafter. Trial and error is recommended - and be ruthless. Just throw out the varieties that don't suit.

The above yellow and this red are the best alstroemerias we grow. The red is no more than 18 inches high and guaranteed to flower year after year, month after month. Because its so easy to grow and spread by transplanting a spadeful, there are clumps all over the place. Alstroemerias come in all sorts of colours, and the most colourful of all are the various shades of orange. I expect them to feature from time to time through the rest of the year, as I look to dazzle you with colour.

I added this photograph to emphasise the range of colours. We have grown a white named Apollo, but its a bit too 'floppy'. I'm hopeful that this one will become a replacement. Lovely throats.

Mrs D amongst the Trophies

While I was away on 'Presidential' duties with the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales today, Mrs D was down at the Lakeside Golf Club winning all the prizes. It was Ladies Captain's Day and she won the main competition. Short game is deadly. Here we have the Elaine Willets Trophy. And to cap it all, she won the 'Nearest the Pin' Trophy as well. Mr and Mrs Toby look on, suitably impressed. If this carries on, we will have to acquire a trophy cabinet.

Cleaning up Westminster properly.

I've never trusted legislation made in haste, especially when the rush is being driven for political ends. Which is why I've been uneasy about MPs rushing through legislation designed to end abuse of Parliamentary expenses and allowances. Personally, I'm not even supportive of the idea that regulation of expenses should be handed over to an 'independent' body - but I can see that I'm on a loser with this one. Regulation should be handed over to the voters, and the way to do that is through total transparency. Beyond increasing transparency, I feel MPs should await the Christopher Kelly Report. Anyway, the Clerk to the House of Commons, Dr Malcolm Jack is being reported by tomorrow's Telegraph as dropping a grenade onto Gordon Brown's proposals to 'clean up' Parliament in a rush. Because of the devastation that the expenses row has inflicted on our democratic system, it is vital that proper thought and care is put into reform. Let it be done properly - and if that takes a bit more time, so be it.

Big Day for the Lions

Been out to the excellent Waggon and Horses in Newtown tonight for supper with two of our sons, and discussion turned to tomorrow's British and Irish Lions team to face the Springboks at Pretoria. Not unreasonably I think, I entered something of a 'told you so' mood. My team for the first test included both Adam Jones and Luke Fitzgerald. Better late than never I suppose. No argument with Mathew Rees being in for Lee Mears, which I didn't have in my team. With two Welsh props, it might as well be a whole Welsh front row. I hope Mathew's eye is in at the lines out. And no real argument with Simon Shaw either. The first test demonstrated the need for more power and bulk in the early exchanges. Alun Wyn Jnes and Martyn Williams can come on for the last thirty minutes to inject a bit of extra pace. I fancy our chances tomorrow.

More on the Pool Quay 'argae'

Last week, I posted on the Inspector's Report in respect of two appeals concerning the raising of a flood embankment at Pool Quay, near Welshpool in Montgomeryshire. Reason was that I thought it a very important judgement on a complex and long drawn out dispute. The Report allowed the more important appeal, and awarded full costs to the appellant. It also criticised the Environment Agency in a unusually strong way. There are several aspects of this Report which I reckon are especially important, and merit further action. But first a bit of preamble.

The saga began when the owner of a listed property raised the level of a flood embankment (argae) without seeking any sort of formal permission. At the time, I assumed that permissions were required, and thought that just raising the embankment regardless was not in order. Around 30 property owners in the Pool Quay area protested because they believed that the raised argae would increase the risk of their properties being flooded. The 30 property owners sought the help of the local MP and AM, and I was kept fully informed by two of the 'protesters' who are good friends of mine. I was briefed by the 'other side' as well, but declined to become involved in helping them because of my aforementioned friendships. Though not actively involved, I maintained a close interest, because of what I saw as the importance of the issue. Following much ado, a planning application was submitted and refused. Eventually it ended up in court, where the owner of the listed building and his representative lost the case. Mr Till was even convicted of a criminal offence. I thought it was all over. But Mr Till appealed - much to my surprise. The costs must have been huge, and I did not expect his appeal to succeed. But succeed it did.

Now to the issues that make this an important judgement by the Inspector. Firstly, the Inspector concluded that the Environment Agency had acted unlawfully and unreasonably - and awarded full costs to the appellant, several hundreds of thousands of pounds. He was brutal in his judgement - though one of my friends wrote to Hilary Benn, commending the EA. Another reader of the report told me that he thought that the EA had been harshly treated. Well, maybe. Personally, I cannot see how I can possibly be in a position to challenge the Inspector's opinion of the EA's case and presentation. And secondly, and more significantly, the Inspector placed the importance of protecting an important listed building ahead of restricting flood risk for several other properties. I accept that the degree of impact will have come into his judgement, but I was very surprised indeed by this.

I do not know if this saga is over, but there are several outstanding questions. Does the raising of the argae still require planning permission? If the Planning Authority were to approve an application which it had previously refused, would there be a case for referral to the Ombudsman? How does this judgement fit into the Assembly Government's flood risk policies? What changes will be made to systems within the Environment Agency to ensure that such failures (at least in my assessment) do not happen again? If I was still an Assembly Member I would have tabled an 'Urgent Question' immediately the Report was published, and several Written Questions of the Minister. If I was an MP, I would have written immediately to the appropriate Minister and Chair of the Environment Agency, as well as asking written questions. Perhaps Messrs Opik and Bates have done just this. Making some intervention (in an unrelated debate) would not be anything like good enough. Regrettably, I do not expect much media coverage, but in my opinion, this is an issue of national importance. It cannot be allowed to lie where it is.

King attacks Prime Minister.

The focus of British politics reverted back to the economy today. We have gorged ourselves on the 'expenses' scandal for long enough. Its not gone away, and will be a significant feature of the next general election campaign. All candidates will have to make clear what they will and will not do and claim. And the most important commitment will be to be transparent - promising to ignore the cloak of secrecy that they will be pressed to drape over their 'expenses'. Lucky I've never been willing to do what I'm told! A good start would be to abolish the word 'redacted'.

But today, Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England reminded us of the bigger picture. He told the Treasury Select Committee that Gordon Brown's plans to reduce public borrowing are 'a load of cobblers'. OK, so he didn't say exactly that, but its what he meant when he said the plans were not "clear enough" or the rate of reduction in the deficit was not "quick enough". He described the deficit as "truly extraordinary" and said he was "more uncertain than ever" about the timetable for economic recovery. He asked for a credible statement about the path to reduce the Government's budget deficit - implying that he thinks the Chancellor's current plans are not credible. And that's because they are not.

This might not have the entertainment value of a 'duck house island' or 'the mother of all wigs' but its incendiary stuff, which blows apart the Prime Minister's dishonest election strategy. Will make good reading in tomorrow's papers.

Exposing Dishonesty

I don't do 'The Line to Take' very often on this blog - but I will reproduce what I think is entertaining and accurate. This video clip is one such occasion. I cannot believe that our Prime Minister will get away with a blatant attempt to deceive the people of Britain. I just want to do my bit to ensure that he doesn't.

Pistols at Dawn.

I'd been looking for ideas to create more interest in politics amongst the young people of Montgomeryshire. Something along the lines of the TV debates that invigorate the US Presidential Election. Mark Johannson and his wife Shirley, who are working to re-establish a village show at Four Crosses next month did ask me if I would be willing to enter a contest with Lembit Opik next month involving a 'Bucking Bull' - at least that's what I thought he said. Not for me I thought, though believe this or not, but I have actually ridden a bucking bull - the rather gentle Hereford with big horns which used to 'run' with our dairy herd when I was a young lad on the family farm.

Anyway, Charles Moore has come up with the obvious answer in his column in today's Telegraph. Why not an old fashioned dual. Charles was reviewing 'Pistols at Dawn' by John Campbell, a story based on the eight most famous duals in history. The last time a political dispute was settled by actual resort to pistols was 200 years ago, during the Napoleonic wars. The British Foreign Secretary, George Canning had sought to dump the all the blame for a failed mission on Lord Castlereagh. The latter was not having it and wrote to Canning demanding an apology and 'satisfaction' - which in those days meant a dual. The challenge was accepted. The two men met on Putney Heath, and incredibly, both of them missed. Castlereagh insisted on another go, and at the second time of asking, 'winged' Canning by shooting him in the thigh. Didn't do him any long term harm though because he later became Prime Minister.

One problem is that I don't own a gun. I suppose I could borrow that Bren Gun that the Royal British Legion in Welshpool are always bringing out on display. I could let Lembit have 'the full nine yards' (which is where this saying comes from). Another problem is that I don't trust the Lib Dems not to resort to dirty tricks. For example, I might swing my Bren Gun around and see him standing there wearing 'The Mother of all Wigs'. I'd have a bullet in my thigh or worse before I could stop laughing enough to take aim. On second thoughts, maybe I should ring Mark and ask him what the 'Bucking Bull' contest involves.

An extra 2 inches.

New evidence has recently been published advising us that a woman's voice can stimulate an extra two inches of growth in tomato plants. The research on which this evidence is based was carried out by the Royal Horticultural Society. Last April, the experiments began with auditions for members of the public to record extracts from John Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids', Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's dream' and a passage from Charles Darwin's 'Origin of the Species'. Ten voices were chosen and connected to ten tomato plants through headphones connected to their pots. The results showed that plants soothed by the voice of a woman grew an extra two inches.

I would like to add my own limited research to the work of the RHS. For the last two months I have placed a radio, blaring out human voices and music, in the middle of my garden - and left it on every night from around midnight until around eight-o-clock in the morning. The reason has been to discourage deer from entering and inflicting their gratuitous damage. Not only has this unusual strategy worked, but I never recall my plants putting on such growth. You might not consider this to be irrefutable empirical evidence - but I reckon its at least as sound as that of the RHS.

Give the new Speaker a Chance.

If I had a vote, I would have voted for the bicycling baronet, Sir George Young. And that was before he made what was widely regarded as the best speech of the ten candidates. I would have voted for Sir George nine years ago as well. Although it was a secret ballot, there seems to be an assumption that most Conservatives shared my opinion. But this evening, John Bercow was elected the new Speaker. Sir George had to be satisfied with the runner-up spot again. I expect commentators to describe this result as a victory for Labour. I do not expect many of tomorrow's newspapers to write approvingly of this result.

If the contest had been held after the next General Election, Sir George Young may well have won. But it wasn't. MPs effectively forced the previous speaker to step down - and we are where we are. Politics has always been laced with irony. Whatever, there is nothing to be done now but to line up behind John Bercow and wish him all the best. But it doesn't change my opinion that the public will have no faith or confidence in our Parliament until they have had their say in a general election.

Hawl i Holi Yfory

Been down to Efail Isaf today. Its a small village near Pontypridd. Purpose of my trip was to appear as a panellist on an 'Any Questions' type of programme called 'Hawl i Holi', which is going out tomorrow on Radio Cymru at 6.00. It was an 'up and down' experience for me. I was completely stuffed by a question about the Conservative Assembly Group's decision to go big on its call for prescription charges to be reintroduced in Wales, which I had no real option but to enthusiastically support. There must have been over fifty in the audience, and just one of them backed me - and I think he might just have been sorry for me! Its not so much the principle of prescription charges for those who can afford them (which I'm comfortable with) - but the point of making an issue of it now. Its a good job I derive so much enjoyment appearing as a Welsh Language panellist. It would have been a long way to go to get beaten up, even if I wasn't expecting much joy on this particular question.

Another questioner was concerned about the threat that the election of a Conservative Government might bring to the future of the National Assembly. I was going along OK, until Ieuan Wyn Jones, who was also a panellist, started pressing me on what David Cameron's response would be to a request from the National Assembly for a referendum on the transfer of law making powers. Now I tend to stay fairly cool in Welsh, because my linguistic skills are a bit restricting - but eventually, the monkey stirred. I decided to fight back. Basically, I asked him how the devil I'm supposed to know exactly what David Cameron would do, and why should I answer anyway, when he won't even give us a guarantee that the Coalition Government will ever ask the question. And he wouldn't. His references to David Cameron are just a diversionary tactic, to appease his own supporters. You can tell that I still feel a bit up for it. Every time he answered me, he began with the condition that it depended on what Sir Emyr Jones Parry's Convention advises in the autumn. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think I rattled Ieuan on this - which on its own made my long journey worthwhile.

Importance of keeping promises.

One way of restoring respect to our Parliament would be for our Government to keep the promises it makes to us. Today, I've espied three news reports that relate to promises, one of which has been broken and two of which will be kept.

First up is the announcement by the Irish Prime Minister that in October the people of Ireland are going to be given another go at coming up with the 'right result' on the Lisbon Treaty. This is the same treaty that was rejected by Irish voters in a referendum last year. Its also a similar treaty to that which all mainstream parties in the UK promised would not be signed up to by Britain without approval in a referendum, a promise that only the Conservatives have stood by - though I should point out that the apologists for this dishonourable act claim that the Lisbon Treaty is sufficiently different from the 'constitutional' treaty it replaced to provide cover for reneging. What it looks as if we are witnessing is a stitch-up between the Irish and British Governments (plus the European Union) to ensure that the Lisbon Treaty becomes law before a General Election is held - because it sure wouldn't be without a referendum if David Cameron became Prime Minister first. This broken promise has caused great harm to our democracy. Its no wonder that Ukip did so well in the recent Euro elections - or that British people are so disillusioned with politicians.

The second promise relates to the ban on hunting with dogs. William Hague has given an assurance that a Conservative Government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote in Government time. This is a controversial issue - but its a longstanding promise made by David Cameron. Personally, I believe the ban to be intolerant and very bad law. But more importantly it was a promise, and it should be kept.

And the third promise in the news today relates to the threshold at which Inheritance Tax becomes payable. In a very significant speech at the Conservative Party Conference in 2007, widely thought to have frightened Gordon Brown from holding a General Election, the Shadow Chancellor promised that a Conservative Government would raise the threshold to £1,000,000. Because of the changed state of public finances, many voices are calling for this promise to be dropped. But George Osborne has today reaffirmed his promise. Personally, I agree with this tax change. But again and more importantly it was a promise, and it should be honoured.

Eric Joyce MP - in all his awfulness.

You really have to watch this video which I saw featured on Iain Dale's blog. I recall once telling a Labour Assembly Member, who intervened during one of my speeches to make some mindblowingly boring and irrelevant party point that he was the 'Eric Joyce of Welsh politics'. Not everyone in the debating chamber understood how deliberately offensive I was being. Watch this clip and you'll realise that its not possible to be more rude. The Presiding Officer really should have ruled such an insult out of order.

Dr Brian Gibbons

This last week, I attended the official opening of Powys' new substance abuse centre, located at the Armoury Leisure Centre, in Welshpool. Its next door to the gymnasium where I hone my body. The honours were performed by Dr Brian Gibbons, Assembly Government Minister for Social Justice and Local Government. After his 'launch' speech, I was invited to contribute a few words to the occasion. I took the opportunity to speak well of Dr Gibbons. During my eight years as an Assembly Member, he was a political opponent whom I found it difficult to regard as such because of his easy manner and ready sense of fun. And of course he's Irish.

When he was appointed a Minister, I reckoned it was great news for the Conservatives. He seemed competent and personable - but had an accent so pronounced that voters wouldn't understand what he was saying! But we all became used to it. He will always be best remembered for pressing the wrong voting button in the debating chamber, and delivering a great defeat upon the Assembly Government of which he was a member. The debate had been based on an opposition demand for an inquiry into the Wales Ambulance Service. Brian, then Health Minister had presented the Government's case against it. The Government were expecting to win by one vote - but Brian's finger went awol, found the wrong voting button and an inquiry there was. I'm a bit miffed he didn't tell me he was standing down when we met this week. I'd like to have broken the news on this blog.

Mick Bates last week. Brian Gibbons this week. Who next?

The Wig

Montgomeryshire is in the news again today. All over the front page of the Daily Mail, and in many other places. And the reason. Our MP purchased a 'Mother of all Wigs' from Hamley's, (along with another wig), and charged them both to the taxpayer. They were to be used at a charity event. Lots of people have asked me what a 'Mother of all Wigs' looks like. Well, here it is. I think we should be told what's happened to it, but our MP seems to have gone to ground.



I notice that that this 'Mother of all Wigs', is available on the Internet, costs only £11.31 - while Hamley's charged £19.99 for their version. I also notice its now out of stock. Probably been an almighty rush as a result of today's publicity. It would look really good on a Segway rider.