Scotland's Opt Out

Scotland is to have an Opt Out of flying the Union Flag on it's public "executive" buildings However this does not extend to Northern Ireland (which won't please the republic parties) nor will it Wales. Both Northern Ireland and Wales have legitimate reasons not to want to fly the Union flag. Northern Ireland have obvious reasons, which everyone knows about.

Wales also has reasons why not to fly the Union flag, other then the arguements over Welsh independence, or sticking with the Union. Wales is not featured on the Union flag in any way shape, or form, it does not represent Wales, there is nothing of the Welsh Flag, nor the flag of Saint David on it.

Why then, should Welsh public buildings fly a flag that does not represent Wales? In fact why should any public building fly any national flag? To me it seems like an out of date practice, and does not suit the culture of Wales, Scotland, N.Ireland nor England, and is only being proposed to please the vile right wing tabliods like the Daily Mail and The Sun.

In any case this will be a victory for the SNP, if the public buildings were made to fly the flag by Westminister, the SNP would make a point about it and try to use it to drum up support for Indepence, and this will give the SNP a victory as it can claim that this has only happend because the SNP are in power in Scotland, and there is already a change.

The best thing Brown can do is scrap the idea altogether and quit trying to please vile right wing rags.

A New dawn for Wales?

Plaid had a very important descion to make today, do they join the All Wales Accord and form a coalition with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, or to form a coalition with Welsh Labour and deliever a strong, centre-left, progressive government. The anwser was that they would form a progrssive coalition with Labour, and the "One Wales" document is a very good one, that offers a real opportunities to improve Wales.

One of the first commitments in the documents is a referendum on a scottish stlye parliament (finally), if public opinion permits it that is, and with a recent BBC poll giving support for a full-law making parliament with power to vary taxes being at 47%, with 44% against, if this poll is accurate then it indicates that there is still a sizable propotion of Wales that wants a parliament,however I believe that they can be won around, and have to be, because if we don't and hold a referendum that fails, it would be disasterous for both Plaid and devolutionists in other parties.

The next big thingis the ideas for the NHS, this document will end any threat and what little Privatisation that had happend in the NHS in Wales (and it was little) and will make sure that the Welsh NHS is fully publically owned, and remains true to the socialist principles, that the great Welsh man, Nye Bevan, founded them on. With no internal market,

The ending of PFIs in Wales, and private sector NHS hospitals is a huge, and positive step for Wales to take, and will greatly improve our health service in Wales, I think, since PFIs have shown to be a waste of public money in England and would have done the same here, Wales must show that an NHS true to it's socialist principles can work, and that it works better then the New "Labour" model, that would might help the centre-left in England win the arguement on the NHS, and end the PFI, privatisation programmes there, with Wales once again, leading the way.

The suspention of the right to buy, in areas were there is housing shortages, is another positive and progressive step, and another example of what the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown, can learn from this "One Wales" document. The housing crisis in Britain vcalls for radical action, and this kind of action might help end the crisis, along with the other actions also promised in the "One Wales" document, which includes more funding for social houses, and more. This again is a quiet a strong, social democratic, move by the "One Wales" document, and something which both members of Plaid and Labour should be proud of, if it is delieverd on.

The Welsh Language also does well in this, with extra funding, a new Welsh language act and more Welsh medium education, all of which will help protect and promote the Welsh language, which needs to be protected since it is a vital part of Welsh society, our culture and pyshe (although it should not be protected at the expense of English speakers, it does not have to be a "Zero Sum Game", as some in both Welsh Labour and Plaid seem to think.)

Even though I haven't gone through that I think is fantastic in this document (and there is a lot I really like), I think that this document is a radical, progressive piece that, if implement, will go a long why to improving Wales for everyone.


The Red-Green coalition is a sign that both Welsh Labour and Plaid has matured as political parties, and that the Welsh Assembly, after 8 years, has finally come of age, and is functioning like it is meant to, as a system of coalition government, of co-operation and that will improve the lives of the Welsh people, and when that starts to happen, and is showing to happen, I am sure that the Welsh people will entrust the Assembly with Scottish stlye, full law making and tax varying powers.

Was the assassin's bullet fired tonight?

The Liberal Democrats in Wales rejecting to do deals with either Labour or Plaid and the Tories, has left Wales in political limbo. Will we see a Lab-Plaid informal coalition (or formal with any luck?) Or will Labour trot on in a minority government for a while, until something better for Wales can be sorted out (Lab-Lib, Plaid-Lab or other, since a minority government is not good for Wales) ? Or will Plaid and Tories try and go it alone with the sort of Trish Law (not at all likely, and electoral suicide for Plaid and Trish.)

However you have to wonder if tonight was the firing of the assassin's bullet at Mike German in the Liberal Democrats, otherwise why else would they want to turn down a deal with both Labour and Plaid+Tories? It makes little sense to me, since either way they would have seen Liberal Democrat policies on the table and put into action, and Liberal Democratic ministers around the cabinet table.

The argument about the Welsh people not wanting Labour nor the Tories, nor Plaid in government is mute, because the Welsh people want a government and a majority of them did vote for a majority government, be it Plaid-Lab, Lib-Lab, Rainbow or other. They do not want a minority Labour government, not even Labour members want that (at least ones with any sense), and they definitely do not want to see another election in a few weeks time, they would disastrous for the three main political parties (Labour, Plaid, Tories) and especially the Lib Dems (don't think they deserve to be called a main party after this), as well as devolution and Wales as a whole, it could even set back a referendum on further law making powers for a long time, and that would be a very Bad thing, since Wales needs more powers.

I feel this was internal Liberal Democrat politics, and if it is, the Welsh voters should not and hopefully will not forgive the Liberal Democrats too easy, and their reputation will be knocked for six. The Lib Dems will be damaged for this, but I fear the damage will leak over to all the other parties, especially Labour and Plaid Cymru.

This could be the biggest disaster to hit devolution, and it is now up to Labour and Plaid Cymru to sort something out fast and come to a face saving compromise for Labour, for Plaid and for Wales and Welsh devolution, or otherwise Wales will become a massive laughing stock and public opinion on devolution will drop like a stone, and that is something I don't think anyone in Welsh politics wants.

Anyone up for a Threesome?

Well it seems like abysmal Mike German has lost the battle in his pathetic party and has now conceed to the right wing about having a threesome with Ieuan Wyn Jones of Plaid and Nick Bourne of the Tories. This saids alot about the Liberal Democrats, how they are willing to jump from the centre-left with Labour, to the Centre-right with Tories so easily, it shows that they have no principles beyond that of power, that is why the Lib Dems are everywhere saying different things to different people (including one asking me to tatically vote AGAINST Plaid in Ceredigion, and then they turn around and do this, very hyprocritical of them, as usualy) and try to be everything to everyone and nothing to nobody.

In councils the Lib Dems and Tories run, they cut services and cut funding to services, they are more like European Liberal, then European Social Democrats, and if the voters didn't want Welsh Labour, then they certainlly didn't want the Lib Dems, who only had 6 seats, and the lowest amount % of the vote of any political party in the Assembly, yet try and claim the democratic high ground (again a sign of the hyprocracy of the Lib Dems.)

Mike German is not a leader, never has been, he is a follower, he followed Labour into coalition in 2000, when it suited him, and he is following the lead of Ieuan Wyn Jones and Nick Bourne, it is time for the Lib Dems to sack Mike German and get rid of this aimless leader, and get in a person who actually will lead the Lib Dem and not follower the smell of power and the lead of those who will grant him it.

Hopefully Plaid will have more principles and will show themselves to be socialists, aswell as nationalists, and will re-consider the threesome, which would hurt Plaid in the South Wales Valleys, and would show Wales that Plaid has sold their soul and done a deal with the Tory Party, that's legacy is still felt across Wales by many people.