Live from the Socialist Fortress

Eisteddfod 2010

2008-08-07T21:18:00.002+01:00

It's great news that the 2010 Eisteddfod is going to take place at The Works: Ebbw Vale. It's a real opportunity for the area, and if done correctly could generate some income for the surrounding towns as well. This is good news for Council Leader Des Hillman's coalition. It also goes to show the hard work that the John Hopkins and Hedley McCarthy administrations put into the site that it's well on track to being fully regenerated.

Cracking!

A Mayor to lord it over the Valleys? Just stop

2008-08-04T19:16:00.005+01:00

No doubt that the IWA's call for a Mayor for the Valleys had some hearts beating a little faster in the Civic Centres across the southern province. Probably for fear of a reorganisation of local government more than the inclusion of a Boris Johnson into Valleys politics.

The idea is dreadful. Much like Nick Bourne's recent calls for more directly elected mayors in the big cities. One man, woman or monkey alone will not magically change lives & problems in the poorest communities in our nation. Aside from the issue that a Valleys Authority or a Heads of the Valleys Regional Council (an idea as old as time), on top of current structures would be another level of talking shop politicians, it rejects the idea of a cabinet-style administration. I know that local and national governments haven't always had the best reputations for it but I still think that there's a place for a collection of elected officials with portfolios co-ordinated by one person.

Presidential-style personality politics are always the first to be picked by people and the media to be reason for broken government and the sense that our representatives are aloof. So it was amusing to see all the 'potential Valleys Mayors' put forward, seeing as they were all the big personalities, there is no room it seems for the nose to the grindstone council leader or the local community activist.

Boris for Blaina* as Victoria Winckler decided to scare me with, is a nightmare that should not be allowed to happen.

*although if Boris actually stood for election in Blaina I think he'd singlehandedly manage to reunite Labour and the organised Independents into one campaign, out of sheer horror.

Why is Dai stealing Trish’s thunder?

2008-07-29T18:43:00.000+01:00

The Ambulance Service in Wales is devolved along with the NHS in Wales. So the local Assembly Member usually takes the lead in dealing with any issues, in large part because they have the ability and opportunity to directly question the Welsh Health Minister. Trish Law the Independent AM has tried to get to grips with the Ambulance Trust and has worked to constructively raise her concerns about staffing and ambulance coverage: Here, here and here. All fine and smooth so far.

Then, in comes MP Dai Davies demanding a meeting with Trust Chief Executive Alan Murray after criticising the service.Only the next week to be slapped down by Alan Murray in a letter to the Gwent Gazette.

Now we have Mr Davies farcically attempting to claim that the Ambulance service is saved thanks to his intervention and 'constructive meeting' with the Chief Executive. Note, no mention of Mrs Law.

Isn't it actually the case that Dai was looking for the cheap headline in the Gwent Gazette? Isn't it the case that sounding tough (no matter ill thought out) mattered more than letting Trish Law calmly deal with the concerns? And isn't it the case that this is just another in an ever growing list of botched jobs? Only last week Dai executed a side-swerve on his John Lewis list vote - a move that I believe was described as 'very Soviet' by an ITV Wales Political correspondent.

Was there any need to come trundling in to intervene with the Welsh Ambulance Service when Trish Law was already on the case? We all accept that MP's will take an interest in such services but in this case the MP was more hinderance than help. The Ambulance Service coverage in the area is important to everyone in Blaenau Gwent, so surely a bit of professionalism isn't too much to ask for?

The members have a job to do too

2008-07-28T21:22:00.006+01:00

It does make your heart sink as a Labour supporter in Wales, to see the constant stream of ‘what if’ headlines and articles streaming through the press.

Predictions of a Labour wipe-out, beaten back to the valleys leaving a Tory dominated Wales are sobering thoughts. Many are quick to pile the blame onto the leadership, and to be fair they have made quite a few, big muck ups as of late. Blame alone isn’t going to get us out of this hole. All party members have a responsibility to try and shift Labour’s fortunes. One of the most repeated points I’ve heard lately is that we have done good things, but we just haven’t explained them clearly enough.

So how about that for a challenge? Every party member, every supporter can go out to the pub, shop and wherever else and without being patronising, actually chat about the reasons why they believe Labour can still work and that the movement can still deliver. Yes, we’ll be shouted and ranted at, but then again, when hasn’t that been the case?

Come on. We can still do it.

One night at the HMO Lobby....

2008-07-28T18:37:00.004+01:00

As part of one of my many different roles, I represented the Union at the first meeting of the Swansea HMO (House of Multiple Occupancy) Lobby.

Also there, was Swansea West Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Cllr Peter May, who used the opportunity to ‘put the record straight’ over his position on council tax on HMOs and said that I had blogged about him taxing all students before the May elections. Looking back at the blog I actually wrote I think Peter misunderstood the actual criticisms within the post and went for a cheap shot. Which was a shame really, especially when I had just held back a bit when discussing the liason committee that hasn't met because of Councillor May and his colleagues, despite the great appetite for blood in the meeting over this issue. Nonetheless I had a great deal of support from those present, about the points I made.

In all honesty I think I made more allies than enemies, which is always a good thing.

POLITICS OF NEED NOT POLITICS OF GREED

2008-07-14T19:03:00.006+01:00

Granted this is quite a few days behind other bloggers - working fulltime has left little time (or energy) to blog, but I was very surprised with Blaenau Gwent MP Dai Davies voting against greater scrutiny of MP's expenses and voting for the so called 'John Lewis' list.

I had hoped this would be another one of those areas that we would have agreed on. And yes, before anyone chimes in, I know that some Labour MPs voted the same way. I personally think that was a mistake on their part.

It's seems weird to me, that for someone who has made a political career out of attacking the extravagence and the void between the average worker and their member of parliament, that when they have an opportunity to change it, they balk.

I wonder how this has gone down in the inner circles of the Peoples Voice party.

(cue anon character attacks)

UPDATE:

After being hit by criticism for his ‘Roll of Shame’ membership, it’s welcome to see Dai’s late change of mind.

Labour Reform & Rex Herbert is a Gentleman

2008-07-14T18:03:00.000+01:00

Last week, the Western Mail's led with the story of a 'leaked' report on Welsh Labour's "dwindling ranks". It was a classic with tales of tearing up the 90 year old constitution and scrapping the Branch system. Well about bloody time.

Over many years now, new members especially the younger members have expressed to me their annoyance with the inaccessibility of the current system. Not inaccessible in the physical sense. But inaccessible to young talent who really want to get heavily involved but will not stand for a position on the GC out of respect for the branch Chair/Secretary/Delegate who's been in the same position for the last decade. Instead they are left to attend the same community hall, pub or party members house every month, to hear the same arguements about internal party rules that they've been having for the past 12 months. In the end, they drift off, find more exciting things to be doing on a Wednesday night.

The story prompted a section on the Richard Evans lunchtime phone-in on BBC Radio Wales, on which I was asked to be a guest. I made my position fairly clear that just because the structures have been used for a long time, it doesn't automatically justify a flawed system. I was also keen to highlight the fact that the 'Labour Student' movement in Wales is actually seeing a resurgence in membership and activity despite the national trends amongst almost all other groups. On campuses up and now the country Labour groups are active, forming progressive policy, campaigning in by-elections and more broadly winning back crucial support in the National Union of Students. Perhaps it's time to take best practice from the young'uns for a change? Although probably best to steer clear of Young Labour Wales, it's done nothing of note.

The show also threw up something else that I wasn't expecting. Alongside NEC member Gary Owen, we were joined by former Blaenau Gwent/Ebbw Vale Councillor Rex Herbert MBE. Just before his retirement Rex was the longest serving councillor in Britain. He was one of the one's handed an expulsion notice by the party after the all-womens shortlist debacle. Rex wanted to make clear that he did not leave the Labour Party and that he had recently tried to see what avenues back into Labour existed. This, I found remarkable. The tone was completely different to anything that we've heard from Peoples Voice since they handed the leadership to the current MP. Most of us accept that any party, any organisation will have it's weak points, but most of us will also agree that strengthening those weak points should be one of our main aims. I believe that Rex is one of these people. He see's a problem, and although his tactics are different to others, he tries to change things.

I couldn't help but wonder how frustrated he must get when he see's a party in Labour that he's spent so many years working for, going by without him and the frustration he probably felt when the original people's voice group, set up to try and shift Labour to it's homeground was hijacked and turned into the Peoples Voice Party, who's only policy is the complete annihilation of the Labour Party and it's membership.

I'm extremely grateful to Rex for his kind words of personal encouragement on the show. Like I said at the time, there are many of us who want to make sure that Labour works from the bottom, up. Not for ourselves but for it to be the vehicle that brings the change we need and support the most vulnerable in our communities. It's one of the reasons I'm in favour of reviewing our branch structures. If there is another Nye in the Valleys then lets give him or her the grounds in which to work.

So out of that interview I became more convinced of two things, 1) the party needs a structure to welcome new talent; and 2) Rex Herbert is a gentleman.

The Welfare State: 60 years on

2008-07-06T16:54:00.002+01:00

The people of Tredegar give their views on the NHS and social housing.

More here

Students & Domestic Violence

2008-07-02T19:08:00.004+01:00

NUS Wales Women's campaign and Amnesty:

Almost two thirds of students in Wales know women whose partners or boyfriends have hit them, a survey suggests.

Four out of 10 know women who have been coerced or pressured into sex by their partners, the poll of 733 students for the NUS and Amnesty International says.

And a third said a woman was at least partly responsible for being raped or sexually assaulted if they were drunk.

Amnesty International called for the Welsh Assembly Government to run a violence prevention campaign.

The Welsh arm of the human rights pressure group said there was a shocking level of tolerance of sexual violence among students, similar to that of the wider population.

Programme Director for Amnesty International Wales Cathy Owens said: "If we are going to break the cycle of violence that sees a third of all women in Wales suffering from some sort of violence, then we need to start by challenging attitudes towards violence against women amongst students and the population at large.

"The Welsh Assembly Government should consider a comprehensive campaign aimed at preventing violence - making it far less acceptable on our campuses and in our communities."
The poll also showed that students were unsure where to turn for advice about domestic violence.

Some 46% of those polled said they felt they had enough information and support to deal with abuse.
Just under half (47%) said they would urge the victim to tell a counsellor or a tutor.

And 39% would encourage the woman to report it to the police, but some 22% said they would not and a further 22% said they were not sure.

More than two thirds (70%) said there should be services on campus to help students who have suffered from violence.

Jo Roberts, Women's Officer for the National Union of Students Wales, which helped run the survey at 10 Welsh universities, said she had been calling for better support services for students who had suffered domestic violence.

"These results confirm not only that domestic abuse amongst students occurs far too often but that students don't know where to turn when it happens," she said.

Welsh Assembly member Nerys Evans said she was disappointed at the results of the survey.

She added: "With a committee inquiry into how the assembly government is combating domestic abuse, now is the time to look again at how much we are investing in both preventing abuse and helping victims."

BBC Online

NHS 60th Anniversary Events

2008-07-02T19:04:00.001+01:00

From the Gwent Gazette:

Exhibition: An exhibition on diseases in Tredegar, past and present, will take place in the dining room of Tredegar General hospital until July 11.

Radio Show: BBC Radio Wales is broadcasting live from Bedwellty House on Friday, July 4.

Richard Evans will host a show from noon to 2pm and Roy Noble will take over from 2pm until 4pm.

Bus Tours: Vintage bus tours will take place on Friday, July 4 at 10.30am, noon and 2.30pm. Meet at Bedwellty House on Friday, July 4.

Question Time: A seminar on the NHS past, present and future will take place at Tredegar Comprehensive school on Friday, July 4.

Science Shop: On Saturday, July 5, science workshops will take place at 10.30am and noon at Tredegar Hospital’s dining room.

Phone 01495 712060 to book your place.

Debate: The Socialist Health Association is holding a NHS debate at noon at Bedwellty House on Saturday, July 5.

Unveiling: The Aneurin Bevan stones have had a makeover and they will be unveiled on Saturday, July 5. Edwina Hart will be guest speaker.

Guided walks: Heritage walks will take place on Saturday, July 5 at 10am, 11am and 12.15pm and on Sunday, July 6 at Tredegar General Hospital.

Church service: A service will take place at 10am at Aneurin Bevan stones.

Finding their feet

2008-06-03T17:55:00.003+01:00

Now I'm a fairly generous person, so I'm more than willing to give the new 'governing partnership' time to find their feet. So I think I can forgive them for not knowing how to spell 'Governance', 'Regeneration', 'Performance', 'Scrutiny' or even the Deputy Leader's name.

In other BG Council website news, which genius invented this name:

Blaina is looking ahead to the Youth of Blaina (YOB) celebration in August

YOB? Oh dear, oh dear......

UPDATE: I've been informed that the YOB Celebration is a project by the Blaina Youth Forum. I wish them all well and hope that it meets their aims. Make sure that all the local Cllrs (inc the Town Cllrs) get out there and support you!

2008-05-31T12:09:00.002+01:00

In today's Guardian, John Harris offers his analysis of the political setup in Blaenau Gwent. Some interesting points. How can Labour come back in Blaenau Gwent? Are People's Voice actually the Labour Party in exile or as Hedley puts it, the new donkeys?

It's worth repeating here.

If any landscape instantly evokes the story of the Labour party, it is surely that of the South Wales Valleys. The local sights - terraced cottages cut into the sides of steep hillsides, pebble dash chapels, working men's clubs - conjure up the requisite milestones in an instant: Aneurin Bevan and Labour's great postwar leap forward; the miners' strike and the demise of union power; Neil Kinnock and the start of the party's long plod back to government.

As the local saying goes, Labour could once be assured that if it put up a donkey for election, all would still be well. But no more: after 11 years of New Labour government and the arrival of Welsh devolution, South Wales recently delivered a set of local election results that made Labour jaws drop. If the party's arithmetic has long been based on the idea that the marginals need to be fed and watered while the Labour heartlands can be taken for granted, what happened here suggests that even the most hitherto rock-solid parts of its electoral base now look terrifyingly shaky.

There have been periodic South Welsh revolts since the 1970s, but nothing like this. Labour no longer controls councils in Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen, Caerphilly and Newport.

Strangest of all is Blaenau Gwent - the area once represented by Bevan and then Michael Foot, and once the safest Labour seat in Wales. There is now no Labour MP or Welsh assembly member, and even if Labour remains the single biggest party on the council, it has just surrendered control to a motley "partnership group" of independents, Labour dissidents, and Liberal Democrats.

Pam Price, a 74 year-old former Labour activist, mentions a tangle of issues. They are reflective of both long and short-term factors, from the kerfuffle over the abolition of the 10p tax rate, to the replacement of heavy industry with low-paid service sector jobs. But she regularly comes back to a storyline reprised time and again during my day in Blaenau Gwent: that though Labour's long dominance of these valleys bred an unbecoming arrogance on the part of local politicians, the Blair years marked a new chapter, in which South Wales was suddenly subject to the diktats of party machines in Westminster and Cardiff. "When they became New Labour," she says, "they changed the way they treated people. And eventually, people started to think for themselves. It was, 'These people are in power, but they're misusing it.'"

Such feelings date back at least to the 2005 general election, when a run of events decisively undermined the idea that Labour would always dominate South Welsh affairs. Then local passions were stirred by the retirement of the leftwing MP Llew Smith, and the party's insistence on selecting his successor via an all-female shortlist. Local Labour members smelled a rat: the process seemed to be part of a ruse whereby a supposed Blairite, Maggie Jones, could be parachuted in. The result was a full-blooded rebellion with the Labour Assembly Member Peter Law entering the fray to stand as an independent. He romped home, supported by plenty of party members - 20 of whom, including Pam Price, were swiftly expelled.

The story had a tragic twist. Law entered the 2005 contest after treatment for a brain tumour, and died the following year. Though they stopped short of readmitting the expellees, an apologetic Labour party aimed at patching things up, but to no avail. Law's widow, Trish, is now Blaenau Gwent's AM; and Dai Davies, his one-time agent, is its MP. They are now the public faces of People's Voice - which, though decried by its opponents as "populist" - looks to many like the Labour party in exile.

People's Voice now has five councillors, including Don Wilcox, 72, and Jon Rogers, 69, veteran Labour activists who have served as Blaenau Gwent's mayor. To them, like Price, Labour's recent Welsh losses across its old Welsh strongholds are the product of what Wilcox calls "a long process of disenchantment", based partly on "a Labour government telling us that things we knew were wrong before 1997 were now suddenly right."

Talking to them, I get the sense that the advent of Gordon Brown's premiership might have begun to revive their old loyalties, but that their hopes were soon dashed. "We expected better," says Rogers. "We thought that Brown, with his Calvinistic background, and his dyed-in-the-wool socialism, which he certainly projected, would make a difference. He could have brought the party back to the grassroots, which he hasn't done. When he got in, he was talking about change, but has a change occurred between the Blair government and his government? I can't say I've noticed it."

So what is to be done? Over at the Ebbw Vale civic centre, the seat of Blaenau Gwent council, Labour's Hedley McCarthy, 54, and Steve Thomas, 49, are clearing their desks. Thanks to ructions in the old ruling Labour group, including the suspension of one senior Labour councillor over allegations of bullying, they were briefly the council's leader and deputy leader. But they must now make way for the new independent partnership.

Much of their explanation for that turnaround is inevitably local, but McCarthy does not take much persuasion to focus his attention on problems that run much wider than South Wales.

"The core vote is being ignored," he says. "With the 10p tax row, it was obvious their eye was taken off the ball. But I've also had people say to me, 'What on earth was Gordon Brown doing having Margaret Thatcher round to Downing Street?' She's a hate figure here."

"As a party," adds Thomas, "we had become fat and lazy, and maybe a bit distant, when we should have been out there, listening and talking to people."

Though his take on the 2005 debacle is more defensive than apologetic, Thomas admits that in 2006, when Labour fought Westminster and assembly byelections against People's Voice, the decision to hammer the themes of "yobs", crime and antisocial behaviour was a "big mistake". Imposed by outside Labour staff, and of a piece with recent tactics in the Crewe and Nantwich byelection, it obscured Labour's record on local regeneration. All told, his tone is as humble as that recently adopted by Labour at Westminster: a matter of the oft-repeated imperative to "listen and learn". At the mention of the new local administration, however, the contrition ends. "They used to say you could put up a donkey up ... for Labour and it'd get in,'" says McCarthy. "Well, they've stopped voting Labour, but round here, they're still electing donkeys."

The following day, I arrive in Oxford, where the local party has defied the national trend and taken back the reins of the city council from the Lib Dems - under whose watch, to quote the Oxford Mail newspaper, "Four councillors defected from their ranks and dissent grew over their handling of waste collection rounds". Given that Labour finished one councillor short of an overall majority in the city, this is not quite an unqualified triumph. But in the current climate, gaining four seats at the local elections counts as a minor miracle.

In contrast to the Welsh valleys, Oxford's 23-strong Labour group is peppered with relative newcomers. If Labour's angst is currently all-consuming and the prospect of a Tory government is heaving into view, Antonia Bance, 28, Laurence Baxter, 25, Joe McManners, 32, and new council deputy leader, Ed Turner, 30, manage to exude an infectious enthusiasm that places them light years not just from Blaenau Gwent but Westminster as well.

What with seven councillors from the Green party, and a complete absence of Conservatives (though, thanks to the Cameron effect, they're apparently back on the rise), Oxford may outwardly suggest a very singular political battleground. Yet the city council's reach extends to a very diverse array of places, and Labour's recent wins took in both semi-detached suburbia and the kind of hard-bitten areas, in which a lengthy waiting-list for social housing - Oxford has worst English rate of homelessness outside London - are by far the biggest issue. In that context, though it would probably be rose-tinted to suggest that what recently happened here holds the key to Labour finding a way to speak to the marginals and heartlands, there seems to be something in it.

"We won because of three things," says Bance. "One was really, really hard work. [Second] we've got a pretty united Labour group that's quite diverse ... and [is] from a fair spread across the party.

"And [third] on the doorstep, we're more progressive than the Lib Dems and the Tories. The Lib Dems fought this election on lower council tax. We fought on more investment in play schemes, a living wage, and making sure that people felt safe in their neighbourhoods."

Labour's campaign saw a visit from Brown to Blackbird Leys, the estate that has long been a byword for the city's more troubled aspects. "We like having Gordon here," says Bance. "I genuinely mean that. Gordon's my guy."

If Labour's failed campaign in Crewe and Nantwich found it desperately pushing an agenda based around clumsy class warfare, yobs and immigration, the Oxford experience suggests that making political headway involves messages that have to be that bit more optimistic.

"Just going on about immigration and being tough on crime is not the way in here," says Turner. "You need to have a positive message about social justice and inclusion. And they're a real blind spot for the Lib Dems. When was the last time you heard a senior Lib Dem talk about childcare policy? You never do." The advent of Cameroonian Conservatism, they agree, means that such an approach might work just as well against the Tories.

When the four of them talk about policies they'd like to see the Brown government adopt, it is not hard to imagine howls of Blairite ridicule: they mention free universal childcare, a rise in the tax rate for very high earners, and the closing of the gender pay gap. A good deal of their prescription for Labour's malaise, however, is focused less on hard policy than the tenor of the party's rhetoric and the dire need, particularly in given the fragile state of the economy, for the government to break out of its current introspection and rediscover what remains of Labour's soul. In the midst of Brown's unending woes, such advice might look naive. But given that it comes from people who have just bucked an overwhelming national trend, it is worth listening to.

Bance dispenses words that would surely lift hearts in Blaenau Gwent and elsewhere. "We're the progressive option. We're the 'Labour party'. We're going to end child poverty by 2020, so let's go out there and tell the country why we're going to do it, how we're going to do it, how it's going to make a difference ... Let's end some pensioner poverty as well ... That's what it's all about. That's why the Labour party was founded. So let's stop being so bloody timid."

Question to the People's Voice leadership

2008-05-25T23:18:00.003+01:00

Do you think that going into coalition with the Tories in Torfaen, would have been a good move?

Stress free

2008-05-19T09:01:00.003+01:00

Stress free and full of relaxation on the beach - That has been my last few weeks. I haven't posted since before the elections and it's been nice to take a break. The trouble is of course that this blog is 19 days behind all the others in commenting on May 1st and Labour's less-than fantastic night.

Blaenau Gwent Council is now independent led with a bit of help from People's Voice and the Lib Dems. I don't think I really need to comment too much on Labour's foray into opposition, you can guess my thoughts on it. It's good to know though that one prediction I made, came true. There was no mass takeover by the People's Voice party. The Independents sweeped up the seats.

Away from Blaenau Gwent and my failed attempt at a council seat, I've been re-elected for a second term to serve as General Secretary of the SU. So at least I have something to keep me occupied and it's a job I love doing.

Right, I'm off to do some work.

Another People's Voice Clanger dropped?

2008-04-16T20:16:00.003+01:00

I wonder how the residents of Nantyglo must feel knowing that the only Peoples Voice candidate is standing in Nantyglo for the County Borough Council, but also in Blaina for the Town Council. Equally, I imagine that Blaina residents (myself included) question the commitment of the candidate to the Blaina Community Ward when they decide not to even contest a County Borough seat here.

As a previous post pointed out, it's not as if we're over-run with PV candidates. So why?

The People's Voice? The Independents don't think so

2008-04-09T21:21:00.003+01:00

Spot the climbdown:

"The People's Voice group, buoyed by the by-election successes of the constituency's new MP, Mr Davies, and new AM, Mrs Law, are now targeting the council and intend to fight all 42 seats in 2008."

South Wales Argus, 3rd July 2006

"Twenty candidates will stand under the People's Voice banner at the council election on Thursday May 1. The groups MP Dai Davies believes it could win enough places on the 42-seat council to help form a coalition administration."

South Wales Argus, 8th April 2008

So after bragging that the People's Voice were the real option for voters, they've failed to field candidates for even half the seats. 'But, ahh', I hear you say there are those mischievious independents popping up all over the place. Yes there are. 27 independent candidates, not including the 3 recent departures from Labour. The trouble is, there's quite a lot of them who wouldn't touch People's Voice with a barge pole. In some cases, it's because the candidates are resolute on standing by themselves, without committing to any faction, some of them don't get along with the personalities in PV and for others it's because they've already got their own indy group to work with.

People's Voice may claim to have have opened the floodgates, they just have to be careful they don't drown.

Tell me something I didn't know

2008-04-09T13:18:00.002+01:00

This report on the BBC website comes as no surprise. The average age of councillors in Blaenau Gwent is 61 and the "Golden Goodbyes" of 2004 had little effect on bringing younger people into local government. The trouble is that in the wards that had retiring councillors, they just replaced them with candidates of the same age.

In this election, I'm officially the youngest Labour candidate in the County Borough and unless the Independents have put someone younger up, I'm the youngest, fullstop. Is that a problem? It depends how you look at it. Does the fact that there's a 40 year gap between me and the 'average' Blaenau Gwent Councillor put me off? No, I've been working with them all since I was fourteen and am confident that I am an equal to them at the negotiating table. Does the fact that there is a 40 year blackhole in represention of the electorate mean that we should be concerned?

Yes, it does. There's also an issue with the number of women standing for election. When I get a copy of the full list of candidates I will give you a breakdown of the numbers. Until then, I'll just state the obvious. We need more women and young people engaged in politics. Let's have a conversation about how to do it.

A fresh start

2008-03-29T18:00:00.004Z

The nominations have gone in and been accepted by the Returning Officer so for the next few weeks it's full steam ahead with the campaign.

Firstly, I think I should say thank you to those that have nominated me to stand for council.

My proposer is Councillor Ainsley Morgan, who is currently Mayor of Blaenau Gwent and my seconder is Blaina Reverend Roger Hewett, who is chair of the Communities First partnership. Some of you may remember that Roger recently won an award for community leadership, an award well deserved too.

I've also been nominated by town councillor David Smith, who topped the poll in last summer's by-election and by longtime servants of the town Cllr John Phippen and Cllr David Britton. Thanks to these and to all the others that have also put their faith in me.

I'm pleased to say that I've already received many messages of support across the board. Many agree with the point of view that this election should not be about the battles of the past between the various factions and independent groups but should be about the future direction and success of Blaina. There are many issues that I want to tackle in the campaign and I look forward to hitting them head on with the other Labour Candidates in Blaina.

Don't forget to register to vote!

UPDATE: Here is the list of candidates for Blaina. There are 106 candidates across Blaenau Gwent but these are the ones for this ward.

Council election candidates for Blaina:

Bernard Assinder - 'Independent'
Garth Collier - 'Independent'
Jim Goode - No Description
Des Hillman - 'Independent'
Yvonne Lewis - 'Independent'
John Phippen - 'Labour Party'
Colin Wall - 'Labour Party'
Luke Young - 'Labour Party'

Enjoy reading, I did :D

Happy Anniversary

2008-03-29T17:51:00.001Z

Congratulations to the Heart of the Valleys Integrated Children’s Centre in Blaina. One year on and a massive success.

Walking the floor

2008-03-18T17:20:00.002Z

In all honesty it was a personal blow to learn that Llanhilleth Councillor, Den Hughes has left the party. His decision to stand as an independent on May 1st comes as the local party started to make a turn for the better.

Our organisation, our campaigning and our drive is at the best it’s been for a very long time. To compliment that, we’re about to establish our own section of Young Labour, due to the fact that we are actually gaining new members, the large majority of which, are 25 and under.

Out of everyone, I didn’t expect Den to be one to leave Labour before the elections. He points to last year’s removal of John Hopkins as leader as one of the main things that has forced him to walk the floor. My comments on that are, that I too disagreed with what happened, very publicly in fact, in a television interview. A decision of which I’m still feeling a bit of backlash for from some party members. But I did not leave then and I will not leave now.

I’ve been approached and ‘advised’ many times before now to go independent and have been subject to a whispering campaign that I was about to jump ship. Apparently, I’d have a better chance of winning. What a load of tripe. I’m not a member of a democratic socialist party such as Labour to secure a career for myself, nor am I in it to dictate to anyone. It’s about being part of a movement that can potentially change the lives of millions for the better starting with the poorest. This idea of the party being the thing that stands between us and progress is a false one. If anything it’s our job to use the collective resources and the institutional memory to help our communities.

Den’s decision to leave Labour, won’t change his politics. He says “my brand of socialism is not to carry it on my sleeve but to demonstrate it with my everyday acts.” This is where I have to differ opinion. I’ve stood under a Labour banner before and still managed to deliver real solutions to real problems. It is what I’ll be doing again for Blaina in the Local Government elections on May 1st.

I live in hope that this will be the last defection we‘ll hear of. Seriously, it makes for an interesting article in the gazette but leaves a bad taste in the mouths of voters when candidates are too afraid to show what their true colours are.

Free Parking - Getting rid of the sick tax

2008-03-05T00:49:00.004Z

There's been a lot of fuss over the decision to make parking free at Welsh NHS hospitals. I'll happily pin my colours to the mast on this one, I'm all for it. Call me a populist but this is a measure that will actually ease the strain on families when loved ones are in hospital. Ask most people who have been in the unfortunate position of having friends and relatives with long-term illnesses and they'll tell you one of the most frustrating things is having to constantly pay ridiculous charges to visit or to have an appointment. For many in this position, it is the equivalent of being charged every single time to access vital NHS services.

No doubt the debate will roll on and the focus will probably be on the relationship between Welsh and UK ministers. Regardless though, patients will see the benefits of this bold move very soon.

BG Stories

2008-03-04T23:53:00.003Z

Firstly, best wishes for a speedy recovery to Amanda Davies, wife of Blaenau Gwent MP, Dai Davies.

Secondly, I have to agree to a certain point with AM Trish Law on the rejection by the Queen's Office of an invitation to officially open the new rail link. I don't entirely understand the royalist fascination with being graced with the Queen's presence, but I do agree that it would give recognition to the economic potential that the rail link has. The whole episode is given a different light when you consider that the Queen is in Swansea this Friday to open the new leisure centre. Both projects cost over £30 Million but I would argue (in a completely biased way) that the Valleys would gain far more from a visit in terms of publicity, confidence and economic regeneration.

It's a shame and a missed opportunity.

Council working for you

2008-03-02T20:44:00.002Z

Keep an eye out for Ebbw Vale North's Councillor Jen Morgan.

Gone to Spring Conference

2008-02-28T23:22:00.001Z

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Congratulations Roger

2008-02-24T16:45:00.002Z

It's great to see Blaina Reverend, Roger Hewett's community work being praised.

Roger, along with his wife Molly, have been friends since my days as Youth Mayor and are always there with their support. Roger recently gave a fantastic service at my grandfather's funeral, as he also did at the funeral of my mother. He's a hardworker and this award is well deserved.

Great stuff to hear!