A view from Rural Wales

Offshore Wind Turbines.

2010-01-08T22:27:00.003+01:00

Had calls from BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru this morning, inviting me on to discuss the Westminster Government's announcement of two massive new wind farm developments off the coast of Wales. They are part of a wider scheme, worth £100 billion to construct wind farms off the coast of Britain. It was assumed that I would be opposed to them. But I'm not - in principle anyway. Must admit that I'm not sure how this squares with my position as president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales. We can't be opposed to everything! I'm not a supporter of onshore turbines, mainly because of the damage they inflict on our very special landscapes, but I've never been opposed to offshore turbines. This is not a 'green light' opinion, because there is the matter of how dominant they are on the views from land, and what developments are needed to connect to the Grid. Anyway, I was immediately dropped as a guest from both programmes. Don't know who took my place to duel with Llewelyn Rhys.

The second reason that I'm opposed to onshore wind turbines is that they need shedfuls of taxpayer's money to make the things profitable. This consideration could apply to the offshore proposals announced today as well. And there's the cost of creating a National Grid capable of handling the highest levels of production. These wind farms may never come to pass. I remember the huge row over the Scarweather Sands proposal, just off the coast at Porthcawl a few years ago. The application was approved after a monster row, but were then scrapped because the cost of materials increased suddenly, and rendered the scheme uneconomic.

Problem with anything the Prime Minister says at present is that he cares nothing about value-for-money. All he seems to care about is how it looks to voters during the next 17 weeks. Comments are welcome - especially from anyone who happened to hear Post Cynta or the Radio Wales Phone-in today. Tell me what I missed.

Ohhhhhhhhhh

2010-01-08T20:10:00.001+01:00

My eyes are watering after reading this.

Being Prepared

2010-01-08T19:06:00.003+01:00

Mr Peter Black has commented on my recent post 'Council's Revenge', making an unflattering comparison between my opinion and that of fellow Conservative, Jonathon Morgan AM, who represents Cardiff North. At issue is my criticism of the preparations made by Powys County Council to cope with wintry conditions on our roads.

My mild criticism was made before the recent heavy snow (which because of it's severity, has conveniently saved the Council embarrassment - in that all councils now have a problem). I had moved on, but Peter's comment, and sight of a letter to an Assembly Member from Transport Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, written on December 23rd has stirred me to revisit the issue. You could say that I'm rising to the bait.

Let's rewind a few weeks - to late November. I was born to be a Welsh hill sheep farmer, We tend to caution and 'worrying about a rainy day'. Every November, when I see gritting lorries spreading salt all over the place at the merest whiff of frost, I'm prone to muttering 'There will be none left when they need it". I used to proclaim, but I've been proved wrong so many times, that I now just mutter to myself. This year was no exception.

But there was no need to worry. Just before Christmas, Powys County Council informed us that they had a 'plan' were would deal with all possible eventualities. And on 23rd December, Ieuan Wyn Jones informed Andrew Davies AM that "we have taken steps to ensure the 2009/10 winter period passes with the minimum of disruption, should there be a prolonged cold period of severe winter weather". The letter ended "....and we will all be better placed to deal with periods of severe winter weather should they occur". Just two weeks later, and before the recent snow fall, Powys and other county councils were reporting that salt stocks had almost disappeared. Seems to me that its entirely reasonable to ask questions about what happened to 'the plan'.

And the situation in Powys is rather different from Swansea and Cardiff North, which Peter and Jonathon represent. In Powys, the Council plan to salt just 15% of the highway network anyway. The reality is that farms, and people living in rural areas have just been abandoned. I can see that following the moderately heavy snow, the Council cannot do much about it now. I just do not think that fairly mild criticism of how this situation came about was unreasonable.

Cricket cheats?

2010-01-07T23:33:00.002+01:00

Cricket fans are celebrating another amazingly successful rearguard action by the England cricket team in Cape Town tonight. And I can understand why. Its the second test match in three where England have been comprehensively outplayed, and yet avoided what looked like certain defeat. Two draws that felt like victories. Justification for celebrations. And yet, there is a nasty taste in the mouth, following a pretty clear attempt by two England players to cheat.

Listening to snatched commentary on the car radio, the actions of Stuart Broad and James Anderson in attempting to alter the ball improperly was not being taken very seriously. Geoff Boycott thought it not a particularly serious issue - and he's a knowledgeable fellow. But Michael Vaughan's article in today's Telegraph changes things. Vaughan is a much respected recent England captain who knows what's going on. Here are a few quotes;

"They were lucky to get away without an official reprimand - even a ban"

"Stuart Broad has been stopping the ball with his boot all the way through the series."

"If this had been a game involving Pakistan, and Shoaib Akhtar or Mohammad Asif had been....there would have been an uproar."

"As it is Anderson is a lucky man".

These are very serious charges. Its just not cricket. If it had been South Africa, can you just imagine what our sports pages would be proclaiming. Personally, I think all this takes 'the shine' off what would otherwise have been a great result.

No way to treat the elderly.

2010-01-07T22:54:00.004+01:00

Because I was suffering from a cold between Christmas and the New Year, I was not able to visit care homes in Montgomeryshire - something I've done over the last 10 years. This is not for electoral purposes, because a few years ago, we decided that, in general, it's just not right to campaign in residential homes. Not always the case, and much sensitivity is needed. I recall visiting a home a few years ago, where I'd talked to several residents, but left without asking anyone to vote for us. As walking out I met a representative of another party going in with a fistful of postal vote forms. Hmmm. Anyway, I'm starting on my Christmas visits tomorrow.

The state of our care homes is becoming an increasingly high profile issue. And about time too. The recent BBC programmes based on research into care by Gerry Robinson were very powerful - and shocking. No-one who watched them could remain unmoved. And yesterday, there was much media coverage of a report from the Royal College of Physicians which claimed that thousands of elderly people are being forced to have feeding tubes inserted into their stomachs in order to be admitted to a home. If this is true, and I'm not sure how much hard evidence there is in the report, its a shameful disgrace. Its an issue I'll be discussing on my visits. This issue demands urgent government investigation.

Sea Eagles

2010-01-07T00:08:00.004+01:00

Read a worrying article in Today's Telegraph under the headline 'Return of sea eagles is a PR stunt'. So I googled to see what else has been written about this issue. This is a good article by Libby Purves in the Times. It seems that the RSPB and Natural England are planning to introduce 60 pairs of sea eagles (white tailed eagles) to the Suffolk area. I use the term 'introduction' rather than 're-introduction', as the sponsors of this project would prefer. There is some dispute about whether there has ever been sea eagles in Suffolk.

I have never seen a sea eagle in the wild. It must be a wondrous experience. I can imagine how thrilled wildlife lovers in Scotland must have been when the first sea eagle returned after a few decades absence. Many years ago, I used to spend many happy hours sitting on a mountain in the Cwmystwyth area of Mid Wales, satisfied with just one sighting of a Red Kite, when this lovely bird was reduced to near extinction by the carelessness of man. Today, they are almost as common as sparrows. I'm also hugely supportive of the work being done to support the re-establishment of the osprey (sometimes called a sea eagle) in Mid Wales. But all the work to support kites and ospreys has been in support of what is a natural process - not some stunt created by man.

In general, I do not like the idea of introduction of alien species, though the sea eagle is not alien to Britain of course. I'm not that keen on re-introductions either. We have to be careful to understand all the unintended consequences. We had a similar discussion about the re-introduction of the European Beaver last year. The sea eagle is a huge bird, which is thought to kill lambs (and rumoured to take cats, dogs and babies as well). I think the people of Suffolk would be far more understanding of the odd misdemeanor committed by a sea eagle, if it was thought to be one of theirs. They are not going to be so considerate of some outsider coming in and causing trouble. The RSPB and Natural England had better think this proposal through very carefully indeed. It does not sound a good idea to me.

Time for the people to speak.

2010-01-06T22:14:00.004+01:00

I joined the Conservative Party at a time which we now look back on as being a period when we were in some disarray. John Major was Prime Minister, and Ken Clarke was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Before then, I'd been 'Independent' - and I don't need any quips like "What's changed". What I could see at the time (and you may well want to express a view about my eyesight) was a Government doing a good job, restoring the British economy after it's release from the crippling chains of the Exchange Rate Mechanism. Unfortunately I could also see some Conservative MPs acting in a mindlessly self-destructive way, making the business of governing Britain next to impossible. I couldn't understand what it was that led often experienced politicians to so undermine their own team. It was an impressive exercise in self destruction. Whatever, I decided to become "a rat that joined the sinking ship". Thankfully it remained afloat (just) and then rose once again to sail higher on the seas (eventually).

Today, the Labour Party looks to be in the same state of self destruction. What on earth can have possessed Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt to write to all Labour MPs this morning, proposing a referendum on whether Gordon Brown's should remain leader of the Labour Party (and the country). It made no sense at all. Labour MPs do not have the right to choose their leader anyway. That rests with a much broader 'college'. And they did not have the support of anyone with the weight to make their letter count. If they'd written it the day after James Purnell resigned, it might have been a different matter. It might even have been enough to put some steel into David Miliband's rubbery backbone. Speaking of the Foreign Secretary, his obligatory 'statement of support' is worth reading.

"I am working closely with the Prime Minister on foreign policy issues and support the re-election campaign for a Labour Government that he is leading."

Don't try to tell me that this is a supporting statement. It just adds fuel to a flame that for some reason he wants to see carry on burning - but not enough to create a real fire. We have a Government in disarray, a party at war with itself. And all the time, our public debt is ballooning and our soldiers are being killed and injured in Afghanistan. Suddenly, May 6th seems a very, very long way off.

Council's Revenge.

2010-01-06T00:34:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, I issued two press releases 'criticising' Powys County Council. Actually, I saw them as more 'holding to account' than 'criticism'. Since early December, the Council has morphed into a very strange creature. It is now being run by an alliance of Powys Independents and Liberal Democrats, who meet privately before official meetings to agree a position, which is then 'whipped' through. Personally, I have no problem with this, except that there is a charade taking place, where other Councillors are supposedly involved in the decision taking. I suppose they are - as obsevers. Today, the Management Executive Board just rubber stamped the Powys Lib Dem Alliance proposal that the Council Tax be raised by 4.25% next year. I consider this to be excessive. My other press release was 'criticising' the failure to properly manage its salt supplies, leaving all side roads completely untreated. Again, all decisions on this issue are being taken by a Powys Lib Dem Councillor. In general, I believe 'oppositions' should 'oppose', thus stimulating debate, engaging the public, and examining performance.

Well tonight the Councillors of Powys took their revenge. At around 20.00 hrs, Mrs D and I decided to pop down to the village for supper. When we emerged from the Talbot at 22.00 hrs, a good three inches of snow had fallen. We were in Mrs D's car (which has wide tyres) and she would not move - the car that is. We had to walk home - uphill, in driving snow, and no coats. As we struggled along the home straight, cold, tired and wet, I swear I heard the gently mocking voice of Finance Portfolio Holder, Cllr. Gwilym Fychan floating down from the dark snow laden skies informing us that the Council had today decided to withdraw all salting from the Cil Road - because the Council Tax is too low to allow for the purchase of any more salt - all delivered in perfect Welsh of course.

Peter Ainsworth.

2010-01-05T17:39:00.005+01:00

Could it possibly be that I'd be the 'greenest' Conservative Member of Parliament if I were to be elected at the General Election - expected in 117 days time? Two of the current claimants to that title have announced that they are calling it a day. John Gummer made his announcement last week. and Peter Ainsworth made his today. I'm really sorry that these two Conservative MPs, who have been such champions of the environment are going. I suppose we still have Tim Yeo hanging on in there, and Zac Goldsmith would be the greenest by miles if he were to be elected. And there must be other environmental enthusiasts that I'm not aware of as well.

Mind you, many in the 'green' movement do not reckon I'm 'green' at all - mainly because I oppose the desecration of our landscapes by on shore wind turbines. They are just not worthwhile - from both landscape and value-for-money perspectives. When I made this comment at home, after first reading of Peter Ainsworth's retirement, it was met by snorts of derision - overseas holidays, poor home insulation, high mileage etc.. In my defence, I cited my 33 years farming, where I used no fertilizer, no sprays, minimal bought in feed, and turned a high input, fairly intensive business into a low input business, eventually breeding all my own replacement stock. Only reason I mention this is to point out that there are more ways to be 'green' than the obvious. Being 'green' and appearing to be 'green' are just not the same thing.

Getting Serious.

2010-01-04T23:18:00.003+01:00

I remember Rhodri Morgan entering the Debating Chamber on the day he was to be confirmed as First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales. He clearly didn't regard this title as sufficiently 'grand' for himself, and later changed it to First Minister. Anyway, what I remember most was that he'd been to Ken Picton's (or similar) for a hair styling. The ex-leader of the National Assembly is not normally associated with sartorial elegance, but on that occasion, he really looked the business. Which brings me to this morning's Montgomeryshire Conservative Campaign meeting.

I fear that I, too have a tendency to look a touch unkempt - which has not gone unnoticed by one of the snappier dressed attendees at this morning's committee. At the close of the meeting, he rushed downtown (if Welshpool can be said to have a 'downtown'), returning with a can of Boots 'Cool Blue' 24 hour anti-perspirant. Couldn't believe it. I take a shower every night, and twice a day in hot weather. But regular readers will recall that I've had trouble with sweaty armpits before. Pam reminded him that I'd developed my own strategy to deal with this problem - which is to wear white shirts. Problem is that I reckon sprays and lotions are not manly - and I have no wish to be seen as effeminate.

But I've just been watching a bad tempered debate on Newsnight about 'profiling' at our airports to protect security. One protagonist suggested that anyone sweating should be regarded as 'suspect'. What with Mrs D's prosthetic knee going 'ping' and me being hauled in for whole body searches, I can see us abandoning travelling abroad altogether. Perhaps I'll have to resort to the butane based anti sweat aerosol after all. Whatever, I did immediately sneak 'downtown' myself for a hair trim and styling. No stone can be allowed to remain unturned in our campaign to win.

What's a 'reasonable' Council Tax increase.

2010-01-03T23:48:00.003+01:00

At their meeting tomorrow, the Executive Management Board of Powys County Council are considering recommending a Council Tax increase of 4.25%. In my opinion, this is unreasonable and unaffordable, and I've suggested to the Conservative Group on the Council that they should vote against such an increase. This unreasonable and unaffordable increase is being proposed by councillors who make up the Powys Lib Dem Alliance, which now agrees a position beforehand, and then 'whips' it through the full Council.

I accept that the below-inflation increase in financial support from the Assembly Government makes it very challenging for the County Council to keep the Council Tax increase to the level of inflation, which is what I would consider 'reasonable'. Every private sector organisation across Britain has had to find efficiencies and savings since the financial crisis enveloped us. Had there not been a General Election on the immediate horizon, the Westminster Government would have had to do the same. In any event, there will be a budget next May/June irrespective of the result, which will make spending reductions.

Tomorrow, the Powys Lib Dem Alliance should reconsider its proposal to pile all the pain on Powys Council Tax payers, and resolve to re-work the Council's budget, searching for cost reductions which result in a Council Tax increase no more than the level of inflation. A 4.25% is too much. The people of Powys cannot afford it.

Did you believe him?

2010-01-03T20:50:00.004+01:00

Not quite sure how to put this, but I simply did not believe him. I thought that our Prime Minister was telling a bare-faced 'porkie'. A few weeks ago, Gordon Brown made a comment at PMQs about Conservative policy being developed on "the playing fields of Eton". At the time, I thought it was shameful, calculated and premeditated. I thought it was part of the deeply unpleasant campaign being orchestrated by the current Labour Government to bring 'class' into the General Election campaign. The first time we saw this nauseating strategy was in the Crewe and Nantwich By-election - where it failed miserably. You would think they'd learn. Its seems obvious to me that Labour's strategy over the last few months has been based on portraying the Conservatives as 'posh' and not concerned about the poorest people in society. It's made them look very nasty people. At first the 'Eton' jibe was thought to have been successful. To some extent, it worked in the House of Commons 'bear pit' - probably because it genuinely reflects Gordon Brown's approach to politics. But it hasn't worked amongst swing voters, who are not overly concerned about where politicians 'have been educated. And anyway, Labour just look incredible and spiteful, whenever William Hague, Ken Clarke and Eric Pickles are leading for us. The strategy is back firing.

But this post is about truthfulness, and credibility, rather than political strategy. Today, the Prime Minister informed us that the 'Eton' comment was just a 'joke'. Now I'm not sure whether I can be charged with any crime against the state for this, but I just do not believe him. It was not a 'joke'. It was deliberate. He meant what he said. He (or at least his advisers) now realises it was a crass comment to make - and some of his own Ministers have turned on him over it. And today he was trying to get out of it. Watch it, and tell me you believe him. Go on, try to change my mind.

General Election Campaign starts today.

2010-01-02T18:25:00.003+01:00

It looks as if we're off. David Cameron has been talking today about there being just 153 days left until the General Election, and outlining some of his campaigning strategy. Its probably 123 days. Personally, I think of it as being 17 weeks on Thursday. Some think it may be sooner. Anyway, I thought it might be an idea to do a 'walk-about' around the biggest town in the Montgomershire constituency this morning, Newtown. Just to get a feel of what it would be like to be an MP. First stop was a coffee morning in the United Reform Church. Blimey. I didn't make it to the tables. Was scragged by the coffee makers, outraged by what they see as threats to Newtown Hospital. On into town, and accosted by several others outraged by Council inefficiencies, and concerns about Tesco's imminent arrival. And that was all before I made to Evan's Cafe, where Nigel and Desley's informal 'Government of Newtown' sits at 11.00 every day.

Seems as though the Cameron Plan is to dominate the agenda over the next few weeks by publishing our manifesto - one chapter at a time. First chapter's due on Monday. One of my 2010 resolutions is to read our manifesto, something I've never really done before. Should be able to handle one chapter before glazing over. I didn't hear today's Cameron speech, so I'm depending on the media's take on it, which you can read here.

I like the principle of decentralising power, and would like it to be one of my personal campaign themes. But I need to spend some time translating the principle into a 'meaningful narrative' - at least that's what someone said to me in Newtown today. First thing I'll have to do is understand just what this new fashionable word 'narrative' actually means. I can certainly understand the manifesto commitments to cut Corporation Tax, to increase number of apprentices and invest in a high speed rail link - but I'll only feel comfortable linking these with cuts in spending elsewhere. Today's eye catching idea is the National Security Council. I really like this proposal. We are at war in Afghanistan, and though the most dominating issue 124 days from now will be how on earth we restore life to our finances, the earth that Gordon Brown will have scorched, handling the war will remain a very important issue. Now we're off, it all feels rather exciting.

Predictions and Aspirations.

2010-01-01T23:00:00.002+01:00

What we think will happen is inevitably influenced by what we want to happen. So its not possible to completely separate my 'predictions' for 2010 from 'aspiration'. But I'll do my best. Here I go with the 10 that occur to me as I post. Tell me how many you think I've got right.

1) - A General Election will be held on May 6th. Following a deeply unpleasant campaign by Labour, David Cameron will enter 10 Downing Street, with an overall majority of 25. This result will confound the opinion polls of May 5th which predict a 'hung' Parliament. Ed Miliband will be elected as new leader of the Labour Party, and Vince Cable will have to strongly resist demands to challenge for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

2) - A referendum on moving to Part 4 of the Government of Wales 2006 Act will take place in October. After a nail biting count, the Yes side will emerge victorious by 53% to 47%. Lord Elis Thomas will arrange a 'leak' of his opinion that it was his personal intervention during the run up to the referendum that swung it.

3) - In a 'shock' General Election result in Wales, the Conservatives will snatch the constituency of Montgomeryshire from the Liberal Democrats for only the second time in over 100 years. The Plaid Cymru and Ukip candidates will increase their share of the vote. The Labour Party candidate will lose his deposit.

4) - France will win the 6 Nations, and Dan Biggar will take over the No 10 jersey for Wales at some stage during the tournament

5) - Brazil will beat England 2-1 in the final of the World Cup in South Africa. All of the British press will blame the referee for unfairly favouring Brazil.

6) - Andrew Murray will win the Wimbledon Men's Singles Title, defeating Del Potro in a tense final.

7) - Lewis Hamilton will win the Formula One World Championship in the last race of the season, while Jenson Button will not win a single GP.

8) - A new satellite renal dialysis unit will open in Welshpool, to much rejoicing.

9) - A massive public row will follow an announcement by National Grid that it intends to erect a 400 kw power line, on massive steel towers from Ironbridge in Shropshire, along the Severn Valley, terminating in a 'hub' located east of Newtown. (There is no shred of 'aspiration' in this, or the next 'prediction'.)

10) - The governments of the world will take no meaningful action to respond to 2010 being designated by the UN as The International Year of Biodiversity, despite the holding of several international conferences. This failure will rightly be described by naturalists as a great threat to the future of our world. Very few people will notice.

Good News Post

2010-01-01T19:44:00.004+01:00

New Year. New start. New perspective. Been looking for 'a good news story' to begin the year, and found it on BBC Online. It's a day or so old, but it was today that I caught up with it. The stars of this story are John and Sue Day, both of whom suffer from Parkinson's Disease. They are stalwarts of the Montgomeryshire Branch of the Parkinson's Disease Society, working with the its very special Chair, Anne Smedley. They have been campaigning for years for a specialist nurse to help sufferers cope with the shock of diagnosis and problems with ongoing care. I'm into my third year as President of the Montgomeryshire PDS. I'm not in any way an authority on the disease, and only became involved when Anne invited me to. My biggest contribution so far was when a contact I developed through this blog made a significant contribution to the Society. The real workers are people like John, Sue, Anne and others who give their time to help fellow sufferers.

The good news is that a specialist nurse, Deborah Evans has just been appointed, and has already taken up her post, based in Newtown. Met her briefly at our Xmas drinks do, and am arranging a longer meeting in January. There should always have been access to a specialist nurse in Montgomeryshire, but in support of my New Year 'aspiration' to blog in a rather more cheerful way, I will end with the positive quote from me that the BBC's Carl Yapp included in his copy.

"A diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease brings with it a sense of shock, isolation, and uncertainty, which a specialist nurse can help deal with. For years we've campaigned for a specialist nurse to be appointed, and its wonderful news for the Montgomeryshire Parkinson's Disease Society that, finally, we have someone close at hand to give help and advice to people affected by this awful disease."

Its the 'Response' that mattered most.

2009-12-31T18:28:00.006+01:00

Over the last eight months, I have posted several times about the abuse by some MPs of their expenses system. In general, my comments have been about the inadequacy of response, rather than the claims themselves. I've also commented about the indiscriminate nature of the media coverage. Public anger has been directed at the sheer ridiculous of some of the claims, rather than at the seriousness of what would be fraud if others had done the same thing. People remember the moat, the duck house, the porn films, the biscuits, the pantie liners etc.. more than the phantom mortgages, the fictitious Council Tax, claims for second homes that were rented out to others. Its not so much the unfairness in this that bothers me, as the damage it does to the careers of good MPs. Today's Telegraph provides a good example.

In my opinion, John Gummer, MP for Suffolk Coastal has been an outstanding Parliamentarian. He brought something distinctive to the Conservative Party. He brought with him a genuine right-of-centre perspective on environmental issues. For some reason, green politics have been associated with 'the left'. David Cameron has done a lot to change this perception, and John Gummer has played a key role in this. Whatever, very disappointingly he announced yesterday that he's standing down from the House of Commons at the General Election. Consolation is that he's intending to increase his commitment to environmental matters.

Today the headline over the article by Rosa Prince informing us of the retirement read "MP who claimed for mole catchers will stand down". The first paragraph informs us that "...the former Tory cabinet minister who charged the taxpayer to rid his country estate of moles has announced that he is to stand down...". Now most of us accept that the taxpayer should not have been paying for mole catchers, no matter what the fees office might have agreed. John Gummer accepted that and repaid the money along with other claims for gardening. I didn't know until today that he also paid a similar amount to a local charity, and ceased claiming second home allowance altogether because he felt that MPs should accept "corporate blame" for the "flawed expenses system". That's right - accept blame. This was the response of an honourable man, who regretted having gone along with a system that he shouldn't have. If all MPs had responded as John Gummer did, there would be far higher respect for politicians today. This post is for those who read just headlines, and the first paragraphs of articles - as I often do.

Join the Donate Wales Campaign.

2009-12-30T13:29:00.003+01:00

Holding firm opinions has its drawbacks, especially for a parliamentary candidate. Over the last few days, I've been reminded that holding the opinion that the ban on hunting with dogs should be repealed will lose me votes. But its on health related issues that it bites hardest - and on no issue harder than the decision by Edwina Hart to legislate to introduce 'presumed consent' for organ donation in Wales. I just do not believe it is right that body parts should be removed without the considered consent of the deceased. At least I'm not alone in this view. My difficulties with this opinion flow from involvement with a campaign for a renal dialysis unit to be provided in Montgomeryshire. I suspect that many, if not most, of those I work with support 'presumed consent'. The Wales health establishment, led by Health Minister Edwina Hart, and including the good people at Kidney Wales Foundation certainly do.

All the above leads to a search for some form of personal compensatory action. Which brings me to this week's launch of New Year campaign by Donate Wales to persuade more people to opt-in to carrying a donor card. Now this is a campaign that I really do believe in. So why not just telephone 0300 123 23 23 or visit the Donate Wales website, and make me feel better about my opinion. I hope the new rules which apply to what a parliamentary candidate can do from 1st January don't prevent me running an event to promote this campaign.

'No Expenses Spared' - unfinished business.

2009-12-29T23:48:00.003+01:00

Just finished reading 'No Expenses Spared' (the inside story of the scoop which changed the face of British politics - by the team that broke it). Even though I was one of those who devoured the coverage that began on 9th May 2009 about what some of our MPs had claimed as expenses, I was still totally gripped, and comprehensively re-shocked, by this book. For any aspiring MP, its a must-read. The final words before the epilogue are those of David Cameron. He has a talent for encapsulating the public mood in the right words.

"What the Daily Telegraph did - the simple act of providing information to the public - has triggered the biggest shake up in our political system for years.

Information alone has been more powerful than years of traditional politics. Of course it has been a painful time for politics and for individual politicians - but let us be clear, it is without question a positive development for the country.

It is information - not a new law, not some regulation - just the provision of information that has enabled people to take on the political class, question them, demand answers, and get those answers. That's exactly as it should be."

But the story lies unfinished. The people have not yet had their say. When it became clear that public confidence in the current Parliament had been terminally undermined, a General Election should have been called. It wasn't, and the second huge explosion of 2009, a world-wide financial crisis has taken 'Expensesgate' off the front pages. But it will be back. There will almost certainly be more resignations in the New Year, and the publication of Sir Thomas Legg's letters to MPs demanding repayments will probably produce more headlines over the next few weeks. And so they should. The next Parliament will be faced with huge challenges, the greatest of which will be to begin the process of reducing the public debt that will have been bequeathed by the current Government. The General Election will be about choosing the representatives that the voters believe have the character and integrity to undertake the task - and the removal of those whom the public have lost faith in. Only then can the final chapter of 'No Expenses Spared' be written.

Incredible! They still just do not get it.

2009-12-29T12:57:00.004+01:00

I'm not a man given to apoplexy. In my youth, yes, but now I invariably take a considered view of things. Where I disagree, I try to acknowledge the genuineness of counter-argument (where it exists that is). But reading this article in this morning's Times has left me nail-spittingly apoplectic. After all that has happened, how on earth can our MPs contemplate the continuation of the 'Communications Allowance'. This despicable imposition on the taxpayer has one purpose only. It's using Taxpayer's money to fund the re-election campaigns of incumbent MPs. It seems that they may even be allowed to use it between now and the General Election. Its breath taking in its contempt for democracy, or even simple decency. Have they learned nothing?

The Communications Allowance has provided the MP that I'm challenging at the next Election with an annual £10,000 pot of money to print and post out leaflets to electors, telling them what a fine fellow he is. Its straight forward electioneering - and I'm paying for it through my taxes. Two leaflets, professionally produced have been distributed around Montgomeryshire over the last few weeks - one of them being posted out when the MP concerned was on a six day Cunard liner luxury 'freebie' cruise around the Mediterranean while all of his constituents thought he was working on their behalf in Westminster. This was an outrage. No, it was two outrages rolled into one. Normally, I just let these things wash over me, but no reference was made to it in our widely read local weekly. He gets away with it, because the people that voted for him do not know - and they do not know because the newspaper they read chooses not to tell them. OK, so it doesn't make a lot of difference, but at least I can tell you. And anyway, it makes me feel better sounding off to my visitors.

Let the wrath of the electorate be unleashed.

2009-12-28T16:49:00.003+01:00

Tomos Livingstone's latest column for the Western Mail was entitled 'No expense spared as we end MP's annus horribilis'. The line that caught my eye was "But enough ink has been splashed, and enough trees felled .....as a result of the expenses scandal, for now at least." For once, I do not agree with Tomos. The scandal that is expensesgate' has not been closed. Its crucial that it remains at the forefront of our minds until there has been a General Election. Worrying about ink and trees is exactly what MP's want us to do. The current Parliament is a flawed Parliament, without authority - and will remain so until the 'people' have had their say.

I have just started reading 'No Expenses Spared', written by Robert Winnett and Gordon Raynor, two of the key figures in the publication of MP's expenses by the Daily Telegraph. So much I had already forgotten - and I'm only on page 73. The efforts made to prevent the information ever becoming public, which is put at around £100,000 for lawyer's fees of our money. The blatant attempt to exempt MPs from the Freedom and Information Act. And who can forget those redacted receipts? I've still got 285 pages to go.

We know that most MPs are honest, genuine, hard working representatives of constituencies they are proud of, and want their constituents to be proud of them. We know that the indiscriminate nature of publication has resulted in some MPs being vilified (through mockery) for what seemed to me to be relatively minor mistakes, while others who seemed to me to be guilty of near-fraud escaped with hardly a mention. At times, I thought the Telegraph was going too far - only for it to be vindicated by yet more revelations. I know that many of my friends in politics now have nothing but contempt for the Telegraph, and that they genuinely believe they have been unfairly treated. I believe that the Daily Telegraph rendered great service to the British political system. The 'unfairness' was the result of the Telegraph having to do all the spade work. If Parliament had published the information itself, in an organised way, there would have been a better chance of the worst 'offenders' being highlighted.

We do have a chance to 'clean up the system' - but its definitely not a job for the current Parliament. Its a job for the next Parliament, elected after a discussion with the voters about what is expected of them. Far from this issue being put on the back burner, it should stay on our front pages until the General Election, which should have been held in the autumn. MPs and journalists might be a bit bored with this issue, but it would a deadly blow to our democracy if the public were to feel the same way. Let the anger intensify. Let the wrath of the voters be unleashed. Any newspaper that 'turns the other cheek' is failing in its duty.

My New Year's Message.

2009-12-27T23:51:00.002+01:00

As I type out these words on my computer, our two year old granddaughter, Ffion is helping me. In the next room, our week old grandson, Darragh is crying insistently for his mother's milk. All around me is the hub-bub of family life. This year, there are ten of us celebrating our Christmas at Cil Farm. Inevitably, all this creates a context within which I view the New Year. If all of us are here to celebrate next Christmas, healthy and content, 2010 will have turned out to be a good year, no matter what else might happen.

A General Election, to be held either in late March or early May, will dominate my 2010. The result will be important for the UK, for Wales, and for Montgomeryshire. I hope that it brings the change that is needed. It will also be significant for Ffion, Darragh and the rest of us. If I were to be elected Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, the honour would bring with it a huge responsibility - and demand for total commitment. It would be given. Montgomeryshire has always been my home, and it matters to me.

As a politician my aim has always been to reach out across party divisions. I find that so often, we agree with each other about what is right. My support for our soldiers in Afghanistan, my wish to help the elderly, those suffering from dementia, from renal failure, from Parkinson's Disease and Bowel Cancer is shared across all parties - as is my love of Rural Wales, the wildlife we share our world with, and the Welsh Language. Across all parties we want to ensure a fair deal for Montgomeryshire. Most of us want a world which is safer, fairer, greener and where every individual matters - even if we sometimes disagree on the best way to achieve these things. My 'political' loyalty would be to Montgomeryshire, and I promise that I would strive to could to carry out the role of MP for Montgomeryshire with pride, dignity and integrity. This blog wishes all those who visit a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

This post has been influenced, in part, by David Cameron's New Year Message.

Lord Mandelson and Mr Brown

2009-12-23T19:04:00.003+01:00

Lots of media coverage about a parting of the ways between Lord Mandelson and the Prime Minister. Lord Mandelson seems always to be involved in some skulduggery and backbiting. Being one of his friends is a dangerous privilege. This little spat looked to be fairly innocuous, until today's announcement about Higher Education funding. The BBC are reporting that the Business Secretary has written to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, informing them that the budget for higher education next year will be almost £400 million less than this year. Lots of questions follow this announcement. I'll draw attention to just two of them.

Firstly, the fact that Lord Mandelson has made this £400 million 'cut' public is significant. It totally undermines the Prime Minister's strategy of fighting the coming General Election on the basis of 'Tory cuts' against 'Labour investment'. Admittedly, it will not have huge impact immediately before Christmas, but its out there now. Watch the David Lammy interview on the BBC link, to observe ministerial discomfort. He sounds like a schoolboy after being caught with his hand in the sweet jar. Personally, I applaud Lord Mandelson for his action. Its not that I necessarily support his 'cut' in higher education funding, (I don't) but he has injected some honesty into the debate about future public spending. No meaningful debate can take place whilst the Government carries on misleading us all about the need for spending reduction. The honest debate we need is 'where the axe falls', not whether. Gordon Brown must be spitting nails today - again.

And then, there's the impact on Wales. Lord Mandelson's announcement applies to England only, but application of the Barnett Formula will deliver a proportional cut in the block of money available to the National Assembly Government. Don't know how much this will be, but 5% of £400 million is £20 million. Its unlikely that the whole Assembly block reduction will be passed on to education, because of a commitment to this sector made by Carwyn Jones, the First Minister. But it will have to come from somewhere. I hear peals of laughter and sighs of relief from an allotment somewhere in Cardiff West. Whatever, Lord Mandelson has drawn back the curtain a little on what's in store for us all.

Darragh

2009-12-22T22:55:00.013+01:00

Here he is. Darragh Davies, son of Tim and Adrienne Davies (nee O'Sullivan), grandson of Glyn and Bobbie Davies (nee Roberts) of Cil Farm Berriew, Montgomeryshire - and only cousin (so far) of Ffion. He was born on 21st Dec., 2009, by Cesarean section at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. This means that should Darragh turn out to be a wing forward of international standard, he will qualify to play for Ireland (mother), Wales (father) and England (birthplace). You will note that he has a wonderful head of black hair. Apparently its the fashion in maternity wards these days not to wash the baby's head, or comb his hair. Mrs D reminded me that Tim was born with the same lusty locks. We were in the ward for almost two hours, and he was as good as gold. Must write to my good friend, Tom Taylor, Chief Executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust to tell him that Adrienne has nothing but the highest praise for the way she's been treated. Mother and child will be returning home to us on Christmas Eve.

And here is seven pounds thirteen ounces Darragh Davies in full relax mode with his mum. Amazingly, despite the slow progress of the birth, and consequent move to the major maternity unit across Offa's Dyke, which all hoped would not be necessary, and the eventual Cesarean, Adrienne was the least stressed of all. It was poor Tim who was in a state and proclaiming "never again". He should have adopted my tactics when our four were born, and stayed well away from the action. I reckoned I'd done my bit nine months before, and there was no point in me getting in the way when Mrs D was doing hers. In those days fathers were not expected to be anywhere near the scene of birth. In fact, real men were not expected to deal with nappies etc.. We were onto our third before I realised how much a father misses by not joining in. Adrienne does look rather pleased with herself - as well she might.

And here is Taid, cuddling the new precious little life. The expression is one of wonder, I think. Just so hard to believe. Less than a day ago, Darragh was no more than an image in our minds (a bit more than that for Adrienne of course) and here he is today - a fully formed little person. Every birth is a miracle, and its only right that we feel a sense of wonder whenever we find ourselves close to miracles. If you look carefully, you'll see that Darragh's eyes are open in this one, just checking up on who's holding him. And that's not the Guardian on the bad table. Its the headline in the Daily Mail - something about guards. Its being kept as a reminder, in years to came of what the issues were in 2009. For us, Darragh's arrival will be the most enjoyable event of the year.

Unto us a Child is Born.

2009-12-21T23:38:00.003+01:00

Almost 23.00 hrs on Dec 21st, and unto the family Davies, a child is born. Now, what sort of a Christmas present is that. It is a grandson, to be named Darragh, to join little Ffion. Both of them with us for Christmas Day is a joyous thought indeed. It took a long, long time for Darragh to put in his appearance, after first giving notice that he was en route yesterday morning. New proud mother, Adrienne and No 3 son, Tim left for Shrewsbury Hospital early this morning. Today has been stressful for all of us. Anyway, the telephone has rung, the news has been conveyed, and all the tension has suddenly evaporated. Tim said that Darragh is already in fine voice. Mrs D and I will be visiting tomorrow, and the photographs will follow.

The Lib Dems must be worried.

2009-12-21T19:58:00.003+01:00

No organisation is doing more damage to the environment than the Liberal Democrats in Montgomeryshire. Over the last few weeks, they must have used the equivalent of an Amazonian forest to produce all the paper they are showering onto the heads of Montgomeryshire voters. Yet another envelope, full of various self extolling leaflets from Montgomeryshire's MP has been arriving on our doormats today. Its all shamelessly boastful stuff. My secretary, and several party members were recipients - all being asked for a donation of £50! At least this folder of leaflets has not been paid for by the taxpayer, which is more than can be said for the last two publications I was given copies of. Today's pack even had a glossy leaflet from Nick Clegg in it. Anyone would think they were concerned about losing the seat!

Today's leaflet includes one of those bar charts that the Lib Dems are famous for. The message is that "its only the Lib Dems who can defeat the Conservatives". What it said to me was that "its only the Conservatives who can defeat the current Lib Dem MP!". The other message is that its a waste of time voting either Plaid Cymru or Labour, because it will let in the Conservatives. Again, what this says to me is that by voting for Plaid, Labour or Ukip, you help the current Lib Dem keep the seat. I suppose all the other parties could say something similar as well. The 'trend' for both Plaid and Ukip are upwards as well. Anyway, in the interests of accuracy, I'll let you know what the true position is.

2005 General Election - Lib Dems (15,419), Conservatives (8,246), Labour (3,453), Plaid (2,078), Ukip (900).

2007 Assembly Election

Constituency vote - Lib Dem (8704), Conservative (6725), Plaid (3076), Ukip (2251), Labour (1544).

Interesting to note - National Assembly elections comprise two votes, the 'constituency' vote, and the 'regional' vote - which was broken down by constituency. In Montgomeryshire, our campaign was based on asking the people to use their second vote to support me. (I was a list candidate). I cannot track down the precise results, but in Montgomeryshire the two leading positions were Conservative (approx 9,000), Lib Dem (approx 7,000).

2008 Council Election - No precise figures but in Montgomeryshire the Conservatives won 6 seats, not having held any before, ever. The Lib Dems won just two seats.

2009 Euro Election - Though the constituency was Wales, the votes cast were counted in each parliamentary constituency, The results were Conservative (approx 4,300), Ukip (approx 2,800), Lib Dem (approx 2,700).

2010 - Who knows? But I do think a look at what has happened over the last 5 years blows a very big hole in the message that the local Lib Dem MP is trying to push. I accept that there is normally a larger turnout in General Elections, which will have an impact, but I think we're justified in thinking we have a decent chance of winning.

Its me just trying to help again.