I didn't go to the ITV and the Welsh Yearbook politics awards this year. I was surprised that there would be such a bash for politicians considering the financial crisis that ITV are in at the moment, but there we are....
The only news that I've heard from the evening is of Hain's speech and its bad taste, especially with regards female AM's past and present- comments which I have no inclination to laugh at whatsoever. Other references were made about Doctor Who...Peter Hain travelling in the tardis....failing to see any bother regarding donations in the future....ha ha...
I'm so glad that he can make light of a situation which only last week was plastered on every news channel, and which may cost him dearly in the future. I'm not laughing, and I could hazard a guess that the people of Neath aren't either. Perhaps Hain thinks that he is beyond criticism, that he is untouchable. After his enlightening 'speech' the other night, perhaps he will consider taking a good look at himself and the affect of his actions and words on others in the future.
I had a productive meeting with Brian Gibbons regarding child poverty yesterday. I hope that the schemes underway in Wales will play a part in tackling this issue, although I did raise concerns that while we can show leadership in Wales, we have to work with Westminster if the targets are to be met.
Ed Balls's 10 year plan may be an area to look at but considering that there was no discussion with the WAG prior to Westminster's announcement, we will have to wait with baited breath as to how London's plans will coincide with what happens here( and the child poverty unit in the DWP)
It is somewhat adventurous for the Government in London to term it a '10 year plan', when there is no guarantee that Labour will remain in Government in Westminster for that period of time. I will reserve judgement on it until I receive more information, although I am concerned about the pressure that could be placed on schools to take on more responsibilities with regards the welfare and health of young people across the board.
I also had a meeting with Joseph Rowntree Foundation regarding their work in Wales this week, and they are initiating a significant amount of new research here, which is to be commended. I am eager to organise an event at the Assembly alongside JRF next year, which will again raise the profile of this issue at the Assembly...I hope!
Today is the last day of term at the Assembly, so back to South Wales West it is....
23 comments:
Why Rowntree - we have people here in Wales that are far more au fait with the issues and solutions to child poverty.
Why couldn’t we have a working party of informed people, not the usual hacks I hasten to add , who could be a resource and ongoing working party not on the problems , they have been so rehearsed over the years , but on workable and acceptable help and solutions. One good move would be actually start listening to the people at the sharp end of this, not well heeled politicians or academics who frankly miss the main points of this whole problem.
Oh dear Bethan, that's so mean to Peter... I laugh at him all the time. Wait a minute... oh, right.
Valleys Mam - it is true that there are people in Wales who know a lot about child poverty - and Bethan has done a lot with them. But the JRF are the academic and intellectual leaders when it comes to any socio-economic issue.
I agree - campaigns to end child poverty shouldn't forget to take the opinions of the people at the front - the actual poor people - into account. But it's also necessary to consult the latest research and the brightest minds - and that includes theJRF.
On your point about a working party, I agree fully. I'm sure Bethan does too, although that kind of thing probably can't be her decision alone.
as i understand it the working party of informed people will be the expert group led by Huw Lewis. I'm also trying to set an inter isles forum between the devolved government's on this and have written to the new Children's committee to highlight my intention to do so.
I understand your point valleys mam, and in reaction to that, I am quite open to arranging an event that gets the Welsh groups involved also. I had no intention of being 'exclusive' about this issue. As Rhydian said, I am meeting with all relevant groups but can't make decisions individually. If you have any other suggestions, just fire away.
I am glad to hear the comments from you both.
You see where I do have a problem is who will be invited by Huw Lewis; he has his favoured people, who may be are not the only ones with opinions and views and more importantly evidence and experience.
JRF are a source I would say they are only as good as the sources and individuals they use and just because they are the brand leader, does not always make hem the best -it just means they have had the most coverage and exposure. When I assess material from academia, I always look at how close to reality the academics are –an important signifier I would say. Just because you are an academic doesn’t qualify you for good policy or strategic in put. There are many people working at he fore front who are just as qualified on paper and more qualified ob reality and experience, its just one of our failings here in Wales that we do not always recognise that.
I respect Bethan for her efforts to keep this in peoples radar, I also appreciate that not al is in her behest or power, however I do remember Phil Williams bringing together people once a month to keep him up to date on topics of his economic interest. He always found this enlightening, he was never afraid to include non-partisan people, which is where I had the opportunity to speak with him on many occasions. It’s a pity this practise wasn’t used more by our political parties.
Well, Valleys Mam, I entirely agree about Huw Lewis and I doubt the expert group of his choice will have anything original to say - and I doubt the man can conduct a consultation on that piss-up in a brewery without getting up somebody's nose.
Regarding the JRF - they do have good PR, true. But networking so many social scientists does produce interesting research and good ideas, and I don't think that can be belittled. The downside is that academic theory and reality are not always the best of friends, just as campaigners can sometimes be overzealous or unrealistic in their goals, albeit for the right reasons.
As you say, what is needed is a broad advisory group to WAG - formed by campaigners, providers of social and community services, academics and all other interested parties.
my goodness a lot of common sense and good stuff here.VM and Rhydian I just hope someone listens to what you say
You have quite cheered an old synic up
Thanks freda, I do try. I implicitly trust Bethan to do what's right on this issue. Let us hope that Huw Lewis is a reader of the blog, and that Bethan can get him and a few others to listen. I can guarantee that she will try her utmost to do so!
Hi Freda - yes let’s hope that Huw listens to what Bethan has to say and that he can see beyond her political stance.
Have you seen Normal Mouths hit at Plaid on this - I wish to goodness people would stop scoring political points off poverty, its sickening
Thank you all for your comments. valleys mam- your point re Phil Williams is yet again valid, and I will take it on board. I am meeting all the groups in Wales at the moment to seek advice and information on aspecets concerning this issue, but I will look to expanding this work.
I don't know if it will be Huw with the last word on who will be on the expert group. The Minister informs me that they are seeking to get people from Scotland and Ireland with experience in this field on board as well. One thing is sure, I will be keeping a keen eye on progress regarding this group.
I have written to Golwg in reply to Normal Mouth's article in golwg. My points are not about abdicating responsibility to Westminster, but a simple fact of recongnising that we can't do it all here in Wales without the powers to do so!
Normal Mouth is a cretinous idiot - a pity really, because if he set party politics aside for a minute, he might have something intelligent to contribute on the poverty debate. Good luck with your reply in Golwg, and please remember to e-mail with what you learnt from the JRF and Brian Gibbons.
"Normal Mouth is a cretinous idiot - a pity really, because if he set party politics aside for a minute, he might have something intelligent to contribute on the poverty debate"
Firstly, i think its pretty accepted that Normal Mouth is a hugely valued blogger in Wales. Idiot and cretinous he is not.
The issue of Child Poverty...
I hope instead of fixating this ideological 'he said she said, i did it first, you're copying me' rhetoric is shed. I will offer the hand of comradeship to any party, particularly Plaid who are partners in the One Wales government, who is committed to ending child poverty.
Secondly, i think it is a valid debate to consider whether we can utilise a more fertile centre-left ground, with the two biggest parties being of that persuasion to be more explicit in cutting child poverty numbers and consider having more powers devolved to achieve this. I am not saying this should always be our default position when encountering a challenge in Wales, yet it is correct that if a concrete case can be made to utilise more powers to end child poverty more rapidly in Wales then it is folly to not listen to it. Dogmatic positions, whether you believe in an independent Wales or oppose any further devolution are not helpful at this stage. This isnt a dogmatic constitutional matter, it is a matter of finding relevant and correct policies that we can all unite behind. Of course, the matter of more powers is in this mix, but currently this needs to be evidence based. I am glad the Welsh Assembly Government was able to top up the child trust fund above english levels due to the GoWA 2006 powers for example.
The 'one wales' coalition can be a golden opportunity for all those on the centre-left in Wales if we focus on solving the 'progressive dilemma' David Marquand has written about. We wont even have a referendum on more powers before 2010, so it is vital we unite in trying to meet the targets.
The voting system in Wales makes this approach not only preferable, but essential.
Sorry this is a bit lite on policy, but i feel it is vital that we have the genuine debate not the party political one.
Marcus Warner
Normal Mouth is undoubtedly intelligent, as well as a respected blogger - his idiocy comes in his virulent hatred of Plaid Cymru and his inability to give objective views where us 'Nats' are involved.
Yes, on poverty, we should all be pulling together, to say nothing of social exclusion, inequality and the other issues that all socialists feel strongly about. I think you are right too when saying that both socialist parties in Wales should encourage more debate of child poverty and wider social issues.
Plaid and Labour must both start to stress the link between inequality and poverty, and really consider whether poverty can be eradicated while allowing gross inequality. As you say, it is vital that we all get together and work our socks off to meet the 2010 target. Wales has little financial or economic power, but there are ways to use the powers we have to meet the goal.
Consider a situation where we have a population of individuals who have identical endowments of wealth and there is no production. If the individuals trade certain goods in this endowment, levels of inequality arise, but only become overwhelming when we consider bequests from one generation to another.
The above argument is simplified to a ridiculous degree, but it is quite obvious that a huge factor in poverty is that some individuals have huge initial wealth whilst some have none.
What the Assembly can do is to ensure that all children can access the same level of opportunities, with comparable resources. That is, not just free school meals and uniforms, but ensure that all children have a computer, that no child owns better standards of books or equipment.
Education is in the control of the Assembly, and education is a good way to cancel out entrenched advantage or disadvantage. So education is what must be used.
The hope is that Bethan (and Plaid in general) can be the yeast in the Labour dough*... likewise with getting some fresh thinking in from people on the front line. I was very taken with the Phil Williams idea.
The idea of a living wage, which campaigners are pushing as one concrete way of raising people out of poverty, is one to consider. 100,000 people in Wales are apparently on the minimum wage - that's almost 1 in 10 of the workforce.
* Not having a pop at Labour - for once! - just see that a synthesis is possible here.
A living wage is a great idea, and one that Plaid Cymru has embraced - trouble is that there is very little that the Assembly can do on the minimum wage question. A good argument for more powers!
it is something that we can look at in terms of an lco perhaps?
I don't think so. Schedule 5 of of the GoW Act 2006 gives a list of 20 (ish) Fields and Matters within those fields that the Assembly has power over. An 'Elco' is just an application to add another Matter to the list.
Check this out with someone else - I'm no expert here - but I'd think that the minimum wage, under HMRC control, falls into the Field of Treasury functions. I don't think it falls within the 'economic development' Field.
An LCO doesn't allow us to devolve whole Fields, only Matters within Fields that are already decolved. Nice thought though, and I think it demonstrates your commitment and passion, which I admire.
I will check it out. I did raise this with the Minister following my meeting with JRF. Their take on the matter was that there was little evidence that creating a living wage would help to a large extent in the bid to tackle child poverty.
Good idea to check it out - let me know how it goes. As for 'little evidence', it is difficult to see where he's coming from. There is quite a lot of academic and empirical evidence out there.
However, the Minister is correct in the sense that there is little evidence that a living wage alone would make a huge difference. To a large extent - it depends on whether you are treating child poverty as a disease in itself, or taking the wider view of child poverty as a symptom of wider social inequity.
it is something that we can look at in terms of an lco perhaps?
any chance somebody could raise the issue of a proper Bank of Wales and a Welsh Stock Exchange to give us some control over our finances and the ability to create some serious wealth for Wales and eradicate all forms of poverty.
On the matter of a living wage (although this is something of a tangent)... the Borders and Immigration Agency has introduced an arbitrary #7.02 an hour minimum wage for senior care workers - if they're non-EU. Anyone not on that level gets deported.
This has led to many Filipino care workers, who were invited here by agencies and the NHS, to face deportation.
What does this have to do with a living wage? Well, #7.02 is closer to it than the current minimum wage and we should aim for that for all workers - whether they're non-EU or not.
I have my doubts as to whether the BIA has the right to set this minimum wage for one set of workers but it may set a precedent that AMs can use to justify the Assembly taking control over this area under an LCO. Maybe.
here's hoping, well you're right, but it would probably take a bit more than an LCO to get as far as you suggest. Also, it's important to be cautious regarding wealth creation. There must always be a questioning of who the wealth is created for. If it goes to a handful of entrepreneurs, or to multinational companies, that's no good. We need to make sure that our redistribution system works properly - when Wales wins power over taxation that is.
Hafod, yes the BIA's decision is interesting, but I doubt that an LCO would work here either. The press confusion over LCOs has clouded things a bit- but the basic fact is that the Assembly's powers over any financial or macroeconomic issues remains very limited, and no amount of LCOs will change that.
That's why we need a referendum, and soon!
ryhdian, good to see that there are people in Plaid Cymru with an understanding of the economic needs of Wales, i often wonder, but do agree with you about how the money raised should be distributed .
I am sure that a Bank of Wales wouldn't need legislation just the political will in Cardiff Bay and the expertise to get on and do it, agree the stock exchange would be a bit more of a challenge but that what politics is about surely.
right again here's hoping, a bank would be relatively simple, in theory - although we might need legislation to allow it to do the more exciting things that a central bank can do. The problem is the political will, as you point out - I doubt that most unionist AMs or MPs would support the idea, and the priority for now should be to make sure that One Wales delivers its promises in full.
I suppose that politics is about challenges, but also about making sure that you can win your battles without losing wars. This is seen by Normal Mouth's reminder that Plaid must be careful not to take our eyes off the child poverty ball whilst we move ahead with plans for a referendum.
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