Up and up
Menzies Campbell has had his reshuffle.
Lembit Opik becomes the Lib Dem spokesman for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
New man for Wales: Roger Williams.
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It hasn't been the best of times for the Lib Dems of late but for every trough there is a crest.Roger will be an excellent Shadow Secretary for Wales.Ming has made a fine choice.
Will there now be a change of Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly?If so then my money is on Penry the mild mannered janitor.
Roger who!!
shows how important Wales is to Sir Ming, he gives the job to a nobody.
Does it really matter how they rearrange the deckchairs on the deck of this sinking ship? The question remains 'what are the Liberals for?'
Does this strike anyone as the most bizarre thing ever? The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats is no longer the party's spokesperson on Welsh Affairs.
The Lib Dem membership must be tamping that Lembit Opik, the person they elected to keep Mike German away from their party's leadership has agreed to this.
It now seems the Liberals have five leaders in Wales.
Mike German (Leader of their Assembly Group)
Roger Williams (Welsh Affairs Spokesperson in Westminster)
Sir Menzies Campbell (UK Leader)
Lembit Opik (Elected Leader of Welsh Liberal Democrats)
The fifth one is of course, Kirsty Williams, the leader of the Assembly group, in waiting.
Dear Betsan,
When are you going post something that the majority of people living in Wales want to hear?
The abolition of welsh assembly.....a senseless waste of tax payers money allowing rule by minority.
The removal of bi-lingual promoting policies....the welsh language is at best completely otiose.
A forward looking Wales should be embracing European language not seeking to indoctrinate the use of something akin to latin.
Tell people what the true cost of the assembly is, salaries, the buildings, the support staff. Promotion of these people is via nepatism rather than merit...disgraceful.
Dear Betsan,
When are you going post something that the majority of people living in Wales want to hear?
The abolition of welsh assembly.....a senseless waste of tax payers money allowing rule by minority.
The removal of bi-lingual promoting policies....the welsh language is at best completely otiose.
A forward looking Wales should be embracing European language not seeking to indoctrinate the use of something akin to latin.
Tell people what the true cost of the assembly is, salaries, the buildings, the support staff. Promotion of these people is via nepatism rather than merit...disgraceful.
'The fifth one is of course, Kirsty Williams, the leader of the Assembly group, in waiting.'
.....A fiver says it'll be Mrs Randerson.
For Betsan
The Welsh Labour MPs, led by the MP for Torfaen, are mounting their campaign against Plaid naming them as "incompetents and separatists". These ill-chosen words are reminiscent of the branding of other parties as "inedible and unpalatable" of a few weeks ago. Unless Plaid is allowed to exercise power how can it be declared incompetent? Neither is Plaid separatist because it has never declared itself to be part of the Union. Brown's plan for Wales, though not spelled out as such, is to lock Wales into a written constitution for Britain. Whereas Plaid's coalition with Welsh Labour is straightforward with goodwill expressed on both sides there are forces which are attempting the undermine these arrangements, from reactionary Welsh Labour MPs and from within the British government led by Gordon Brown.
Plaid should view with suspicion the proposal which has been made for a "British Day" as well as the recent call for Union flags to be flown on all public buildings throughout "the British nation".
The truth is that Britain is not a nation but a composite state, consisting of the three nations of Britain plus Northern Ireland. The government's attempt to promote Britishness arises out of a concern that the independence movements in Wales and Scotland are gaining strength. It goes without saying that should these plans be put into effect there will never be the issuance of St. David's Day commemoration stamps or the declaration of a national holiday in Wales. The induction of the idea of Britishness into the psyche of the people of Britain is a relic of imperialism and the politics of yesterday, and discounts the aspirations of the many supporters of Plaid and the SNP. Those who are working for the building of a better Wales and a national consciousness should be concerned at these political developments in Westminster
and take these warning signs seriously.
Posted by alanindyfed
David Cornock makes a similar point on his blog.
Ming has a reshuffle......Yawn!
Lembit Opik a spokesman on regulatory reform. So I'll take it that that means no more visa applications required for his latest squeeze.
Roger Williams.......Yawn again!.
Now for the juicy stuff.
Our separationist spokesman for Wales, hello Alan, and presumably for incompetence, doesn't seem to like the truth but in classic Plaid style tries to put a good spin on things.
He claims that Plaid are not part of the Union. Sorry Alan, areas and populations are parts of Unions, not political parties.
Plaid's avowed intent is complete separation from the UK so please don't try to kid us that it's not.
Who is it that has now introduced cannibalism into Welsh politics? Other parties...."inedible and unpalatable"?.......Have I missed something?
You're dead right Alan, when you say that there are forces seeking to undermine the arrangements with Labour and Plaid.
Many of us don't want to see Plaid anywhere near those well polished levers and you can rest assured that Rhodri's current situation is being closely monitored by Westminster.
A written constitution for the UK is long overdue. Gordon Brown's call for a greater emphasis on Britishness is to be applauded and should be embraced by all for our mutual benefit.
It is Britishness that has created the Wealth and Security of these Islands not a disaffected bunch of whingers and potential Quislings. Some of us have very long memories of the historical activities of the Welsh Nationalists. No names.....
Plaid has been privileged to wangle just a touch of the levers and had better use that power carefully. Just a sniff of excessive Nationalistic zeal and I foresee the Great Clunking Fist making a constitution so tight that it'll make the pipsqueaks squeak.
Alan claims that the 'induction' of Britishness into the people of Britain is a relic of Imperialism and the politics of yesterday.
Sorry to disappoint you Alan, but we were 'inducted' a couple of hundred years ago and the wealth and success that you and your other Plaid mates enjoy is entirely due to this Britishness.
We Brits have nothing to thank the Welsh Nationalists for, and, thank you all the same, we are quite content to retain our British identities with our Welshness as a secondary entity.
Thanks for the warning Alan. Please be assured that we ARE taking ALL of the signs seriously.
Your plenitudinous pal.
johnny.
Unfortunately, as any politically-savvy person will observe, the comments of Johnny Foreigner are not only uninformed but in many cases are inaccurate, besides being laden with a heavy dose of prejudice.....eh, Betsan?
leader in wales....give it to jenny willott....well, she is th eprettiest by far (sorry lembit, but her curly hair is far sexier than anything you or even your cheeky girl can offer)
You may wish to revieww the names on this article, Betsan
Particularly the gentleman at number 5 and 6 whose name sounds suspicious is said quickly - though I apologise if that is his name (and sympathise of course...)