Wales – Page 10 – Slugger O'Toole

#CATJRF: Summary of week one conversations…

Mick Fealty on February 27, 2012, 12:17 pm

| Readers 42

I suppose Community Asset Transfer is not the sexiest subject in the world around which to convene a conversation, or more accurately a series of small conversations. It’s true also that what I personally knew about asset transfer (community or otherwise) before the last few weeks you could have written on the back of the proverbial postage stamp. And yet, fitfully both on and off Slugger, there have been some passionate insights and criticism aired around the subject. By the …

Six Nations – Weekend 3

Dewi on February 25, 2012, 6:33 am

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It’s time to start building a fortress. From the Irish Times: WHEN IRELAND first returned to Lansdowne Road in the autumn of 2010, Brian O’Driscoll spoke for all when declaring Ireland’s need to make the Aviva a fortress. Alas, not helped by the IRFU’s ticketing fiasco, as fortresses go it’s been more akin to the Maginot Line, which the Germans stormed in about a day. Should be comfortable – Italy can be awkward – but in areas where Ireland are …

Scottish referendum: the unionist case is still all over the place

Brian Walker on February 22, 2012, 9:46 am

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The unionist split shows no sign of closing. The Aberdonian Tory cabinet minister and Surrey MP Michael Gove echoes my “England is sulking “ theory and delivers some pretty sharp words to his own side. …While there is a threat posed by Scottish separatism, he added, “there is also a threat, under-appreciated, from English separatism as well.” Mr Gove said: “When some of my colleagues say we need to re-visit the West Lothian Question or we need to have …

Scottish referendum: ‘Devo more’ could be a unionist runner

Brian Walker on February 20, 2012, 8:13 pm

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On the subject of greater powers for Holyrood, there’s something of a right wing split between the Telegraph newspapers and the darling of the Tory grass roots, blogger Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome. The Sunday Telegraph leader dealt with the subject with a knowledge of the subject that would disgrace an unpaid intern: To concede greater powers to the Scottish Assembly is always to raise the question: why should they not be given more? This kind of condescension is an English …

Subsidy and a major capital asset in Wales…

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2012, 1:10 pm

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Being preoccupied recently with lot of the discourse of community asset transfer, this story from south Wales struck me as an interesting snippet to throw into the mix. It concerns the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire, which was one of many capital projects floated via public funding around the time of the millennium. I’m told it’s a fantastic resource, and yet it is struggling to keep open without substantial transfers of revenue funding from the Senedd (Welsh Assembly): …

#CATJRF: An open discussion on community asset transfer…

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2012, 10:09 am

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As promised last week, today marks the beginning of a discussion (debate is probably too grand a term for what we have in mind) of Community Asset Transfer… If you are confused as to what that means, it refers to the transfer of title or services from some form of statutory ownership or management to a community organisation. It is associated by some with the current UK government’s push to try and bring community players into action as part of …

It’s the English question now, stupid

Brian Walker on February 17, 2012, 12:58 pm

| Readers 63

The Scottish media were a PhD dissertation about chippiness all unto themselves,” reflected Mr Blair in his memoirs, the Times editorial (£) recalled. By those standards, it seems Dave’s nervous apologia for the Union in Edinburgh fitted the bill after all, presentation wise. Substance was more problematical. In the Times (£) the august Scots unionist Magnus Linklater, conscious of every kink in the Scottish soul saw the problem of staying schtum for two whole years about devo max or (devo …

Fiscal apocalypse: Northern Ireland spending exceeds tax by 39.3% of its GDP

Mick Fealty on February 14, 2012, 11:01 am

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There’s been a lot of complaining, mostly though not entirely from the SDLP, and certainly the unions, that OFMdFM ought to be fighting a better fight with Whitehall, and in particular HM Treasury… Well, according to Douglas McWilliams (H/T reader Stuart), here’s what Sammy Wilson is up against when it gets close and personal with Mr Osborne’s traditionalist team: In the UK there is considerable variance in tax receipts as a share of GDP between regions – from Northern Ireland where …

Six Nations: Paris in the Spring – A day for heroes…or a cold night in hell?

Dewi on February 11, 2012, 7:25 am

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Well, late winter really but that ain’t quite got it..from the Irish Times – it’s minus nine degrees: At least les bleus won’t be playing with the sun on their backs in springtime. Otherwise, this one doesn’t look too promising. Not only do France have a hex on Ireland like no one else, nowhere does this apply more than the French capital. Ireland have won just once in their last 20 visits, and les bleus have also won 11 of …

Carwyn Jones looking for a national senate to replace the Lords…

Mick Fealty on February 9, 2012, 10:16 am

| Readers 55

A couple of weeks ago, on the sidelines of the newly revitalised Scottish Question, Carwyn Jones, the Labour leader in the Welsh Assembly made some remarks that have created some ripples in his own back yard: Asked how Wales would fare if Scotland voted for independence, he said: “I think we need to start thinking about this now. “It appears at the moment from the opinion polls that Scotland wouldn’t leave the UK, but how do we make the UK …

What is Britishness anyway? – latest

Brian Walker on February 8, 2012, 5:18 pm

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Stephen Moss in the Guardian adopts the least analytical approach imaginable to the identity thing, a random journey. It’s like an intro to a report that that doesn’t actually appear. A bit like Britishness itself maybe? Quite unlike our own passions. Might uncertainty and toleration be its saving graces? As I stood in freezing temperatures in Bradford’s Centenary Square trying unsuccessfully to get twentysomething Muslim women to tell me how they lived their lives, I started to have doubts about …

Six Nations – wide open.

Dewi on February 3, 2012, 2:55 am

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This weekend sees the start of the most unpredictable Six Nations for a while. (There’s still time to make your predictions here). Are those Polish freezers still working for Wales? (BBC) Keith Earls has some pretty big boots to fill….(Belfast Telegraph) If you were Mr Lancaster would you like to start things anew at a freezing hostile Murrayfield…..? From the Record Andy Robinson is pressing the right buttons. Of England’s World Cup: What surprises me about England is they fell into a …

The UK comprises four nations not two and its history is a lot more complicated than many seem to appreciate

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2012, 3:44 pm

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Nice piece from David Torrence at the Steamie (H/T Phil) Is any of this important? I think it is, not only because the history of any state is important, but also because the story of the United Kingdom gave rise to much of the political terminology we still use today. For example the term “Unionist”, in party political terms, refers not to those wishing to preserve the Union between Scotland and England, but those who want to retain the Union …

Six Nations 2012 Prediction Contest

Dewi on January 28, 2012, 9:22 am

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Ok – it’s that time of the year. Same rules as usual which are: 1 point for a correct home win, 3 points for a correct away win, 7 points for a correct draw. This year we need the top try scorer. 3 points if it’s one bloke, 2 if it’s joint, 1 if it’s shared by three. Any more than 3 top try scores it’s nowt. Tie breaker is total points scored. Here’s the fixtures: 1 France v Italy …

Lord Chief Justice: “it is difficult to regard the remarks as anything other than undermining and unhelpful to the administration of justice in Northern Ireland”

Pete Baker on January 26, 2012, 4:53 pm

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Apparently, I haven’t read it, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, MP for Neath, devotes two pages of his recently published memoirs to an attack on Lord Justice Girvan. More specifically, an attack on the then Mr Justice Girvan for his 2006 High Court ruling that Peter Hain “acted for an improper motive” when appointing Bertha McDougall Interim Victims Commissioner and was “in breach of the Ministerial Code of Practice” and that the then Secretary of State “approve[d] …

English fears of Welsh devolution point to underlying constitutional problem with the UK…

Mick Fealty on January 24, 2012, 11:34 am

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One reason why the devolution debate should not, as the Doc and Martin suggest, be understood in splendid islolation. According to IPPR, the English are distinctly discomfited by the Welsh Assembly: 31% of people thought the Welsh assembly had a negative impact on how Britain was governed, compared to 11% in 2007. Those who thought devolution to Wales had made no difference fell to 24% from a high of 66% in 2003. About a quarter (26%) thought Wales got more …

Westminster Boundaries for Wales – best of a bad job?

Dewi on January 11, 2012, 6:33 am

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Wales On-Line reveals the new Welsh Westminster boundaries, which cut the nation’s MPs from 40 to 30. Such a radical cut obviously requires some bold swipes on the map. Here’s a PDF of the new constituencies. The effect? – Currently the 40 MPS are split Labour 26, Tory 8, Lib Dem 3, Plaid 3. Taking the easiest first and extrapolating 2010 results (without assuming any change in voting patterns) Plaid’s two Gwynedd seats are merged into 1 in the North and …

Plaid’s leadership election…time for a change?

Dewi on January 9, 2012, 5:41 pm

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Here’s the BBC on the four candidates in the Plaid Cymru leadership election. Hot off the press in Golwg comes the news that Adam Price is backing Leanne Wood in the contest. (The Google translate for that is here). Today also sees the endorsement of Elin Jones by Arfon MP Hywel Williams. (Nice, sincere video) There are four candidates: Dafydd Elis Thomas, Simon Thomas, Ms Jones and Ms Wood. It seems that Dafydd is viewed as yesterday’s man – although we must remember that …

Olympics – the funding disgrace continues…

Dewi on December 24, 2011, 12:32 pm

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We (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) asked for £300m in Barnett consequentials of East End of London regeneration spend in the run up to the Olympics. The formal complaint was heard this week – the result – the case is just but we can’t afford to go back so here’s £30m to shut up. Astonishingly BBC Wales describe our share as a £9m windfall! Alan Trench knows a bit better. Writing for the Institute of Welsh Affairs, Alan says: ….. the Labour …

“Very well, alone?”

Brian Walker on December 22, 2011, 11:39 am

| Readers 18

Interesting to see how the future of the Union is gradually being linked to the future of the European Union and the UK’s relations with it. In a farewell interview in the Daily Telegraph, the retiring Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell places it high among the “enormous challenges.” Over the next few years, there will be enormous challenges, such as whether to keep our kingdom united and how to make the EU operate in the best interests of its citizens. While …