Wales – Page 16 – Slugger O'Toole

Do you want the assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?

Dewi on November 10, 2010, 12:13 pm

| Readers 13

That’s the question in the Welsh referendum planned for March 3rd 2011. It, actually, isn’t as badly phrased as many suggestions….although the Electoral Commission’s preamble is a little ..well..long? PREAMBLE The National Assembly for Wales – what happens at the moment The Assembly has powers to make laws on 20 subject areas, such as: · agriculture · education · the environment · health · housing · local government In each subject area, the Assembly can make laws on some matters, …

100 years ago today – Churchill and Tonypandy

Dewi on November 9, 2010, 2:51 am

| Readers 345

On November 9 1910 troops were despatched to the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys in response to industrial unrest and rioting in support of striking miners. Read the succinct Wiki. – and Rhondda Cynon Taf have a nice web-site. Tonypandy girl Carolyn Hitt writes very well: My own knowledge of the Rhondda’s most compelling historical event had also been passed down the generations. As the youngest child of my grandmother’s youngest child – her 12th – I had the oldest Nan …

Autumn Internationals

Dewi on November 6, 2010, 5:33 am

| Readers 6

Has anyone else a bad feeling about these?

Here’s the fixtures:

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

New site features – on the site and in the pipeline

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2010, 1:30 pm

| Readers 24

Observant visitors will have noticed our new regional and topic-based navigation. We hope you like it. It’s all part of a great job that Simon Dickson and Simon Wheatley have been doing for us over recent months. It was actually ready to go a few months ago but we were waiting for our bloggers to get into the habit of using the ‘Region’ categories. Most have started doing this but some haven’t (I’m looking at you Mr Walker!). Also, in …

7/7 ruling sets wider disclosure limits for MI5. What’s left of secrecy?

Brian Walker on November 4, 2010, 10:19 am

| Readers 8

MI5 officers are now appearing in court almost as matter of course, if sometimes behind screens. The courts are becoming less and less impressed by the claims of secrecy. What criteria are judges applying in striking a balance between the competing needs of security and disclosure? Where will it all end? Isn’t some of statement of principles needed? Lady Justice Hallett, the judge sitting as a corner at the victims’ inquest, rejected an attempt by lawyers for MI5 to hold …

Seeking asylum is not a crime. The human face of detention.

Patrick Corrigan on October 29, 2010, 6:19 pm

| Readers 106

There has been much, often ill-informed, comment on the airwaves over the last couple of days on the proposed immigration (temporary) detention centre planned by the UK Borders Agency in Larne. Much has come from local residents that foreign nationals being held in secure detention might escape, might take people’s jobs, might lower property values … who knows, they might even start barbecuing swans given half the chance. Of course, the quality of the discourse was hardly helped by the BNP …

Dyfodol S4C (In Welsh to test the waters…)

Dewi on October 25, 2010, 12:52 pm

| Readers 24

I gychwyn y ffeithiau: 1) Y BBC i ariannu S4C o incwm o’r drwydded. 2) Yr ariannu i ddisgyn o’r swm cyfredol o c. £100m y flwyddyn i gyfanswm o £83m erbyn 2014/15. 3) Partneriaeth rheoli ar egwyddorion cyffelyb i BBC Alba i gychwyn erbyn 2013/14, gyda Awdurdod S4C yn cytuno a rhyw fath o fwrdd y BBC ar strategaeth y wasanaeth. Yr adwaith? Geraint Talfan Davies yma There is no shortage of astonishment in Welsh broadcasting circles at the …

Political Innovation No7: Breaking the monopolies that control the way schools are designed

Paul Evans on October 25, 2010, 12:30 pm

| Readers 5

This is a cross-post by Ian Fordham – originally posted on the Political Innovation site here. I’ve been following the Political Innovation project quite closely over the last month or so and the innovation that I would like to propose represents a synthesis of many of the other ideas in this series. I work in the field of Education and in particular School Design. With a decade of significant financial investment by government (and emotional investment from teachers and parents) …

IDS the Merthyr expert

Dewi on October 23, 2010, 2:32 pm

| Readers 14

The Western Mail reports on Iain Duncan Smith’s comments on the lack of mobilty of Merthyr people. Mr Duncan Smith said people in Merthyr “didn’t know if they got on the bus, an hour’s journey they’d be in Cardiff and they could look for the job there”. He added: “We need to recognise the jobs often don’t come to you. Sometimes you need to go to the jobs.” Dai Havard, the MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, said: “These ministers …

Open thread: ‘Spending Review’

Blank on October 20, 2010, 8:02 pm

| Readers 4

Mick is unable to give the coverage this deserves; discuss, add links, comments etc on the ‘Coalition’ review of finances below. Blank

The Olympic Rip-Off continues…

Dewi on October 20, 2010, 1:45 pm

| Readers 7

Brian’s mucker Alan Trench reports on the latest Olympic Rip-off
1) Funds for the London Olympics were raised through diverting Lottery Funding

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Cuts hit Wales hard.

Dewi on October 19, 2010, 3:04 pm

| Readers 3

The first of the major Capital scheme cuts are hitting Wales hard. Whilst there were many environmental objections to the proposed barrage across the Severn a construction boom would certainly have been handy… (£30bn and thousands of jobs during construction).

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Slugger’s site moderation

Slugger O'Toole on October 15, 2010, 5:30 pm

| Readers 11

Just a quick reminder: Slugger has a comments policy. Personal insults, smears and rudeness are not supposed to be tolerated here and we try to stay on top of this with the ‘delete’ key as much as we can. Normally, Mick picks up a lot of this kind of thing, applying his patience and charm (virtues that not all of us are blessed with). But Mick’s away at the moment and not able to get involved. We know that a …

Of Dante and Chile and Idris Davies……and Rhodri’s Uncle..

Dewi on October 14, 2010, 5:32 am

| Readers 50

Thanks to Siwsan, of this parish, for sending me this: In Chile, love moves the sun and the stars. Read it all but here’s a great bit: “The first miner, Florencio Avalos, appears–like a newborn. His kid and wife are there. He hugs them. He looks fine. After 68 days under the Earth, his eyes, with sunglasses though, are the first to look up at the stars. And we feel, with old Dante, that on this night in Chile, love moves …

Political Innovation no6: Citizen-control of personal information

Paul Evans on October 13, 2010, 1:00 pm

| Readers 8

This is a cross-post by William Heath – originally posted on the Political Innovation site here. If the big political innovation of the moment is to give power back to people, then a good place to do it is with personal data. Whose data is it anyway? Whose health, whose education, whose identity, whose shopping history, bank details, travel plans, creditworthiness? Yet all these personal details, which affect us, are stored on hundreds of state and private-sector databases. If I …

Just when you thought you were out…

Pete Baker on October 8, 2010, 3:11 pm

| Readers 5

They pull you back in. Shaun Woodward has been named as shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland. Nevermind, Shaun. It could’ve been worse… [Worse?! How? – Ed]. Could have been Wales… Pete Baker

Welsh Language in the Heartland

Dewi on October 7, 2010, 4:14 pm

| Readers 95

There is increasing evidence of the decline of the Welsh language as a lingua franca of areas traditionally thought of as Welsh speaking, coupled with a marked increase in the use of the language in more Anglicised areas. It’s a fairly easy phenomena to understand – as the % speakers fall below 75 to 70% it is normal for the languages of institutions such as the WI, Cricket Clubs, Young Farmers etc etc to change their primary language.

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Concerted Opposition from the Devolved Institutions

Dewi on October 7, 2010, 1:27 pm

| Readers 3

Betsan points us to a pretty significant joint declaration of the three devolved institutions. “That the three devolved administrations believe the impending cuts in public spending run the risk of delivering economic and social harm shouldn’t be news to you.That the leaders of the three devolved administrations have signed a joint declaration saying so, very bluntly, is, as one senior source in Cardiff Bay put it, “massive”.” And: “They say, “We believe that promoting economic growth is the best way to …

Stand Up for the Ulsterman

Dewi on October 4, 2010, 10:42 pm

| Readers 16

Graeme McDowell keeps his nerve….and here’s what he has to say. Super stuff. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Service announcement: Minor Facebook / Twitter-related tweaks to Slugger

Paul Evans on September 30, 2010, 1:33 pm

| Readers 5

At the top of this post, there’s a lovely new ‘Facebook Like’ button and a ‘Tweetmeme’ link on the left. These are designed to help you flag up anything you read and like to your followers as well as giving our contributors a bit of feedback. These things only work, of course, if you’re on Facebook / Twitter. Looking at the poor quality of spelling and punctuation in the comments thread, we know that you are all crying out for …