Leaders' Debate: Joe Public's Verdict

Clearly Nick Clegg won the debate in Manchester. He looked at the camera, which Brown and Cameron didn't too often, and was able to aim a good few digs at the two "old parties".
The exposure for the Liberal Democrats was great for them but will it gain them any more seats? Only time will tell.
Clegg will face a more difficult second debate because he won't be able to continue using the "old parties" line. He also cleverly ignored Gordon Brown's efforts to get him to gang up on David Cameron.
David Cameron for someone who normally looks so assured was clearly nervous and tried to avoid being drawn into a policy debate with Gordon Brown, who took too long to make his point. He proved he's not great behind the camera although did put some pressure on the Tories after a uncertain start on immigration - Labour has been in government since 1997 but is now only just getting to grips with it.
David Cameron and Gordon Brown weren't pressed hard about why we need a Trident system in a post-Cold War world and spend an absolute fortune on it when things are so tough.
There wasn't much in this debate for us in Wales or those in Scotland - questions about the NHS or education service didn't mean a row of beans to us in Wales because those functions are devolved to the Welsh Assembly. Both countries were really ignored and that is not good enough.

Legal Aid for Scandal MPs: A Disgrace

It is rarely - if ever - Dyn ar y Stryd agrees with a statement by Conservative leader David Cameron.
But his description of the decision to give Labour MPs David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine legal aid to fight false accounting charges as a complete outrage was spot on.
Cameron was speaking for just about every right thinking person in the UK.
However, since his public outburst it has been brought to my attention that it was the last Tory Government under John Major which abolished defendants' contributions to legal aid in the first place.
It was apparently costing about twice as much to administer as they were collecting from defendants.
But what is clear is that relatively rich people such as these three MPs should not be able to claim legal aid.
If this case had happened at the end of June they would have undoubtedly had to pay themselves as the Labour Government has introduced means-testing on Crown Court cases.

"Left wing" John Marek Joins The Tories

The former Wrexham Labour MP and AM John Marek has joined the Conservatives, yes the Conservatives. Please note: This is not an early April Fool.
Marek, you might recall, left the Labour Party saying it had moved too far to the right and then was involved in setting up the left-leaning Forward Wales with former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies.
Now he has switched again and joined the Conservatives. When he finds what there real agenda is then he'll probably look for another party to join.
Marek is now very much a political has-been and joins Alison Halford and Mohammad Asghar in recently signing up to the Conservatives. What a threesome!

Why is Unite still funding the Labour Party?

Unite, if it is to remain credible to its members, needs to consider its huge funding of the Labour Party whose Ministers seem happy to kick it where it hurts most.
Yesterday, Lord Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport described the seven days of walkouts planned this month by thousands of members of Unite who work as British Airways cabin crew as "deplorable” and “totally unjustified".
If I was funding the Labour Party I'd be asking questions about why should I continue and consider whether there are other political parties whose policies and support would better represent my members?
Clearly, Lord Adonis is trying to sound tough ahead of a General Election but siding with an employer - British Airways - that unilaterally cuts people's pay and conditions is a disgrace.
It does not take a genius to work out that BA boss Willie Walsh is determined to destroy the union - yet they continue to support a party where one of the Ministers seems happy to support that action.
Isn't it time many trade unions, and not just Unite, look around and see whether there are alternative parties worth supporting?
NB Gordon Brown steps into the row with similar condemnation of only one side in the BA - Unite. Please see headline!

Nick Ramsay: A Hypocrite

Nick Ramsay, the Tory MP for Monmouth, is showing some brass neck.
He is reported as having complained when the Assembly Commission replaced his old office TV with a flat screen LG as part of the digital switchover. He's apparently trying to get the Commission to take it back.
Trouble is Nick Ramsay was the AM who claimed nearly £1,000 on expenses to buy a surroundg sound TV and DVD system for his Cardiff Bay flat. It is after all a long way from Monmouth to Cardiff - a distance travelled no doubt by many of his constituents everyday.
Perhaps he really out to ask the Commission to take back his flash TV.
Link to the Western Mail story

Same Old Tories: Still Avoiding Tax

Despite all David Cameron's spin, the Conservatives really haven't changed.
Major Conservative donor and deputy party chairman Lord Ashcroft today admitted that he is "non-domiciled" in relation to tax.
That will no come as a surprise after years of questions from opposition politicians about his tax status.
But it is still a disgrace. Lord Ashcroft said that he expected "to be sitting in the House of Lords for many years", suggesting he would change his tax status if the law changed. How generous of him after years of ducking and diving to avoid tax on earnings and capital gains from overseas.
Quite how Lord Ashcroft could be recommended for a peerage without being resident in Britain for tax purposes only the Tories know. But I guess he was only recommended for it because of its financial backing for the Tories.
He and fellow Conservatives, including David Cameron, refused to say what his tax status was, declaring it was a private matter. However, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has called for the full details of Lord Ashcroft's status to be made public.
Lord Ashcroft, who has given a reported £4m to Conservatives in recent years, because there is a general election just weeks away. Perhaps he ought to pay the tax on overseas earnings since the time be became a peer.

Cardiff City Shoot Themselves In The Foot - Again

If you want to know how to alienate people take a look at financially troubled Cardiff City Football Club.
Earlier this month manager Dave Jones banned the South Wales Echo because he didn't like a report written by one of its journalists - even though apparently there was nothing inaccurate about it.
And then yesterday chairman Peter Ridsdale, who could do with a few friends, banned the Echo from a Press conference because of the paper's coverage of the financial problems.
That really sums up Cardiff City. They can't take handle any negative publicity - even when it is accurate. The Echo would be failing in its duty to readers if it did not report on the club's financial troubles.
Cardiff City has had terrible PR for years - with both fans and the media. And even following the employment of a former News of the World journalist at a reported six figure salary - despite the club's financial crisis - it doesn't get any better. Pathetic really.
And petty sums up the decision by Cardiff City to remove books written by high profile and vocal City supporter Annis Abraham from the club's shops because he called for a vote of no confidence in Peter Ridsdale. Now, whatever you think of that call, the response by the club is truly small-minded.
Both matters will only serve to heighten criticism. What has the Echo got to lose if their reporters are banned from Press conferences - banned from the ground next perhaps? That shouldn't stop them but encourage them to dig up more material on the club. They may as well fire all barrels at Peter Ridsdale and the team at Cardiff City now.
And Annis Abraham will now doubt be at the forefront of future demonstrations against Peter Ridsdale. He's also got nothing to lose.
Someone really needs a few lessons at media relations and relations with your fans because at present the club reallys hasn't got a clue.

Binyam Mohamed: MI 5 condemned by judge

One of the UK's top judges has made stinging criticism of the activities of MI5 over the torture of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed.
Lord Neuberger said some officers had been less than frank about what they knew about Mr Mohamed's ill-treatment. They misled the courts and, perhaps, even more worrying Parliament.
His criticism was made public after an exceptionally unusual court decision to publish his draft legal opinion on MI5's respect for human rights.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband was still insisting that rejected the suggestion MI5 had lied. But it looks clear that the Government was involved in a cover up aimed at suppressing the truth.
There is a clear case now but an inquiry into the UK's involvement in human rsights abuses but we may need to wait for a change of Government before the Truth comes out.

Bonus payments to bankers must be pegged

Quite how largely publicly owned banks such as RBS and Lloyds still have the gall to pay bonuses when they have been bailed out by the taxpayer is galling.
Lloyds today reported an operating loss of £6.3bn for 2009, after it continued to struggle with billions of pounds of bad loans. They lost a staggering £24bn on bad loans.
But it seems that the bonus culture goes on whatever the overall performance of these largely state-owned operations.
How can anyone justify vast bonuses when companies make losses? It makes no difference as far as I can see that they work in a different arm of the bank.
And what sort of these is this sending out to people struggling to make ends meet, having to take pay freezes or cuts?
I keep hearing the argument that these so-called high flyers will go elsewhere - well let them, and other good people will replace them on a package that pays rewards for success not massive failure.
Overall, the bonuses paid by banks are completely out of scale with the current economic situation and what other workers have to face. They really need to take a rain check.
* On Thursday, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 84% government-owned, reported a pre-tax loss for 2009 of £3.6bn.

Western Power Distribution: A Disgrace

Western Power Distribution is a disgrace - there can be no other words to describe the UK subsidiary of Pennsylvania Power and Light, whose US headquarters in Allentown are pictured.
WPD is the company which has been trying for many, many years to turn Cardiff's Llanishen reservoir into a 324-home housing development.
They've lost numerous public inquiries and court hearings but still don't get the message.
WPD don't care about the environment, or the community, but are just determined to rake in fat profits, presumably for their US arm.
Their latest ploy is to drain the reservoir, which Julie Morgan, MP for Cardiff North has quite rightly described as the "most appalling act of vandalism".
WPD cannot be allowed to succeed and now is the right time to turn up the heat on their US masters, which talks good environmental policies but in Cardiff their subsidiary seems determined to destroy the local environment.
This is a fight Cardiff and indeed Wales cannot afford to lose. Let's hope Cardiff council and the Welsh Assembly Government can act to help stop this fantastic resource for the capital being lost.
One has to admire the battling qualities of the campaigners. Perhaps they now need to start kicking up a fuss in the US media by writing letters and contacting newspapers, radio stations and TV companies.

Tories under pressure over spending cuts plans

Should there be government spending cuts in 2010? Twenty economists on Sunday backed the Conservatives' call for the axe to fall this year.
But they have been trumped today with more than 60 senior economists signing letters that support the Chancellor's decision to delay cuts until next year.
These letters put the onus back on the Conservatives less than impressive Shadow Chancellor George Osborne.
The question is can we afford to take measures to trim the budget deficit this year and risk the UK economy slipping back into recession?
If Osborne and his supporters get it wrong it would be a disaster. It seems to me that we can't afford to take the chance and spending cuts should be put off until at least 2011.

Tory's bizarre City Hall Royal Palace plan

Conservative Assembly Member David Melding's latest bizarre idea is to turn City Hall into a Royal Palace.
Not only is the City Hall owned by the people of Cardiff but the cost of turning it into a Royal Palace would be hugely exorbitant in the middle of an economic crisis not seen since the Second World War.
And why should we have a Palace in the capital that might be used a few times of year when the Royals make their sojourns to Wales? It was only fairly recently that Prince Charles deemed to buy a house in Wales.
It seems David Melding has no sense of the history of Cardiff, even though he is a member of the Cardiff-based Welsh Assembly.
His last suggestion was to remove the John Batchelor statue, again part of Cardiff's history, and replace it with a more well known person.
The suggestion is that David Melding may be targeting voters who support Plaid Cymru because of its backing for the Welsh language but have strong conservative instincts.
His City Hall idea is yet another non-starter. It really seems as he's got too much time on his hands.

British National Party vote to change white-only membership rules

The abhorrent British National Party is still a racist party despite voting to scrap its whites-only membership rules.
This move had nothing to do with any change of views but because the BNP had been threatened with a possible court injunction over its whites-only membership policy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It is reported that the BNP has removed references to "indigenous British" people, paving the way for black and Asian people to be admitted to the party for the first time.
But I can't for one minute believe that many people of black and Asian origin will be rushing to join the BNP.
The way the BNP operate, and will continue to operate, despite the change of rules, was made clear that when they threw out a Times journalist of the BNP meeting because they were unhappy with the paper's reporting.
Well, if individuals or political parties are unhappy about inaccurate reporting, leader Nick Griffin and his cronies can go to the Press Complaints Commission like any other normal political party - but the BNP is far from normal.
The far right wasn't the answer in the 1930s and they're certainly not the answer in 2010.

Peter Hain shoots himself in foot over Rwanda gaff

Normally, you would not expect Welsh Secretary and football fan Peter Hain to score an own goal - but he managed a spectacular one.
Peter Hain has previously insisted Wales remained a wealthy country but he went one step to far when declaring:"Compared with Rwanda and most countries in the rest of the world...Wales is indeed still a wealthy country."
The comparison with desperately poor Rwanda was seized on by his political opponents, particularly the Conservative.
Plaid also seized on Mr Hain's gaff. MP Hywel Williams pressed their argument again about the underfunding of Wales, highlighted in the independent Holtham Commission report.
Last night Mr Hain was forced to issue a humiliating statement declaring: "Frankly I could have chosen my words more carefully. Of course no-one is suggesting that Wales has ever suffered from poverty on the same scale as in Africa."
Let's hope Peter Hain's favourite team Chelsea also obliges with an own goal in the FA Cup clash with Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Now that would really make it a week to forget for the Welsh Secretary.

Binyam Mohamed wins release of torture details

Binyam Mohamed was arrested after being suspected by US authorities of having received firearms and explosives training from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Whatever the truth of that, the way Binyam Mohamed, a UK resident, was treated was truly appalling.
Now the Appeal Court has allowed the disclosure of secret information which sheds some light into his suffering after being detained in Pakistan in 2002.
Seven paragraphs of summary of what the CIA told British intelligence officials about Mr Mohamed's treatment was released. These paragraphs have now been published on the Foreign Office website.
They reveal that in Pakistan, Mr Mohamed was intentionally subjected to continuous sleep deprivation, as well as threats and inducements.
Mr Mohamed was sent to the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in 2004 and held there until his release without charge in February 2009, when he returned to the UK.
Whatever the UK Government says about its stand against torture and inhuman treatment, it is clear they have been complicit in what happened to Mr Mohamed. They failed him.
The Government’s argument is that they tried to prevent release of the information because it was fundamental to national security. Bullshit. They are party to a cover-up of torture which can never be acceptable in any country, particularly one which is democratic.
Still the full story hasn’t been told. If it isn’t, then the UK is no better than the countries it often criticises for human rights abuses. The truth can be revealed without compromising national security.

Lib Dem AM faces ambulance crew assault allegation

I thought a tough new line was being taken in Wales against those that attack public servants, such as ambulance crew or hospital staff.
But it appears those working to save others are still not being protected properly.
Mick Bates, the Liberal Democrat AM for Montgomery, has been suspended from front bench duties at the National Assembly over allegations he physically assaulted an ambulance crew member called to help him.
Mr Bates has claimed he cannot remember what happened - really? Was it because he was just too drunk or too embarrassed about what had happened?
The police were reportedly called into the ambulance to give Mr Bates a warning. So much for the zero tolerance - shouldn't he at the very least been arrested or perhaps charged with assault.
If we're ever going to reduce and, hopefully, eliminate attacks on public servants then those responsible should be prosecuted - whoever they are!

Cameron steals a march on Brown - Again!

David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats have stolen a march on Gordon Brown once again.
They've called for the law to be changed to prevent three Labour MPs charged with theft over the expenses scandal arguing that Parliamentary Privilege means that they cannot be tried.
Cameron has asked Sir George Young to provide a new Parliamentary Privilege Act while the Lib Dems want to amend existing legislation this week in the House of Commons to ensure that those charged with abuse of expenses cannot evade the law.
Sure, it is pure opportunism from Cameron and Clegg, but shouldn't Brown's advisers seen that coming - and told him or perhaps Justice Minister Jack Straw to make it clear that the Government would look to change the Parliamentary Privilege law to stop any possible attempt by MPs using it to avoid justice?
Gordon Brown's advisers continue to be out of tune with public mood - just as no one appeared to have spelt it out to the PM what an awful idea it was to axe the 10p tax rate which hit the poor and vulnerable very hard. Perhaps they ought to take a tgrip outside the Westminster bubble and start speaking to people on the streets to gauge the man/woman on the street's mood.

Politicians' expenses scandal: Legal action ordered

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for MPs and those in the Lords it has.
Labour MPs Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Tory peer Lord Hanningfield will face criminal charges over their expenses, the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer has announced.They will be charged under the Theft Act.All four have said they denied any charges.
Given the incredible revelations about MPs' expenses last year it's hardly surprising that legal action is being taken against some individuals and more cases could follow.
This is set to rumble on for a long time after this year's General Election.
It comes following the publication this week of the amounts MPs have to repay following an investigation.
The expenses system has been thoroughlym. Every party knew it was rotten but took no action until the Daily Telegraph did the public a great favour by exposing those MPs who took the public for a ride.
While the majority, including MPs are in politics for the right reasons, there are those whose only interest seems to have been to claim as much as they could from what they saw as a public gravy train.

Auditor General Goes: Good News For Staff

Jeremy Colman,the Auditor General for Wales, quit suddenly yesterday. Speculation over the reasons for his departure was detailed in the media today.
But his resignation must lead to a complete change in the culture of the Wales Audit Office.
Over the last two of three years relations between staff and some managers have been frankly appalling. There have been a series of employment disputes, complaints about bullying and pay-outs to staff using public money. And those departing with pay-offs have had to sign confidentiality clauses preventing them from telling the terrible truth about life in the Wales Audit Office.
Really, the full story about staff-management relations needs to come out - it should not be buried because it is embarrassing.
Jeremy Colman, as the man in charge,failed to tackle the issue and did not crackdown hard on the perpetrators.
Scrutiny is needed of the scrutiniser of public bodies and that has not really happened until now. Many politicians have appeared reluctant to take up this issue.It's time Members of the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee showed their mettle because staff should not be expected to work in such a hostile environment.
Late last year former Finance Minister Andrew Davies revealed that he had successfully sought an amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill which would give the Assembly the powers to introduce new governance arrangements for the Wales Audit Office. They paralleled the powers the UK Parliament had sought in relation to the National Audit Office. It is hoped the Assembly will be use those powers as soon as possible.

Cardiff City Must Tell Fans The Truth

Cardiff City Football Club are in a financial mess - but they are not yet prepared to spell out the truth to their customers - the fans.
Cardiff City Supporters Trust,which has 700-plus members, is now trying to gather enough support from shareholders to force an extraordinary meeting of the club's shareholders.
But they shouldn't have to. It should be called now - not in six or eight weeks.
The arrogant way the club's board has treated its fans is frankly appalling.
It seems that trading standards may also get involved after complaints from supporters over the club's failure to meet its pledge of bringing in new players - if fans bought their season tickets early.
Many fans would have bought the tickets early if the club explained its financial position - but instead it misled them.
Now Peter Ridsdale and his board hang on in at Cardiff City for one reason - to see if they can sell the club and pocket a nice pay-out as shareholders.
Let's hope the situation is sorted, including payment of the tax bill, so Cardiff do not end up in the same mess as Leeds United.

Tories attack on breakfasts for children

A total of 1,000 schools in Wales have now signed up to the Welsh Assembly Government's free breakfast programme, started six years ago.
It was launched to make sure the poorest children did not start the school day hungry and in the last year cost more than £8m.
But the Conservatives say that money could be better spent on the education budget because parents should be responsible for feeding their own children.
In an ideal world, yes. But we are far from in an ideal world.
Some parents, sadly do not look after their children well enough, for a variety of reasons - perhaps because of poverty, poor parenting skills, drug or alcohol problems. The reasons are numerous and varied.
A full stomach will undoubtedly help those children, who would otherwise get little or nothing at home, concentrate and learn at school.
It's a scheme which should be expanded not scrapped. It does prove that it really is the same only Tories.

No apology from Tony Blair: What a surprise!

I suppose it was too much to hope that we would have contrition from former Prime Minister Tony Blair over the invasion of Iraq.
Blair stuck to his story at the Chilcot inquiry yesterday - that he had not a regret about what turned out to be the disastrous invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein. There were no weapons of mass destruction.
Blair is undoubtedly an excellent performer in front of the cameras despite obvious nervousness at the start of his evidence.
What is clear though was that he was determined to send British ground troops into action - even rejecting a last-minute offer of a way out from the Americans.
His appearance was never going to lead to an apology from Blair for getting the UK into such a mess. He's not that type of politician - he's someone who always believes he's right despite the clear evidence to the contrary on Iraq.
But what was disgusting was that he did not talk to the families who lost loved one's in action - even through his evidence.
He should have showed compassion. He didn't and his premiership will always be tainted by Iraq - and many positive policies brought in by Labour such as the introduction of the minimum wage will be over-shadowed by his disastrous foreign policy failings.

Engage your brain first - David Davies

David Davies may be quite a likeable guy but the views he expresses are often on the barmy end of politics.
The Conservative MP for Monmouth is at it again suggesting a possible link between so-called "imported backward, medieval and barbaric" views of woman and rape. He argues that the upbringing of a 14-year-old who raped and robbed a woman should be investigated.
David Davies later claimed his comments were not related to Islamic or racial issues but I and many others won't believe him. He knows he stepped in the brown stuff and is trying to dig himself out.
Also there are certainly plenty of cases in the UK where teenagers of whatever colour or background do awful things to women.
David Davies really needs to engage his brain before speaking and avoid dropping himself in it big time.

Peter Ridsdale betrays City fans - and should go now!

Betrayed, stitched up, conned - that's how Bluebirds fans will feel after the announcement by Cardiff City Football Club that it will not now use funds raised from season ticket sales to bring in new players.
Supporters were persuaded to cough up hard-earned cash early to help Dave Jones in his bid to bring the Bluebirds promotion to the top division after nearly 50 years. But, he like the fans, has been let down by Peter Ridsdale and his board of directors.
The club suggests that expected investment did not come through. Well, they should not promised fans funds would be spent on players until that funding was secure and one still appears a fair way away.
All fans have got from Peter Ridsdale and the rest of his board are false promises and certainly not the transparency they deserve.
Peter Ridsdale, the club says, has the full backing of both the Board and majority of shareholders and will continue to lead the club.
But if he was working for a major company and misled shareholders he would have been sacked and quite rightly so.
The fans have been misled, he has lost any goodwill and should now do the decent thing and resign - although I doubt he will.
Certainly those that want their money back should be given it, and perhaps staff working in the trading standards department at Cardiff council should examine whether the club has breached the Trades Descriptions Act by misleading customers - the fans!

WRU chairman tackled over Labour £1,000-a-plate event

Welsh Rugby Union chairman David Pickering is entitled to support whatever political party he likes.
But what he must not do is using the facilities at the WRU to organise a lavish fundraising pre-election event on behalf of a political party, Welsh Labour in this case. Most employees spending their working hours on private work would quickly find themselves reprimanded by their employees or even dismissed.
How much time has he spent on this private work? Is he going to compensate the WRU, which is a non-political organisation?
We know the Welsh rugby team play in red but the WRU should certainly not be aligning itself, through its chairman, to the political party whose colours are red.
The event also highlights the divide between Labour's expensive backers, who have done well under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and its core working-class vote in Wales. Many voters will be staggered that £1,000 per person is being spent on one event while they struggle to put food on their table for their family in these very tough economic times.

Mohammad Asghar Has No Shame

Has Mohammad Asghar no shame? Apparently not.
He's the so-called politician who defected from Plaid Cymru to the Tories claiming he disagreed with Plaid's independence stance and was unhappy about its views on the Royal Family.
But anyone in the know at the Welsh Assembly was aware it was much more about his daughter Natasha being refused a job alongside his wife in his Newport office.
Now her name has appeared on an address list of staff who work in the Assembly. Asghar claims she is not being paid but just how long will that stand for?
And what about the Tories? Are they just going to let their new recruit make his office a family concern. If they do, how long will it be before another relative gets a job on the public purse?
Have the Conservatives really learnt nothing from the MP's fiasco and what has David Cameron got to say about the new Tory policy of jobs for the boys or girls in this case?
The Welsh Conservatives will rue the day they decided to take on Mohammed Asghar whose setting up his own job creation unit - for his family. Shameful. He should resign because he's become an embarrassment to the Welsh Assembly - and make it quick.

How not to run a company: BA lead the way

What sort of a company imposes new contracts on fresh recruits
paying them significantly less than current staff?
Well, not some tiny tin-pot organisation but British Airways, and it also imposes a whole range of changes without proper consultation with staff.
Don't they get it that to turn things around they need the backing of those that work for the company - and not treat them like dirt.
This type of macho management intent on crushing its workforce must be challenged at all times.
There was a 9-1 vote for a strike until action was blocked by the High Court last year, setting a very dangerous precedent. Given nothing has changed for workers, another vote in favour of industrial action can be expected.
The union Unite made a tactical blunder by proposing 12 straight days of action over the Christmas period. They can still force management into meaningful discussions without such prolonged strike action that alienates the public.
It's good that the union has made it clear it will not strike over Easter. Let us hope that once the vote is announced BA get back to some serious discussions with staff - and stop trying to crush them.

Brown bows to pressure over Iraq inquiry

Gordon Brown will give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry before the general election - and so he should.
It had looked like an attempt by Labour to bury bad news until after voters go to the poll.
But the Prime Minister, who held the purse-strings when the Iraq war was launched, is clearly calculating that it is better to get it over as soon as possible rather than have the issue raised in the general election campaign by political opponents.
More important than Gordon Brown's appearance is that the people of the UK get some answers. Let us hope the inquiry members will get stuck in with some tough questions - not just about the war but the preparedness of British troops in terms of equipment. As disgraced US President Richard Nixon declared: "There can be no whitewash at the White House". Substitute 10 Downing Street.
Meanwhile, before the current PM appears Tony Blair, the man who sent British troops to war, will appear. Roll on Friday, January 29.

Workers must not lose out on pensions

Former workers at the Visteon plant in Swansea were at the National Assembly today as part of their campaign to win back they pensions.
The car parts firm went into administration last year leaving workers short of the pensions they were entitled.
They are not the first, and certainly not the last, to have their retirement threatened through no fault of their own. Ford, which transferred the plant to Visteon 10 years ago, have a moral duty - if not a legal one - to ensure their former workers do not lose out.
Former ASW steelworkers in Cardiff have been involved in a courageous campaign to win 100 per cent of the pensions. These decent working class people were also demonstrating at the Assembly earlier this month to highlight their plight.
They should not have to do this to try and get the pensions they are entitled to. The UK Government must stop ducking this issue and ensure these brave fighters do not lose a penny. They've bailed out the bankers, so it's the least the ex-ASW workers deserve.

Out of touch David Melding Continues with Statue Campaign

Well,David Melding the Conservative AM for South Wales Central, doesn't give up on a daft idea easily does he?
This time he took his off-the-wall suggestion that the statue of Liberal Victorian campaigner John Batchelor should be moved and replaced by one of David Lloyd George or Saint David to the Senedd
He spent Assembly time raising the issue in a question to Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones.
Hasn't he got something better to raise with the Minister on culture, the Welsh language or sport? Apparently not.
I suggest he buries his idea and concentrates on something a little more important.

Cameron scores own goal over teaching training plans

David Cameron has been scoring some own goals recently, notably his recent uncertainty over whether the Tories were going to give help to families.
Now he's decreed that he won't allow graduates with a third-class degree to become teachers.
Academic excellence doesn't mean you will be a good teacher and, conversely, a third-class degree doesn't mean you can't be a good teacher. There's much more to teaching than qualifications. Similarly, the best nurses are not necessarily those with the best qualifications and that applies to many jobs.
And you certainly don't need top academic qualifications to make it in business - ask Sir Richard Branson who hasn't done badly for himself
And remember Carol Vorderman, Mr Cameron's maths tsar, got a third from Cambridge. So don't judge a book or a teacher by its cover but by what's inside.

Tory AM's daft plan to move landmark statue

David Melding, the Conservative AM for South Wales Central, clearly knows nothing about the history of Cardiff with his off-the-wall suggestion that the statue of Liberal Victorian campaigner John Batchelor should be moved.
John Batchelor is very much part of Cardiff's proud history and spoke out strongly for the people against the Tory-supporting Bute family.
He's always had a place in The Hayes as long as I can remember and I'm sure there would be uproar in the city if the statue. So he's not of Welsh national significance but he is to Cardiff and should remain where he is.
David Melding, who is not from Cardiff, has suggested more prominent people should be placed in that key location.
As has been pointed out prominent Welsh figures such as Hywel Dda have pride of place in the City Hall.
Cardiff must remember its history while also looking forward to the future.
Too many landmarks have been pulled down like the Capitol Theatre for a non-descript shopping centre. Look at the modern buildings in Cathedral Road which should have never been allowed by planners.
We mustn't lose our heritage and John Batchelor should stay firmly where he is.

Ex-Chief Constable Out of Touch and Insulting

South Wales Police have a questionable record of getting things right - miscarriages of justice, wrongful arrests are examples.
Former Chief Constable Barbara Wilding has put her foot in her mouth in a big way with a deeply insulting jibe at people who live in the Valleys.
Her comment in an interview that all Valleys girls want to do is get pregnant was ill-judged and ill-informed.
She clearly lived in a leafy area of South Wales while Chief Constable and has no empathy with Valley people, who I've always found to be hugely welcoming and positive people, despite the lasting impact of the Thatcher years.
Many young people in the Valleys have huge aspirations and to condemn all with such an ill-thought comment is a disgrace. No wonder many people - and not just in the Valleys - have no time for the police.
Let us hope that the new Chief Constable Peter Vaughan who was born in the Valleys is more in touch with the community his force serves than Barbara Wilding. He has got some community rebuilding to do.

Affordable houses not pickings for speculators

So the Vale of Glamorgan council is pressing ahead with plans to transform the derelict Penarth Heights development.That area is an eyesore.
But what Penarth needs, and indeed Wales needs, is more affordable houses. The Right to Buy legislation has created a desperate shortage of affordable properties, particularly for families.
The last thing Penarth needs is another development where homes will be snapped up by speculators, with no intention of living there, hoping to make a quick buck.
Twelve years after a decision was first taken to redevelop the former Billybanks estate action is needed - but high quality affordable homes not properties just for the speculators.

South Wales hit by Bosch jobs blow

The announcement that Bosch is to shut its Miskin plant with the loss of 900 jobs is not unexpected - but still terrible news for its workforce and the Welsh economy.
Welsh manufacturing has been really hard hit in the recession with Hoover and nearby Sunjuice among other high profile victims.
It appears closure will happen next year with work transferred to the cheaper wage economy of Hungary.
What is particularly devastating is that Bosch paid good wages to a highly skilled workforce and it will be extremely difficult to replace those jobs.
Many of its workers also came from the South Wales Valleys where jobs are few and far between.
Let us pray that the economy is very much on the up by the time Bosch closes its doors for the last time after just over 20 years but where do we go on manufacturing now? Down the pan it appears.

Exam chiefs fail our children

Exam bodies like the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) should be hanging their heads in shame.
They refused, despite pleas from teachers, to postpone key exams for pupils because of the terrible winter weather.
The result was that some, already stressed youngsters, will probably have to wait until the summer to take exams which are likely to be key to their futures. This will add further pressure on them.
What was wrong about postponing exams for a week or two? Clearly, the intransigence of the WJEC has done pupils a great disservice.
We must learn from this lesson - and perhaps the Welsh Education Minister should be prepared to intervene in the future and knock a few heads together

Why can't we cope with snow?

Why are we so useless when it comes to dealing with snow? OK, this winter has been the worst for many a decade but we seem to fall apart at the first slurry.

I’ve got a particular beef about school closures in bad weather. I can understand the difficult of opening some secondary schools where pupils come from a wide catchment area and buses might find difficulty making it up and down the hills of the Valleys.

But why were primary schools in Cardiff, many of them along busy main roads, shut not just on the day of the snowfall last week but also last Thursday and Friday.

Sure, there is an issue about health and safety but that can be solved by keeping the pupils in school during break times. It just seems the easy option is taken every time to shut a school. If I, or indeed thousands of others, can manage to get from one end of Cardiff to another why can’t a teacher?

I noticed in the South Wales Echo that Maesteg Comprehensive was able to open so why not primaries in a relatively flat city like Cardiff?

These closures cause huge problems for parents who are forced to make emergency childcare arrangements, lose pay or a day off their annual holiday entitlement.

Wales, and in the UK, is not used to coping with this type of weather but perhaps the time is right to find out how our Scandinavian cousins manage to keep their schools open in far worse conditions. Or local authorities need to look at providing alternatives for pupils if schools are shut.

We really have to get much better at coping with a few falls of snow.