Hain jeopardises One Wales?

Adam Price MP comments in today's Western Mail on the latest Hain outburst.

Hain would have us believe that he has discussed postponing a referendum on further powers beyond 2011 with senior Plaid Cymru members, and that he has found agreement. I challenge him to say who he's talked to and when.

If he won't come clean, we should perhaps conclude that he is misleading people and smearing Plaid. But why? Is it because, to get the 2006 Government of Wales Act through the UK Parliament, he had to assure some of his colleagues that a referendum on further powers would not be triggered in the short term and is now being told to come up with the goods?
The One Wales Government is committed to holding a referendum "at or before the end of the Assembly term" in 2011. Hain's comments clearly contradict this. 'One Wales' was drawn up on the basis of goodwill between Plaid and Labour, and Rhodri Morgan has this week confirmed that the referendum pledge still stands. Hain is trying to keep his devo-sceptic MPs happy, but risks destabilising the Welsh government in the midst of recession.

Fortunately, what Hain says counts for little as it is the Assembly alone that decides when the referendum will be held. And his opinion is likely to count for even less after the next UK general election...

PCS calling time on welfare reforms

The PCS has called for New Labour's welfare reforms to be scrapped following James Purnell's resignation from the Cabinet last week. According to Mark Serwotka, Purnell presided over "one of the worst periods in the history of our welfare state". He has made job cuts and forced office closures provoking anger and worry amongst the DWP workforce.

I have previously campaigned against DWP job cuts, and Plaid has consistently opposed moves to introduce a US-style "workfare" system in the UK. Purnell's programme of privatisation and job cuts has been an attempt to lay the foundations for a shrinking and less expensive welfare state. That this has been initiated under a Labour government is appalling. Not even Thatcher went this far. Now there is an ideal opportunity to reverse the reforms started under Purnell preventing needless further damage.

I raised welfare reform with the First Minister on Tuesday but am still calling on the new Minster for Department of Work and Pensions to take the appropriate action. It is clear that in Wales both Plaid Cymru and the Labour party are against these plans. We are in a damaging situation where the Welsh Government's work to help people into jobs (which has been relatively successful) and to encourage the take-up of benefits amongst vulnerable groups will be undermined by the UK Government's more draconian approach, the effectiveness of which is far from certain because of the economic climate.

We know that a Tory government will go even further than Purnell's plans. That's why I fully support Mark Serwotka and the PCS in their call for welfare reform to be dropped now.

All-Wales Morning Star Conference

All-Wales Morning Star Conference
Saturday, June 13 2009
10.30 – 4.30
PONTYPRIDD YMCA Hall

WALES AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

10.30 Welcome from John Haylett, Morning Star political editor

10.40-11.00
Keynote address
John Griffiths, Labour AM, Newport East, Deputy Minister for the Education, Culture & the Welsh Language

11.00-12.30
Session 1. The recession and its impact
PANEL:
John Lovering, Professor of Urban Development & Governance, UCW Cardiff
Andy Richards, Wales secretary, Unite—the Union
Mari Rees, Labour PPC, Preseli Pembrokeshire

12.30-1.15 Break

1.15-2.00
Session 2. The National Assembly's response
DISCUSSION to be led by Christine Chapman Labour AM, Cynon Valley

2.00-2.45
Session 3. Countering the crisis in Scotland
DISCUSSION to be opened by Scottish TUC general council representative (to be confirmed)

2.45-3.00 Break

3.00-4.20
Session 4. The way forward for Wales
PANEL:
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM, South Wales West
Robert Griffiths, general secretary, Communist Party
Jeff Evans, Wales senior national officer, Public & Commercial Services union
Vaughan Gething, Wales TUC past president

4.20-4.30 Closing remarks from Darren Williams, Welsh Labour Grassroots secretary

REGISTRATION: £5 per delegate (£1 unwaged)
Book places beforehand with Keith Jones, Unite—the Union, Transport House, 1 Cathedral Rd., Cardiff CF11 9SB
Registration also available at the door.

Results from Rhondda Cynon Taf

Rhondda

Labour 5339
Plaid 4424
UKIP 1447
BNP 924
Tory 808
LibDem 704
Green 520
Soc Lab 512
Christians 371
No2EU 218
Jury 50

Pontypridd

Labour 4592
Plaid 3410
Tory 2919
UKIP 2498
LibDem 2159
Green 1141
BNP 1002
Christians 454
Soc Lab 391
No2EU 293
Jury 109

Cynon

Labour 4145
Plaid 3007
UKIP 1241
Tory 1158
BNP 814
LibDem 812
Green 570
Soc Lab 358
Christians 296
No2EU 162
Jury 57

Welsh Language LCO

The Assembly committee charged with scrutinising the order to devolve Welsh language powers to the Assembly published its report on Friday. I was Plaid's member on the committee, which agreed unanimously that the order we scrutinised doesn't go far enough, and that the Assembly should have the widest powers possible. It makes sense no sense for the UK government to have the powers to legislate on the Welsh language now that the assembly has law-making powers.

Gordon's cabinet reshuffle ensured the report got virtually no coverage in the press. I issued the following statement:

"This report is great news, it's another sign that politics in Wales has moved on from the days when the language was a political football. After receiving hundreds of consultation responses, the overwhelming weight of evidence we have received favours decisions on the Welsh language to be taken in Wales. The fact that all parties in the Assembly have signed up to this report is a major breakthrough. We are calling for a strengthening of the legislative competence order (LCO), meaning its passage should be a straightforward matter.

If any attempt were made to water-down the One Wales government's powers-bid, it would be a severe blow to devolution. The draft LCO that our committee scrutinised was a compromise between two parties in government and then a further compromise between two governments, a compromise which took 18 months to agree. The evidence we heard and the consultations responses we received were overwhelmingly supportive of the Assembly having the widest possible powers over the language, and our report reflects this."

Paul Murphy as Secretary of State was widely expected to try to water down the LCO, reducing the Assembly's ability to make laws to safeguard our language. With a new Secretary of State for Wales can we expect a new Wales Office position?

Plaid supports former ASW workers

Back in 2002, the workers at ASW steel plant in Cardiff lost their jobs. What they didn't know at that time was that they had also lost their pensions. They have fought a hard campaign to get their own money back, and had some success winning this court case, and forcing the government to set up a compensation scheme. In the future, people will be able to get 90% of the value of their pension back. But there have been problems with this. 90% of a pension at 2002 is not 90% of what it would be now, seven years later. Some people are only getting back around 40% of their pension. The ASW workers haven't given up in their fight for justice and this week they met with Plaid MEP Jill Evans and other Plaid representatives to continue to press their case. Jill has vowed to continue to support their campaign and to make a fresh case to the new European Commission, if she is re-elected to the European Parliament today.

Nice one George.

In todays Guardian George Monbiot endorses Plaid Cymru's team of candidates in tomorrow's European elections.