It has to be sad when any organisation suffers an upheaval that results in the loss of its Chief Executive,  but recent months and years at S4C have not shown real success so change was probably inevitable.

Sure: the digital age has increased competition, but the Authority seem to be ignoring the fact there are 2 sides in the market: Supply and Demand.

Digital TV may dilute demand, but to be frank, the Supply has really failed to stimulate interest. The picture on the left is a copy of S4C’s listings for this coming Sunday, does it really get your juices flowing?

Remember this is a listing for Sunday, a Sunday during school holidays: so where are the early morning programmes for kids? My sons both have happy memories of Slot Sadwrn from years ago and I loved it, as  it kept them occupied and I had an extra hour in bed.

As a Broadcaster S4C has been the broadcaster in the language of choice for many in Wales, but in truth, its programmes are not the programmes of choice in any genre. For that reason and for poor programming, change is required, but it’s not just Iona Jones that should fall on her sword.

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Image via Wikipedia

I went to the Royal Welsh Agricultual Show in Llanelwedd on Monday, I’d been before many years ago, but had forgotten how good, seriously good, it all is.

I’m a city man, definitely not a country man even though like many I enjoy the so-called country sports.

But I’m not really into farming/agriculture/livestock etc. And my reason for attending the show was business related as I was attending a QUANGO meeting on a subject close to my employer’s heart.

Despite my narrow business/professional interest I did spend a lot of time walking the show ground and seeing the sites, the truly fantastic sites of animals, no, make that “Beasts”, reared to perfection and ready for display. I don’t know much about cows or pigs or sheep or goats, but I do know that I saw some great examples on Monday. And then of course there was the Welsh Food pavillion: Magic, pure foodie bliss,

But it wasn’t the quality of the produce that hit me, it was the people: people who had prepared for months or more, people who were excited at the opportunity, people that were so VERY proud of what they had made or had to show. It hit me harder than anything has for many a year. Here I was, surrounded by people who cared, REALLY CARED about what they do and were showing extreme pride in what they had produced. And that pride hit me: hugely.

How I would love to transport that pride into the world of business, the world where companies hide behind smoke-screens and Quangos claim not to have powers. If either had as much pride as the farming community who were proudly strutting their stuff, there probably would not have been a need for the meeting I was attending in the first place.

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General Sir David Richards is a distinguished and experienced commander with wonderful diplomatic skills. He has commanded soldiers in Afghanistan and lead successful operations in places like Somalia where he is considered to have been instrumental in defending and securing the future of the Government there. His operational experience in Afghanistan and the respect in which he is held by that country’s Government will be great assets.

To have such an experienced officer elevated to command and lead our forces is a tremendous fortune and I wish him the very best  in the challenging times to come.

It’s also worth noting that he is a bit of a local boy in Wales having attended Cardiff University where he gained his degree in Politics and Economics.

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However tonight I can’t pass the moment without commenting on the blatant stupidity of those involved in the planning process in Newport.

Poor Terry Mathews, who has built global businesses with names like Newbridge, and Newport in them and has of course invested around £40 million of his own money in securing the bid for the Ryder Cup in Wales at the palatial hotel and leisure complex he has built in Newport,  has been apparently defeated by planning idiots in Newport who want to protect a derelict building next to the home of the World’s greatest golf tournament later this year.

If you’ve not seen the news report on the BBC then take a look here.

Newport stupidity at its absolute finest.

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Image by Defence Images via Flickr

The Government is undertaking a Strategic Defence Review that will inevitably change the role, shape and capability of our Armed Forces in a way that has not been done for several decades. It promised to be a root and branch review, driven in part by a need to cut costs and a need to reduce the endemic waste that has permeated the Ministry of Defence for many years.

Illogically though the Secretary of State for Defence has announced that Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirupp, the Chief of the Defence Staff, will leave his post in the Autumn, after the review has been made. Whilst this may seem a “nice” way of removing the head man, it is a weak option at a time of such critical change. Plans need to be implemented by those who make them, it is extremely challenging – unnecessarily so – for someone to adopt somebody else’s plans and deliver them successfully.

Whilst Liam Fox is right to remove Sir Jock, his delay in doing so is a sign of misunderstanding of the need to plan, deliver and be accountable. An opportunity has been missed.

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The Telegraph would no doubt claim that it was acting in the public interest to break their allegations about David Laws’ expenses.

That they had to wait until after the election and the formation of a coalition government shows that they are either slack in their investigation or, and more likely, are sticking to their right wing agenda and trying to destroy the coalition that does offer so much.

This is despicable journalism and it is definitely not in the public interest nor in the best interest of this country. I truly hope that Laws returns to the Treasury as soon as his name is cleared by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

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Just as you can’t make an omlette without breaking eggs, so you can’t form a new team without a few pre-ordained steps. So the current noise around the LibDem-Conserative coalition is entirely to be expected and is to some degree a very good sign.

Whenever there is some change in and amongst a group of people there is always a degree of resistance, and of course that degree can be small, large or huge. The formation of the coalition government is no exception and we are seeing and hearing much about the dissatisfaction from members of each party concerned and even from others not directly involved.

This is all following a pattern: a pattern that goes under the rather quaint American label of Formin’, Stormin’, Normin’ and Performin’.

All new teams will need to follow this route to success and whilst the motives of any change may be questionable, the Stormin’ is essential. It’s only at this stage that those in the lead can take real control and find out where the real supporters and doubters sit. More importantly it will also help to deselect some from the challenges ahead. And those party members who are “leaving in droves” to join other parties are helping the cause. Because once they’ve gone the important step of Normin’ can take place, after which the results will come as the team is built, with committed members and clarity of purpose. Then and only then can it start Performin’.

So if those people who are complaining and arguing think that they are going to have any influence on the outcome, they are both wrong and right. They are wrong because their voices do not matter but they are right because Stormin’ this early allows for earlier progress to be achieved. It really is a case of the Storm before the calm.

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I’ve made no pretence of my dislike of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, but I must admit to having a lump in my throat during his farewell speech. He may not have impressed me, and without doubt he did not care for our Armed Forces in the way that I would have welcomed, but like many I do respect him for having the views he had. It just proves you don’t have to like someone to respect them.

The New Politics, a Liberal Conservative coalition, is going to have a great impact. I’m convinced that Cameron has played an absolute blinder in cutting this deal and I sincerely hope he can hold his party together on it. As for Nick Clegg: I also hope he can hold it together. But there will be challenges for all.

The structure of the Cabinet looks truly strong, with wisdom, experience and people willing to take decisions. Many will comment on the shortage of Women, but dear Anne Widdecombe was on the money when she said that being a woman made it easier to get into Cabinet as there was less good female competition. She advocated appointments on ability rather than gender and I think she was right to say that.

One decision to ponder though is Wales and Cheryl Gillan, but comment on that can wait for a day or two: there’s plenty of noise already.

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This morning, there is a nervousness to my excitement as the citizens of the United Kingdom go to the polls. Butterflies are flying laps around my stomach, my throat has already had a lump or 2 in it when I saw or heard those opening words on news bulletins. What is so different this time?

Is it because my loyalties are mixed? After all this is an election where I am really impacted by a UK Government and also a mature Government in Wales with legislative experience, and whilst at the UK level I want to see a shift to the right, local I want Wales to continue to be grow in stature and want to see a stronger position for Plaid.

Could it be that the campaigns have left me worried that votes will be bought, rather than visions created to win over voters?

Has our TV based campaign – not the internet campaign so expected by many – really turned the tide, or is the Lib Dem surge already a busted flush. Only time will tell.

But one things is certain in my mind: it is high time we are rid of the Labour Government who have failed so miserably to deliver over 13 years in office. And not only is it time for change, but change for the better. Then maybe the butterflies will go back to bed.

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