It’s almost become the default answer after an act of terrorism: “this country/government/nation will never bow to terrorists” or words to that effect.

Image via Wikipedia

Yet today the business of governing Wales came to a halt as a small bunch of strikers (terrorists) objected to a policy that the UK Government has labelled “fair” to both staff and taxpayers. It came to a halt because members of the Welsh Assembly Government found it better to support the (terrorist voters) strikers, rather than support the measures being implemented by the Government in London. And it’s not even a policy created by an opposition for all of them.

A Government that gives in to protest is both naive and is clearly failing to represent the views of the people they are supposed to represent.

Everyone I have spoken to in the last few days rate the strikers as beyond contempt. That their Picket lines (which are referred to as “somewhere to tie your horses” by Wikipedia) “must not be crossed” is a quaint old concept. Who the hell says it remains so?

The time has come for our vote chasing politicians in Wales to stand up and take clear positions on what is right, not what is folklore and not that which justssupports their re-election. It is time to be real and recognise that pickets serve little or no purpose, that it’s not just horses that get tied up there but Donkeys.

A very good BBC Wales programme tonight debating Afghanistan was let down by some poor political comment, in particular by the abysmal Wayne David.

So few links were made, or understood, about the need to relate defence and military action to political objectives and diplomacy.

I’ve banged on about this for ages: War is Diplomacy by violent means.

It only buys time for Politicians to seek a negotiated settlement. It was therefore refreshing to see Elfyn Llwyd articulate the need to open diplomatic efforts of a non military kind. Even more refreshing was the quiet support from the military men in the audience.

Diplomacy is the only way to enduring solutions. Politicians need to understand this and understand this soon.

I was amused today to hear Bob Ainsworth on the lunch time news talking about his trip to Afghanistan over the weekend. All the right messages about the need, the timing and of course the value of showing support. But the bit that really made me smile was his comments about the timing.

If I caught it correctly, and I was driving so may have made a mistake, he said that there was no relationship between the PM’s visit the day before and Brown’s appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry. He suggested that these visits were planned a long time in advance and suggestions about political gamesmanship were abject nonsense.

Directly after making that point he did admit that his own trip had of course been re-arranged a few times, and you’ve just got to wonder he was pulling the strings on that one. Why did it need the Prime Monster to visit Afghanistan to announce new vehicles for the Army, surely that is the role of the Defence Secretary, isn’t it?

Just like buses, you wait for ages for a Minister to turn up in Afghanistan and all of a sudden two come along in quick succession. And like some buses they are Bendy Buses: bending to fend off the growing sense of revulsion at the ongoing lack of support to the Military in prosecuting hugely unpopular wars.

The Sunday morning routine is an important part of my week: up reasonably early, coffee, Sunday Times, family still in bed and time to read in peace. Bliss. But last year I started to find that my reading only made me angry or disappointed in what was happening in our country and world.

But today I really wonder: can it get even more depressing? The Sunday Times report of the YouGov Poll that suggests that Gordon Brown may win the next election just has to be the most depressing piece of news I’ve read for a long, long time.

How can we be moving to a position whereby we re-elect a Government that has so clearly failed to deliver on so many policies, has failed to truly support our military from the outset of operations, has wasted billion on pounds on ridiculous initiatives as well as on banks and has lost of the confidence of just about everyone I talk to.

I’ve not spoken to anyone in recent months who is prepared to believe any of the statements that emanate from the mouth of Brown. So what is it that is causing the poll to suggest that he might stay in Downing Street? Are we blind, stupid or is there fear of the alternative?

Surely “the devil you know” argument is not a basis for political decision making.

According to reports on the Beeb the Chief Exec of Cardiff Council received a 33% increase in salary last year, which coincidentally was his last year in the role as he then quit his job rather unexpectedly.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s also pretty amazing to note that all but one local authority Chief Exec is paid over £100,000 per annum. That’s before they get add ons such as £10k for being a returning officer (how demanding can that be?) so it’s a nice little package all in all.

But is it justified, or perhaps more fundamentally, do we need quite so many of them anyway?

22 Ch Execs/Finance Directors/Social Service Directors/HR Wizards and so on surely has to be overkill for a nation of 3 million or so people.

Add to that the inefficiency of our police/fire/ambulance/health services and we really have a need for some fundamental reorganisation and rationalisation.

Sadly I see little appetite to really address these issues, but any party that admitted there was a real need for change and was prepared to address it would certainly get my vote.

Image via Wikipedia

History has a habit of repeating itself and I can’t help but remember how it was in 1982 when the last Argentine threat to the Falkland Islands materialised.

We faced a Defence Review, or certainly serious discussions about the role of the Royal Navy in particular, and we had a Prime Minister who was definitely  ”under pressure” in terms of relationship with the country.

There can be little doubt that the 1982 invasion of the Falklands by Argentina helped transform the popularity of Margaret Thatcher and it also saved efforts to cut the Navy. Please let us not see a repeat of either again this year.

Like many I am pretty disappointed in the Gordon Brown  & Piers Morgan love in that will be broadcast tomorrow night.

The programme contains private revelations: so private in fact that they have been on every news programme for the last 36 hours.

It shows a significant lack of judgement for ITV to make such a shameless plug for a failing Prime Minister and it is an appalling error of judgement for Brown to open up on some issues as he does, with so little time before the election.

ITV, Morgan and Brown: a hapless trio.

Now that the starting gun has been fired at the National Assembly for Wales to hold a referendum on “powers” I wasn’t sure if this left me feeling positive or not.

Image via Wikipedia

For some strange reason I can’t help but think that the arguments are still all about process, the process of law making that is.

For the life of me I can’t see how we will be able to make any more laws, it’s just that the laws that will be made won’t have to go through a process involving MP’s. And they might, yes only might, get made faster.

So on the one hand I feel something positive will come from it: legislation for Wales, made in Wales.

But on the other hand I can’t help thinking that we are still missing the bigger picture. The Government of Wales Act appears to be such a dog’s dinner of legislation, rushed through with improper thought and scrutiny, that it needs to be serisouly overhauled or replaced.

Which leads me to my concern: the excitement over a referendum for more “powers” will be a smoke screen that takes away the focus for what we really need in Wales, namely a bigger review for the creation of an acceptable, workable and sustainable means of governing our country.

If the referendum does become a smokescreen then I’m not in favour of it, but will still be voting Yes.

Have the lunatics taken over the Asylum Assembly? Well it certainly looks that way if Martin Shipton’s report in the Western Mail today is correct.

Civil Servants are going to be paid a one off grant of upto £2500 for moving to work in offices that could be closer to their home.

Just read that sentence again slowly and wonder if there really is an understanding in our bloated and out of touch public sector of a need to be a little bit tighter with the purse strings?

When I heard about the disaster in Haiti I was saddened, but then I heard about the USA’s response of active and vigorous action and I felt proud that some people in the world were able to do something really useful. I wish we were with them.

Television footage of people suffering and cities destroyed, or is that people destroyed and cities suffering? Whatever way you looked at the early reports the news was almost beyond understanding. But eventually we understood, or at least I thought we did. This is a natural disaster in a country that has a history of dealing with man made and natural disasters.

But understanding meant nothing: people have been killed, so there’s not much one can do for them, but millions still live and it is the living that are suffering. Millions in need of help, millions without the basics of life: shelter, water, food and security. Beyond that they are now in a state that had no means of control, no communications and certainly no means of dealing with the challenges they face.

What can we do, what should I do, why should I do anything?

All questions that ran through my soul, deeply. If only I were younger I could “volunteer”. But I’m not young, so maybe they need my money: but will it get there? And anyway: why should it come to me to give or do something? We’ve a department of Government that deals with international aid, can’t they take care of it all for me, for us, for them?

The more I saw TV footage from Haiti, the worse I have felt.

The suffering is beyond understanding, and the sense of frustration about the slow progress of international aid is growing. And the talk is now about money.

To hear today that the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government has suggest that we, in Wales, should give money to the Disaster Emergency Committee has left me seriously disappointed. The cause is so obvious that is hard to imagine anyone in Wales objecting to Government action.

There are 3 million people in Haiti affected by this disaster, roughly the population of Wales. A well lead country would stump up a valuable and immediate donation at a rate of at least £1 per head.