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A while ago I was seriously thinking of coming out and getting involved. Like many others I really thought I had something to offer and could make some valuable contribution politically. I was also confident that I couldn’t possibly make a bigger hash of it than some of those already there.
But I didn’t. I toyed with it, I discussed it at home and filled in the forms, even had some clarity on what might happen if I applied.
But boy oh boy am I glad I didn’t come off the pot and try to stand in this election, in any capacity.
The reason is simple: I’m not sufficiently thick skinned.
I may have views, opinions, and even some narrow perspectives, but I’ve realised that I bruise more easily than I used to and the tactics being used in many political arguments now are personal ones. Ones that can bruise, because the truth is that sticks and stones hurt like hell and words can do so, just as well.
So I admire all those who are now out there exposing themselves to personal attack, exposing their every move and gesture to criticism, and wondering if “Head Office” will hear about what they’ve said. I really could not put up with that especially as the media are using all the weapons available to them to create what can only be described as “interesting interviews.”
It’s also one of the great ironies of our political system that you need to be in a party to stand a chance of being elected. But when you get elected, don’t you want to be able to talk about what you believe in as opposed to defending a sometimes unsustainable party line?
So I wish them well. Even the ones whose views I abhor.

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Britain has made tanks since, well inventing the monsters in the First World War. We’ve made some of the best, exported them widely and employed many hundreds if not thousands of people in doing so. As a result the tank has not only been a crucial weapon for our military, but a truly economic weapon as well as all good decent procurement should be. Our Armed Forces now need a new tank, not big ones like the world famous Challenger or Chieftain, but a replacement for the Scimitar that is such an important part of the inventory in Afghanistan. The Armed Forces decided that their preferred option is the British Aerospace CV90, but for some unexplained reason the Government has decided that the replacements will be made by General Dynamics (a Canadian company) and will be built in Austria and Spain. My military history is not the best in the world, but I can’t recall any Austrian or Spanish tanks performing with distinction on battlefields over the years in the way that British tanks have. Nor can I recall how the research and development of armour in those countries has benefitted anyone, let alone Britain. The Government has evidently failed the country again: not only are we buying abroad when we could easily buy at home, we are also going to lose jobs at a time when we can ill afford to do so. And of course, when we decide to build tanks ourselves again in the future, we won’t have the skills to do so. This Government needs to be replaced.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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