tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89226343907361200122024-03-21T04:54:57.889-07:00Plaid Cymru Newport BlogPlaid Cymru, the Party Of Wales, news, comment, opinion and observations from Newport and the South East corner of the old historic county of Gwent...Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-89341561663716784342019-11-03T09:51:00.001-08:002019-11-03T09:51:16.481-08:00Follow this linkTo find out the latest follow this link...<br />
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<a href="https://plaidnewport.blogspot.com/">https://plaidnewport.blogspot.com/</a>Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-89118629111164242142019-10-16T12:20:00.000-07:002019-10-16T12:20:04.965-07:00WELSH GREEN BELT
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The explosion in housing developments around our cities, small towns and villages across Cymru / Wales over the last 30 years - often with little provision for public transport or alternative ways for potential residents to get around beyond using their cars - has also flagged up the rapid loss of green spaces in and around our urban areas. One thing our country lacks, aside from a serious well though out integrated housing structure plan, and any realistic vision or plan for developing our housing, is a lack of green belt.</div>
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We have a clear, if not a dire need for the creation of Green belt across all of our country, to fringe our urban areas, to help focus out of town and fringe of town developments, and to protect green spaces between and within some of our urban areas. Green belt, if respected is a useful planning tool, originally introduced for London in 1938, it was rolled out to England as a whole by a government circular in 1955 but interestingly enough it was only enough never rolled out here in Cymru / Wales.</div>
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Now the original concept was to allow local councils to designate green belts when they wanted to restrict or control urban growth. The idea worked and it worked well, as by 2007, Green belt covered something like 13% of England (about one-and-a-half million hectares) despite the best efforts of previous Conservative, New Labour and Conservative–Liberal Democrat Governments it is still remains relatively well protected by normal planning controls against "inappropriate development".</div>
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We have one patch of notional green belt (actually a Green wedge) that lies between Cardiff and Newport. Scotland has seven and Northern Ireland has 30 - each has its own policy guidance. The absence of green belt has contributed to urban sprawl and significant out of town and edge of town development - something that has done little to help our communities, economically or socially especially over the last 30 years.</div>
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The preservation of green spaces aside, comes down to planning permission, it can be a touchy subject, especially when a development (whether for commercial, housing or energy development) is controversial or the final decision is made against the wishes of local people. We face the same problem across all of our country, be it around Wrecsam, Carmarthen, Cardiff, Swansea of any of our smaller towns and villages.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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A number of these housing developments, which have done (and will do) some pretty serious damage to our environment in the process without any necessary improvements in infrastructure e.g new railway stations with reasonably priced (or even free), adequate and secure park and ride facilities at Caerleon (closed as a result of the Beeching cuts in 1962, in the UDP since 1984) not to mention Llanwern and Magor.</div>
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In the south east, along the coastal belt and in and around Newport and Torfaen (not to mention around Cardiff and Caerphilly) and across Monmouthshire the last thirty years has seen a significant if not spectacular growth in the amount of housing, a significant percentage of which has never aimed to fulfil local housing needs. As a result the infrastructure along the coastal belt between Chepstow, Caldicot, Rogiet and Magor struggles to cope with existing developments and this is well before the projected expansion of housing on and around the former Llanwern site (where the proposed railway station was recently cancelled) really kicks in.</div>
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Northern Newport has been linked to the south Cwmbran - something that has brought little material benefit to the residents of either urban area but has contributed much to traffic congestion. Similarly linking Cwmbran with Sebastopol will bring scant benefit to local residents - when the housing development is complete - just exactly how much of it will be affordable to local residents?</div>
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The removal of the Severn Bridge tolls resulted (as expected) in a bump in house prices as people living in and around Bristol moved to cash in on cheaper housing over here. This understandably impacted on both affordable and available housing, developers will no doubt pitch their developments accordingly to cash in on perceived higher wages in the Bristol area and perceived cheaper housing over here (and no doubt our local authorities will fall over themselves to accommodate the developers wishes regardless how local people feel).</div>
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The National Assembly should have known better and acted accordingly, the institution when established was supposed to have sustainability enshrined in its actions, but, at times you really have to wonder, especially when it comes to the impact of some of the proposed developments on our communities, whether it does. We need to develop and protect our own green wedges around and within our urban communities – because once developed its are gone for good. It should be pretty clear by now to even the most dispassionate of observers that in Wales, we lack a coherent national strategic development plan for Wales judging by the half-baked way local unitary development plans have been put together over the years.</div>
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The problem caused by a lack of protection to our Green wedges, etc is aggravated by the fact that what one generation of elected officials (and council officers) envisages as a green wedge, green lane, etc is often seen by later generations of elected officials (and council officers) as either prime land for development or a nice little earner to help balance out the books - this means that there is a real lack of stability and a long term vision for many of our urban areas and impacts on our quality of life. </div>
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The National Assembly needs to act like the Welsh Parliament it has become - it should be and take the long view and create Welsh Green belt land with full legal and planning protections. This might go some way to calming things down when it comes to development planning and might introduce a more long-term sustainable democratic element into the process. This is something that could be accomplished by creating Welsh Green belt land, as part of the process we also need an urgent and open debate into the planning process in Wales - something that has been long overdue.</div>
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Successive Westminster government’s (in England) talked about getting planning officers "off people's backs" with a relaxation of current rules. When they talked about ‘people’ they meant developers. In true Spiv fashion ‘for a limited period, people were able to build larger extensions on houses (up to eight metres for detached homes and six for others). Shops and offices were also able grow to the edges of their premises as Plan A (harsh Public Sector Cuts) continues to unravel and on the back of BREXIT a note of desperation may creep into Westminster’s attempts to stabilise the economy.</div>
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Much of this sounds good; it seems reasonable save for the fact that somewhere amongst the smoke and mirrors the plan has always been reduce developer’s obligations to build proportional amounts of affordable housing and avoiding flood risk will go out the window. The Lib Dems as ubber willing coalition partners with David Camerons Conservatives happily signed up to this. Not that long ago the previous Westminster government rewrote the entire planning framework (for England) despite some fierce resistance from countryside campaigners. No doubt post Brexit Westminster ministers will want further changes to planning rules (in England) in an attempt to boost house building and revive the economy.</div>
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Not wanting to be left out (and also perhaps bereft of any fresh ideas), a few years ago Carwyn’s Labour in Wales Government in Cardiff also pursued major changes to planning rules in Wales aiming to ‘<i>tilt the balance in favour of economic growth over the environment and social factors</i>’. That decision was in my opinion aimed quite specifically at overturning those few occasions when our Local Authorities have rejected developments (often at the behest of local residents) rather than putting economic needs ahead of economic and environmental benefits and will do little for sustainable, flood free development to deal with local housing needs let alone preserve our green spaces. It explains much of the housing overdevelopment in various parts of our country and it does not deliver for our hard pressed communities or our country.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We need to look at championing the development of new homes in small-scale housing developments in both rural and urban Wales on ‘exception sites’, where land plots, not covered by general planning permission, will be capped at an affordable price designed to benefit those in local housing need with family and work ties to the area, and whose sale will be conditional on these houses continuing in local ownership in perpetuity. What’s left of our social housing stock that remains under the control of the housing associations needs to remain intact in order to meet the demand for homes. Along with developing social housing stock there is a need to introduce a more rigorous system in the allocation of social housing to give priority to those in local housing need.</div>
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Part of the problem is that our planning system, along with our almost nineteenth century local government setup is not designed to coexist with devolution or for that matter to deliver planning decisions with real and lasting benefits for local people and local communities. There is a real need for root and branch reform and reorganisation of our planning system; the Welsh Government’s simply decided to tinker and tweak with existing out-dated legislation rather than reform it.</div>
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Our current planning system remains far too focused on railroading through large housing developments that bring little benefits for local people and local communities and often fail to resolve real and pressing local housing needs. We need a fundamental change in planning culture to encourage appropriate and sustainable smaller scale housing developments, which are based on good design and actively promote energy efficiency and good environmental standards and that puts our communities first. This is something we are never going to get from a Labour in Wales government, it’s time to change Cymru / Wales, with a Plaid Cymru government in 2021, for unlike Labour, Plaid believes that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Wales can.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-28906507253687327922019-10-09T10:32:00.000-07:002019-10-09T10:32:10.231-07:00STILL TAKING BACK CONTROL?<style type="text/css">
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When it comes to 'Taking Back Control' the key question that still should be asked (and answered) is with whom will the 'taken back control' now reside. Perhaps the real question we should be asking is not about taking back control, but, more to the point just to who, we are about to surrender control too? From the perspective of Cymru / Wales the answer may be certainly not with us. </div>
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Previously an over centralised unionist British State (whether nominally socialist, avidly free market capitalist, or desperate to reduce the day to day impact of the state, they all failed to deliver for Cymru / Wales before - so why is it gong to better this time around!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A re-badged re-centralised ubber unionist Brit State 2.0 is even more unlikely to deliver in any meaningful way for us in the future. </div>
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Previously led by Teresa May (once described by a fellow conservative as Enoch Powell in a dress) and now led by Boris - it should be pretty clear that Cymru / Wales as far as Westminster is concerned no longer counts - economically or politically - particularly if it's left to the likes of Boris Johnson, Gove and their ilk. As we approach however ponderously the threshold of some sort of post BREXIT political and constitutional era, we need to more than every urgently clarify the constitutional position of our parliament in Cardiff. </div>
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Devolution is here to stay, the process remains incomplete and our journey continues - the people of Cymru / Wales not Westminster politicians will decide on the length of the journey and our destination. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, you cannot be half devolved - you are either fully devolved or you are not devolved at all - there is no halfway house. The latest on-going cluster ruck over delivering BREXIT had exposed the fundamental difference that lies behind, beneath or within the mind set of the politics, that emanates from and revolves around the House of Jaw (Westminster). </div>
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Our National Assembly should have similar powers to those of Scotland - so it can reboot our economy and our communities, deliver social justice and rebuild our transport network after the damage done by years of neglect, indifference and incompetence from Westminster.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The key point here is that at a fundamental level, Plaid Cymru has long believed that sovereignty lies here in Cymru / Wales with the people of Wales. It does not lie with or within that over expensive crumbling gothic monstrosity on the Thames - the Westminster parliament or its inhabitants. </div>
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This simple all encompassing principle needs to be clearly stated and articulated as often as necessary.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Post BREXIT before the Westminster based centralisers get to work wrecking and undermining our developing democracy (and the other devolved administrations) we seriously need to consider a declaration of sovereignty for laws passed in Cymru / Wales by the National Assembly. This simply is a declaration that will give laws passed in Cymru / Wales ( ‘our own laws’ ) precedence over those that emanate from Westminster.</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-87574111445358064072019-09-15T09:09:00.000-07:002019-09-15T09:11:25.957-07:00BURYING BAD NEWS<style type="text/css">
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If the Welsh Labour Government in Cymru / Wales was looking for a good day to bury bad news for the people of Newport then perhaps Wednesday 28th August was probably a good day. </div>
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I mention this because back in April 2017, a list of <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/could-12-new-railway-stations-12954992"><span class="s1"><b>12 potential new and revived railway station sites was made public</b></span></a><span class="s2"><b> </b></span>which would go a long way towards adding connectively to various parts of our country’s poor railway network and potentially reducing road congestion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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On the 28th August 2019, it was revealed that the original list of 12 has now become 4<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>- when another list of 4 was published. Now this is not a definitive list, and there are no guarantees that these 4 prospective railway stations will eventually be built or re-opened as they have to go on for yet further assessment in Westminster. </div>
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The lucky 4 prospective railway stations are: </div>
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<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Ely Mill/Victoria Park in Cardiff</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>St Clears in Carmarthenshire</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Deeside Industrial Park/Northern Gateway</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Carno in Powys</li>
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The railway stations which did not made it through the assessment are:</div>
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<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Llanwern</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Newport Road/Rover Way</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>St Mellons</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Cockett</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Landore</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>North Wrexham</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>South Wrexham</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>Llangefni</li>
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It is important to remember that control of our railway infrastructure investment is not devolved to Cymru / Wales - a decision largely made by the then Labour Government in Westminster.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>it still remains with the UK Westminster Government, all the Welsh Labour Government does is draw up a short list of suggestions.</div>
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All potential stations go through three stages of assessment.</div>
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<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>The first looks at Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria and consideration of the Wellbeing and Future Generations Act.</li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"></span>The second looks at the strength of the financial and economic case for a new station and advice from Network Rail on deliverability.<br /><br />
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To help narrow the list down, station demand forecasts were drawn up which are designed to give a likely viability of proposed stations. This may actually sound a more scientific and rational process than it is. It is worth remembering that the anticipated number of passengers who were expected to travel on the reopened Ebbw Vale line to Cardiff in 12 months travelled on the new service in the first 4 months.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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A word of warning - please don’t hold your breath in anticipation of any regular train service from Ebbw Vale to Newport - we may yet have along wait. The 7,000 + householders who will end up living on the Llanwern site will have no option but to use their cars or the bus service to get to and from work. Not pushing for a railway station at Llanwern will directly impact on the congestion in an around Newport, on the SDR and the existing M4.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Any proposal will only be successful with "<i>a sound business case</i>" and the assessment "<i>increases the ability of station proposals to be in a position to benefit from funding calls</i>" - and that decision will be made in Westminster rather than here in Cymru / Wales. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "<i>The stations that scored the highest in the assessment will now be taken forward. The proposals for the remaining stations will be considered when additional resources become available.</i>"</div>
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It is also worth noting that the process is ongoing and there is <span class="s2"><b>no date</b></span> for any potential reopening of any station. Considering that for the last 3 years Westminster has been tearing itself apart over BREXIT it would be a safe bet that it may be a while before any Westminster government focuses on Cymru / Wales and our national interests. Decisions about railway infrastructure development need to be made here in Cymru / Wales, not in Westminster.</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-46592462697877142192019-09-02T12:23:00.001-07:002019-09-02T12:23:22.398-07:00SAVE THE ORB
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<b>Welsh Government must do “all it can” to prevent “devastating” closure</b></div>
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Responding to the news of the closure of the Orb Electrical Steels base in Newport, <b>Plaid Cymru shadow minister for the economy Rhun ap Iorwerth AM said,</b></div>
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<b>“This really is devastating news for the workforce and their families, and its terrible news for steel-making and the wider economy of Wales. Orb is a specialist steel maker, which could be a major contributor to potential emerging industries in Wales including renewable energy and electric vehicle production.</b></div>
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<b>“I’ve repeatedly called for a major summit on Wales’s economic future. This is further evidence of why it’s more important than ever to have the clearest possible focus on the threats facing us, and the opportunities that need to be sought out at this time of unprecedented uncertainty.”</b></div>
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<b>“Plaid Cymru is asking Welsh and UK Governments to investigate all possible interventions – from joint investment to even taking it into public ownership, such is the importance of keeping this specialist capability.”</b></div>
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<b>Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales East Delyth</b> <b>Jewell</b> added,</div>
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<b>“This is terrible news for the committed steelworkers and my heart goes out to all affected by today’s announcement. The Welsh Government needs to do all it can to try to save these jobs and should consider taking the plant into public ownership, as the specialist products the plant produces could play an important role in the development of the strategically vital renewables sector in Wales.</b></div>
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<b>“They should also demand an immediate top-level meeting with Tata chiefs in order to press on them their responsibility to uphold prior commitments they’ve made to their workforce, since it was only last year that workers agreed to accept less generous pensions provisions in exchange for a guarantee they could keep their jobs. While I understand that workers will be offered a chance to relocate, this simply isn’t possible for many who have deep roots in the area and lack the financial means to uproot their lives at short notice.</b></div>
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<b>“There are questions to be raised once again about how the Welsh Government appears to have been caught unaware by an announcement of job losses within the manufacturing sector in Wales, and I will be asking for an explanation from the Economy Minister about what he’s been doing to try to protect these jobs over the past few months."</b></div>
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DIWEDD / ENDS</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-20121410511568753912019-08-28T12:53:00.000-07:002019-08-28T12:53:06.052-07:00TAKING BACK CONTROL - PERHAPS NOT...
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It may all comes down to numbers in the end, one way or the other for Boris As a result of the cuts to police numbers introduced by the Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition since 2010 there are at least 500 fewer police officers are on our streets in Cymru / Wales. Boris's promise of 20,000 extra police officers - is nice, save for the fact that we are already 19,704 police officers down since 2010. Boris would basically take us back to were we were in 2010 - with a next gain of 296 police officers in England and Wales. Save of course that they are not all coming to Wales, so even if we got 5% of them (say 25) that would still leave down by 480. If policing was devolved and funded on a population basis as is the case with other policy areas our Welsh police forces would receive upwards of £20 million more per year. Policing is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, making our National Assembly the only devolved legislature not to have any control over its nation’s police forces. Once again, we remain the poor relation amongst the devolved institutions across these islands. Perhaps it’s time to take back control…from Westminster.</div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-67945507915969226992019-08-23T11:37:00.004-07:002019-08-23T11:46:14.189-07:00THE BACKSTOP TO BREXIT?<style type="text/css">
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<span class="s1">O</span>ne of the key lines being continually pushed by the Brexiters is that the backstop (draft emergency provisions to ensure no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland) is fundamentally undemocratic and it has to go. Oddly enough it's not perceived as undemocratic in Northern Ireland - where pretty much every elected politician is in favour of it. Political opposition from within Northern Ireland to the Brexiters position may be one of the reasons why successive Conservative governments have dragged their feet when it comes to helping to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland that and their parties on-going cash induced relationship with the DUP - who themselves have their own reasons for avoiding local democratic scrutiny.</div>
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If nothing else this position in relation to the Irish backstop has exposed a few hard truths. It's very clear if not obvious that Brexiters (many of whom hail from a particularly narrow and actually quite unrepresentative narrow elite) have never had any meaningful or realistic understanding of Ireland - North or South or other matters. Not that long ago I can recall overhearing conversations (in another place for want of a better phrase) openly and genuinely bemoaning the fact that Ireland had left the UK and that Hong Kong had to be (sadly) returned to China, etc. This sort of thing, if nothing else displays a lack of understanding of recent and not so recent history, and is perhaps this is the backstop too Brexit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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What's certainly true is that Ireland never appeared on this elites radar before or during or initially after the referendum campaign - one of the possible<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>consequences of a return to a hard border is the undermining of the peace process. Then late and very deeply missed Steffan Lewis flagged this up some years ago. Looking dispassionately at the Conservative and Unionist Party's often tortuous relationship with the Irish political dimension in these islands - it's clear that they have been happy from time to time to play the unionist card - with scant of little thought toward the short, medium or longer term consequences - particularly for Northern Ireland or the rest of us.</div>
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It should be clear to most people by now that if Boris Johnston had a clear Conservative majority in Westminster and was not dependent upon the support of the DUP then he would have been pushing even harder for a No deal - regardless of the consequences for Northern Ireland and the rest of us. None of this bodes well for the future of devolution in these islands, if the Conservatives don't understand Northern Ireland, are surprisingly indifferent to Scotland and genuinely don't even perceive Cymru / Wales, then they are very different in outlook to their pre 1979 conservative predecessors who could be said to have spoken for the Union as a whole. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The Brexiter Conservatives are perhaps for the first time in the modern era (or at least since the early 17th century) quite openly focused on England (and its a particularly unrepresentative narrow view of England at that) or perhaps a Greater England. The problem is we are no longer living in the 17th century - the world and these islands have changed. At a very basic level the failure to understand the complexities of situation in Ireland is quite revealing. Unfortunately it masks (barely) what I believe to be a complete failure to accept or understand devolution (or a deliberate choice) in its varied formats across these islands. It gives a focus perhaps to the quietly as yet unarticulated politics and vision of the UK post Brexit - a unitary centralised non devolved state - which is not good for the rest of us on these islands.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-41088104467437148752019-08-21T13:12:00.002-07:002019-08-21T13:12:38.563-07:0051 YEARS ON
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Thursday 22nd August 2019 will be the 51st anniversary of the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia, it’s an anniversary that increasingly passes largely unnoticed save perhaps in Prague. Now that the Soviet Union is history, even with Russia on the rise in the east, people have plenty of other things to be concerned about. It’s been 51 years since Soviet troops and most but not all of their Warsaw Pact allies <a href="http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/25080764.html"><span class="s1">invaded Czechoslovakia on August 21st 1968</span></a>. </div>
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The Warsaw Pact invasion crushed the political and economic reforms known as the Prague Spring, led by the country's then new First Secretary of the Communist party Alexander Dubcek. Leonid Brezhnev and other Soviet hard-liners in Moscow, probably correctly in the light of later events between 1989 and 1991, at least from their narrow perspective, saw the reform movement as a serious threat to the Soviet Union's hold on the Socialist satellite states, they decided to act. In the first hours on the 21st August 1968 Soviet planes began to land unexpectedly at Prague's Ruzyne airport, and shortly Soviet tanks would soon be trundling through Prague's narrow streets. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The Soviet-led invasion helped establish the Brezhnev Doctrine, which Moscow said allowed the U.S.S.R. to intervene in any country where a Communist government was under threat. The Soviet backed occupation of Czechoslovakia lasted until the velvet revolution brought an end to the Communist dictatorship in November 1991 as the Cold War ended. It was always contested - the reformist communists were finally defeated in the mid 1970's just as detente created the Helsinki accords which inspired Charter 77. Russia’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32959054"><span class="s1">attitude to the invasion</span></a> can still touch raw emotions, evens in the Czech and Slovak republics.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Tensions in the relationship between the Czechs and Slovaks (and other nationalities) has existed since the republic was formed in 1918. The perception that Prague (and the Czechs) ran the republic touched a raw nerve in different parts of the republic. Ironically the Communist dictatorship which was resisted by dissidents, former reformist communists and ordinary citizens, kept the lid on tensions within Czechoslovakia between Czechs and Slovaks.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The West's focus on Prague, the Czechs and the former Czech dissidents meant that tensions between Prague and Bratislava were largely, but, not entirely missed. The welcome regular pronouncements about curbing the arms trade and arms exports did not go down well in Slovakia were a significant portion (but not all) of arms production was based. With the dictatorship gone, it took only a few years for the former state to split into the Czech and Slovak republics - both of whom became independent states on January 1st 1993, joining the the EU in May 2004 as they returned to Europe.</div>
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Now the Velvet revolutionaries are well into middle age, as are the rest of us who watched the fall of the wall and communism in Eastern Europe. Now the visible symbols of communism are long gone, the unemployed and the homeless, invisible under communism are back as are the gleaming shopping centres and the well stocked supermarkets are part of normal life rather than the preserves of the communist elite.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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In Prague the Communism museum is increasingly difficult to find, and perhaps healthy or irrelevant to younger Czechs. More importantly perhaps a generation of Czech and Slovak voters have grown up with democracy and no fear or a personal understanding of the fear of the secret police, the knock on the door in the night, or border guards and informers. They also don't have to worry about any consequences of expressing their opinions in work, education or at leisure and they have also have no limits on their no freedom of movement (beyond costs) within the EU - all of which has to be the ultimate positive.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-64464052734451169262019-08-05T12:55:00.000-07:002019-08-05T12:55:00.303-07:00A NET GAIN OF 296
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One of Boris’s many pre election / Brexit promises to the electorate is to increase the number of police officers in Wales and England by 20,000. While many of our hard pressed communities would welcome an increase the number of Police officers, in the face of rising crime and thinning police numbers, its worth remembering that we are some 19,704 police officers in Wales and England down since the Tories (and their Liberal Democrat’s coat holders) took office in 2010.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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No doubt Teresa May, the former Prime Minster and former Home Secretary, was too busy creating hostile climate, to actually oversea the ill thought out reduction in Police numbers. It’s also worth noting that the figures apply to Wales and England only, as the Scottish police force has been exempt from Tory cuts due to the fact that control of policing is devolved to Scotland, unlike in Cymru / Wales.</div>
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I have been long convinced that now is the time is right to devolve policing powers to the Welsh Government in Cardiff. Devolving policing powers would increase the accountability of the Welsh Government; strengthen the democratic process by allowing decisions, which directly impact on the Welsh people to be made, reviewed, revised and changed here in Wales. </div>
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At the end of the day, the Welsh people have a simple democratic right to have a greater say in something so fundamental to civilised community life as policing. This is already the case in Scotland, Northern Ireland, London and Manchester. Policing is only one side of the coin, to make devolved policing work, there is also a need to devolve control of criminal justice. </div>
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Fundamentally policing decisions in Wales need to reflect the needs and concerns of our communities, not the cost cutting agenda driven by previous Conservative Prime Minister’s (and a former Home Secretary) and the Ministry of Criminal Justice in London. Plaid Cymru has long campaigned rightly to “<i>stop the thin blue line from breaking</i>” and to boost funding for the Welsh police forces.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The full devolution of policing would have meant the Welsh police forces would have been exempt from the Tories’ planned £32 million cut to their budgets and would have benefitted from an additional £25 million through being funded through the Barnett formula meaning a total difference in Welsh police budgets of £57 million between Plaid Cymru and Conservative policy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Back in 2017 Plaid Cymru called a vote on devolving policing during the passing of the Wales Bill through the Houses of Parliament. We should remember that given the choice of devolving Policing to Wales, the Conservatives voted it down and the Labour Party abstained.</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-49490007182859013122019-07-16T12:24:00.001-07:002019-07-17T11:51:25.212-07:00DEVO ROLLBACK?<style type="text/css">
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When a failed Conservative leader starts talking about <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48859961" target="_blank">reviewing devolution and strengthening the Union</a> at a time when BREXT threatens to deliver a rollback of powers then any one who believes in devoting powers to the nations and reigns of these islands should be concerned. It's a bit like foxes taking a position on chicken's rights and hen coop security - it's time to sit up and take notice.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Despite the spin and the claims to the contrary, devolution is not Teresa May’s legacy, her legacy is political chaos and economic uncertainty, and a use of BREXIT to attempt to roll back devolution and strip away powers from Wales and Scotland and to undermine the devolved institutions and constitutional settlement within these islands. As late as the 2005 Westminster general election the Conservatives (and Teresa May) were still publicly uncommitted to devolution for Cymru / Wales.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The Conservatives have never accepted or respected devolution - and would I suspect would given the opportunity weaken if not abolish devolution in Cymru / Wales and actively work to weaken and undermine it in Scotland. They have also played fast and loose with the political process in Northern Ireland - something that threatens to undermine the hard won peace process.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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For a conservative leader to talk about constitutional diversity is particularly rich. The soon to be former Prime Minister is correct in one key area, the fact that some Westminster government departments have failed to recognise the reality of devolution. The Conservative party, under Cameron and May has reluctantly paid lip service to devolution, but, many suspect that it will actively work to weaken the powers of the devolved governments post BREXIT.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Simply revitalising the Scottish and Welsh offices is no longer an option, it’s perhaps merely new post Brexit colonial window dressing for seeking to undermine the devolved institutions. What's needed is a single ministry for the nations and regions, which could in terms of status match the Home Office at cabinet level, and rationalise the relationships between the Westminster departments and the other devolved portions of these islands.</div>
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None of this is new, back in 2015, after David Cameroon, won his first Westminster majority, and before he messily ended his premiership over BREXIT, there was, at least from this end of the M4 / A55, a faint brief whiff of what could best be described as devo rollback in the air. As the then unconstrained All Con Conservative government settled in at Westminster, what's was in it for Cymru / Wales - potentially nothing good.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Scotland, as far as the Westminster unionists may have been concerned may be quietly (and honestly) be perceived as a lost cause (perhaps a literal case of 'when' rather than 'if' in relation to independence). Cymru / Wales on the other hand may yet offer far more constitutional room to meddle with, to tinker with or even rollback parts of our deeply flawed constitutional settlement - something that could take us back to pre 1601 and 'England and Wales'.</div>
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Here in Cymru / Wales we have all seen the Westminster wobble in relation to the commitment to complete the electrification of the Great Western line to Swansea, the failure to develop the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon, and the threat to cancel promised public borrowing powers after the proposed M4 Relief road was dropped. Our constitutional settlement, such as it is is, even to the disinterested, appears deeply flawed, second rate and simply unfair, not coming remotely close to either Scotland or Northern Ireland when it comes to powers which could be used to influence and shape economic matters. </div>
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The Conservative Party <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48980318" target="_blank">appears to be appealing to the type of nationalism</a> that has seen UKIP grow in the past, and more recently the Brexit Party - it has little place of concern for Cymru / Wales. The ongoing Conservative leadership contest offers little hope or expectation to Cymru / Wales. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are clearly <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-48881157" target="_blank">no allies to Wales.</a> Boris Johnson is on record stating that Westminster is an English Parliament. Our nation, is at best an afterthought and more than likely an irritation to whoever wins the Tory leadership contest.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-74551398464218408512019-07-02T12:18:00.002-07:002019-07-02T12:18:33.778-07:00BREXIT OR THE UNION
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We life in interesting times - a YouGov poll of about 900 Tory members <a href="https://twitter.com/yougov/status/1140885366360203264?s=21"><span class="s1"><b>found that 63% of those surveyed would prefer Brexit to go ahead</b></span></a> even it caused Scottish independence, and suggested 59% would want Brexit even if it led to Northern Ireland leaving the union. Interestingly enough the poll result is <a href="https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/news/press-release-may's-'precious-union'-has-little-support-brexit-britain"><span class="s1"><b>consistent with research carried out by academics at Edinburgh and Cardiff universities</b></span></a> for the Future of England Study in 2018. Brexit appears to be more important to the bulk of Conservative Party members than keeping the UK united. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-48666358/tory-leadership-race-ruth-davidson-in-don-t-break-up-uk-warning" target="_blank">Such sentiments obviously did not go down well</a> amongst the Tories in Scotland.</div>
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Prior to the referendum on independence, perhaps less so since the Conservatives came to power, less and less Scots, can be said to live with the illusion that they had a degree of real partnership within the Union. George Osbourne killed off that illusion, as part of project fear which was rolled out to prevent Scottish independence - rather than indulging in a more rational balanced debate. Scottish election results since 2014 can be said to have reflected a change of attitude towards the relationship and towards those political parties that are based in (and operate out of) Westminster.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Most people in Cymru / Wales if pressed would probably admit that they never imagined that the relationship between Cymru / Wales and England was anything other than one sided. Despite all the bluster from the Conservative leadership candidates about the union - the bottom, must be that either the Union works for all, or it doesn't. If it doesn't then it's not a beneficial, or<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>fair and equal Union, then it's a Union of unequals, especially where Wales and Welsh interests are concerned.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Let’s take a look at relatively recent history, Welsh companies have missed out on contracts worth £6.6 billion to build the first phase of England’s high speed rail line, HS2. The contracts, which may support around 16,000 jobs, were awarded to mainly English, Austrian, Swedish and French firms. No Welsh firms were shortlisted and no Welsh firms will participate in any consortia. A study by quantity surveyor Michael Byng, estimated that the cost of building HS2 could reach over £100 billion, making it the most expensive railway in the world.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Public spending on England-only projects<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>would normally have triggered consequential funding for the devolved nations but as the UK Government designated HS2 as an “England & Wales” project, despite every inch of the railway being in England, this was not the case. Wales was designated a HS2 0% rating at the last Comprehensive Spending Review for Barnett Consequentials whilst northern Ireland and Scotland were rated 100%. HS2 may cost £100 billion if reports are accurate, if the project was correctly labeled as an England-only project, then Wales would be entitled to £5 billion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Our share could be used to invest in our own transport infrastructure. What’s going to happen is that our taxes are being used to fund a high-speed line that will solely benefit England. A report published by accountancy firm, KPMG, back in 2010 showed that HS2 will have an overall negative effect on the Welsh economy, resulting in 21,000 fewer jobs in Wales by 2040 as a result of jobs shifting to the English Midlands and the north of England.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
As part of this increasingly unequal Union, Welsh taxpayers will make their contribution towards building possibly one of the most expensive railway in the world, even though not one inch of it being in Wales and the fact that the British Government deliberately avoided giving Wales its fair share of investment in return by describing the project as an “England and Wales” investment even though it is actually having a negative impact on jobs and wages in Wales. And this will be after the Westminster government's decision to cancel the electrification of the railway to Swansea because it cost too much.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
As for HS2 - the Welsh Labour Government should have ensured that Welsh companies were promoted during the procurement process - it did not. Sadly we should not be surprised by this failure, considering that the Labour Welsh Government’s own deputy economy recent admission that Labour hasn’t known what its doing on the economy for the past 20 years, and that it had run out of ideas and was making it up as it went along. </div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
This candid remark may well explain much - probably more than a few people have already drawn the conclusion that the Labour Party (in Cardiff Bay and elsewhere) clearly appeared to not be able to accomplish much (even with the fairly limited economic tools at its disposal) - now we know the sad truth - they actually didn't have a clue about what they were doing.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
While ineptitude and inaction can cover a multitude of sins or inadequacies - but this may be put down to a case of the Labour branch office in Cardiff waiting for Labour to win in Westminster rather than trying to actually improve our economy with the limited tools, economic levers and ideas they have to work with. There can be no excuse for previous Westminster Governments decision to direct contracts to overseas countries, supporting jobs and wages elsewhere instead of supporting our own companies here in Wales. </div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
The agreement between the Conservative Party and the DUP included a commitment to invest (a blatant bung to everyone else) an additional £1 billion in Northern Ireland over two years. It is worth noting that funding for devolved nations and regions, including northern Ireland, is usually done through the UK Government’s Barnett Formula based on relative population. Under the Barnett formula, spending in one-nation triggers an increase in funding for other nations, based on relative population.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s important to remember that a £1 billion investment in Northern Ireland would equate to a £1.7 billion increase in the Welsh Government’s funding - but of course there were no magic money trees. It would have only been fair that Wales be given its “rightful share” of the money used to “bribe” Northern Ireland. The £1.7 billion figure based on relative population under the Barnett formula using 65.5 million, 1.8 million and 3.1 million as the population of the UK, northern Ireland and Wales respectively.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
It should be clear by now to most impartial observers that Westminster is not clearly working for Wales and neither is the Labour Party - whether in Wales or Westminster. Only Plaid Cymru will stand up and fight for Wales to get its fair share of investment from HS2 and work to make sure that Westminster treats Wales fairly. </div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
The so-called ‘partnership of equals’ between the four constituent nations is a hollow sham. The Union, as is, can be said to offer all the risk and little or no reward - a situation made worse by a Labour Welsh Government that remains content to simply sits on its hands - and wait for an openly centralist Labour Party - that does not understand or perhaps chooses nor recognise the complex realities of devolution in the 21st century - to win in Westminster.</div>
<br />
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-91279599897146203542019-06-22T06:02:00.000-07:002019-06-22T06:02:39.734-07:00BROKEN PROMISES?<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Plaid Cymru’s Treasury Spokesperson, <b>Jonathan Edwards MP</b>, has raised serious concerns over indications that the Westminster Government could renege on its promise to allow the Welsh Government to borrow money to invest in infrastructure.</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
In an answer to a written parliamentary question by Mr Edwards, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss said “in light of [the Welsh Government’s] decision” not to go ahead with the M4 relief road, an increase in the borrowing cap will be reviewed.</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Increasing the amount of money the Welsh Government can borrow requires the approval of the Westminster Government. Such an uplift in the Welsh Government’s capital borrowing allowances (the amount it can borrow to spend on physical assets such as roads or buildings) was announced in the Westminster Government’s 2018 Budget. At the time concerns were raised over indications that the Westminster Government would make devolution of extra borrowing powers contingent on the development of a specific M4 relief road route.</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
On 4 June this year, the Welsh Government announced that it would not build any M4 relief road. The concerns raised at the time of the announcement of the cap increase look to be realised, as the Westminster Government is now considering pulling back on the uplift of £300million.</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
A core principle of devolution is that the money granted to the devolved administration is a matter for the devolved areas over which it governs and the democratically elected National Assembly which oversees it. Linking increases in borrowing capacity to a preferred policy of the Westminster government runs contrary to this principle, particularly considering the project in question – the M4 relief road – sits within the devolved field of transport.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Jonathan Edwards MP</b> said:</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“It is outrageous that the Westminster Government is pulling back on its promise to allow the Welsh Government to borrow to invest in infrastructure. Devolution has been in place for over twenty years, but Westminster is still trying to use dirty tricks to undermine it.</i></b></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“The M4 relief road, was highly environmentally damaging and has been rejected. Westminster cannot dictate what the devolved Government and Assembly should back, simply because they don’t like it. </i></b></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“Welsh transport infrastructure is crying out for investment and I am extremely disappointed in the record of the Labour Welsh Government on the issue. The fact that they did not have a plan for alternative investment plans in greener, cleaner options when they cancelled the development of the M4 relief road speaks volumes about their ambition. However, this does not mean that Westminster has any right to undermine the democratic structures of devolution.</i></b></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“The very principle of devolution is being questioned by the Westminster Government. If they do as they are threatening and renege on their commitments, they will be undermining the fragile constitutional compromise that underpins the relationship between Wales and Westminster.”</i></b></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<b>ENDS</b></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<b>Notes</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li2"><span class="s1"></span><b>M4: Wales: Written questions</b></li>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li3"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s3">259943 <b>– </b><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-04/259944/"><span class="s4">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-04/259944/</span></a></span></li>
<li class="li3"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s3">259944 <b>– </b><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-04/259943/"><span class="s4">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-04/259943/</span></a></span></li>
</ul>
<li class="li3"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s3">ITV – Row over proposed Welsh Government multi-million pound borrowing powers –<b> </b><a href="https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2018-10-30/wales-budget-borrowing-powers-m4-cairns-drakeford/"><span class="s4">https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2018-10-30/wales-budget-borrowing-powers-m4-cairns-drakeford/</span></a></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-19284436498355864112019-06-19T12:22:00.001-07:002019-06-19T12:22:12.805-07:00SLOWLY LOSING OUR BANKS
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<div class="p1">
Bank closures, remain, and are likely to remain at least for the foreseeable future a simple sad fact of life for many communities across much of rural and not so rural Wales. The closures appear relentless and unstoppable, despite the fact that high street banks could and should have a roll to play within the economic life of our communities. <a href="http://plaidcymrumonmouth.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/somewhat-indifferent-to-protests.html"><span class="s1">We have been here before</span></a> and will no doubt be back. It should be obvious by now that the big 4 banks don’t care about public opinion or the consequences of the closures on local communities. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjAUkw6L4tpW0TX5acrUL3IvFd69OX0R7C2DsoNBR635nw7uGJtBVtmXC_WDWaLWbq0xufmueESAB_CYMd1G0Gbd4XWdA2ryyJXA5vUPnzoKavFJLgtRDgfqrEFsJXcvtFimRrp4WqcII/s1600/closure_notice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjAUkw6L4tpW0TX5acrUL3IvFd69OX0R7C2DsoNBR635nw7uGJtBVtmXC_WDWaLWbq0xufmueESAB_CYMd1G0Gbd4XWdA2ryyJXA5vUPnzoKavFJLgtRDgfqrEFsJXcvtFimRrp4WqcII/s1600/closure_notice.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A bank closure notice</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="p1">
There is a recognisable pattern to the process - local political and community leaders rightly kick off and are justifiably angry along with local residents who are often interviewed by local media. As part of this cycle we have the usual weasel words from the bank themselves, but, once the initial fuss settles the closure will roll on – as the large London based banks are pretty much answerable to no one save themselves – certainly not anyone here in Cymru / Wales.</div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Dropping the spin (about the growth in on-line banking and it’s use – if you have no choice what else are people going to do) this is about nothing more than cutting running costs, the banks have little (or no concern) for their relatively unprofitable personal customers or the concerns of their local business customers or our smaller communities. As has been noted elsewhere, by no less than the US Senate, some banks have other more pressing interests than those of their domestic customers like helping to launder money for drug dealers, dictators and terrorists, so much for being a local bank.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
More than 200 banks have shut in Wales since 2008, leaving towns such as Newcastle Emlyn,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Hay-on-Wye and Llandovery (since 9th June), too name but a few towns, without any banks. The loss of small town banks is not confined to rural areas - it has been paralleled by the loss of suburban banks which have also quietly disappeared from local shopping centres in our cities and smaller valley towns.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Local banks remain useful for the high street and local communities, they help to promote vitality and vibrancy and make it easier for local businesses to operate. Local businesses to a degree benefit from the existence of local high street branches by picking up passing trade from bank customers. Once local bank branches close, the impact will be felt locally especially by older residents and local business owners who have to trek further and further to pay in their taking and the subsequent drop in passing trade.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Even where banks survive there is a visible trend to replace person centred banking with machine centred banking. In my bank - even if there is no cue customers are regularly referred to machines to pay in cash or cheques or withdraw cash before you get a chance to talk to cashiers. This trend which is also being mirrored in some of the larger supermarkets is not about giving customers a choice or and easier service it's about reducing staffing costs to a minimum - something that will cut jobs and the wage bill.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This situation has been further aggravated by the demise of many building societies, most by no means all of which were largely hoovered by the banks within a few years of them being floated. It is perhaps a pity that we don’t have some sort of risk free Post Office Savings bank – save for the fact that it was recklessly sold off by a previous Conservative government on the cheap. That said, it is of course important to remember that one result of the demise of the regional banks was the relentless rise of the big 4 banks which led to the growth of the reckless casino banking and cheap credit that brought about the financial crash.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Once you factor in the ruthless Post Office closure programme that was pushed through by the then Labour Government, and continued by the former Con - Lib Dem coalition government prior to it’s privatisation of the Post Office. Which in turn was preceded by the rapid floatation and rapid demise of most of our building societies you can clearly see how we got here - sorting the mess out is not going to be easy – perhaps as has been said before we need some sort of publically owned community owned <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-48556549" target="_blank">Wales savings bank</a> or Bank Cambria.</div>
<br />
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</style>Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-13084851071019794742019-06-09T11:08:00.000-07:002019-06-09T11:08:37.846-07:00WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
The First Minister made the right choice about the M4 Relief road. Personally I have been opposed to the project since the 1990's. It's been dropped more times over the years than a questionable county striker. Whats important now - is what happens next to alleviate the traffic problems that regularly clog up our city - the M4 Relief road would have done little to resolve them - despite the promises. If we are serious about giving people a realistic alternative to the car in and around Newport (and elsewhere) then we need decent integrated reliable public transport - without that nothing is going to change.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
What happens next is now of real significance - there are some small significant and long overdue projects - which would be big wins by way of infrastructure in Newport which should have been completed decades ago. A prime example is that of the proposed re-opening of the railway station at Caerleon - this has been in the structure plan since 1986 - but nothing has been done. Not to mention railway stations at Llanwern and Magor - approved in principle but with no ground broken as the years continue to pass. There are sone relatively simple potentially significant easy wins - which could have a big impact on the congestion problem in and around Newport and on the coastal plain. We need railway stations, with decent facilities and significant park and ride (with sensible walk to routes) at:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span>Caerleon / Ponthir ,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span>Magor, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
<li class="li1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span>Llanwern<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Across the south east, we can start with the Ebbw vale link to Newport needs to be re-timetabled and the line extended to Aberbeeg (as originally promised). Trains already periodically run on this line into Newport - when maintenance is under taken elsewhere. This reinstated service would enable connecting services to be run into Newport - giving commuters to Bristol and further afield an alternative means of getting to and from their places of work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSsSRKBQuokyqic5Z8fbmAAk_I9JHfokTLOPPKE99Inv0nYNjsFVwAf0fQrhi8u_AyMkoM8je6y1Y0Q6556YEzKVD2uS6qgfnAQgD97swsaQ4K5SOnG1e9iGDV3hFpmoF1KVZg7EoME31/s1600/Driver+training+on+the+Gaer+spur+%2528Ian+Brewer%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSsSRKBQuokyqic5Z8fbmAAk_I9JHfokTLOPPKE99Inv0nYNjsFVwAf0fQrhi8u_AyMkoM8je6y1Y0Q6556YEzKVD2uS6qgfnAQgD97swsaQ4K5SOnG1e9iGDV3hFpmoF1KVZg7EoME31/s1600/Driver+training+on+the+Gaer+spur+%2528Ian+Brewer%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The link to Ebbw Vale...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Within Newport there is a need to develop a decent system of public transport - based around a light rail / tram network which connects Bettws / Malpas, Duffryn and Pill and Alway / Ringland with the city centre and the railway station(s). At present the residents of Bettws, Pill, Duffryn and Alway / Ringland have no alternative but to drive, use the much reduced bus service or walk. Trams are not a pipe dream they are already an important part of integrated public transport systems in Merton (in south west London), Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere. They would work equally well in Newport, Cardiff and Swansea and feed people into our main line railway stations.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
Elsewhere in the former county of Gwent there is much work that needs to be done. Our railway stations at Abergavenny, Pontypwl and Cwmbran, Caldicot , Severn Tunnel and Chepstow have all seen some degree of improvement but are barely fit for service. All these stations need improvement and need more stopping services and better facilities hand in hand with the development of secure reasonably priced park and ride facilities. There should be a feasibility study into reopening the branch line to Usk (with a station sited West of the River Usk (with decent park and ride facilities). Along with this there is a case for a park and ride railway station at Little Mill (especially with the proposed hoisting development at Mamihiiad). With all of this we need integrated ticketing - with one ticket coverage all modes of transport - it either well elsewhere in these islands - so why not here?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
The National Assembly also needs to work systematically and over the long term to get long distance freight traffic off our roads and back onto our railways. If you are shipping a container from Neath or Newport to Nuneaton or Namur it needs to be on a train not trundling around the motorway network. Successive Scottish government have had done success with encouraging and incentivising the movement of freight from road back to rail. Hand in hand with this initiative there is a real need to fundamentally change the delivery cycle from last minute to more planned delivery cycle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
We need workable medium term solutions that will fundamentally impact on our options for moving about our city, the SE and the rest of Wales. What we don't need now is inaction, we gave had plenty of that, combined with poor if not down right bad decision making on the part if government at all levels, be it Westminster, National Assembly and local level - the consequences of which we are all living with every day in the south east and across the rest of Cymru / Wales. The tine for excuses us past - what's needed now is action on the ground to begin to sort out our congestion problems and to provide us with decent integrated transport that's fit for the 21st century rather the 20th.<span class="s2"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-61243916106215660722019-05-11T09:46:00.000-07:002019-05-11T09:46:09.568-07:00TIDE IS TURNING
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The “tide is turning” on Welsh independence according to <b>Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price</b>.</div>
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Speaking ahead of the first ever March for Welsh independence held today in Cardiff organised by AUOB Cymru, Adam Price said that people were “waking up” to the idea that independence is normal.</div>
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Mr Price said that decades of neglect from the UK Government has resulted in poverty in Wales and that coupled with the Brexit chaos was enough to show that Westminster was “not fit” to govern or represent Wales.</div>
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He cited the emergence of various grassroots organisations including Yes Cymru, Undod, AUOB and Welsh Football Fans for Independence as a sign that attitudes towards Welsh independence is changing.</div>
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<b>Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price</b> said,</div>
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<b><i>“For many years, our desire to see an independent Wales has seemed distant. But the tide is turning, the marches are growing, and the voices are louder.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Decades of Westminster neglect have resulted in poverty and under-investment. A third of our children are living in relative poverty and you only have to look at the Brexit chaos to see that Westminster is not fit to govern or represent Wales.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“People are waking up to the idea that independence is normal and that the solution to our problems in Wales is to take our future into our own hands.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Grassroots organisations like of Yes Cymru, Undod, AUOB and Welsh Football Fans for Independence, the repainting of Cofiwch Dryweryn and the sold-out, thousand strong Yes is More gig shows there is a new-found confidence in Wales’ future as an independent country.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Imagine what an outward, fairer, progressive and welcoming country, with all the democratic and economic levers it needs and where anyone who wants to be Welsh can call Wales their home, could contribute to the world.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“Today, I will be proud to march alongside my fellow citizens from all across Wales to proudly declare that Wales’ brightest possible future is as an independent nation at the heart of Europe.</i></div>
</i><br />
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-6980460306578427862019-05-08T10:23:00.001-07:002019-05-08T10:23:22.565-07:00POST-BREXIT FUNDING FARCE
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Plaid Cymru Brexit Spokesperson, <b>Hywel Williams MP</b>, has attacked the Westminster Government for failing to deliver any details over the replacement to regional development funding, despite promising to do so by the end of last year. Mr Williams made the criticisms during a parliamentary debate on <i>The Future of Regional Development Funding in Wales</i>.</div>
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Little is known about the so-called Shared Prosperity Fund, which is meant to replace regional funding if the UK leaves the EU, because the Westminster Government failed to meet its own deadline on publishing a consultation by the end of 2018. </div>
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Plaid Cymru have put forward detailed proposals for a replacement regional development funding system in a recent paper <i>Not A Penny Less</i>. Included in their proposals were a call to ensure that Wales does not receive a penny less in funding, that the National Assembly for Wales remains responsible for its distribution and that funds are fairly pre-allocated on need rather than doled out using a competitive bidding process, to ensure the three nations and English regions are not pitted against each other. </div>
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Plaid Cymru supports a People’s Vote and would campaign for Wales to remain an EU member. Research by Cardiff University found that, as an EU member, Wales receives around £245 million more a year from the EU than it pays in.</div>
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During the debate, <b>Hywel Williams MP </b>said:</div>
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<b><i>“Two years ago the Westminster Government committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund, ‘specifically designed to reduce inequalities between communities across our four nations.’ Well, where is it?</i></b></div>
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“Wales won’t forgive a Westminster Government that can’t or won’t plan the funding </i></b><b><i>on which so many of our communities are forced to depend.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Decisions on future funding must be timely, we can’t have a government caused funding gap disrupting a proper transition in the delivery of projects on the ground… we need timely planning and proper funding to enable Welsh solutions for Welsh problems.</i></b></div>
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<b>Mr Williams</b> went on to say: <b> </b></div>
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<b><i>“The UK Shared Prosperity Fund must deliver for Wales. Otherwise ever more of our citizens will conclude, rightly I believe, that we are better out than in. Out of the UK and back in the EU.”</i></b></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-58087206207828276382019-04-27T05:18:00.001-07:002019-04-27T05:18:42.979-07:00HS2 AND WALES
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HS2 has been branded an “affront to the Welsh taxpayer” by Plaid Cymru’s Transport Spokesperson <b>Jonathan Edwards MP</b>, after new analysis showed costs spiralling to over £150 bn.</div>
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Analysis by the Midlands Economic Forum (MEF) shows that the original construction cost of £30 bn could reach as much as £106.35 bn. This excludes further costs such as local infrastructure connection terminal (£43 bn) and rolling stock (£2.5 bn).</div>
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Mr Edwards said that Welsh taxpayers would be paying for an English railway, without receiving any benefit. The Westminster Government has already refused to give Wales any Barnett Consequentials – the normal mechanism by which a population share increase in funding for Wales is received relative to spending in England – for the project.</div>
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Transport expert Professor Stuart Cole has also demonstrated how HS2 will have negative consequences for Wales, particularly in the south of the country, as journey times to cities in the midlands and north of England are reduced and new technology encourages companies to areas with HS2 stations. Professor Cole’s analysis was supported by a report from Greengauge 21, which drew on analysis by KPMG, that found that HS2 could reduce employment growth in Wales by 21,000 jobs between 2007 and 2040.</div>
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The MEF report also claims the power requirement costs of HS2 would be approximately one third of the output of Hinckley C, and would cost £5 bn.</div>
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The overall cost of HS2, as calculated by MEF, would be £156.95 bn, which equates to 7.4% of UK GDP in 2018. </div>
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Commenting, <b>Jonathan Edwards MP</b> said:</div>
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<b><i>“HS2 has always been bad news for Wales – independent analysis shows it will mean an economic hit for our country. These latest figures, however, shows how much of an affront to the Welsh taxpayer HS2 really is.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“When costs are spiralling over £150bn for a railway between English cities, the Westminster Government remains committed. But when it comes to Wales, the British state can’t find the money to electrify a few miles of track between our two biggest cities.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Welsh infrastructure is creaking. You can’t even get from the north to the south without going into a different country.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Not only is this state of affairs symbolic of Westminster’s disdain for Wales, it is hurting our economy. Wales is stuck with a 20th century transport system, whilst helping fund the development of a multi-billion pound new transport system in England.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>“We simply cannot trust another country to dictate our transport policy for any longer.”</i></b></div>
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<b>ENDS</b></div>
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<b>Note</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"></span>Professor Stuart Cole’s Comments in relation to HS2 detrimental impact on Wales (para. 42) - <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwelaf/403/40307.htm"><span class="s2">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwelaf/403/40307.htm</span></a></li>
<li class="li2"><span class="s3"></span><span class="s4">Greengauge 21 report - <a href="http://www.greengauge21.net/consequences-for-employment-and-economic-growth/"><span class="s5">http://www.greengauge21.net/consequences-for-employment-and-economic-growth/</span></a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-26244456461477212442019-04-26T08:24:00.001-07:002019-04-26T08:24:45.943-07:00THE DAYS AFTER…
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Well there we are then, the Newport West By-election is over (our cities fourth by-election since 1922 **) and the voters (those who turned out to vote that is) have spoken. It was an interesting by-election campaign, somewhat overshadowed by Brexit, especially in the last week. It was my first election since the passing of my much missed late father, who would, like the late Steffan Lewis, have relished a Westminster By-election in Newport.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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There should be another massive thank you to my wife, my agent, my campaign team and the electors of Newport West / Mynwy for their support. And a massive thanks to the dozens of volunteers who came to help from all over Cymru / Wales - who remained in good cheer despite the hail, sleet / snow and the risk of sunburn - sometimes all within the same morning or afternoon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;">A positive endorsement...</b></td></tr>
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<div class="p1">
Any election, but, particularly a By-election campaign should give every candidate the opportunity to listen to, to talk to and to meet with many Constituents during the course of a prolonged walking tour of (in my opinion) one of Cymru / Wales's more interesting constituencies. It was very clear early, on during what was essentially a short but intense campaign ,from the doorstep that not every candidate exercised that opportunity to actually listen and talk to prospective voters.</div>
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Elections are not simply about the voters and the candidates, a whole host of people work very hard behind the scenes to make things work smoothly, including the Retuning Officers, their staff, the council staff who run the polling booths (for some hours on polling day done if then were literally in the dark and the cold) and the staff who count the votes and the other council staff and the Police who work tirelessly to make the count function flawlessly. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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In Newport West constituency former candidates and the successfully elected<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>candidate life can now begin the odd process of returning to some form of normality. For the next few weeks after returning to normal sleep patterns and a normal intake of coffee may be something of a priority, that and resisting the strange desire to knock on the doors of perfect strangers and push leaflets through complete strangers letter boxes.</div>
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Sadly there were only two hustings (mostly but not entirely attended by political hangers on), something that may reflect on the price our society in Newport has paid for an over dominance by an often unresponsive Labour Party, perceived by some voters (correctly) as being more interested in Labour Party interests than the interests of our city and our country.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Now that the sound and the fury have faded, and the hustings/ door knocking and. conversations blended into one former candidates can take stock. This is no glory in this, merely hard work, any dreams of political immortality / longevity should regularly doused with hard cold realism.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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A couple of election campaigns ago having been featured on the front page of a local newspaper in relation to the campaign to Keep Abergavenny Livestock Market I had the surreal experience of going to buy some chips in a local chip shop with a friend only to find myself literally being wrapped around chips (<i>Sic transit gloria mundi</i> - or "Thus passes the glory of the world”.</div>
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** Newport By-elections - 1922, 1945 (March), 1956 and 2019.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-23764621184202475122019-03-28T13:42:00.001-07:002019-03-28T13:42:15.199-07:00GREEN JOBS FOR NEWPORT<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Tories and Labour dragging their feet over renewable developments</b></div>
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<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
Plaid Cymru’s Newport West by-election candidate, Jonathan Clark has said Newport must make use of its natural advantages if it is to compete with neighbouring cities.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s now over 20 years years since former Tory leader and then Welsh Secretary, William Hague scrapped potentially transformational plans for an Usk barrage. The South Wales Argus, in 2016, reported that “It was hoped the barrage would transform the waterfront of Newport, create more than 5,000 jobs and 2,300 new homes as part of a £400 million waterfront park alongside the river.”</div>
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<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
According to Jonathan Clark, <b><i>“Our city needs a second chance by making good use of its natural position.</i></b></div>
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<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“The river Usk has one of the highest rise and fall of tides in Wales, and with its history of manufacturing and heavy industry, should be well placed to benefit from the development of tidal lagoons to the west and the east of the city and the harnessing of some of the tidal energy potential of the Severn estuary - with a combination of tidal turbines, wave power, off shore wind and solar.”</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
Arguing that the two main Westminster parties weren’t taking climate change seriously enough, Jonathan Clark added <b><i>“Children are going out on strike because of climate change, the UN is warning of impending disaster, and we are already seeing the effects of global warming.</i></b></div>
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<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“While Labour and the Tories compete for who can be Newport’s biggest polluters with their backing for the wasteful M4 black route, Plaid Cymru is the only party that is planning a Green Jobs Revolution for Newport.</i></b></div>
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<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“We are committed to utilising Wales’ most untapped resource, our maritime energy potential. We will build tidal lagoons, harness offshore wind, and capture the power of our waves to create a Green Jobs Revolution for Newport.</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>“While Labour and the Tories drag their feet on renewables projects and plan to decimate the Gwent levels, Plaid Cymru is offering a prosperous and sustainable future to our city.”</i></b></div>
<br />Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-34000854669847829012019-03-20T11:17:00.000-07:002019-03-20T11:18:06.734-07:00IT’S OUR WATER<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;">
The chief executive of the Environment Agency - the public body responsible for protecting the environment and wildlife in England - Sir James Bevan, told a Waterwise conference, a few days ago that within 25 years England w<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47620228" target="_blank">ill not have enough water to meet demand</a>. </div>
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He stated that the impact of climate change, combined with population growth, means the country ( England ) is facing an "existential threat", "We all need to use less water and use it more efficiently and that, in around 20 to 25 years, England would reach the "jaws of death - the point at which, unless we take action to change things, we will not have enough water to supply our needs".</div>
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Last October, a water company, Southern Water - which serves customers in south eastern England, stated that customer demand is estimated to be double its available supply by 2020. As a result of climate change, a reduction of the amount of water allowed to be taken from natural sources, and a rise in population demand would outstrip supply. The company's plan for 2020-2025 sets out how it will overcome the deficit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>by reducing leakage by 15% and encourage customers to use less water.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>It's our water...</b></td></tr>
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Now this could be good news for Wales, but only for if we had control of our own natural resources and could benefit from a fair price for our water. For amongst our rich resources is the literal stuff of life – water. Water is likely to become a valuable resource for the people of Wales in future years, and who owns, it who controls it, and who benefits is likely to remain one of the key issues, of potential dispute between Westminster and Cardiff Bay.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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While our country’s voice has been significantly strengthened since 1999, with various Wales related acts, as yet we still do not have the same degree of control of our natural resources as either Scotland or Northern Ireland. Not for nothing does the issue of water rightly still <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4354256.stm"><span class="s1">understandably raises strong emotions</span></a> and stirs long memories here in Wales.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Not that long ago <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/8571614/Ignore-this-rain-its-the-drought-that-we-need-to-think-about.html"><span class="s1">Boris Johnson</span></a> (then Mayor of London, lately, after May 2015 an MP, former feign secretary and now with other things on his mind) was wittering on about the need for a network of canals being needed to carry water from the wet North to the dry South (for the ‘wet North’<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>read ‘Wales). Boris's revolutionary thought, not to mention his poor grasp of geography, was not a new idea.</div>
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Back in 1973, what was then the Water Resources Board, a now defunct government agency, wrote a major report that advocated building a whole raft of infrastructure to aid the movement of water, not to mention constructing freshwater storage barrages in the Ouse, Wash and Morecambe Bay, using a network of canals to move water from north to south, extending reservoirs and building new aqueducts, not to mention constructing a series of tunnels to link up river basins to aid the movement of water.</div>
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Despite the demise of the Water Resources Board in 1974 (two years before the 1976 drought) and its replacement by regional water management bodies, which were privatised in the 1980’s this issue has never really gone away. In 2006, the Environment Agency produced a report entitled <i>"Do we need large-scale water transfers for south-east England ?"</i> which in a refreshingly honest answer to its own question at the time was an emphatic ‘no’.</div>
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That said, faced with a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17340844"><span class="s1">prolonged period of drought</span></a> in the South East of England, DEFRA itself held a drought summit on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17054866"><span class="s1">the 20th of February</span></a> of 2012. The then Con Dem Government stated that it remained committed to the remaining legislative measures set out in its <a href="http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/legislation/whitepaper"><span class="s1">Water for Life agenda </span></a>, which later became the <a href="http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/waterindustryfinancialassistance.html"><span class="s1">Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Act</span></a>. That is as they say history, but whatever Westminster eventually decides to do in relation to water resources, we in Wales still need to have full democratic control of our own resources.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Our resources incidentally should include those parts of our country where Severn Trent Plc runs our natural resources for a fat profit. This process can begin with repatriating control of the Crown Estates and transferring control of lands in (and off-shore) to the Welsh Government in Cardiff. For the life of me I can see no realistic reason why this feudal anachronism cannot be consigned to the dustbin of history.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Time to make sure our history is not repeated</b></td></tr>
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We need a whole Wales strategy to develop, conserve and enhance our water supplies and our planning regulations will need to be tweaked or rewritten accordingly. We need to take a long hard look at our water resources and what we get for them and how we can develop them.</div>
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I see absolutely no reason why the Welsh people cannot fully benefit from any future exploitation of Welsh resources, including our water. Most politically aware people would not have been particularly shocked to discover that coincidentally that the Government of Wales Act (2006) thanks largely to Peter (now Lord) Hain (amongst others) specifically excluded the Assembly from making any laws relating to water supply – hmm – odd that isn't it?</div>
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Now such duplicitous behaviour on the part of New or re-born Old Labour is not to be unexpected. The problem is that it does little to engender any trust or visible demonstration of an understanding of devolution or Wales, especially when the bearded one’s version of Labour starts talking about re-nationalising the Water industry.</div>
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Putting Tory and Labour spin and rhetoric aside, the bottom line is that all our water resources should belong to the Welsh people, not to Private corporations or to the UK Government. Any post BREXIT future draft Wales Bill should strengthen the powers that we in Wales have over our natural resources and associated planning processes and devolve control of those parts of the Severn Trent water franchise to Wales.</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-12604053944332492722019-03-17T12:07:00.001-07:002019-03-17T12:07:19.771-07:00TAKING BACK CONTROL - POLICING<style type="text/css">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are at least 500 fewer police officers are on the streets in Wales than since the Conservatives first came to power in coalition with the Lib Dems in 2010. If policing was devolved and funded on a population basis as is the case with other policy areas our Welsh police forces would receive upwards of £20 million more per year. Policing is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, making our National Assembly the only devolved legislature not to have any control over its nation’s police forces. Once again, we remain the poor relation amongst the devolved institutions across these islands. Perhaps its time to take back control…</span></div>
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Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-77549801446168379872019-03-14T04:01:00.001-07:002019-03-14T04:01:30.911-07:00THE INVISIBLE CITY...
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Simply making Newport a convenient place to get to other places from it or to quickly pass by is a no brainier and does little to deal with the underlying problems that Newport faces when it comes to retail and commercial activity within the city centre and the simple lack of easily accessible public transport in and around the city. For whatever reason it is relative easy to come to the conclusion that Newport at times barely figures in the collective mind of the Welsh Government and much like Cymru / Wales is invisible to Westminster.</div>
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Relatively recent developments have done little to counter this train of thought - 20 years ago the geographical SE of our country was for most purposes largely the former county of Gwent - with or without Caerphilly. Now the SE for a variety of purposes includes Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and RCT. This relatively low key change in regional geographical emphasis slipped by almost unnoticed but has done Newport few favours.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space"><b>Between a rock and a hard place</b></span></div>
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Whereas 20 years ago long term thinkers were concerned about the Severnside agenda - now we are literals between a rock and hard place - facing the consequences - social, economic and political of the Cardiff capital city Region..<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and a reborn Severnside agenda. Some twenty years ago<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>our SE (as Gwent) had one University (the University of Newport) - the new SE at one point had<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>4 universities with Cardiff, Cardiff Metropolitan and University of Glamorgan lumped in together with Newport University.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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That spatial development combined with UWN management publically falling out with the then Labour in Wales Minister of Education meant that when up against it there would be no cavalry riding to the rescue. All those years that UWN had spent expensively wining and dining Labour in Newport and their cronies counted for nothing - all UWN got rather than support was the sound of silence. Post merger the continued visible run down of Newport City Centre campus does not provide a stable base upon which to build any knowledge and IT focused knowledge quarter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Transport wise our home city has missed out on the benefits of the reopening of the Ebbw Vale line to passenger traffic. Newport ceased to be (to a degree) once again a partial default initial destination for most travellers as trains run direct to Cardiff. The almost certainly deliberate decision to have trains running direct to Cardiff from Ebbw Vale (which was always the plan) but no slower hourly service to Newport significantly tweaked our regions transport geography quite significantly.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space"><b>The invisible city</b></span></div>
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Media wise it's much the same, Newport - our country's third largest urban area barely features on our own national media - it was not until fairly recently that Newport (in Gwent) began to appear on the BBC Wales weather map - even if only after numerous letters of complaint. Football wise things are much the same -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Wrecsam football club gets far more media coverage on BBC Wales than Newport County ever does (save when we are successfully involved in relegation dogfights or good FA cup runs) and this is despite the fact Newport has been in higher division for six years.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The costly (in many ways) proposed M4 Relief road won't solve Newport and South Gwent traffic problems or reduce the short local journeys we have to make because of the lack of an alternative reliable method of public transport. The proposed metro, which could take significant steps towards developing some long overdue integrated public transport infrastructure appears to be more concerns with ferrying people and and out of Cardiff, rather than tackling even indirectly some of the underlying issues affecting Newport.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We quite simply have to do better than that. What's needed - apart from railway stations at Celtic Lakes, Caerleon / Ponthir, Magor and Llanwern (with adequate, safe and secure park and ride, and other facilities) is an interested system of public transport (with rail, light rail, trams and buses) that stretches north to Cwmbran, east to Magor / Caldicot and Chepstow and West to central and eastern Cardiff providing us with easily accessible realistic alternatives to using our cars.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space"><b>Getting around our city </b></span></div>
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Along with a decent easily accessible integrated public transport system - the norm in more than a few paces - we also need to look at creating a level playing field for our local small businesses. The Friars Walk in Newport has been a welcome exception to the last thirty five years, where across the south east, we have seen the commercial hearts of many of our communities (including Newport) seriously damaged (if not ripped out in some cases) as a result of a combination of aggressive policies pursued by the larger retail chains and exceptionally poor decision-making on the part of local government and central government indifference.</div>
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When combined with the rapid growth of unsustainable, ill-thought out and more than questionable out of town and edge of town retail developments which leave next to no place for the smaller local businesses and retailers and deprive consumers of real choice. When you factor in parking charges, business rates and the effect of the closure of high street banks and post offices in many of our communities and you begin to see why many of our smaller businesses and local shopping centres are up against it.</div>
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We need to focus on creating the right conditions for our local small businesses (and our communities) to not just survive, but to thrive and grow in Newport and across the SE. They are a vital part of the local economy, for as well as trading with us the consumers and customers, they also trade with each other - so the community gets twice the benefit. Money spent by and in local businesses spends on average three times longer in the local economy than that spent with chain stores which is instantly lost to the local economy which in times of recession our communities can ill afford - this are some the reasons why we need a New Newport and a New Wales. </div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-2431745387196135372019-03-13T02:20:00.000-07:002019-03-13T02:20:03.152-07:00SOME POWER FROM THE PEOPLE
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<span style="font-size: small;">Back in the 1960's people were bring told that by the year 2000 energy would be so cheap that it would be impossible to bill people for it. That never happened - partially as a result of an ideologically driven privatisation of the energy boards created a privatised (effective) monopoly - market forces set to work and pretty soon we were left with the big six energy suppliers (a cartel by any other name). With weak regulation - despite some periodic and actually very effective work by Westminster parliamentary select committees - the cartel members have been able to get away with much - mostly at our expense (literally).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We have to recognise that this costly experiment has failed - much like the privatisation of the railways. Rolling the clock back to having it all run by the indifferent dead hand of a re-ecentralised post Brexit Brit state is just not an option. That's partially how we ended up in this mess to start with. We need to do something different - firstly we need to make sure that we don't get fleeced over our energy bills by the members of the 'Big 6 Energy Cartel' - who have made fat profits over the years at our expense.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Having recognised that what we have does not work, we then need to change the rules of the game and to create a national energy company for Wales to generate sustainable and reasonably priced energy, which can also be part of the solution to create a low carbon society. There is no reason to suggest that similar solutions would not work in parts of England. We need to establish and develop a national energy company, Ynni Cymru, which should be run as a not-for-dividend company at arms-length from the Welsh Government. This would prevent the agencies of the state from skimming profits off the top and ensure that they get reinvested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is a vision for energy and the environment for a Wales that reduces its carbon emissions, harnesses its natural resources sustainably, and seizes opportunities in the low-carbon and circular economies. The link between energy and climate change is clear. A number of actions could fall into the remit of Ynni Cymru, including: reducing the cost per unit of energy to homes and businesses in Wales, reducing the consumption of energy in homes and businesses and helping consumers to make informed decisions based on smart metering technology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ynni Cymru should be tasked with funding the mass installation, outsourced to local companies, of solar panels on the roofs of households, business premises and lampposts in Wales, beginning with public buildings and social housing.<b> </b>The company would coordinate and facilitate the use of publicly owned land for renewable energy purposes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The company could finance the acquisition and development of new large-scale generating and storage capacity, ensuring Wales becomes self-sufficient in renewable energy and becomes a renewable energy exporter.<b> </b>It could boost our energy market by ensuring the development of a national producer cooperative among community energy organisations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The problem we face is that our energy production and distribution model has been effectively restructured to primarily benefit the big 6 energy cartel members, their interests and their (City) profits. From the perspective of energy consumers and smaller scale energy producers, or anyone who wants things to change the problem is that all the Westminster based political parties have quietly bought into this cartel dominated model of energy production and ownership (or perhaps more truthfully were quietly bought).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The reality is that the UK’s cartel dominated model for energy production and distribution is not necessarily the norm everywhere in Europe or around the world. Now contrary to what you might think, and tend hear from Westminster; realistic alternatives exist and actually prosper, a particularly good example of a balanced and healthy energy mix can be found in Germany. Small may very well be beautiful, even with a geographically sizeable state, especially in relation to energy, in 2012 some 22% of the countries energy came from small scale green entrepreneurs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Community based co-operatives (both urban and rural), farmers and homeowners are part of the 1.3 million renewable energy producers and part of the energy mix. In Germany, citizens’, cooperatives, and communities own more than half of German renewable capacity. Small-scale electricity generation is having a knock on effect encouraging change throughout the energy system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In Berlin, <a href="http://www.buerger-energie-berlin.de/english"><span class="s1">a cooperative</span></a> (Burger Energie Berlin – literally Berlin Citizens Energy) continues to strive to take control of the capital's electricity grid with some 35,000km of underground cables. The cooperative is a free, cross-party coalition of citizens who are committed to a sustainable, sustainable and democratic energy policy in Berlin. Members have one vote regardless of the amount their deposit and anyone who wants the power network to be in civil hand, is welcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ordinary Berliners have invested their cash in the venture with the intention of producing a reliable 100 per cent renewable energy supply. The aim is to promote the integration of renewable energy into the grid and to invest a portion of the profits from this directly into the transition to renewable energy. At present the Berlin electricity grid remains run by Vattenfall regularly generates millions in profits, members of the co-operative believe that the profits from the grid operation should flow to Berlin’s citizens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is grass roots energy generation that has potentially the power to change the nature of the energy supply system (in Germany and elsewhere). They aim to build an energy grid that is better handle the rise of green power and allows local use of locally produced energy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This may well be a case of small being both beautiful and perhaps deeply disturbing from the perspective of Westminster and Cardiff Bay something that it is both community beneficial and community owned. There is no practical reason beyond thats not the way its done here why people living here and Wales could not benefit from membership of citizen owned energy co-operatives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In Germany, there is a deliberate promoted policy of energy transition (or ‘Energiewende’) – this is a very different approach to what is practised in these islands (at least south of the Scottish border). For a start the ‘Energiewende’ is driven by a desire to reduce and eliminate any dependency on nuclear energy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The introduction of the Feed-in-tariff (EEG) in 2008 was an important part of this process, along with (post Fukushima) the almost unanimous across the board political commitment to a wide range of targets (in 2011) which included a commitment to reduce energy demand (with a 50% reduction in primary energy use by 2050) and the achievement of an 80% renewable electricity share of total consumption (by 2050). This has resulted in a significant uptake of renewables in Germany.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The real striking difference is that the operation of the grid in Germany means that generated renewable electricity is used first and that distribution network operators (DNOs) are also seeking to reduce demand. This is so radically different from the way the energy is generated, distributed, exported and used here in our country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A significant difference, aside from the scale and pattern of investment (in Germany), is that small businesses, co-operatives, individual households and local authorities benefit from investment distributed by a network of local banks (something we pretty much entirely lack in Wales). The whole thing has been supported by the KfW (state investment bank) to the tune of 23.3 billion euro in the area of environment and climate protection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These developments are a million miles away from the so-called ‘Free market’ for energy that exists in the UK, which is pretty dominated by the ‘Big 6’ energy cartel members. The fact that some former politicians have found rewarding post political career employment within the energy sector may be co-incidental but suggests that there is little desire for improvement within Westminster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The way the current set up works, it is difficult to imagine ‘a Government’ at most levels (at least outside of Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland) in the UK grasping the concept, the practicalities and real possibilities of genuine community owned beneficial energy generation projects. Pending some real change in the way energy policy works we are all pretty much trapped with a real lack of meaningful choice or realistic alternatives when it comes to customers securing domestic energy from the big 6 cartel members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What we have had is years of visionless New Labour and Conservative governments in Westminster, which have been <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/10/06/cameron-saudi-arabia-chanel-4-news_n_8254800.html"><span class="s1">hand in glove</span></a> with despotic oil and gas-producing regimes in the Middle East ( aside from the vassal like relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabia) who have had has little real interest in renewables. Teresa May’s wobbly and unstable Brexit fixated Westminster government, along with its predecessor continues to actively work to pull the rug out from under the renewables sector by cutting the feed in tariff something that has <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-34392788"><span class="s1">cost highly skilled jobs</span></a> here in Wales.</span></div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-9136743544469757212019-03-06T01:40:00.002-08:002019-03-06T01:40:47.907-08:00PRIDE IN NEWPORT<style type="text/css">
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I’m Jonathan Clark and I am standing for Plaid Cymru in the forthcoming by-election. I am from Newport, my family is from Newport and I have had enough of seeing our city declining every year. More shops shut, more homelessness, more problems with traffic, more anti social behaviour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On the stump - neither rain, nor hail, nor sleet...</b></td></tr>
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I’m proud of my home town - our Newport - and I want see it back on its feet. I want to see more investment in job creation, a coherent and integrated public transport system to improve access to and around out city, and a better business rate relief scheme to help grow our small businesses.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The Labour Party has run Newport for decades and by any reckoning have failed. The Tories have taken incompetence to a new level with their infighting over Brexit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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So, if you want to fix Newport then join our campaign. We need a real opposition in our city. Plaid Cymru, and together we can be that opposition. But we can only do it if we do it together. </div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.partyof.wales/ymgyrchu_campaign">Click here to sign up and join our campaign</a></span>.</div>
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Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922634390736120012.post-45880006891636201362019-02-28T10:47:00.007-08:002019-02-28T10:47:58.762-08:00AND THEN YOU PAY FOR IT!
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The proposed M4 relief road across the Gwent Levels is one of those questionable proposed projects that will devour public money with no tangible medium to longer term benefit. Projected costs have risen from some £900 million to £1.2 billion pounds - having personally listened to enough civil engineers - we can probably expect at least another 20% on top.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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There may well be a link between the rising costs, when it comes to the completion of public sector infrastructure projects and the cost relationship between the construction companies and the corridors of power in Westminster and Whitehall. The inability of public sector infrastructure projects to be completed on-time and on budget should be a concern for all of us - if for nothing else than the fact that it's our money that's being simultaneously both spent and raked up. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes? </b></td></tr>
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The Westminster government has (somewhat reluctantly in my opinion) actually devolved a degree of borrowing powers to the Welsh Government with a less than subtle heavy hint that they should be used to finance this expensive road project. This was backed up in the last Westminster budget with a stronger suggestion/ hint that any extra monies received from Westminster should be used to fund the M4 Relief Road. So much for Westminster having a grasp of the concept of devolution!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Using the borrowing powers to finance this questionable road project would effectively tie the hands of future Welsh governments for some years into the future. We would be better off if the monies (£2 billion pounds could accomplish a great deal)were spent in the construction of a properly thought out South Wales metro which would provide realistic realistic reasonably priced alternatives for people trying to get to and from work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The construction of the Black route is a non starter, its lazy complacent short term thinking, it with the addition of potentially 6 million additional vehicle invents on and around the M4 will not deliver any benefits beyond the immediate short term (if even that). It's environmental destructive to both people and the rich human constructed environment that are the unique Gwent Levels. And it also just happens to strengthen those questionable links between Westminster and Whitehall and the large construction companies.</div>
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Historically the original M4 was intended to be built to the North of Caerleon / Lodge hill - with the provision of a connection for Newport's industrial and business areas (the SDR) Newport Council lobbied for the M4 to be built through northern Newport - it came with plenty of junctions - which we all then used to travel back and for from one side of Newport to another.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Many (some 100,000) journeys on the M4 are defined as local, we use the M4 for local journeys around or across Newport as well as to get to and from work. The proposed M4 Relief road is no simple by-pass - it will have at least 4 junctions effectively setting itself up for more of the same. its odd sometimes how history can repeat or echo itself - and no one seems to notice.</div>
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There is no simple easy fix solutions to our traffic and infrastructure problems, they are fundamentally underlined by a degree of tolerated (by Westminster, Cathays Park and Cardiff Bay) economic weakness. The problems are not, however, unsurmountable if tackled incrementally, one start would be to build railway stations at Caerleon / Ponthir, Llanwern and Magor.</div>
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These new stations should be built with adequate cheap, secure, safe park and ride facilities, tied in with local bus services - along with a reasonable regular timetabled service between Ebbw Vale and Newport - and we may begin to see a real reduction in local journeys across and around Newport on the M4 as people have a real alternative to using their cars.</div>
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A well designed and well thought out South Wales Metro that actually serves all of South Wales rather simply feeding people in and out of Cardiff, is not what's been offered. The Metro is often portrayed as a big single entity of a project - it is complex and multi layered - but it can and should be constructed incrementally.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As the completion of parts of the project will have significant local (and regional) impact on congestion, pollution and travel to (and from) journeys to work across the south east.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Hand in hand with developing the South Wales Metro, future Welsh governments should also bite the bullet and ensure that ticket prices are cheap and that any franchise holder ensures that there is adequate provision of rolling stock (preferably from the early 21st rather than the late 20th century). We need 21st century ticketing which will enable users to make use of multiple modes of transport with single source ticketing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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All this is achievable, deliverable and measurable - what's is desperately needed is the political will and a real / actual commitment to getting the job done, rather than simply talking about it. Sadly we have seen precious little of that in recent years from successive Labour in Wales government in Cardiff Bay or from a rabidly Brexit focused Westminster.</div>
Jonathan T Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04987946941411658581noreply@blogger.com0