Nick Bourne AM

High drama today on the draft budget debate that is taking place this afternoon.  In addition to the cliff hanger that this will no doubt be in terms of opposition requests and the government wanting its budget, we have the additional issue about whether the PO, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, will be chairing today’s debate or whether John Marek, the DPO, will.  This matters in terms of the final vote as the PO by convention won’t vote but the DPO has his name to one of the amendments and will certainly therefore be voting with the opposition if he is not in the chair.  In the longer term clearly there are constitutional issues that need to be addressed in terms of the PO and the DPO and their votes and whether they should both be from the opposition parties as is the case at the moment. 
 

Under the Government of Wales Act 2006 they cannot both be from parties represented on the Executive, but there is no prohibition against them both being members of the opposition.  Where votes are so close, clearly this does give rise to major concerns. 
 

By coincidence I had one of my regular scheduled meetings with Dafydd today during which we discussed a range of issues.
 

It seems to me that Dafydd will be chairing the session this afternoon but will be relieved in the chair by Glyn who is on the Panel of Chairs as the Chair of the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee.  It should therefore follow that the opposition amendment should carry today and this will be important in terms of discussions that we are going to have with the government that will no doubt take place now between the draft budget debate and the final budget debate at the end of the Assembly term.
 

Unsurprisingly all of this overshadows the revelation that the Welsh Assembly Government trip to the Ryder Cup in Ireland has cost a quarter of a million pounds all told.  I can’t say I am surprised as golf usually spells trouble for Rhodri.  One only has to remember the D-Day landing debacle when he was at the Celtic Manor for the golf and not in Normandy with other leaders to commemorate the D-Day landings.  It does seem too much money to me for showing our presence at the Ryder Cup.  Clearly a relatively modest trip would have been in order but given the proximity of Ireland these costs do seem excessive and we will certainly be putting down questions on it. 
 

Andy Klom of the European Commission hosted a buffet lunch today for Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
 

As I strongly suspected, Peter Mandelson when he arrives and circulates is all charm and bonhomie.  Apparently he was brought into politics by the Brecon and Radnor by-election in the mid 1980s – so it is our fault!
 

I have a very interesting talk with him about West Hartlepool where I lived as a young child.  In fact my brother was born in West Hartlepool.  We also, of course, talk about Europe and the importance of a wider Europe and I am pleased that he is signed up to a wider membership of the European Union. 
 

I believe that our membership of the EU is of vital importance when we tackle issues like the shortage of energy resources and problems of  global security and also issues of world trade.  I think the alternative of  strategic alliances with Iceland, Norway and Switzerland is unlikely to be of terrific assistance to us as a country!

I spend the morning listening to The Archers and reading the Sundays.

There’s a very well written piece on David Blunkett by Michael Portillo in
the Sunday Times. It is gracious and generous to a man. ‘too right wing for
my taste’  according to Portillo.

The Sunday Telegraph identifies an NHS Nirvana in Scotland compared with
England just like Mexicans staring across the Rio Grande into America! The
view from Wales is sadly very different. The state of NHS services. in Wales
despite the fantastic devotion of health service staff is going to be a
central election issue.

I have just seen the superb Holbein exhibition in the Tate Britain and
dipped into many of the other rooms with a wide range of exhibits including
the Turner Prize finalists some of which were cordoned off presumably to
avoid confusion as to what was art and what was not!

Come away even more convinced of the need for our own dedicated national art gallery
 

Today we have our autumn policy conference in Cardiff. The Conservative Policy Forum is thriving and it is good to see many younger people there and the lively exchange of ideas It is sometimes hard to grasp how far the party has traveled in a year.

 
 It was about a year ago that David Cameron came to the National Assembly as a candidate for the leadership and he and I were able to discuss the Welsh political situation at some length.  Since then the party has changed and is changing.

 
Jonathan Evans speaks on. the challenge of energy needs for the future which he rightly identifies as a key challenge of our times. I speak on how the National Health Service is our top priority in the Assembly elections and take questions on a range of issues.

 
The atmosphere is positive and constructive. Our Welsh Chairman announces that next year’s Welsh Conference will be at Sophia Gardens.– a new venue for us.

Rhodri Glyn Thomas is sometimes an independently minded assembly member but nevertheless he is Plaid Cymru’s deputy leader in the Assembly. I was confounded to hear him flying a kite for a possible Labour – Plaid coalition. I must say as I go around Wales it becomes very clear to me that people are seeking an alternative to Labour not a variation of it. 

However, presumably Rhodri Glyn’s thoughts are Plaid policies.  

This coming week sees the celebration of two very important religious ceremonies — Diwali, the start the Hindu New Year on Saturday followed by Eid-ul-Fitr at the start of next week marking the end of Ramadan which is celebrated in the Muslim community and beyond.

Both are important as celebrations for friends and families and are celebrated throughout Britain and, of course, well beyond their own communities.

 
Yesterday I had arranged to meet a Muslim friend for lunch. He had readily agreed to my suggestion but, of course, was unable to eat or drink until dusk. He had been too polite to remind me of Ramadan. 

‘Eid Mubarak and Diwali greetings to all those in our Muslim and Hindu communities’

Yesterday I had a question to the Health Minister on the important consultation on hospital reconfiguration in Mid and West Wales, and specifically affecting Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. 
 

There has been consultation on the two options contained in the ‘Designed to Deliver’ document about hospital changes in South West and West Wales, and only two options were actually set out in the document.  Neither one of the options allows for retaining the existing District General Hospitals with their present level of services. This worried me greatly and certainly the point was made in my response on the consultation in opposing the proposals and seeking assurance that the status quo would remain and that Withybush, Bronglais and Glangwilli would all remain as thriving district general hospitals along with Prince Phillip in Llanelli.
 

Not only did the Minister fail to make clear that he felt that Withybush had a viable future, but Christine Gwyther also popped up to make the point, as she has done before, that I didn’t attend any of the consultation meetings.  What Christine failed to say was that I did make a submission in the consultation exercise and, indeed, held my own public meeting to which members of the public were invited, and many, many attended to express their opposition to these proposals. My constituency surgeries in Haverfordwest and Tenby have been dominated by the issue of the threatened changes and correspondence has come in thick and fast opposing the changes.
 

It is clearly going to be an important issue in the Welsh Assembly elections, and the Labour Party surely needs to come clean as to what it is proposing with regard to Withybush and, indeed, the other DGH’s in the area. 

The draft budget was laid out yesterday and the Finance Spokespersons (including me) had a briefing session with officials in the morning.  It is clear that the draft budget does not meet the concerns of the Opposition Parties that were relayed to the Finance Minister and First Minister last week.  I don’t think they allowed nearly long enough in the consultation process with us to accommodate the demands that we set out.
 

I am sure that over the weeks ahead, just as last year, there will be discussion as to how we can move forward and no doubt all sections of opinion will be taken into account in the final budget.
 

The Opposition Parties, including Trish Law and John Marek, held a joint press conference which I am sure was a sensible idea to demonstrate, as we did last year, the united front that we have in putting forward these proposals – including more for upland farmers, schools, transport grants and ambulances.
 

Click on the link below to listen to

Nick’s thoughts of the day:

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First an obvious omission on the ministerial legacies front, yes, the Barnett Formula is an obvious one. 
 

Yesterday I received a letter from the Chair of the London Transport Awards judging panel asking me if the National Assembly for Wales is intending to put in any entries for this year’s London Transport Awards.  This is bizarre on at least two fronts.  Indeed, the entry form makes it clear that the application has got to be made in relation to a London Borough.  Have we annexed London?  Have the London Welsh risen up so that now the Welsh Assembly is eligible for awards from London, and if they are, do I have the power to submit an application on behalf of the National Assembly.
 

A highlight in the Assembly today was when Jeff Cuthbert, the Labour AM for Caerphilly, mounted a powerful lobby for the provision of beef burgers to school children in his area.  I am not sure whether Jeff has made some unholy cross-party alliance with Boris Johnson or whether this was just a little bit of freelancing on his own pat.  I think we are entitled to be told.

Yesterday the Royal Commonwealth Society, which was founded in 1868, launched its Welsh Branch at the Senedd.  This is a very welcome development and the three Opposition Leaders were there to welcome it with John Griffiths standing in for Rhodri Morgan. Dafydd Elis-Thomas was conducting affairs and Stuart Mole, the Director of the organisation also spoke. 
 

It was good to see Ron Davies there.  Ron, in fact, did a lot of the spade work in setting this up and getting things moving.