Nick Bourne AM

Yesterday I had a political surgery in Haverfordwest and the chance also to catch up with our candidate in Preseli, Paul Davies. We took the opportunity to discuss the issues that are likely to dominate the campaign.
I have known Paul for many years and he has stood here before and is an effective campaigner who is popular in the seat and is having a very positive impact.

Suzy Davies meanwhile is working hard and productively in Brecon and Radnorshire as is Dan Munford in Montgomeryshire. We really do have some cracking candidates.
As well as NHS issues– especially the threat to services in our Community and District General Hospitals - the level of council taxes and the threat to our landscapes from large scale wind farms surface repeatedly as
campaign issues on the doorstep.

The revelation (Western Mail ) that the Assembly government has spent 6.7 million pounds on external legal advice since the advent of the Assembly, in addition to the in-house 84-strong legal team’s costs is absolutely astounding and mind boggling.
When I was given the figure I did a hasty calculation on a scrap of paper that was to hand and calculated that this roughly equated to 110 pounds per hour for every single hour of the Assembly’s existence not counting, of course, the 84-strong in house legal team’s costs possibly a value for money audit of this area is needed! Now I am the first to admit that some of those costs can certainly be justified but ALL  of them I doubt it.

The advice on the copyright issue on Alun Pugh’s now notorious Christmas cards advice which an average undergraduate law student could certainly have given. Is a case in point. Leaving aside the crass insensitivity to public opinion of the whole sorry episode I cannot begin to fathom why any one of the many highly qualified lawyers in the in house team was unable to give a clear statement of the legal position on this point of law.  I expect incidentally Alun to have gone for a safer choice of card this year than last!
Similarly why was advice needed on how to avoid publishing information on the free school breakfast scheme Why not just publish the information?  In answer to my own question it must be deeply damaging to the government.
Legal advices on the early bungled Assembly building contract were costs that were also avoidable.  Sadly there never seems to be any shortage of money for these sorts of unnecessary expenditure exemplified by these massive legal costs and yet money is in short supply for so many worthwhile
projects throughout our country.

The Energy Savings Trust has publishesd some startling figures in a report.that. it has just published.  Stereos on standby in Britain cost 34.8million pounds. In energy costs annually  and produce 192,000. tonnes of CO2.
 We waste in Britain on standby devices enough electricity to power a city the size of Birmingham throughout the year–presumably without the Brummies having their standby devices on!  There is clearly a need for a national debate, indeed an international one, on how we tackle some of these issues. Assuredly  educational messages at school and elsewhere( on TV for exam.ple–not on standby) Should electrical appliances come with a statement of how much power they consume?-(his may prove useful for savings on power bills too.
St Francis of Assisi Primary  School in the Notting Hill area of London shows what can be done…It is planning through generation of solar power at the school, not only to meet its own power needs, but also to sell power to the National Grid! The school’s biosphere was paid for by government grant– a good investment in my opinion.

Proceedings in the National Assembly, just like proceedings at Westminster, and in Parliament throughout most of the Commonwealth, are generally good natured affairs, free of personal attack and vitriol.  Long may that be the case. Heated exchanges between any members would be a matter for concern but between senior and respected members are even more alarming.  Yesterday’s exchange between our Presiding Officer and the Deputy Presiding Officer have rightly caused concerns across the Assembly. 

We can all remember, and recently too, flying chairs and flying fists in Parliament in South Korea and Taiwan.  We wouldn’t want that would we?  

Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech has already been dubbed the longest obituary in the history of politics.  There is a massive diet of more and more Home Office measures. The country has been here before and one is tempted to put the point that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and ‘where is the delivery?’.  

The Climate Change Bill is welcome insofar as it goes – at least it puts the importance of this topic on the agenda but realistic annual targets are surely a better way of treating this vital topic.  

Personally I have great concerns abut anything that dilutes the right to a jury trial, and therefore view the government’s proposal to withdraw it in some cases with great concern.  

In the days ahead I will be scrutinising the Queens Speech to see what its precise impact will be on Wales as we have our own debate here at the end of the month when the Secretary of State comes down to Cardiff to present the proposals.  

I always try to judge the mood of the First Minister and his likely approach to our meetings from the biscuits he has got to offer us.  To be fair there is always tea and coffee on offer – strong tea for me and Rhodri, black coffee for Ieuan and Mike.  

Often there are biscuits.  Run of the mill, routine business usually means a plate of Rich Tea or Digestives.  If it is a lighter hearted agenda then we might get some Jammy Dodgers.  If the meeting is statesman like, Bourbons will be offered.  

Imagine my surprise yesterday when, on entering the First Minister’s office, confronting me on the table was a plate of large, indeed gargantuan, mouth watering, gastric juice inducing sticky cakes.  We have never had cakes before.  What could this mean? What would Jamie Oliver say?  Indeed, so large were the cakes that the First Minister was forced to hack them apart with the cake tongs that he had, no knife being available.  We then started to devour the cakes.  An explanation for the cakes arrived in the form of Finance Minister, Sue Essex.  It became clear that the reason for the cakes was that the Finance Minister likes sticky cakes! 

I have just started reading the latest Bill Bryson – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. 

Bill Bryson once memorably wrote, “I came from Des Moines, somebody had to” and this book is an insight into his formative years growing up in the 50s in America.  He is, of course, a superb travel writer and I thoroughly enjoyed all his travel books, and particularly his ‘News from a Small Island’, which was his enjoyable romp of a travel book around Britain.  It is what made Bill Bryson, as far as we Brits are concerned. 

I remember hearing him in Hay on Wye at the Hay Festival (described by Tony Benn memorably and correctly, as the closest thing to heaven here on earth) and being captivated by his ability to relate an incident or a visit and bring it to life.

His closing paragraphs of ‘Notes from A Small Island’ still ranks as one of my favourite pieces of contemporary literature.

“What a wondrous place this was (speaking of Britain …………).  What other country, after all, could possibly have come up with place names like ‘Tooting Bec’ and ‘Farleigh Wallop’, or a game like cricket that goes on for three days and never seems to start?  Who else would think it not the least odd to make their judges wear little mops on their heads, compel  the Speaker of the House of Commons to sit on something called the Woolsack, or take pride in a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy?………….  What other nation in the world could possibly have given us William Shakespeare, pork pies, Christopher Wren, Windsor Great Park, the Open University, Gardener’s Question Time, and the chocolate digestive biscuit?  None of course.  How easily we lose sight of all this.  What an enigma Britain will seem to historians when they look back on the second half of the 20^th Century.  Here is a country that fought and won a noble war, dismantled a mighty Empire in a generally benign and enlightened way, created a far-seeing Welfare State – in short, did nearly everything right – and then spent the rest of the Century looking on itself as a chronic failure.  The fact is that this is still the best place in the world for most things – to post a letter, go for a walk, watch television, buy a book, venture out for a drink, go to a museum, use the bank, get lost, seek help, or stand on a hill side and take in a view.” 

In the evening I attended the dinner organised by the Wales Tourism Industry.  It was held at the splendid Waterfront Museum in Swansea.  I used to live just a short distance from here so know the area well.  

Some interesting discussions over the meal.  I am sitting next to Lisa Francis, who has a vast knowledge of this area, and on the other side is Jonathan Jones who, of course, headed the Wales Tourist Board and now finds himself a civil servant, so he tells me at the tender of 58! 

It is very important to listen to the concerns of tourism operators.  Tourism is an industry just like any other and must be treated as such, and it is vital to Wales and something any political party must take on board.   I am very concerned about proposals that seem to be swirling about concerning the possibility of a bed and breakfast tax.  This would be an extremely retrograde step and something that we will resist might and main.  

Today I laid a wreath for the Welsh Conservative Party along with other Party Leaders and Leaders of the Party Groups on Cardiff City Council.  It was a crisp, autumn day, perfect weather really for Remembrance Sunday, and a very good turnout in Cardiff for the laying of wreaths and for the march past. 

It was good to see Chris Peterson there laying a wreath for the Royal British Legion.  

Yesterday I was very privileged to be the President for the Evening at the Ceredigion  Festival of Remembrance in the Great Hall Abeystwyth. The Royal British Legion has done fantastic work for ex servicemen and women and their families and continues to do so. It was very good to see and hear the Cor Meibion Aberystwyth and the Aberyswyth Silver Band and also trumpet solos from Jason Lewis, as well as brilliant singing from Merched Malog. There were also plenty of young people in the audience.

Top of the Bill for the evening was evergreen, Wyn Calvin, who was accompanied for the evening by his elegant wife Carol. Wyn singing and with fast fire repartee entertained an appreciative audience. My favourite story was when he was n Panto with Cilla.. Cilla, as principal boy, had cornered the Pantomime Villain. and sword drawn had asked the audience should she finish the villain off –yes, came the response. “How shall I kill him?” yelled Cilla. ” Stab him “yelled the children andq then after a pause an older voice shouted out — “Sing to hiim!”

After the concert a few of us ate in Le Vignoble ( see Lisa Francis’ blog of last week for a very complimentary and accurate review) Wyn Calvin had some wonderful anecdotes of theatrical digs. In digs with Les Dawson in Preston with landlady Mrs Arkwright, Les had asked Mrs Arkwright for some honey with his toast. Mrs Arkwright duly presented Les with  the smallest imaginable sachet of honey. ” I see you keep a bee, Mrs Arkwright” riposted Les.

All in all a wonderful evening of enjoyment and remembrance.