Nick Bourne AM

Today I had planned a long walk  with an old Cambridge friend who usually joins me for the New Year from London but the weather is so bad that i call her on the mobile and arrange to meet her from the train at Machynlleth and we then visit the Centre for  Alternative Technology.

The Centre is surprisingly busy and we have a very  enjoyable few hours including an excellent meal at the restaurant there. The Centre is a first class educational experience for people of all ages and the giftshop is packed with a cornucopia of books on Wales, food, sustainable environment,building and gardening.There is  also a host of presents made from recycled materials –yogurt pots, polystyrene coffee cups, printed circuits and fruit juice cartons– produced indeed by an Aberystwyth company– Recycle8. The materials might sound very unpromising but the gifts were actually stunning and  congratulations to any business that can see the way that the market is moving and move in to fill the gap.

 Back to Aber to dry out and then a meal at the friendly Casablanca restaurant and mein host Joe. It is relatively easy to get a restaurant booking when there are few students around.

Wet and blustery in Aberystwyth today which will come as no surprise to William Graham who claims that  Aber’s climate is a cross between Chicago and Fort William. Actually the climate of Aberystwyth is precisely the same as Seattle–there’s even talk locally of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks doing a sequel  ’Sleepless in Aberystwyth’ and given the aforementioned blustery conditions today would have been a good time to get things moving.

Today’s Western Mail contains a report of Mike German saying his aim is office after next May’s elections. That strikes me as entirely sensible. There is little point in being in politics if there is nodesire to influence things  no prospect of having an impact.I certainly didn’t come into politics to head up a fringe pressure group and I am sure Mike didn’t either. It is pretty clear that no single party will gain even  half the seats at next May’s assembly elections so parties working together will be the order of the day.

I see that Westminster politicians have selected Casablanca as their favourite film. I discovered when on a panel of political film goers at the Cardiff film festival that I had that excellent favourite film  in common with the First Minister. Alarmingly for Elinor Burnham as the Lib Dem ciulture spokesperson Lib Dems apparently prefer Austin Powers but I expect Elinor will be able spin her way out of that one.Mike German on the same panel chose The Third Man( see his earlier thoughts above on coalitions I suppose!)

Christmas is a wonderful time for catching up with family and friends and for taking a break or at least a break from politics. It has provided me with an opportunity to devote some time to the new edition of Bourne on Company Law. Added to the many sins of this government–a Labour government, as Lord Kinnock might have said, is the Companies Act 2006. This legislative delight runs to 1300 sections ,16 schedules and has an index 59 pages long.It is actually the longest piece of legislation on any topic that parliament has ever passed.Hence the new edition– to be fair it is a much needed review of the law and much of it makes a great deal of sense.

  I have had to be strong though and not dip into the various books that I received at Christmas time not to mention the Frasier DVDs which my brother kindly bought me. Three more chapters to go and then I can indulge.

Dymuniadau gorau am Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Best wishes for a Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year

Nick Bourne AC / AM

I was deeply disturbed at first glance of a report today which suggested that Patients were to drive ambulances. (I know the service is under staffed, but really)  

Thankfully on further reading it became apparent that the new chief executive is kicking into action a radical plan to modernise the Welsh Ambulance Service and that plan will be driven by the needs of patients, quite right.  

I applaud Mr Murray’s leadership, he certainly has one of the toughest jobs in Wales and my best wishes go out to him. I share his vision of a “World-class ambulance service” here in Wales. 

It is in our reach as long as we have proper funding from the Labour Assembly Government, 16 million pounds is certainly a big step in the right direction but will only work with continued investment and support over a long term period. 

I will continue to champion the voice of the patients and ambulance service in securing continued investment. 

I regularly call in at Brecon Recycling Centre, one of the many across Wales and deposit my left over plastic bottles and waste that I can recycle and I was amazed to read today that a mum was prevented from recycling 12 bottles of wine & a bike helmet, purely for the reason she pulled up in a pick-up truck at a recycling centre in Mid Wales.   

We certainly live in a state that has some bizarre rules and regulations but I am at a loss to understand the reasoning behind this women being prevented from recycling. Some recycling centres might put rules in place to stop commercial operators from recycling but 12 bottles of wine and a bike helmet hardly qualifies as commercial. 

I was also taken back by the attitude of the South Wales Police to sending Christmas cards to known sex offenders. While this seems an extradinary step I can see the sense in  the police confirming “We know where you live and you’d better behave” as an action and I applaud their initiative.  

I believe Welsh should be given official language status and we should have an independent language commissioner. Bizarrely under existing legislation, Welsh does not have official language status with English. 

The Welsh Language Act was introduced in 1993 and is now in serious need of overhaul.  It does not reach its full potential in creating a bilingual Wales. We clearly need to promote greater use of the language and protecting the rights of both Welsh and English speakers. 

A streamlined version of the Welsh Language Board is needed to work alongside a new commissioner to deliver this. Labour vow to scrap the board and transfer its functions to the Assembly Government. I say this will politicise the language. 

We need to encourage, rather than compel, the private sector to offer Welsh language services. I want to see Welsh used naturally in all spheres of life. Giving Welsh official language status, backed up by an independent language commissioner and new legislation would strengthen the rights of Welsh and English speakers. 

The Welsh language belongs to Wales and to all the people of Wales. Education, support and encouragement are effective ways forward in promoting greater use of Welsh and in developing a truly bilingual nation. 

Fantastic news today, The Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) said its third helicopter, based in Welshpool, Powys, which was originally a three month trial would become a permanent fixture after the 1st January.
 
I am extremely grateful to the Ambulance Trust for the sterling work they do. However they wouldn’t be able to fly half the missions they do without the crucial support they receive from charities and people from across Wales and border counties.
 
On the flipside of the coin, I am extremely concerned that loan companies are targeting families who have lost money from the collapse of the Farepak saving scheme. The families who they are targeting have already been hit hard and face a difficult Christmas in most cases. To target these people in this way is disgusting and I warn constituents who face difficulties to read the small print very carefully on these dangerous loans.

Allegations are swirling around in today,’s Sunday papers that Tony Blair chose to be interviewed on the ” Honours for Sale” scandal on the busiest news day of the year.  On the same day the government announced that it was halting a Serious Fraud Office investigation  into the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, the Stevens inquiry reported into the circumstances of Princess Diana’s death ( bound to dominate the tabloids) and there was more grisly news on the hunt for the Ipswich murderer. All this quite apart from the Prime Ministerial trip to the Middle East and Turkey.
Irrespective of that the stench of something rotten lingers in the air in relation to a batch of recent peerages. Inconsistencies as to the basis of the awards and positioning of the top stars in the Labour firmament in attempting to avoid the flak does not help the government’s case. While the alleged ” Do you wnt a K or a. P” conversation makes it look  seriously seedy unless Lord Levy, or whoever it was,was playing “blockbuster” au Bob Holdness.
The case for reform of party funding becomes ever stronger. David Cameron’s proposal of a ceiling of 50,000 pounds seems sensible and overdue.

A Norfolk farmer determined to bring his rare breed sheep to a nativity procession around Norwich cathedral has won through.
After completing an animal movement licence in quadruplicate and then obtaining a performing animal licence. and another animal movement licence to return the sheep to his farm he will now be able to take the lead in the procession along with the sheep.
Quite right too.