Nick Bourne AM

Ten year’s ago rarely very rarely I woke in the middle of the night and could not get back off to sleep. I was wide awake and I knew that further efforts to sleep would be fruitless and I got up made a cup of tea, switched the television on and was confronted by the news of Diana’s death. It was hard to take in. Soon the phone started ringing as people called with the awful news, Lyn Courtney a friend and then at Swansea sound was one of the first to call.   

What is Diana’s legacy? The campaigning against landmines lives on, the compassion for aids victims. The help for the poor and vulnerable - these I am sure will be the lasting legacy. That can’t be bad- not at all.   

So David Blunkett joins the growing band of Labour politicians asking the very valid question as to whether this treaty is materially different from the Constitutional Treaty in relation to which it promised a referendum in the 2005 manifesto. 

Valery Giscard d’Estang and Angela Merkel have both said that the essential features of the Constitution remain intact ominously for the Labour party the calls for a referendum do not just come from the Euro sceptic wing of the party. MPs like Gisela Stuart ( no euro sceptic is she– I know I taught her Company Law– she always said I was a better lawyer than politician! ) Are also arguing the case. 

I think the case is unanswerable! First principle of Contract Law ( Gisela would agree). Binding promises must be honoured— pacta sunt servanda. 

A good executive last night with Jonathan Reeves elected to chair the Association. Jonathan has already shown a deft touch in handling matters and has great plans for moving things forward.

 
There is a lot of anger still with the local Lib Dems who are seen as having scuppered the rainbow alliance. I spoke about the challenges ahead in this third assembly term; I wanted to discuss the forthcoming review of the Barnett formula with members.

 
Now that we are to have this review, and I think a case can be made quite fairly for looking at the funding formula after 30 years, it is important that we ensure that any findings are acted upon. It is unrealistic and indeed unfair to stand by, for example, if the review should demonstrate that Scotland is over- resourced and Wales is short changed. This admittedly is speculative but it is certainly a possible outcome. There is also the matter of fairness to England too.

 
 I look forward to hearing how the red green alliance intends to tackle this and on what timescale.

 
The other major concern that came up at the meeting is the need to protect local services– hospitals, schools, post offices and police presence. This is a key challenge. At the start of the twenty first century it is simply not realistic to seek to persuade people that it is progress to travel further in cars (which we are trying to dissuade people from using) to access public services.

David Cameron has rightly identified social dislocation and crime as two of the massive problems of the age and his outline in ‘ It’s  Time to Fight Back’ yesterday of the action that a Conservative government will take is valuable.

 Action to reduce form filling, more effective police training, honesty in sentencing are among the immediate actions proposed.

 Reform of the law on licensing and a curb on irresponsible drinks’ promotions are also mooted. The drinks promotion one will strike a chord with fellow residents of Aberystwyth.

Action on the glorification of gun culture and violence in video games and films and music are also rightly  identified as vital.

The setting for all of these reforms is a recognition of the massively important roles of voluntary organisations,of schools and especially of the family in setting standards of right behaviour.

 In a domestic setting as opposed to the massive international challenges of global poverty and climate change surely social breakdown or the avoidance of it is up there as one of the most important issues we face as a country in Wales as well as in the UK as a whole.

I don’t believe that Peter Black’s analysis of what the Welsh Liberal Democrats are for should go unchallenged.

 
My own blog of 2 August records my own personal experience of discussions about a possible ‘rainbow’ alliance and my belief about the sticking points in those discussions.

 
The Liberal Democrats were split about entering into a ‘rainbow’ coalition.  Four of the Assembly Group, namely Mike German, Jenny Randerson, Elinor Burnham and Mick Bates were in favour.  Peter Black and Kirsty Williams were against. The Executive of the Liberal Democrats failed to endorse the possibility of a ‘rainbow’ alliance at a meeting in Llandrindod Wells. Kirsty Williams, indeed, was part of this Executive that voted against such a possibility. This meeting was seen as pivotal and, indeed, it was not realised at first that the decision could actually be reversed at a later meeting.  It was assumed that the ‘rainbow’ coalition was dead in the water at this stage. In the meantime, Rhodri Morgan saw his opportunity and presented his government to the Assembly and that was placed in power.

 
Peter Black is correct to say that Plaid Cymru then did walk away from the possibility of a coalition government, but by then I think the damage had been done.

 
Interestingly I share Peter’s analysis of some of the important issues that are facing Wales.  I believe that the All Wales Accord would have helped us in preserving the local services that Peter rightly identifies as so important.  I agree with him on the importance of the environmental agenda, and I also agree with him about ID cards – thought the Labour Party does not.

 
Where we differ is that I believe that the ‘rainbow’ coalition would have helped protect the very interests and concerns that Peter sets out in his Blog. I think that the reason there is no ‘rainbow’ coalition rests with the Liberal Democrats failing to endorse the ‘rainbow’ coalition in Llandrindod Wells, and any attempt to re-write history is just that, though Plaid did not seize the opportunity that later presented itself.

Over the summer there is always an opportunity to catch up on reading.   I have just finished reading ‘The Interpretation of Murder’ by Jed Rubenfeld.  This is a work of fiction but set against the factual background of Sigmund Freud arriving in New York in 1909 on his only visit to the Untied States in the company of Carl Jung and a band of followers.  The social scene in New York and the contemporary setting has been meticulously studied and is brilliantly portrayed.

 
I was less keen on the psychoanalysis aspects of the book but it is, nevertheless, an excellent read with twists and turns in the plot, and a riddle that is hard to solve, but the denouement is convincing and compelling. 

 
I have been dipping into John Major’s book on cricket ‘More Than A Game’, which of course is lovingly written by a Prime Minister who had a passion for the game and who examines its origins from the famous Hambledon Club up until the start of the 20^th Century.
I am now about to start on ‘The Vicar of Bullhampton’, one of the Anthony Trollope’s that I haven’t yet read.  I find Trollope wonderfully relaxing and soothing. 

 
I have also been reading political biographies.  I really enjoyed Francis Beckett’s book on Gordon Brown, who constitutes his sympathetic portrayal of the Prime Minister, and I have been dipping into Roy Jenkins’ ‘Gallery of 20^th Century Portraits’.  Roy Jenkins, of course, writes exquisitely and his pen portraits of politicians as diverse as Tony Benn, Lyndon Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harold Macmillan and Christopher Soames make excellent reading. 

 
I have also got Tom Bower’s ‘Gordon Brown’, and Anthony Gidden’s ‘Over To You Mr Brown’ to read, as well as ‘After Blair: David Cameron the Conservative Tradition’ by Keiron O’Hara.  The first edition of this book was published in February 2005 and actually reviewed by David Cameron himself in the Guardian.  He described the book as compelling and persuasive.  This edition has been re-written to take account of two and a half eventful years.  Indeed such has been the pace of change in those two and half years that David Cameron doesn’t even get a mention in the first book.  His rise has indeed been meteoric.

An early act of David Cameron as Leader was to set up Taskforces to look at different policy areas.  We have had reports, for example, on local government under the leadership of Michael Heseltine.  Some of its proposals are being looked at such as the ability of local authorities and, by extension, National Assemblies to raise money through bonds, the possibility of elected Mayors and so on.  There was also an excellent report from the Health Taskforce.  More recently we have had a very thorough analysis of social justice issues from the Social Justice Taskforce under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith.

 
In Wales we will be looking at how these recommendations and policies are relevant in a Welsh context.  The Welsh Taskforce was set up by Cheryl Gillan and we will be considering the impact of all of the recommendations that have so far been made.
There has been, predictably, much discussion and controversy about the recommendations of the Taskforce that has been looking at regulation and the economy.

 
I have to say I am amazed at the reaction of some people on the left of British politics.  To listen to Alistair Darling and others you would think that one of the chief functions of government was to tax people. Admittedly under Labour it often feels like that! It is not, of course.  Taxation is necessary to provide for vital public services and to ensure that they are of an excellent standard.  Once that has been done there is no justification for taxation beyond that.  It isn’t an end in itself.   

 
George Osborne has said, quite rightly and sensibly, and so has David, that there will be no promise of upfront tax cuts at the next election.  At the same time we have, of course, said that in order to tackle the massive challenge of our age, climate change, there should be a rebalancing of taxation to tax pollution.  This again seems sensible and is helping to meet one of the great challenges of our age.
As an objective to eliminate inheritance tax on the principal private residence is a good idea – when  affordable. 

 
In any event all of these reports will be analysed, some of their recommendations will be accepted and some will not.  It is healthy that in opposition parties analyse their policies, put them under the microscope, see how circumstances have changed and how fresh challenges should be met with fresh polices.  That is what is going on and that is what will continue over the months ahead.

 
The Welsh Taskforce has quite a job of work to do!

I see in the paper today (Western Mail) that not only am I questioning the legality and constitutional  position of Carwyn Jones, but so too is the Liberal Leader in the Assembly, Mike German.  It does seem to me absolutely clear from the Government of Wales Act that Carwyn Jones cannot be both Counsel General and an Assembly Minister (s49).  It also seems clear to me that a person is a Minister not just in terms of title and that by avoiding calling somebody Minister and creating a new post of Leader of the House and claiming that this isn’t a ministerial role, does not get round the problem.  If somebody acts like a Minister and is given ministerial duties then they are a Minister, and they can’t be Counsel General as well.  It will  interesting to see how this issue, which is by no means solely party political relevance, rolls out. It also presents a Gilbertian situation of who can give a legal ruling on this – no man or woman can decide an issue in their own cause!

 
All of this should have been avoided by appointing somebody from outside of party politics or, at the very least, somebody who will perform this role and this role only.
 

Meanwhile north of the border the Labour Party has found a job for Jack McConnell who is resigning as Labour Leader.  He is to be our man in Malawi.  Gordon, not content with dealing with all the crises and welcoming David Anstee personally, has found time off to find a slot for Jack as our man in Lilongwe.  I wonder what is in store for Rhodri?

 
Actually in Scotland there is talk of a referendum on independence – mostly from Alex Salmond but also from opponents of independence who say quite fairly that the issue should be put to the people of Scotland. 

I have never quite believed before that the August period is the silly season when almost any story can make front page news, then along comes the David Anstee story. David Anstee, for those who don’t know, and that would certainly include most members of my group and most members of the Welsh Conservative Party, was a member in Rhondda Cynon Taff and fought a by-election for us in a Council by-election in Treorchy earlier this year.

Imagine my surprise when I discover some breaking news that David Anstee, who allegedly had a prominent role in putting together the Welsh Conservative manifesto, has been welcomed into the Labour Party by Gordon Brown.

I ask myself if this is the same Gordon Brown who has been dealing with foot and mouth, terrorist crises, and floods. It would appear that it is. He clearly has super human qualities.

And talking of the super human, there is David Anstee being welcomed as a defector by Leighton Andrews outside of the Assembly building. I am sufficiently concerned about all this and to question my own memory, and I ask the Party to check the records to see if he has had any role at all in putting together our manifesto. The only reference we can find at all to him attending any event of any political nature is in 2004 when he attended a Conservative Political Forum, events which are held on a routine basis and generally attended by well in excess of 100 people. There is no other record of involvement and to suggest that he has had a prominent role in putting the manifesto together is, therefore, totally fallacious.

Sure enough the next day I do receive a very generous email from David Anstee. I don’t intend to reveal the detailed content of that email, but suffice it to say that it is generous in terms of the approach that I have taken to politics in Wales and, indeed, to David Cameron nationally. It also states in no uncertain terms that David is well aware that he had no role at all in putting together the manifesto and he is embarrassed by suggestions that he did have.