Nick Bourne AM

The highlight of the week is certainly bumping into a University contemporary from way back ago.  Clare Hart lives now in Barry, as she did then, and is now a highly successful solicitor in the town.  Bumping into Clare and catching up on news of our contemporaries and of each other was a railway journey really well spent and we will now be in touch again.

 
 Life in the Assembly has been very hectic this week.  In addition to our own opposition debate on the state of the Welsh economy, there was the significant statement (or as it turned out non-statement) from Rhodri Glyn Thomas on the WMC and its future.

I must say I was astounded that the Minister (successor to Alun Pugh and re-run of the Botanic Gardens!) chose to make a statement when he had nothing to say.  It is uncharacteristic of the Minister to act in the way he did, but it can only increase the speculation as to the position of the WMC that he wasn’t forthcoming in any way at all about the circumstances that were highlighted in the leaked report.  I can understand him deploring the leak and, of course, the information should not have come out in the way it did but this certainly should not obscure the fact that some information should have been put in the public domain by the government, and almost certainly by the then Labour government before May 2007, to indicate that extra money would be needed to keep this marvellous iconic building open and to keep this important institution available to people throughout Wales.  The circle has to be squared on this position.  We must ensure that any money is tied to a business case and that it does not prejudice the aim that certainly my Party has of making sure that the arts percolate to all parts of Wales, and that we spend a significant sum of money ensuring that there is access to the arts throughout Wales.  To come to the Chamber and not make a statement at all about the government’s intentions at this stage was, I think, a massive mistake and that was reflected in comments from around the Chamber.  I cannot look the Wyeside in the eye if the Arts budget is siphoned off for the WMC.   

 There were also debates on the re-opening of Carno Station, which we support as a Party (though the voting instructions we were given may have obscured this fact!), as well as the usual exchange on questions.  This week I highlighted the position on foot and mouth compensation in exchanges with the First Minister.

 
 There is, of course, a considerable amount that is done in the Assembly that is not done in Plenary.  There is a lot done in committees and this week we had the very valuable Interfaith Forum which involves representatives of all the faiths of Wales, and is chaired by the First Minister.  It makes very valuable contributions to community cohesion here in Wales.

 
 In addition, I have this week been able to attend receptions and seminars by various institutions.   The Royal British Legion came to see us on Tuesday and, of course, it does wonderful work and they are thought of particularly at this time of year, though their work is around the clock and around the year. Also on Tuesday there was the launch of the Wales for Africa Gold Star Community Project involving civic exchange between Africa and Wales. 

 Also that evening the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice reception in the Senedd.  This is a very valuable, wonderful institution that needs more public money than it is getting at the moment.  That evening our Group was asked to dinner by the Energy Savings Trust run by the very personable and dynamic Helen Northmore.  A very useful exchange of views and information in a very congenial setting, and it was very valuable to us in developing our policies on energy savings.  Not nearly enough is done on this front and we should not just focus on the importance of renewables for energy but we also need to put a lot of investment into energy reduction.  A point made very powerfully by Helen during the course of the meal.

 
 On Wednesday I attended a CO Awareness event and photo call.  This highlights the hidden menace of carbon monoxide poisoning which you can’t smell, can’t see and can’t hear, and this has done massive damage and caused death to innumerable people throughout the country. It was a very moving event.  I also attended the event sponsored by Amnesty International and the Women’s Institute, at which Ann Jones was speaking, on human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as a photo call with Oxfam relating to the eradication of world poverty.  In the evening there was a marvellous musical extravaganza at the St David’s Hall which included Howells School Collegiate Choir, Catrin Finch and the Ballet Russe, all performing without charge for an event that raised money for Unifem, at what was a wonderfully enjoyable evening.

 
 Today I have engagements throughout the constituency and surgeries in Mid Wales. 

 The role of an Assembly Member is certainly varied and never boring.

How different things seem now compared with less than a month ago.

 
Gordon Brown was riding high in the polls, perceived to be a national leader rather than a party politician.  Then he reverted to type with some fatal miscalculations. I believe that it was not only the excellent conference that we had in Blackpool with a bravura performance by the leader and the announcement of key policies by George Osborne, important though these were, but it was the cynical trip to Iraq to try to upstage the Conservative conference and, as John Major tellingly termed it, a visit that was to a very different drum beat from the national one, it was a political one with an early election in mind.

 
It was aimed to upstage the conference, it was aimed to make a key announcement on troop reductions away from parliament, and it also fiddled the figures as he has done so many times before as Chancellor.  The British people are not stupid, they saw through it.

 
There followed the humiliating march down from the top of the hill and the silly pretence that this was all so people could judge him on his record rather than because the polls showed that, at best, an election would be tight and that he faced the prospect of losing it. 
Now the Conservatives lead in the polls. It clearly demonstrates that public opinion is volatile.  It demonstrates the importance of inhabiting the centre ground of politics, and David Cameron is doing just that with a moderate right-wing prospectus that is attractive to the people of Britain.

 
The postponement of the general election also meant that Ming Campbell was placed under the spotlight once again.  An obviously decent man who was doing his best to hold his Party together after the difficulties of the Charles Kennedy succession.  The Liberal Democrats begin to look somewhat unattractive with the ditching of two leaders in quick succession. It may be said that Ming Campbell went voluntarily, but clearly, as Alice Miles’ article in yesterday’s Times suggested, the assassins knives were out for Ming.

 
Of the two front runners to success Ming, I am sure that the Times got it right yesterday, and that Mr Clegg has obviously been a loyal protégé with a quite honourable ambition to succeed Ming when Ming went of his own accord at some date in the future.  Chris Huhne has the ‘lean and hungry’ look, as the Times said.  I strongly suspect that anyone who had his hand on the hilt of the assassin’s dagger behind the arras, even if, in the event, it did not have to be wielded, will not get the crown.

 
I believe the lesson from this period for Conservatives is to realise the virtue of staying united and disciplined.  Clearly any political Party is a broad church, and there are always going to be policy differences, but a clear agreement on the direction of travel and the need to inhabit the centre ground of politics seem to me to be the very clear lesson of this interesting period of British politics.

Yesterday Jonathan piloted his LCO through its first stage here in the National Assembly.  Jonathan feels passionately about the field of mental health and his key interest in this area ensured that it was part of our manifesto for the recent Assembly elections.  But it was Jonathan who succeeded in obtaining the opportunity to pilot this legislation. 

 I was unfortunate not to be in the Chamber when Jonathan was proposing the legislation because of a succession of urgent phone calls in the office, but I did catch a lot of the debate on the television and could see the passion and commitment that Jonathan has for this legislation.

 He has also succeeded in gathering a powerful coalition for change on this area in the Assembly, and will also be speaking to MPs of different parties at Westminster.

 This is a long overdue social reform which will ensure that those suffering with mental illnesses get prompt treatment compared with the current position.

 Well done Jonathan.

Some four weeks ago William Graham came to see me, quite correctly, with a copy letter that had been circulated to members of the Commission with regard to payment for Whips.  It was from the Minister.  William asked why I hadn’t told him about a meeting with Rhodri discussing payment for Whips.  I told him that there had been no such meeting, indeed no such discussion.  I read the letter and was astounded at the suggestion of payment for Whips that it contained, and more surprised that Rhodri claimed to have a consensus amongst the parties in the Assembly.

 
William confirmed to me afterwards that it appeared that the other parties also had had no discussion on this matter, and that talk of a consensus was therefore nonsense.  I spoke to Mike German, and later to Ieuan Wyn Jones, to confirm that they too had had no such discussion. 

 
My own view from the start was that any such suggestion would have to be considered by external consultants who look at all the salaries and expenses of Assembly Members, and therefore give impartial arm’s length advice.  Where considerable sums of public money are involved, it is only right it is done in this way.

 
I remain surprised at the way that this issue arose.  I have been trying for some time to get a Leaders’ meeting to discuss many issues that arise in the Assembly that would benefit from discussion amongst the four parties, but so far we have been unable to find a slot in the First Minister’s diary.   I hope a meeting can be held soon to resolve some of these issues and to try to understand how such a letter could have been written.

The conference season for me this year has been two CPF conferences and then our Blackpool Conference, all in quick succession.

 Our Welsh conferences, involving policy discussion at Llandudno in the Imperial Hotel, and at Gwbert on Sea in the Cliff Hotel, were both extremely enjoyable.  I like looking out over the sea.  I have magnificent sea views at home in Aberystwyth and there is something very soothing and therapeutic about it.  In Llandudno I was quite content for them to put me in what appeared to be a large brooms cupboard in The Imperial on the top floor because it had sea views, even though the room, as they pointed out to me, hadn’t been recently re-furbished.  The Imperial was straining at the seams there were so many guests there.  First there was a very large wedding on and, in addition to our conference delegates, there were quite a few from the Plaid Cymru conference that was going on in Llandudno too.  I enjoyed a brief chat with Janet Ryder and Dai Lloyd over breakfast, and rumours of a refloating of the ‘rainbow’ coalition were no doubt rife among the journalists who were also staying there.

 The next weekend I was in Gwbert on Sea.  The Cliff Hotel is the sort of venue that would appear in one of those Poirot books, gleaming white and set on the edge of the sea.  The sort of place where Hercule Poirot would have asked us all in to the Library to tell us who had done it!  First class breakfast and they took very good care of us, and once again views across Cardigan Bay (admittedly across the car park first). 

 Then to Blackpool.  Blackpool is a conference destination that I have never greatly warmed too.  In many years of going there I can’t remember enjoying a conference as much as I enjoyed this one. First the weather was excellent and we really enjoyed some quite balmy weather, which is unusual in Blackpool.  The social side of the conference was very good and then, of course, it was one of the best conferences I can remember us having as a Party.  Positive announcements, lots of unity and then that blockbuster of a speech from DC.  Just the tonic we needed, and I came away from Blackpool full of regrets at leaving such a pleasant seaside town.  Well not quite perhaps, but certainly I did see it in a completely different light. 

 At the conference I enjoyed meeting up with the media and specifically S4C one evening, and also two Fringe events as well as a panel in the conference hall itself – talking about devolution.  I spoke a few lines in Welsh and there was a very positive discussion about devolved politics.  It was also useful to exchange thoughts on devolution with our band of MSPs and Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

 The aftermath of the conference season has been even more enjoyable, I have to say, but more of that in the next blog.

 I think the Prime Minister’s foreign adventure to Iraq yesterday was three times foolish:-

 1. It was a deliberate attempt to upstage the Conservative Conference in Blackpool and came across as such. John Major not a man easily moved to anger denounced it. There is a convention amongst the political parties not to indulge in this sort of behaviour and it is  impossible that the Prime Minister did not see this as an oppportunity to steal headlines from a conference that was going well.

2. Gordon Brown had promised a new style of politics working through parliament and making governmental announcements in parliament–that pledge did not hold for long.

3. The actual announcement of the number of troops coming home was mendacious.The way that he announced all those tax increases over the years ( ie often well disguised ) and triple counted spending commitmtents by rolling three years together has translated across to his new role.

1,000 troops to come home announces Gordon but 500 had already been announced and 500 have not gone to Iraq at all.Headline seeking announcement backfires bigtime.

Last night Jeremy Paxman roasted poor Bob Ainsworth the armed forces minister on Newsnight as the poor chap tried in vain to protect his Prime Minister from Paxo’s withering contempt.Mr Ainsworth looked as if he would rather have  been in the lion’s den.Not since Harriet Harman received a deserved mauling on Radio 4 over welfare cuts has a government minister had such a torrid time on the media– he must be a future deputy leader.