Nick Bourne AM

On a recent day visit to London I met with some friends in Highgate.  Although I lived in London for a period of time and have visited London on many occasions, I have never actually been into Highgate Cemetery to see Karl Marx’s resting place.  Now was the opportunity. 
At the gate after paying our entry fee (surely that would have Karl turning in his grave), I asked the cashier which way to Karl’s plot.  “Down there, forking to the left”, she jokingly responded.  “Would be” I cracked back breezily no doubt the 500^th time that day that the joke had been tried.  After that 400 yards walking through the cemetery there it is – a massive plinth with a giant bust of Karl on top and a crowd of people round it.   Something of an irony that this memorial and this grave is in this most pragmatic and least ideological of countries.
An interesting visit and Leanne Wood will be proud of me – and I’ve even got a photograph for Rosemary Butler’s end of year exhibition!

This weekend a visit to Montgomeryshire on Saturday to view the pile up of traffic in Newtown and the need for a bypass with Newtown Councillors – Russell George, Peter Harris and Frank Torrens.  Glyn Davies and Lisa Francis were also there – the Mid & West Wales tag team back in action.

 After this a visit to a rather striking recycling sculpture in fields on the outskirts of Caersws.  It gets the message across pretty effectively I think.  Glorious day’s weather and good opportunity to meet the Montgomeryshire gang and to toast Simon Baynes’ effective Chairmanship of the Association and to hear Lord Gowrie’s urbane and balanced assessment of the political and economic situation in which we find ourselves. 

I have often been in the old Welsh Office building, now National Assembly offices in Cathays Park.  The buildings here are extremely impressive and imposing.  Internally no doubt it is true that it could be improved – what building could not?  Some small measure of health and safety spending may be needed, a little bit of painting perhaps, a few alterations here and there.  All of these things seem reasonable but the proposal from Rhodri Morgan and the Labour and Plaid Welsh Assembly Government to spend in excess of £42 million on revamping and refurbishing and rebuilding, is crazy.  It is madness because it is way over the top – even in good economic circumstances it would be massively excessive.  The money could surely be better used on jobs, on health, on education and housing for example, and throughout Wales too not just in Cardiff. 

 All of this is compounded, of course, by the present economic situation which makes Rhodri Morgan’s commitment to this massive expenditure all the more outrageous and astounding.  We will certainly be calling for cancellation of this project. Indeed, we have already done so.

An excellent St David’s Day dinner from The Royal Welch Fusiliers in Llety Parc, Aberystwyth.   It was a very traditional occasion and I was very privileged to be invited to the dinner.
 

 I am very proud to have worked hard to help save the Royal British Legion Home, Crosfield House, in Rhayader with visits to London to see the Royal British Legion and strong support locally.  This has been reflected by other parties efforts too, and whilst we must be vigilant as to the future of the home, it looks secure.

 A traditional Welsh meal was followed by guests for the evening, namely myself, the Mayor of Aberystwyth and the Chairman of the County Council, being asked to get on chairs and eat raw leeks.  I must say on the whole I find delivering speeches easier!

 It was, though, a really excellent evening spoilt only by news of Wales’ efforts in Paris – valiant but ultimately in vain.

A great privilege to visit this historic gem in Prestatyn which has been saved for the local community and completely refurbished with money from many sources – Prestatyn Town Council, Denbighshire, Welsh Assembly Government and Europe.  A really sound effort on all parts to keep this wonderful building and facility for the people of Prestatyn.

 I toured the building seeing the different facilities and coffee lounge, including slipping in just before ‘The Pink Panther’ was being shown.  One of our group then grabbed a startled member of the audience to take photographs before the film started.  This will be a really excellent facility which has just re-opened and will ensure that people stay in the town and use local restaurants, pubs and facilities rather than go elsewhere.

I have been a supporter of Brecon Jazz for many years; it really is a jewel in the cultural crown of Mid Wales. It was a couple of months ago now when we were fighting for the long term survival of the festival and we had the news that it was to be saved! But 2009 was cancelled. I immediately called for partners to come to the table with the Arts Council for Wales and hammer out a solution to save this year’s festival. 

I truly am delighted that we now have that solution. The 2009 Festival is to go ahead, it is important to the Welsh economy, to Welsh tourism, to the community of Brecon, and most important that we have continuity. I pay tribute to all involved; Peter Florence the Hay Festival, Celtic Spirit Group and international music events company ESIP and other partners including the Arts Council for Wales. This is a welcome relief to the town in these trying economic times and I look forward to the festival in early August this year and for many years to come. 

Today, along with other Assembly Members – Elin Jones, Paul Davies, Nerys Evans and Joyce Watson, I attended a presentation by the Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust about unlocking the potential of Cardigan Castle. 

 The presentation was inspirational, as is the vision behind the scheme for preserving Cardigan Castle, which was the home of the first Eisteddfod.  It is thus the site of terrific importance for Wales.  The buildings on the site have decayed massively and there have been several false starts with possible preservation and renovation of the site including, of course, memorably Griff Rhys Jones’ programme to find a building to be saved for the nation.

 The plans being put forward by the Building Preservation Trust include a heritage centre, a restaurant, a language centre, residential holiday lets, a centre for traditional crafts and “an events space to bring visitors and the community together”.

 This has terrific resonance for local people and tourism, and also provides a wonderful chance for volunteering opportunities.  This is something, of course, that happened on a grand scale at the Botanic Gardens and I am sure that much can be learnt from here.

 Members of the Trust have already consulted with Aberglasney where William Wilkins’ vision has helped deliver a first class destination which is a matter of immense pride for the locality in Carmarthenshire, and there is also the possibility of partnership and joint working with Llanarchaeron and the National Trust nearby in Ceredigion.

 Already the Heritage Lottery fund money is on offer, provided that match funding can be achieved, and it is here that the Preservation Trust faces its greatest challenge but with the possibility of contributions from Welsh Assembly Government, from Cadw, and from the EU.

 I also raised the possibility of speaking to BBC Wales and trying to get Griff Rhys Jones involved to see if the BBC might not put on a series to show progress throughout the project. This would provide some funding but also help raise the profile of the scheme still further and be of immense interest.

 I think it is fair to say that all Assembly Members at the presentation were very impressed.  I should also say that I am sure that Alun Davies would have attended but for a sad family bereavement.

 Good luck to the Trust, and I look forward to visiting the castle during the progress of the scheme and at its completion.

Today I raised with the Leader of the House the need for a written statement from the Minister for Heritage on the Brecon Jazz Festival.

 I  am very keen that this Jazz Festival, which is vital to the Mid Wales economy and is of great interest to people from far and wide, continues.

 The Arts Council for Wales has announced there will be no Festival in 2009 but hope it will be resurrected in 2010.  I hope so too.

 There is a need for the Minister to set out what he is doing to bring people together to ensure that this does happen.  I know there are people interested in taking over the Festival.  Peter Florence and the Hay Festival, for example, has exhibited an interest and they have a very good track record locally, and clearly their business case will stack up.

 Whatever happens we must ensure there is a viable Brecon Jazz Festival into the future.

As part of my weekly joust with Rhodri Morgan, I asked today what we were doing to promote tourism into Wales given the fall of the value of the pound against the dollar and the euro.  It seems to me that there is a classic opportunity here, even in this recession, to market the massive attractions that Wales has to a wider audience.

 
In support of this I also argued for more to be done to promote Cardiff International Airport and compared it with Bristol Airport.
The First Minister didn’t seem to accept that action was needed.

 
I have checked the international air passenger traffic going to and from Cardiff International Airport from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland between 2003 and 2007 (the last year for which figures are available).   In all cases there has been a marked decrease: -
                                                                        (2003)              (2007)
France                                                              83,649             46,003
Germany                                                          18,975             616
Italy                                                                  35,264             13,120
Spain excluding Canary Islands                        651,802           632,953
Ireland                                                              103,700           98,032
Now, I accept that many more people may be choosing to travel by land, I try to do that myself.
Looking at the growth of Bristol Airport, however, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that many more people are coming into and going out of Bristol as opposed to Cardiff.  That is not in our interest as a nation.
I also argued that we should be doing more in terms of transport links to Cardiff International Airport, possibly making use of some green possibilities as they have done at Bristol with buses running on bio fuels. 
Answer came there none!

The government is trying to promote collaboration in educational courses and offer more choice. Fine intentions spot on and problematic.  Of course, so often the reality is very different from the intention. 

In rural Wales collaboration is not easy where distances are great.  This challenge is compounded where the communities that are involved are Welsh language communities.  That is simply the case in Ceredigion and there needs to be recognition that there are great difficulties in delivering the agenda in a town like Aberystwyth.  There can be no joint voices between schools that are offering courses in different languages. This is just not appropriate.  There needs to be recognition too of the difficulties in providing for collaboration in rural areas.

This is mostly footnote stuff in the government’s presentation of the case.  The Governors and excellent Head teacher, Arwel George, are rightly concerned about the costs and the failure to recognise these challenges of delivering this in a rural setting with a strong Welsh language tradition.

I share their concerns and have raised the matter previously with the Minister and will do so again.  

Very similar points were put to me when I visited Coleg Ceredigion in Cardigan. 

 Not bad intentioned but we need to make sure these government Ministers get out more and that this is not all seen through a Cardiff prism.