Deddf Iaith a'r Ceidwadwyr

Hat tip i Guerilla Welsh Fare am y syniad tu ol i'r blog yma. Yn ei blog, mae'n son am y ffaith nad yw'r Toriaid, a oedd gynt yn weithredol dros yr iaith Gymraeg, sef Lisa Francis a Glyn Davies wedi cael eu ail ethol, ac yn awgrymu na fydd y grwp Toriaid newydd yn rhoi'r iaith ar flaen yr agenda gwleidyddol.

Roedd y gwleidyddion uchod yn fwy na rhannol gyfrifol am apel y Toriaid i Genedlaetholwyr adain de, ac am symud blaenoriaethau'r Blaid i ffwrdd o agenda canol y ffordd, cyffyrddus, i'r tasg o 'Gymreigio'r' Toriaid yng Nghymru. Yn sicr, roedd eu gwaith wedi dwyn ffrwyth i raddau helaeth, yn enwedig o ysytyried eu rol o fewn Cymdeithas yr Iaith- eu cefnogaeth i adolygiad o'r Ddeddf Iaith bresenol, a datblygiad addysg Gymraeg. Ond, y cwestiwn mawr yw- a fydd yr adain yma o fewn y Blaid yn parhau nawr bod Lisa Francis a Glyn Davies ill dau ymhell o goridorau pwer Bae Caerdydd, yntau a fydd agenda'r Blaid yn cael ei domiwnyddu gan Cameron o'r swyddfeydd Toriaid yn Llundain?

Felly mi fydd y misoedd nesaf yn gyfnod ddiddorol iawn o ran deall blaenoriathau polisi y grwp Toriaid newydd. Mi fydd yn gyfnod diddorol i aelodau Cymdeithas yr Iaith hefyd, wrth iddynt baratoi eu gwaith o lobio Aelodau Cynulliad i gyflwyno Deddf Iaith Newydd yn rhan o bwerau newydd y Cynulliad, yn ogystal a strategaeth y grwp pwyso wrth fynd at eu gwaith.

Rhaid peidio anghofio chwaith bod natur y Blaid Lafur wedi newid yn awr hefyd. Os fydd ras arweinyddol o fewn y Blaid Lafur yn y misoedd/ blwyddyn nesaf, byddech yn siwr o weld ymgeiswyr o adain Undebol y Blaid hynny, ac o adain mwy Cenedlaetholgar y Blaid Lafur ( Andrew Davies vs Carwyn Jones, tybed?)
Efallai y bydd y ddadl ieithyddol yn rhan ganolog o'r ras hynny. Pwy a wyr?

Vote Plaid to save Neurosurgery!

I've just got in after returning from the Swansea Save our Health Service rally, and from canvassing in Neath. The rally went really well I think. There were speakers from all involved in the campaign locally- nurses from Fairwood Hospital, staff at Morriston, Hill House workers, alongside all political parties. Even though Plaid was the only party to vote unanimously to keep Neurosurgery in Swansea, all the other main parties were totally defiant( as you would expect before an election) that Neurosurgery would stay at Morriston after the election. Alun Cairns was booed to high hilt( bless!), nobody seemed to believe a word Andrew Davies had to say, and Peter Black was keeping a low profile.

Surprise surprise, Brian Gibbons didn't turn up to give his opinion on why key local decisions with regards the health service has been deferred until after the election! The Socialist candidate for the election made the biggest gaff of the day, by stating something along the lines of 'The NHS should stay within the private sector'. Whoops!

One issue that I was certain would be raised was that the campaign was 'political' and that this was undermining the cause. I did an interview for BBC, therefore, stating that the Labour party had politicized this issue long ago by kicking the issue in to touch until after the election, and for showing clear lack of leadership in the process of re-organising the Health Service here in Wales.

I also thought it quite ironic that Alun Cairns accused Dai Lloyd's speech at the rally of being 'political' when he was glued to the front of the demo ( pushing a coffin along the road) for the whole time! As our candidate for Neath, Alun Llewelyn later commented- anything that they do not agree with is 'political'! If, as politicians, we cannot get involved in local campaigns to help, and to protect local services, then what is the point of standing for elections, and trying to make a difference?

Overall, I thought that the rally was well organised and effective, especially as health is a key election issue. If anything is achieved from today, let's hope that it will inspire more people to vote on May the 3rd, and vote out a failing Labour Government.

Jane Davidson's leadership bid

OK, so Lady Jane ( aka Jane Davidson AM) has come out against trident. Although I think that it is double standards for Rhodri Morgan to refuse point blank to discuss Iraq because it's a 'Westminster issue', while Davidson has blatantly commented as such, I don't want to get in to the nitty gritty of that argument here.

What is much more interesting to me is how some AM's in the Labour party are starting to position themselves for a leadership position after Rhodri Morgan steps down- probably in 2009. ' He's standing down mid-term', I hear you cry! Doesn't this remind you of somebody else? Of course! Tony Blair!

Andrew Davies, (charisma personified) has already shown signs of positioning himself for the leadership in his recent hard line attacks on Plaid Cymru regarding the prospect of the military base in St Athan, and last weekend's outburst in the Western Mail's letters page that the 'success' of the Welsh economy would be jeopardised under a Plaid Government ( more negativity and false accusations there!)

Jane Davidson's attempt at positioning herself is much more subtle, as she seeks to portray herself as a strong minded, independent woman who is willing to challenge Westminster rule. This latest declaration in opposition to trident must have been well thought out and timed to perfection in order to make an impression on Labour supporters who are mostly opposed to nuclear arms. This declaration could also have been an attempt to gather support amongst trade union members, as rumour has it that our Jane is not the most popular AM amongst the comrades!

I shall be keeping a close eye on future actions both on Andrew Davies and Jane Davidson's behalf especially after the election in May, when Rhodri Morgan could well be forced to stand down if results prove disastrous for Labour.

The debate on top-up fees should be returning to the Assembly soon, and whether or not Wales should embrace the concept of introducing such fees. I wonder whether Jane Davidson, as opposed to being pushed kicking and screaming in to opposing such fees in 2005, will declare outright opposition to a preposterous Labour Westminster policy with a leadership contest in mind. We'll see....

Update- since writing this blog I have been informed of Jane Davidson's new myspace website. When I said she was campaigning subtly for the leadership, I now take all that back! She is no doubt inspired by my site ( !), or influenced by her 18 year old daughter's interests, and friends in Radyr comp! ( see comments listing)

You arrive at the introductory page to the sound of The Clash and information that she would like to meet the left wing Venezualan President Chavez.... is she trying too hard to be radical and young a la Gordon Brown and his Arctic Monkey's comment? You decide.

Alcoa Aluminium in Swansea set to close

Alcoa Aluminium, which is based in Swansea announced today that it's factory will close, with 300 people set to lose their jobs. I haven't yet seen their formal statement, but back in November last year, their reasoning for the proposed job cuts was rising energy costs as well as labour, transport and materials costs. Andrew Davies, the Labour Economic Minister has 'been in talks' with the company, but this has obviously done little to dissuade them from closing their plant. As usual, the Labour Government has been slow off the mark in dealing with such an important issue, and it seems that even though Labour shout about economic successes, this does not reflect the reality of the situation here in Wales at all.

On the other hand, Plaid Cymru is calling on the Government to introduce a longer minimum consultation period before redundancies (France 6 months/UK 90 days), and for employers who decide upon redundancies to enact a ‘social plan’ which involves substantial investment in retraining. Plaid in Westminster has been lobbying the Government to appointment a Minister for Manufacturing in the DTI as a matter of urgency. This is in order to be pro-active about developing the manufacturing industry in Wales, and to pre -empt any necessary discussions on imminent job losses.

The job losses at Alcoa are a disappointment. We need to create new, homegrown industries that will provide jobs for people in Wales, and create a feeling of positivity amongst Welsh people about what we can achieve.