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| New Welsh Labour leader and First Minister nominee, Vaughan Gething Source: BBC |
Gaining 51.7% of the vote, Vaughan Gething secured a narrow victory over his cabinet colleague to secure the top job in Welsh politics, First Minister of Wales.
It is not an auspicious start. WalesOnline reported that Gething "received a huge £200,000 donation from a man whose companies have been convicted of environmental offences. On the same day that he received the donation, one of the donor's companies submitted an application to build a large solar farm in Cardiff that would require Welsh Government approval."
The First Minister nominee has refused to return the donations arguing that they were "within the rules". He has since declared another £51,000 in donations.
They may be within the rules but not in the spirit of good government.
Nation Cymru reported that the offences entailed "illegally dumping toxic sludge in the Gwent Levels, a sensitive wetlands landscape near Newport", regarded by former First Minister, Mark Drakeford, as a 'fantastic wild haven' equivalent to the Amazon rainforest for sheer diversity of wildlife.
Toxic sludge to kill off wildlife but not the much needed M4 relief road which Drakeford killed off.
It can only get worse with plans to raise the number of Senedd members from 60 to 96.
As Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons argued, if Westminster were expanded in the way planned for the Senedd it would have more than 2,000 MPs.
But it gets even worse. Described by the bishop of St Asaph as 'bad news' for democracy, from 2026 votes will be cast for parties instead of individual candidates enabling the Labour Party to tighten its grip in Wales despite its lamentable record, particularly on NHS waiting lists.
There was a time when Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer regarded Welsh Labour as his "blueprint" for power but no longer. He has twice declined to repeat his claim.
No surprise there.
Postscript [23.03.2024]
Nation.Cymru reports that "New First Minister Vaughan Gething is facing his first major constitutional clash with the UK Government over a controversial Bill that would enforce a gender-balanced Senedd by law and allow election candidates to self-identify as the gender of their choice."
Self-identifying gender balance! Completely crackpot.
Scrap the entire Assembly, it's nothing but a useless and very expensive talking shop that produces nothing but flatulence.
ReplyDeleteThe big question is: will Vaughan Gethin call an election? In Westminster, every time the Tories have handed the prime minister's mantle to a successor, Labour and the SNP have demanded an election. Will Welsh Labour do the honourable thing that their Westminster colleagues keep calling for? I haven't seen any pigs flying yet, so I won't hold my breath.
ReplyDeleteSeymour
I don't think he can call an election, even if he wants to. The Senedd works like Councils, i.e. with specified terms and dates, rather than like Westminster. We already know that the date is May 7th 2026.
DeletePersonally I think the former 'never trust a Tory' bishop of St David's should stand as a Labour candidate for the Senedd. That would put a stop to the nonsense of the whole crazy devolution experiment. Bring it on gal ... Wales needs a good laugh.
ReplyDelete🤦♂️ 🤦♂️ 🤦♂️
DeleteDon't give the silly ruminant any ideas, we're far better off with her relegated to utter obscurity and her staying there.
Jeremy Miles was by far the more thoughtful and capable candidate. He had my vote and I have worked very closely with him over the years.
ReplyDeleteRhydderch
Two cheeks on the same ar*e.
DeleteBewildered
Casting back to the previous site and the mystery of sub-dean Sion ap Rhys Evans sudden and peculiar disappearance rumour has it that the Easter Sunday kiddies 'Big Easter Egg Hunt' is being re-themed: 'Hunt the Dean' and that tomorrows post communion organ voluntary is to be taken from the musical Scarlet Pimpernel and the tune 'They seek him here; they seek him there .... is he in heaven or is he in hell'. Could be fun !!!
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone, much less children, have any interest in playing Hunt the Mincer?
DeleteChocolate eggs yes but another chocolate teapot? I don't think so.
Bewildered