St David’s Hospice
It was a pleasure last Friday to officially open a new St David’s Hospice shop at the old Bowls site in Penyrheol.
When I arrived there was a crowd waiting outside and I was hugely impressed by the quality of the clothes and ornaments on sale. They were soon flying out of the door.
I’ve always found the work of the hospice touching and they make things it a little easier for those nearing the end of their lives.
Every Christmas I read poetry at the charity’s Light Up a Life service and like many others I’ve been pleased to be able to support the hospice financially. They deserve your support.
National Assembly
The Assembly resumed last week following the recess and I raised a number of issues on the Senedd floor.
I brought up the totally unacceptable abuse of staff in A&E units by patients who have had too much to drink. Staff have a really difficult job on times trying to treat some people while facing abuse.
The First Minister made it clear that people who were abusive or attacked hospital staff should be prosecuted and that is something, I hope, the police will continue to pursue.
During a debate on the Welsh Government’s annual report on equality, I raised the issue of procurement and the fact that many public bodies, including the National Museum of Wales, are not using enough produce and products from Wales, particularly on their catering contracts.
The Welsh Government also claims to be keen to champion equality in our society but has continued to dismiss my idea of establishing the post of a Disability Commissioner for Wales.
We, quite rightly, have champions for children, older people and the Welsh language, but it seems disabled people are not regarded as having an equal claim to have someone appointed to look after their interests? That is very disappointing and it is hoped that the Welsh Government will see the light before too long.
Lindsay Whittle
Plaid Cymru South Wales East AM
Another long rant at the Welsh Labour Government. Back to political point scoring again I see after a couple of weeks off.
"…totally unacceptable abuse of staff in A&E units by patients who have had too much to drink…"
The same thing can be said about police officers and teachers. The repercussions are not strong enough and do not deal with the trouble makers. Longer sentences in gaols with lee than admirable conditions would do the trick. Expand current prisons and double the prison population.
"We, quite rightly, have champions for children, older people and the Welsh language, but it seems disabled people are not regarded as having an equal claim to have someone appointed to look after their interests? That is very disappointing and it is hoped that the Welsh Government will see the light before too long."
Seeing the light indeed…
These positions need to be scrapped and the Welsh Assembly need to hand over such duties to ministers. They are paid enough as it is, let's make them work harder.
Arthur, we've had a century of Labour control in the Welsh valleys and look where it has got us. Don't knock someone who is trying to improve local society.
Urgh! Here's hoping it's not another twelve years of Labour. It's time for change. I find many people vote Labour not because they know what Labour stands or they share Labour's views but because their friends vote Labour, or their family and they feels it's the right thing to do.
I always laugh when you hear people complaining about something one party is doing whilst supporting another. When you ask them what is it you like about *insert party they support* they don't have a clue as they don't know about the party they support.
Conclusion: the valley's are full of sheep!
I regretfully agree with Dean's assessment of many voters. What concerns me even more is that there are not "many" voters left. A large percentage of young, potential, voters do not know who is Prime Minister, let alone who is in charge at the Cardiff Bay talking shop or who their MP & AM are.
I was brought up to discuss current events and learned the history behind them. This gives me data on which to form an opinion which, in turn, influences who I vote for. Very few children are given this start in life and do not understand the forces that impact on their daily lives. This tranlates into an electorate of whom less than half bother to vote.
This worries the heck out of me but most politicians do not seem to care; they certainly don't seem to make an effort to increase the turnout at elections. It appears that they are content so long as they have a chance of getting at the levers of power.
I think we all long ago accepted that many politicians, more so the ones in a political party, are after the power, prestige and easy job instead of trying to better the lives of the people they represent.
Richard raises an excellent point. The poor turnout is not down to people feeling disengaged from politics but it’s down to the people feeling disengaged from the politicians.
We can look at our own MP as an example. He is hopeless. He does not listen to his constituents, he listens to the Labour Party top brass. He constantly votes according to the Labour Party all in hope of being promoted. You begin to wonder if he even holds an opinion. You ask him about something and he instantly retorts to the typical party response which is usually an anti-coalition slur.
An example;
Person 1: Wayne, do you think that the British people deserve an in/out referendum on the European Union.
Wayne David: The coalition promising a referendum brings uncertainty… We think Britain is better off in the EU…
Person 1: So should the British people have their say?
Wayne David: The EU account for 49% of Britain’s trade…
Over 2 million jobs would be lost if Britain left…
It continues like this until you are left feeling suicidal.
He completely avoids the question and you despair at how he is constantly re-elected. Of course, we all know that Caerphilly is a Labour safe seat and a monkey could be elected. If he chose to stand in a swing seat, his political career would already be over.
Interesting debating point, raised here, a referendum on Europe. My own view is that there should be a a referendum now, not some future date. The question should be a simple one, "Do you wish our country to continue to be a member state of the European Union" yes or no.
Personally I would respect the decision of the people of the British Isles whatever the result. My vote would be cast against continuing to be a member of an undemocratic organisation whose continued existence may result in catastrophic war between European peoples. This is not a right – left issue, it is a choice between democracy or tyranny. I choose democracy every time.