Local Councillors make me weep

Oh Boy, don't Wales's local councillors make you want to cry.  So many are jsut too old and too out of touch to do a half decent job.  A couple of weeks ago I met some English councillors and what a difference. They were on the ball, coherent, intelligent and up for new ideas. And the Welsh ones, well ... So clear them out and get new ones in. I don't care what party or what age, gender, colour etc etc but just people who are with it!!

Macho spending cuts

Male politicians are falling over themselves to out-tough each other on spending cuts. First its the Cameroon and pals, slavering at the thought of chopping all that 'red tape' and 'waste', then its Cable chop chop chopping like Jamie Oliver on speed, and even Brown can't hold back. Snip! Slash!




Well guys, there IS an alternative. It's called tax rises. There is a principle well established called the polluter pays. He who messes up, pays up. That means that the people who should pay are the banks, the venture capitalists, the hedge funds. Easy. No cuts.

Clear out the dead wood

At a meeting this week I couldn't believe that some of the local council officers there were THE SAME PEOPLE doing THE SAME JOB that they were doing ten years ago.  They were older, greyer and their pension pot undoubtedly bigger. And my god they were just as boring too. 

Think of Lubna Hussein

When you put your jeans on tomorrow, think of Lubna Hussein of Sudan who will face up to 40 lashes and an unlimited fine simply for wearing trousers.  Lubna is not the only woman to face this punishment - the director of police has admitted that 43,000 women were arrested in Khartoum state in 2008 for 'clothing offences'.

Tory jobs humbug

The sight of Alun Cairns and his Tory pals worrying about employment not reaching its target made me laugh.  Which party closed Wales's pits? Which party ran down manufacturing? Which party spouted 'there is no alternative' and told our good people to get on their bikes? Tories have never cared about jobs and aren't doing a very good job at pretending they do now.

Cut here and keep

How is WAG going to make the cuts in spending? Does it have some underlying philosophy? Or is it equal pain - everyone has their 10% or whatever.  And local governemnt and the NHS - a trim here, a snip there? Who knows, but compare this with the approach being taken in England where some authorities are adopting a properly thought through model for cutting back - dubbed the RyanAir approach to public services, they are supposed to be no-frills.

I can't get my brain around what 'no fills' by-pass surgery might be, or 'no-frills' rubbish collection might be. But at least they are thinking about it. Where is the socialist / left or Liberal thinking in Wales?

Drunken girls or biased reporting

Teenage girls in UK have the highest levels of drinking according to reports of an OECD study. They do, but the OECD study also says:

'In other areas the UK performs well. Children in the United Kingdom are materially fairly well-off. Average family income is higher and child poverty is lower than OECD averages. Children in the United Kingdom also enjoy a high quality of school life. The United Kingdom ranks 4th out of 25 countries for children’s school satisfaction. Rates of bullying are also relatively low.'

But this good news doesn't play well with the demonisation of children or the rallying cry of 'broken Britain'.

Where are the women?

Katie Scarlett Howard is producing sculptures of 6 influential women which will be displayed in gardens across Wales.  They are fabulous.  But just 6? Compared with the HUNDREDS of statues of men that grace all our public places? Male politicians, men at war, male workers, you name it.

How about Lady Charlotte Guest and Megan Lloyd George for starters (and if they already have statues please tell me).