This is the last post on the 0725 in its current form. I am soon to start a new blog on Media Wales' new website, walesonline.co.uk. I'll put a link direct to the new blog up here when it's ready to go.
It's been a lot of fun running this blog and trying to give a different slant on Wales and Westminster. I hope readers have enjoyed it too.
All change please...
UPDATE Apologies for the singalling problems. The new blog is now up and running here.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Davis mystery
My first thoughts when I was told David Davis was resigning was that the MP for Monmouth must have done something very out of character. It seems I wasn't the only one, but the truth rapidly became clear.
Well, clear-ish. There are lots of questions about this remarkable resignation, and I'm not sure anyone can provide the answers at the moment (although we’re all asking).
They are:
1) Why on earth fight a by-election on a single issue when you can make all the noise in the world on the same issue as shadow home secretary?
2) What if no main parties put up a candidate (the Lib Dems have already said they won't) and Mr Davis is left looking a bit lonely?
3) Is the decision to quit related to a comment on the Today programme on Wednesday morning that a Tory government would repeal 42-day detention – not yet official Tory policy – that looks like an attempt to bounce David Cameron?
4) When did David Cameron find out what Mr Davis was planning, and what does he really think about it?
Mr Davis has managed to shift the terms of the debate at Westminster, but not in the way he was hoping, I don't think.
Well, clear-ish. There are lots of questions about this remarkable resignation, and I'm not sure anyone can provide the answers at the moment (although we’re all asking).
They are:
1) Why on earth fight a by-election on a single issue when you can make all the noise in the world on the same issue as shadow home secretary?
2) What if no main parties put up a candidate (the Lib Dems have already said they won't) and Mr Davis is left looking a bit lonely?
3) Is the decision to quit related to a comment on the Today programme on Wednesday morning that a Tory government would repeal 42-day detention – not yet official Tory policy – that looks like an attempt to bounce David Cameron?
4) When did David Cameron find out what Mr Davis was planning, and what does he really think about it?
Mr Davis has managed to shift the terms of the debate at Westminster, but not in the way he was hoping, I don't think.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Devolution news
Wherever pigeons are gathered, you can bet Assembly Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas is lurking nearby, trying to procure a cat to place among them.
I gather there is much shock and horror in the Assembly today after Lord Elis-Thomas invited AMs to follow his example and boycott a meeting with the Israeli ambassador. If AMs are shocked, they clearly haven't followed the career of this connoisseur of controversy very closely.
He’s managed to wind up fellow AMs several times before without too many negative consequences for himself, but his position is an elected one and there is, inevitably, muttering that it might be time that someone else was in the chair in Cardiff Bay.
Perhaps he will be ousted, though I doubt it. If he is, it raises the intriguing possibility next year of Lord Elis-Thomas and Rhodri Morgan sitting at the back of the Assembly comparing notes and heckling their successors from the backbenches.
I gather there is much shock and horror in the Assembly today after Lord Elis-Thomas invited AMs to follow his example and boycott a meeting with the Israeli ambassador. If AMs are shocked, they clearly haven't followed the career of this connoisseur of controversy very closely.
He’s managed to wind up fellow AMs several times before without too many negative consequences for himself, but his position is an elected one and there is, inevitably, muttering that it might be time that someone else was in the chair in Cardiff Bay.
Perhaps he will be ousted, though I doubt it. If he is, it raises the intriguing possibility next year of Lord Elis-Thomas and Rhodri Morgan sitting at the back of the Assembly comparing notes and heckling their successors from the backbenches.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Blue rinse groupies
Mrs 0725 was in Henley the other day, covering a visit to that by-election stricken town by Tory leader David Cameron.
Mr Cameron is walking on air at the moment. He can do no wrong in the eyes of many voters, despite not having much of a policy position on a whole range of issues. He's even been handed a nice easy opportunity to kick some of the unreconstructed members of his own side, always handy for a leader's tough-guy image - although I suspect there may be a few nasty surprises left before the politicians' expenses saga draws to a close.
In Henley people were queuing up to touch Mr Cameron as if he were a rock star, even jostling Mrs 0725 as she tried to fire a few questions his way. One woman had even brought along a Henley Standard mug for Dave to sign.
This sort of thing never happens to Gordon Brown, and the difference in the two men's political position – and the return of motoring politics – is the subject of this week's Western Mail column.
I have promised to buy Mrs 0725 a flak jacket before she returns to those violent Thames Valley streets.
Mr Cameron is walking on air at the moment. He can do no wrong in the eyes of many voters, despite not having much of a policy position on a whole range of issues. He's even been handed a nice easy opportunity to kick some of the unreconstructed members of his own side, always handy for a leader's tough-guy image - although I suspect there may be a few nasty surprises left before the politicians' expenses saga draws to a close.
In Henley people were queuing up to touch Mr Cameron as if he were a rock star, even jostling Mrs 0725 as she tried to fire a few questions his way. One woman had even brought along a Henley Standard mug for Dave to sign.
This sort of thing never happens to Gordon Brown, and the difference in the two men's political position – and the return of motoring politics – is the subject of this week's Western Mail column.
I have promised to buy Mrs 0725 a flak jacket before she returns to those violent Thames Valley streets.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Barnett squeeze
Is reform of the way Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the burning political issue of the day?
Not if this one-line Commons motion calling for a review of the system is anything to go by. Just 10 MPs have signed it so far.
In many ways the Conservatives have most to gain, in electoral terms, from any public resentment in England about perceived higher spending levels in Scotland, so perhaps it's not surprising that none of the party's MPs have signed up so far. And maybe this explains the lack of SNP names.
Not if this one-line Commons motion calling for a review of the system is anything to go by. Just 10 MPs have signed it so far.
In many ways the Conservatives have most to gain, in electoral terms, from any public resentment in England about perceived higher spending levels in Scotland, so perhaps it's not surprising that none of the party's MPs have signed up so far. And maybe this explains the lack of SNP names.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Focus on the issues
I thought David Cameron edged it in Prime Minister's Questions today, the first since the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.
The exchanges were on planned changes to Vehicle Excise Duty, but it was the under-fire Gordon Brown who started the strongest, making some decent points about the holes in the Tories' own car tax policies and reluctance to follow their green rhetoric to its logical conclusion.
Mr Cameron meanwhile was getting bogged down in an attempt to argue there are 40 different types of Ford Focus, not one as the Government says. I didn't understand where the Tory leader was going on this one – a diesel Ford Focus will end up paying less road tax, not more, under the Treasury's new payment-by-pollution scheme.
No matter. Soon Mr Brown was losing his footing and Mr Cameron making a few jokes about how the PM was being told to get on his bike, and so on. The political wind is in Mr Cameron's sails, and sooner or later that starts to show at the despatch box.
One odd aside – reading out the thoughts of a series of anonymous Cabinet Ministers quoted in the Times, Mr Cameron pointed out was alleged to have said the Prime Minister was "crap at communication". Surely not parliamentary language? The Speaker didn’t call him up on it, but then Michael Martin did call Boris Johnson, appearing in his last PMQs before stepping down as MP for Henley, the 'Lord Mayor', (twice), which he isn't – this man is.
And don't think I didn't notice Mr Cameron's new centre-parting either.
UPDATE at 1600. The helpful office of shadow Chancellor George Osborne have been on to point out that yes, there are 40 models of Ford Focus, and owners of 29 of them will be worse off under the changes. For some reason they forget to mention that 23 of those 29 models will attract an extra charge of just £5 or £10 by 2010-11 - not much after inflation, surely?
The exchanges were on planned changes to Vehicle Excise Duty, but it was the under-fire Gordon Brown who started the strongest, making some decent points about the holes in the Tories' own car tax policies and reluctance to follow their green rhetoric to its logical conclusion.
Mr Cameron meanwhile was getting bogged down in an attempt to argue there are 40 different types of Ford Focus, not one as the Government says. I didn't understand where the Tory leader was going on this one – a diesel Ford Focus will end up paying less road tax, not more, under the Treasury's new payment-by-pollution scheme.
No matter. Soon Mr Brown was losing his footing and Mr Cameron making a few jokes about how the PM was being told to get on his bike, and so on. The political wind is in Mr Cameron's sails, and sooner or later that starts to show at the despatch box.
One odd aside – reading out the thoughts of a series of anonymous Cabinet Ministers quoted in the Times, Mr Cameron pointed out was alleged to have said the Prime Minister was "crap at communication". Surely not parliamentary language? The Speaker didn’t call him up on it, but then Michael Martin did call Boris Johnson, appearing in his last PMQs before stepping down as MP for Henley, the 'Lord Mayor', (twice), which he isn't – this man is.
And don't think I didn't notice Mr Cameron's new centre-parting either.
UPDATE at 1600. The helpful office of shadow Chancellor George Osborne have been on to point out that yes, there are 40 models of Ford Focus, and owners of 29 of them will be worse off under the changes. For some reason they forget to mention that 23 of those 29 models will attract an extra charge of just £5 or £10 by 2010-11 - not much after inflation, surely?
Monday, June 2, 2008
42, the meaning of life
Blogging has been light of late; I have been moving house (yes, we have bought, and no, we’re not clinically insane. In fact if you're a first-time buyer it's not a bad time to move).
MPs are back at Westminster today (some of them might want to move home too after all these revelations). The plan to detain terror suspects without charge for 42 days is the main issue under debate; Jacqui Smith is going to try to win over sceptical Labour MPs at the PLP meeting tonight.
Gordon Brown ducked a question at a press conference this morning about whether the vote would be a matter of confidence in his administration; his one-time lieutenant reckons not.
David Cameron may take a different view; as leader of the opposition, he can table a motion of no confidence in Mr Brown if he chooses. Would the Tory leader go for it? He could argue that it’s a matter of principle and there should therefore be a confidence vote (while keeping up the pressure on the Prime Minister). But Mr Brown would doubtless win a confidence vote; it could even strengthen him a little.
If I were Mr Cameron I would calculate that the threat of a confidence vote hanging in the air for two years would be a more effective weapon than actually forcing one now.
If he does win the vote, it'll be the Democratic Unionists that save Mr Brown’s skin. These canny operators know how to get concessions from a struggling Downing Street, so they probably won’t be too pleased to be reading this. And this Labour MP isn't shifting sides.
MPs are back at Westminster today (some of them might want to move home too after all these revelations). The plan to detain terror suspects without charge for 42 days is the main issue under debate; Jacqui Smith is going to try to win over sceptical Labour MPs at the PLP meeting tonight.
Gordon Brown ducked a question at a press conference this morning about whether the vote would be a matter of confidence in his administration; his one-time lieutenant reckons not.
David Cameron may take a different view; as leader of the opposition, he can table a motion of no confidence in Mr Brown if he chooses. Would the Tory leader go for it? He could argue that it’s a matter of principle and there should therefore be a confidence vote (while keeping up the pressure on the Prime Minister). But Mr Brown would doubtless win a confidence vote; it could even strengthen him a little.
If I were Mr Cameron I would calculate that the threat of a confidence vote hanging in the air for two years would be a more effective weapon than actually forcing one now.
If he does win the vote, it'll be the Democratic Unionists that save Mr Brown’s skin. These canny operators know how to get concessions from a struggling Downing Street, so they probably won’t be too pleased to be reading this. And this Labour MP isn't shifting sides.
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