All 4 entries tagged Welsh Assembly

Cameron tries to win over the Welsh

: 23 Mar 2007 19:00 |  Tags: Conservatives David Cameron Politics Video Wales Welsh Assembly |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Plaid Cymru and the Tories should make friends

Blamerbell, an increasingly influential Welsh blogger, suggested this week that the chances of Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives joining forces after the May Welsh Assembly elections was as likely as Lembit Opik becoming a Benedictine monk.

Mathematically it might do them a favour though. Dr Richard Wyn Jones and Dr Roger Scully of the Institute of Welsh Politics have done the 'electoral math^'1 and say that the election in May this year is likely to result in:

There's lots of possibilities. Labour and Plaid Cymru might get together. Labour and the Lib Dems might amble along. But if the Tories want to have any say, joining with the Lib Dems - while politically practical - would be mathematically daft. They'd be trounced. Plaid's their only partner if they want to lead. And as Blamerbell said, it's not likely.

If the figures are accurate, it looks like a Labour/Plaid coalition is inevitable. And that means the next term's going to be even more explosive than this one.

^{1. A West Wingism that I love.}

: 13 Jan 2007 15:42 |  Tags: Cardiff Elections Politics Senedd Wales Welsh Assembly |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Peter Hain makes a mockery of devolution

Peter Hain is reported to have come out with a ludicrous statement today, which would mean devolution in Wales is only allowed while Labour govern the Assembly.

From this article:

The Welsh Secretary indicated that if the present opposition parties formed a coalition administration after next May’s election, MPs at Westminster would not necessarily agree to their legislative plans, which might include Proportional Representation voting.

At the moment, any legislation made in Cardiff has to be ratified – or agreed – in Westminster. And so far it’s not caused any problems.

But this signal from Hain is hypocrisy and unnecessary party politics in the extreme. It’s unfair on Wales and it makes devolution look pointless. Ironically it’s forced the Welsh Conservatives – who opposed devolution – to defend the Assembly. I hope Hain will be forced into a retraction before any more damage is done.

If it wasn’t for the Wales v Liechtenstein game, I think Blamerbell would be spitting on his cornflakes (or whatever he eats at night).

: 14 Nov 2006 20:48 |  Tags: Devolution Peter Hain Politics Welsh Assembly |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Welsh Assembly… bit of a mess?

Offering critical opinions of a quintessentially Welsh landmark such as the Welsh Assembly is not without risk for an Englishman living in Cardiff. But [welsh joke deleted for fear of my life] so I’m not afraid…

Yesterday the Assembly building missed out in the Stirling Prize, Britain’s most prestigious award for architecture. I’m ambivalent about whether it should have won – the Madrid airport which took the prize (it was eligible because it was designed by Brits) is attractive on the inside but looks like a long car production line from the outside, so perhaps wasn’t the obvious choice.

But having visited today, I think there’s a few problems with the Assembly building, some of which were architectural and some which were not.

First impression is the security box which has been added on to the front so they can make sure you’ve not bought anything English in (luckily my recording device which set the machines off was made in Norway). It’s necessary but doesn’t feel like it was part of the original plans as it’s a bit of a sore thumb.

The chamber itself is very nicely-designed, but it feels like they were tight with fitting it out. The desks and chairs look like they’ll need replacing in a year’s time, and even the carpet looks a bit temporary. Notably once they upgrade their computers you can bet the new ones won’t fit in the same space.

And then there’s the architectural bit. The roof is basically falling apart. Above the chamber is a funnel leading to daylight that isn’t entirely different from that in the Reichstag in Germany (also British-designed). The key difference is that the Assembly’s ceiling is made mostly of wood rather than glass. Shaped wood.

Wood that’s been bent into curves. Only trouble is some of the wood’s snapped because it would much rather be straight, and the bits between the wood (which looks like the stuff on top of garden sheds) is poking out of the holes.

Quite frankly it’s a bit of a mess.

A Guardian article yesterday went back to previous winners of the Stirling Prize and asked how practical the buildings were (especially the Peckham library built on the fourth floor, making it problematic for the elderly).

Sadly the Assembly looks as if it might join the long list of architectually magnificent buildings which after six months hadn’t quite lived up to practical expectations, even if it does look impressive.

P.S. Just so the Welsh don’t feel like I’m picking on them, remember that the Millennium Dome’s roof kept getting holes in it when it was opened, so we’re just as inept as you are.

: 15 Oct 2006 20:31 |  Tags: Architecture Cardiff Stirling Prize Welsh Assembly |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem