Verdi Requiem 17th January 2010

Nina Fishman – Funeral arrangements

Thursday 17^th December 2pm. Swansea Crematorium.

Please be seated by 2pm.

Family flowers only.

Donations may be made to any charity or fund of your choice in Nina's memory. If it's helpful for the Verdi Requiem, Nina requested donations to be made to Swansea City Opera.

Donations can be sent either via me or the Funeral Director, Rees Davies & Sons, 32/34 Port Tennant Road, Swansea, SA1 8JF.

Nina Fishman. NOT an obituary.

My friend Nina Fishman died last Saturday. I will miss her.

Nina had an inoperable and untreatable cancer. Her death was not unexpected, but for her husband, Phil, her family and friends it was still an unwelcome and unwanted surprise. Nina knew that this was one opponent that force of argument would not bend to her will - she was as direct and honest with herself in this, as she was with the rest of us in everything else. Nina had spent some eight (or more) years on the first (and definitive) biography of Arthur Horner, the Miners Leader of the 1920s-50s, putting her own health second to getting this enormous task finished. In fact 'little Arthur' so much became one of the family that when asking after herself & Phil, you always added "How's Arthur?" Having (as we all thought) overcome cancer once to finish her masterwork, we were all devastated when she was re-diagnosed just a couple of months ago. Nina was damned determined to attend the biography's publication in January next year and did what she could to keep this appointment. For once she failed.

Nina and I met over 25 years ago, through a friend of Sybil, my partner. I had never met anyone like her – still haven't! Nina became and remains my oldest and closest friend.

And that is a statement that I am proud to share with very many others, as Nina had a true gift for friendship. She was not merely a 'good friend' in the general sense, but also in the sense that she was 'good' at being a friend. Unlike most of us, who bump into our friends now and again, Nina put a great deal of time into her friends, into making them, but more importantly, into keeping them.

I guess Nina had an address book (she had no time for electronic gizmos), but it must have been the size of War & Peace. She had friends everywhere, of all ages, backgrounds and interests. And she was in contact with all of us – and was unfailingly interested in all of us. As a result, some of her friends are now friends of mine. As anyone who has met her would know, when you got Nina's interest, you got her commitment and boundless enthusiasm.

Nina was not a 'part-time' anything, when you got Nina, you got all of Nina, whether you wanted it or not! If Nina was interested in someone or something, then she cared and cared passionately.

We shared a love of opera (she converted me to Mozart, but failed with Wagner), cinema & theatre. Wine - unlike me she only bought the best. Politics, of course. There was seemingly no cause on the left that she was not involved in.

This was perhaps inevitable coming from a politically radicalised family: her parents were American academics persecuted during the McCarthy period and effectively forced to leave the US because of their political beliefs and trade union activism.

Nina was involved in driving political change at the national and European level; however, long before she moved to Swansea, she was (and remained) fascinated by the minutiae of our local politics. I admit this fascination was more likely attributable to our friendship, than my insightful analysis! But whatever it was, to an often struggling local politician she was always an interested listener. Nina knew political history, but did practical politics; pressing the lessons of history to serve a current problem. And she'd deliver leaflets (although it was Phil who most often got to deliver them). Nina was an enduring encouragement when it all got me down. I learnt not to give up, that it was worth it even if the change was small, but above all I learnt that I couldn't make anything better if I quit.

I am the better person, and certainly the better politician, for having known her. She was a gift to us all and improved the world by being in it.

I will of course miss her. I'll miss her phone calls, ringing up with some bit of news or to find out what's going on or to invite us to meet someone she thought we'd like or simply to come over for food. I'll miss her unexpected visits when she was out for one of her enormous walks and just thought she'd call in for a cup of tea. She expected to be welcomed and of course she was. There was no day so bleak, no weather so black that Nina's arrival couldn't improve it.

I'll miss too her capacity to eat for Britain. She brought the same enthusiasm and dedication to the table as she did with everything else. From the first, she was for me the personification of the 'Eater Upper', a character in N F Simpson's play, One Way Pendulum. She wouldn't eat anything, Nina liked good food, but given it, she'd eat it. All of it. And yours too if there was any left!

Nina was serious but was also great fun. She gave herself to laughter as fully as she did everything. She was a great audience, I always appreciated her rumbustious laughter whilst banging the table, as I told one of my often repeated stories.

Nina was generous; generous with her intelligence and learning, although never battering you over the head with it, well perhaps if you opposed her in debate. I recall her taking issue at a seminar with one prominent MP who had asserted that since Russian tanks posed no threat to Britain, they shouldn't inform NATO defence policy. Nina suggested, icily politely, that those people living within drive time of the Russian border might take a rather different view. Nina even managed to make thick Scousers like me believe they had made a worthwhile contribution. Nina was generous with her enthusiasm and energy, although I often had to run hard to keep up. She was generous with things – if you liked something she'd give it to you.

And it was that generosity that led Nina & Phil, to commission a 'free' performance of the Verdi Requiem. Nina had 'decided' that she wanted to hear the Verdi Requiem before she died, but a planned performance could not be found in the time she thought she had available. So Nina did what Nina always did, if no-one was doing what was necessary – she did it herself. So she booked a certain Cardiff based orchestra (listed in the programme as the Welsh Symphony), the Swansea Philharmonic choir, a top line of soloists and the Brangwyn Hall. Her plan was not only to invite her friends, but as thanks to the city that she had made her home and which had made her feel at home, all the people of Swansea. She was particularly concerned to include young people who would not otherwise be able to afford to attend such a performance. The concert will be performed on Sunday January 17^th 2010 as planned, as Nina was adamant that it should go ahead whether she made it or not. The Requiem will now fulfil its proper purpose.

Above all Nina was unstintingly generous with her time. Even in her last weeks, when desperately ill, she made time for the almost constant flow of friends wanting (but desperately not wanting) to take their leave.

I will miss her love. I will miss my friend. Goodbye, Nina love.

I am not a liar

Another repost.

The allegation that children were kept in motorway services because there was nowhere else for them to go is a serious one, and one which has prompted a great deal of huffing and puffing – lots of smoke and very little light.

However, the allegation that this was manufactured by Edwina Hart and myself for political advantage is a gross calumny. Mrs. Hart's statement was based entirely on what the staff in the Children's homes specifically told us. I had and (so far) have no reason to doubt them.

If the Cabinet Member is so confident that this has never happened why is he so reluctant to agree to an enquiry as I asked him. And why is there a dislocation between his categoric denials and the Service Director's more muted responses.

This the statement that I read out in the Council meeting last week.

"This is clearly an important matter. However, I am not a liar and neither is Mrs Hart AM or her representative. This was not invented to gain political advantage – we had no need to do so and frankly would not have done so. We were at the facility at the staff's invitation.

I know what I & my colleague heard and I stand by what we heard and what I wrote down. Indeed my colleague had previously been told the same thing in another forum. We did not misunderstand.

What we were told was very explicit, was repeated more than once and spoken back to the staff. It was not the views of one disgruntled individual but many. It was never qualified or amended. The terms and scope of the press release were agreed. We had and have no reason to doubt the accuracy what we were told.

The Leader of Council has already, and very inappropriately, called on me to report to the Director of Social Service, the name of the member of staff who made the allegation. Disciplinary action has already been threatened. So I won't be naming anybody.

Given that, however, I can understand why staff members might now be seeking to distance themselves from the issue. However, I am very concerned as to whether any form of inappropriate pressure has been applied to staff to get them to retract a clear and unambiguous statement of the consequences of the bed-blocking at these two facilities.

I fully support the hard and important work that the staff in Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm perform and the service and support that these facilities provide to some of the most challenging children; children for whom there is currently simply no alternative – save, in many cases, transporting them many miles from Swansea.

To resolve this matter and put it beyond doubt, I call on the Cabinet Member to commission a review of say, the past two years, to establish that no child, in any circumstances, has had to spend time in motorway services."

Sage stooge stuffed

Yet another repost, as it got lost between this computer and the blogsite! Where it is no-one knows.

That master of political intrigue, the Uriah Heep of the Uplands, the sage of Brynmill, the Scourge of Students, er...where was I , oh yes, Peter May, got a quick lesson on the wisdom of the old political adage that 'you never ask a question unless you already know the answer'.

At the start of each Council meeting there is a session where members of the public can turn up and ask questions. Generally, (in fact almost invariably) the questions are put to the Cabinet Members, that's really the point of the exercise. However, the Tory Group Leader, Cllr Kinzett, had established that questions could be asked of any elected member.

So at the start of the meeting a young man stands up and asks me about the allegations of children being kept overnight in motorway services or something along those lines. It turns out that he was the campaign organiser (sic) for Cllr May. (Clearly Cllr May didn't want to be overshadowed by his colleagues Cllr Speight, who has his own researcher (singular or plural) and who caused a deal of upset a few months ago). I had been away for the special meeting the previous week – an unbreakable engagement booked long before the Council date was set. I guess that Cllr May thought this a jolly clever wheeze – and that he'd catch me out and embarrass me! Er...embarrass me! What a silly boy!

I had anticipated that I'd be asked something somewhere in the meeting – although I didn't expect it to come from the public gallery. But 6 of one etc. I read out the statement that is posted in the next blog.

The allegation that children were or were not kept overnight in motorway services is clearly an embarrassing one for the Administration. We have had robust (and aggressively over-the-top) denials from the Cabinet Member, which contrast greatly with the equivocal responses from the Service Director. However, whilst a powerful illustration of the effect of the closing of the homes, in my view - it's not the main issue, as without it serious doubts remain about the implementation timetable and the efficacy of the proposals – which are untested in Swansea and cannot be guaranteed to work, as the Service Director freely and openly admitted. That is why the failure to seek consensus on the proposals is so serious.

What is in many ways worse, is the Administration's failure to distinguish between 'consulting' and 'consensus'. There clearly had been some sort of agreement between the Chair & vicChair of Scrutiny and the Cabinet Member that was cavalierly over-ruled by Chris Holley. He made plain where he stood on the issue, as when asked for an assurance that the proposal to close the homes would come to Council, was "The only assurance I will give you is that it will be dark outside when we finish here" or words to that effect. Nice!

Leader assassinated – no-one notices

Probably the most enjoyable bit of the yesterdays meeting was the careful, considered and oh, so polite demolition of Cllr Chris Holley and his 'consensus' credentials in regards to the closure of the Ty Gwaun and Ty Cwm Children's homes by Cllr Paxton Hood-Williams. I suspect that the observers from the Intervention Board in the were taking careful note. Certainly HRH H squirmed a lot whilst the knife was going in – but dealt with it in his usual way, he pretended it hadn't been said and simply ignored it. Which is his response to every item of inconvenient truth. Of which, of course, there are lots! But then of course, we know that the central political dictum (and no that isn't rhyming slang) of Lib-Dem politics is to ignore the truth if it gets in the way of their view of the world. Peter May's litter-fest of posters demonstrate that.

The Surreal world of FitzHolley

Following the last Council meeting six weeks ago (see previous blogs – those I haven't accidentally deleted that is) there was a brisk and robust exchange of correspondence between the Chief Executive and the Opposition Group Leaders (Rene Kinzett and myself), which in my case I followed up at my regular 1-2-1 with Paul Smith. (I cannot speak for RK as these meetings are confidential, 'Chatham House rules'.)

It would be fair to say that there was (and probably remains) a significant difference of opinion as to the cause of the ridiculous way that the meetings are conducted. The Presiding Officer (PO) seems to go out of her way to be confrontational. As PO she should not only be impartial but be seen to be so. I rather got the impression yesterday that she genuinely thinks that she is being impartial. If this is correct, then I couldn't begin to guess what this would mean for those times when she would be being partial! I had cause to remonstrate with her yesterday about her irritated body language, her terse "Yes, Cllr X, what do you want now...!" or words to that effect and her total refusal to engage with or listen to what a speaker is saying – at least insofar as she comprehends what is being asked. In her hands, these essentially silent signals become screamed down a megaphone! And as I reported previously, this has the effect of raising the temperature and creating animosity and aggression where there was none. I thought afterwards that she comes on like Joyce Grenfell in that sketch of hers, "Nigel...don't do that", some out-of-her-depth playschool assistant. This was rather confirmed later in the meeting when she had the sheer brass neck to remonstrate with Council that they were behaving like children!

The opening of yesterdays meeting was a case in point. At the start of every meeting councillors are asked to approve the accuracy of the Minutes of the previous meeting - standard practice. Sometimes, but not often, it is alleged that they are inaccurate, generally an error or oversight. I cannot recollect when Minutes have been challenged that the correction has not been accepted.

At the previous council meeting Council had a ludicrous debate about whether to have a report from a legal officer about constitutional changes concerning the Pension Fund. (The matter had been postponed from the previous meeting for just such a report – see earlier blogposts). The Minutes of that item were up for approval yesterday. I challenged the accuracy of the Minute as it did not include any reference to vote that was won, NOT to have the report and that that decision was then over-ruled by the Monitoring Officer (MO) who insisted that we had to have the report (and no, I don't know why he didn't say it before the vote either!)

Group Leaders are sent as copy of the Minutes in advance of publication so any errors can be corrected and the Minutes agreed without the sort of stupid public debate we had yesterday. In reading the draft I noticed what I thought was an error of omission (albeit a large one). Now I didn't consider this to be contentious and wrote to the Committee section pointing the 'error' out. Although I understand that the matter was referred to the MO, the letter was ignored and the Minute left to stand as written. So perhaps the omission wasn't an error after all!

So yesterday, I rose to have another go at getting the Minutes correct and we then entered the world of the surreal. The PO refused to accept the challenge stating "Minutes were not a verbatim transcript". No indeed they are not, they are a record of what Council decided and Council decided not to have a report, a decision that was subsequently over-ruled by the MO. So all this should have been in the Minutes – but wasn't. The Chief Executive (CE) and the MO both agreed that I was right. Now the simple solution (and standard practice) was for them to accept the 'error' and agree to record the change. But no, the CE proposed some sort of halfway house that would note my comments but not change the Minute and then the PO supported by the Leader of Council Chris Holley, put the matter to the vote and Council decided to accept as accurate, Minutes that the CE and MO had agreed were inaccurate! Surreal, no? Bizarre certainly. (The whole Administration voted to accept and Labour and the Conservatives voted not to. I didn't see which way the Brilliant Comrade and his pals voted).

And the purpose of all of this – I truly have no idea.

What I do know is that ensured that meeting got off to a fractious start – and for no good purpose. I suppose that the Intervention Board members sitting in the Gallery must have thought they were in for a re-run of the last meeting. I am certainly getting fed-up with it all. And the credibility of Council under FitzHolley? – it continues to slide through the floor.

There is now no interaction between the political parties and the CE has proposed that he call in the marriage guidance councillors in the person of some sort of mediator. RK and myself have said this is of no use, until he and the MO get a firmer grip on proceedings and the PO is not only included in the mediation but sent on some training. I understand that Mrs F. has a Social Science degree – whatever she learnt doesn't seem to have been much applied here! (In an aside - I was told that the reason that Mrs F was given the Social Service portfolio (apart from the fact that the experienced councillors wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole) was that HRH H, misunderstood it as 'Social Services'. Probably a gross and cruel calumny).

Welsh Labour Leadership contest

So it's all over – although the dust is still to settle and there's bound to be more kicked up when Carwyn announces his Cabinet – if only (and almost certainly) by the media.

The winner was hardly a surprise – indeed he had been the favourite since before the contest actually started. But it was a decisive result – and can hardly be quibbled with. He won in every category – and on the first ballot. That was a surprise. Certainly Edwina Hart must be disappointed by that – because I guess she would have been counting on getting some second preferences from Huw Lewis. It was widely expected that Carwyn would do well with the MPs and affiliates, but that Edwina would de better with the party members. Not so, in the event, although there was not much in it.

I was at the announcement in the theoretically secret location, that I wasn't allowed to disclose to anyone, but which all the media knew about as clearly did Plaid – given that Helen Mary Jones was hanging around outside to congratulate the winner (what was that about – was she hoping for a job in the new Cabinet?). Anyway, I cannot be compromising security now – so I'll tell you it was the Wales Millennium Centre.

Rhodri's valedictory speech was his usual mix of eccentricity, charm and humour. And he got two standing ovations – and that was hardly surprising either. His street popularity and recognition factor is something that Carwyn will have difficulty matching – for a while at least. But Rhodri will I am sure be out on the stump at the next elections.

Carwyn's acceptance speech was his usual polished performance and paid gracious tribute to his colleagues. And I am not going to say anything about that. Edwina's speech was also excellent – also gracious and funny. Huw Lewis' was...well strange. I had no idea where he was going with his complicated opening story/joke. (It wasn't helped by the fact that I have never seen the XFactor and absolutely no idea who or what he was (supposedly) talking about). He got a bit emotional in his thanks, especially to his wife (but as a 'blubber' myself I don't criticise him for that). I was surprised that he seemed so disappointed – he can't seriously have expected to win can he? I thought he did very well in the votes – whether that can be translated into his having staked out some territory will remain to be seen.

All eyes now will be on Carwyn's Cabinet. I have no inside knowledge (and wouldn't tell you if I did) but what will his balance be between reward and spread? Will there be a re-allocation of portfolios with Plaid? I wouldn't bet on anyone, but I would guess that Edwina Hart should be safe, not least as who the hell would seriously want the Health portfolio? Will the portfolios all remain predominantly in the south-east of Wales?

On the contest itself, I think it's shown Welsh Labour as a serious grown-up party. Prepared to engage in an open discussion of ideas. I believe that we have shown the other parties how to do it. Well apart from the announcement itself. I didn't really get the point of having it announced by an attractive young blond woman. What was wrong with the usual and clearly more suitable wrinkly old men in suits! Especially when I was eye-level with her knees and she was wearing a very (very) short skirt....

Back on-line

I predicted that I wouldn't keep the blogging up, that it would be an occasional process – and I was right. It's quite surprising how much time it actually takes – and the commitment. And once you've fallen out of it – it's a bit of an effort to get back into it. Other things fill up the space. However, I am now having another go. Interestingly my last entries were about the previous Council meeting = and I got a bit fed up/annoyed with myself, that having written the bloody stuff, my incompetence led me to delete it. Perhaps it was the powerful hand of the great critic!

 

Tweeting

Stephen Fry that arbiter of all things tasteful and the nations leading guide to IT etiquette has now left Twitter denouncing it as base. No longer will the world have the benefit of his 48 character erudition, apparently someone took issue with one of his posts. It was such a relief to discover that Twitter is now passé. I would have hated to have joined and discover that it was just so last week. Oh joy, oh bliss. So now I can mock the Council twitterati as yesterday's men and women.

Mr Forgetful

So let's see, this damned Council meeting and the deleted blogs.

The blogs included reference to the Estyn Inspection. I suggested that the generally good outcome was a bit of a surprise to the LEA as they were expecting just the opposite and that the outcome may have had a lot to do with the charabanc of advisors who allegedly arrived from the WLGA (a coachload of coaches) to school staff in how to pass the inspection. It wasn't all good news as the Inspectors did report that Swansea was the amongst the worst authorities for young people leaving education with no qualifications at all. (see my earlier posts about SHYP).

I referred to the debate on this item showing the incompetence and partiality of the Presiding Officer, Cllr Wendy Fitzgerald. That her lack of any detectable sense of humour or knowledge of the rules of debate (whether ours or anybody's. A Christmas present note to her family – a second-hand copy of Citrine would be very welcome) led to a cranking up of the temperature in the Chamber and simple matters turning into acrimonious major tests of will. This is not helped by Cllr F unwillingness to accept advice from officers on the few occasions that she is offered any. Although I get my share the bulk of the opprobrium descends on Rene Kinzett. The fatuous debate on his supplementary question to the Estyn Inspectors was a case in point. She prevented him, he argued and this went on for some minutes – when she gave in and allowed his question – as she should have done at the beginning. Later on in the meeting she was giving advice to councillors on when and why they should 'stand', i.e. intervene in a debate and when to put up their hands (she failed to see the irony in her offering anyone advice on procedure). However, she omitted one and I stood up, helpfully intended, to advise on this. I was met with an exasperated sigh and the most negative body language. She didn't want to let me proceed, there was some argy-bargy and the Monitoring Officer (after being drawn to the correct part of the Constitution advised by one of his staff) finally advised that I was correct. All utterly pointless.

The entries made reference to Cllr Peter May's abject performance in public & members questions when he seemed unable to answer anything without a prompt from the officers sitting behind him. And then there was the challenge by a member of the public who had the temerity to remind Cllr May of the inconsistency in his answers compared to something that he had said at some previous meeting. Ouch! Who would expect someone to remember and quote it at you in public. Ouch again!

I also described the ridiculous situation where the Council was allowed by the Monitoring Officer to vote on going straight to a vote on complicated changes to the procedures for the Pensions Panel without a presentation on the changes, despite the fact that the item was deferred from the previous Council meeting for precisely that reason. And then after the vote the Monitoring Officer said that we had to have the presentation after all! You couldn't make this stuff up. Well you wouldn't want to. It's all very wearing.

Later on the report on a radical and totally undemocratic change to the way Notices of Motion were to be dealt with was withdrawn before debate for further work. I wondered who had signed it off in the first place, if it was so flawed. (It's coming back to the Constitution Working Group this week – but there doesn't seem be any major changes. I have no idea what's going on). The changes mean that the Presiding Officer (the aforementioned Cllr Fitzgerald) would have the power to prevent any motion getting on the Agenda – she can currently kick them into the long grass by referring them to an Overview Committee which are run by her own side. The new rules would mean that embarrassing or other unwanted motions could be prevented from ever seeing the light of day. This from an Administration allegedly committed to – what was it – "Openness, transparency & democracy".

I also referred to Labour's motion on the redundancy of the Arts Co-ordinator in the Education Department and that the response to this revealed that it seemed little thought had been given to how the outstanding work that she had done in involving children (and schools) in the arts, especially from areas of deprivation, was to be continued. There have been howls of protest at this small-minded redundancy. The Administration offered to look at it again when they considered the budget for next year. It's pathetic really.

That's the best I've got. Sorry. It's not as good as the originals – but there we are. I'll try to not let it happen again.

Rhodri’s boots

I am probably going to regret the next post but I cannot really ignore the contest within the party at the minute – what contest? – you know the political X factor, who's going to become the new First Minister? (If I knew more about the X factor I could probably suggest various contestants for the candidates for this race – but I don't so I can't. Politicians always make pratts of themselves when they try to appropriate popular culture. I remember Harold Wilson claiming the Beatles (he represented Huyton and that's near but not in Liverpool – you can't become a Scouser that easy – I'll bet he never knew the words of a single song, like TB claimed he liked heavy metal). So I won't try. As I've got older this means that I become more and more like a High Court judge querulously asking who this or that is. Mind you that isn't new – my sporting credibility never really recovered from having to have explained who Gareth Edwards was! I was being shown photos by his uncle George Edwards (clue 1), of him and 'Gareth' at the Arms Park (clue 2), at Hamden (clue 3) and in Paris (clue 4). I said nothing at the time, but after, I asked my colleague – "Who's Gareth?" – and was met by a dumbfounded silence. In my defence I plead that although I did play rugby it was in England and I was never a spectator, but!!!!! Anyway.....

I listened to Edwina Hart on Kevin's phone-in this morning. She cannot be claimed to be the greatest media performer in the Party – I don't think she claims this herself – but the lack of surface polish allows her transparent honesty to shine through. Even an old cynic like me can admire a politician who actually seeks to engage with the question, she also has that 'common touch' that makes Rhodri so good face-to-face. As a blunt Northerner I appreciate directness – but I can imagine that it's not always popular with civil servants – particularly ones not used to being held to account. I'll bet, to use Thomas Beecham's expression about Sadlers Wells ballet, that she makes them jump about a bit. And they probably need the exercise.

Erm...in suggesting that Edwina has no surface polish I wish to make it clear that I do not refer to her appearance as she is always nothing less than immaculate. Well, I guess she wouldn't have appreciated a photo at a recent early morning picket line – but there were extenuating circumstances, it being some unconscionable time of the morning!

Edwina & Carwyn Jones are both extremely bright. The difference between them being 'down to earth' Edwina and the professional politician of Carwyn. I read somewhere that the media prefer Carwyn Jones' smooth presentation – and there is no doubt he is very good at it – that he is a sort of Welsh Tony Blair! (Do we need another one of them?) I am sure that Carwyn must be hating that comparison, because Tony Blair he aint – and that's a sincere compliment! He clearly has other qualities that he brings to 'job', I've known him for some years, and we spent some time together in various selection meetings in the run up to the first Assembly elections – but he was never going to do as well locally and didn't expect to.

The Labour Group and the Swansea constituency both unanimously backed Edwina in the contest. Perhaps neither of these are surprising, you should certainly be blowing your own local trumpet – but this being the Labour Party one can take nothing for granted! The Labour Group had a very wide debate on the candidates, in arriving at their decision members were influenced not just by their local experience of her (as they would be), but her personal qualities and experience and delivery in Wales, especially in Local Government.

We have our local hustings meeting tomorrow when we will be meeting all three candidates and hear more about their policies. I, of course, as the Group Leader will have to work with whoever is elected so (standard caveat) I am keeping my own council on where my vote will be going and nothing should be deduced from the foregoing.

The Brilliant Comrade

I was disappointed that the usually reliable Inside Out Blogsite had got it wrong about the Labour Group defectors. The authors normally seem to know more about what's going on inside the Council than I do. I know that no-one believes me when I deny knowing who writes it – but its true nonetheless.

The councillors who left, left! They were not expelled by the Party. They left the Party, the Party did not leave them. In fact the Labour Party put in much effort locally and nationally to keep them in. During all these discussions they always maintained that they were never going to form another Group, notwithstanding the cynics who believed that this was always the intention for at least one of the defectors. So when the public announcement (typically) came on Kevin John's Sundayline, it was a bit of a non-surprise. I understand that many of their constituency supporters now feel betrayed. Although there were mucho chuckles when it seemed that Pyongyang had come to Clydach when its putative Kim Jong-Il sought to have us believe that he had had to be reluctantly persuaded. Oh yeh – bite yer hand off more like.

The Inside-Outers suggest that one of the reasons for the formalisation was an 'oddball' Council requirement that they had to be in a political group to take their seats. I don't know where they got that from – it simply ain't true. Ray Welsby managed very well on his own, as did Trickie Dickie (for a while at least – until he felt lonely). It probably had more to do with the fact that the Great Leader was comprehensively rebuffed by both the Lib-Dems and the John Hague True Independents (the latter in the most robust language!) when he, allegedly, offered his own fealty in exchange for some bonbon or other fairly closely related, so 'tis said, to a uniformed organisation that meets in Carmarthen. What is causing speculation in the People's Palace by the Sea is how much his two colleagues knew of these machinations.

The stated reasons for the new group was that their communities needed a strong voice and proper representation in the Council Chamber. Er...were they not already the members for these communities? Was the Great Leader's announcement therefore not a criticism of himself. And is there not another member representing his community of Clydach, one rather closely related to him? Did he forget? No doubt, he was reminded when he got home?

Missing blogs

It's been suggested that the evil hand of censorship and legal threats lay behind the removal of two missing blogs about the shambolic handling of the last council meeting. But I have to reassure what few readers I have that this is not so - much as I'd like to be seen as a threat to the comfortable way of life enjoyed by the Administration and some Council officers.

I know that just because you're paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get you – but this was entirely due to my own incompetence. I deleted them by accident (trying to be too clever in inserting photos in the later entries and reaching beyond my skill set!) and had maintained no copies. I have also reached that age when yesterday is another time and another country and I have no idea what these witty and erudite entries actually said – if there is any saddo (sorry, that sounds disrespectful to someone I am seeking a favour from, so perhaps I'd better say that any connoisseur of good writing) out there who actually saved them or printed them off, please send them back to me and I will re-install them.

Latest activities – Bus Station/SYHSP/Planning

1. I was invited to visit the new Bus Station site. Not a great deal to see of course – it's a building site like many other. But like most blokes, I always find them interesting. Although I'd be the first to admit that I probably wouldn't if I'd ever worked on one!
   

   Anyway Alun Thomas, the Authority's man on site, our man with clipboard and hard hat, showed me around. I like Alun, I got to know him when he was the Clerk of Works of the Constitution Hill refurbishment. And he delivered a good outcome there with lots of consultation with residents. He's a straightforward guy, no messing, and no bullshit. Unfortunately he had his work cut out with me on this project – I arrived unconvinced and left in much the same state. It's just like the old bus station – but...er...new! To be fair, that was not Alun's fault – I think it's in the wrong place and that it's the wrong design. I consider that it should be by the station, I cannot see how we can aspire to be a major European city and have our bus and train stations on opposite sides of the city centre. I've thought that since Labour were in control pre the 2004 election. I also think that it should be a drive through bus station, as many other cities' stations are – I consider that this great bus pad reversing area to be a waste of space. But that's an argument lost – well it would have been, if there had ever been a discussion about it.
   

   Still it is going to have seats (proper ones – not bum recliners) and a waiting room for the long distance buses and a cafe, which are clearly good and overdue ideas.
   

   I was also very interested at the relics of Swansea's past that were 'unearthed' or exposed in the works – for example the cellar of a pub – complete with cases of beer, barrels and so on, just abandoned when the original building were pulled down.
   

2. I went to the SYHSP (Swansea Young Single Homeless Single Person Project - at least I think that's what it stands for) event in the Grand Theatre. This is the organisations Annual General Meeting, with a presentation of certificates to the young people for the achievements and a showcase of their performing talents. I went last year – when it was in the Liberty Stadium. They have learnt the lessons from then as the AGM was moved to a separate session – rather than subject all of us to it. Necessary and all, but as someone who goes to lots of similar things I'd be the first to admit that they're not the most exciting way to spend an afternoon. Indeed, Kev Johns was suggesting that those who misbehaved would be made to attend – and those who really misbehaved would be made to go twice.
   

   However, the young people were great. It just shows that there is potential in everyone – and in some a great deal. All it needs is the time and the dedication to see it and get at it. I have great respect for people who work in this field, it must be really hard work – but when it succeeds it must be really rewarding. But is it not a mark of failure on those of us who are responsible for providing services and support to these young people? How do you motivate a young person who has, to all intents and purposes, been abandoned by the system that is supposed to help them? Against the odds these young people came through – not for any but themselves. I was full of admiration for their achievements.
   

   I had similar thoughts when I was at the recent Adult Learners Awards. This is to recognise the achievements of adults who had learnt to read and write and become numerate after years (and in some cases many many years) of being unable to do so. Again admiration for them, not only for recognising their 'deficiency' but then their doing something about it. I was also impressed at the support that many of them were given from their workmates and employers – but especially for those who were doing it on their own. I was very moved by this event.
   

   I am a great reader and have always been so, my father was keen on books and my brother and I were always encouraged to read. I have lots of books, thousands probably. But I take the skill, the facility rather for granted. I don't really understand what it must be like not being able to do it. I don't mean just the pleasure denied but the lack of opportunity. Also how do you deal with what other people just take for granted like I do and assume that you must be able to do it as well? Two stories, one lady of certain years – she was older than me anyway – who had learnt to read and found that she really liked ghost stories and from which she was getting great pleasure and a young/middle aged man, holding down a job, relying on his mates to help him out, but who had always looked on with envy at people on trains etc who were reading books. It was something he had always wanted to be able to do. The visible pride he had in himself when he got his certificate – perhaps the only educational certificate he had – was incredible, he was feet taller! But how did we fail these people this way, how did we fail these obviously intelligent people? How did they fall through the net? If there's any 'deficiency' it's not theirs but ours. We should be shamed by it. But what's worse is that the current council Administration has cut this programme and it's unlikely to continue in its present form. Now that really is something to be ashamed of.
   

3. I was going to write about the Panning Task & Finish Group last Friday. But I can't really bear to. It's not the fault of the people on the Group who are all well intentioned and motivated – but I've being discussing this stuff with the Leader of Council for years already and nothing's ever changed. So it all feels a bit Groundhog day-ish to me, but to their credit the Group has achieved progress. Aargh!!!!

Earlier Posts Council 1 & 2 – now lost

Ah well it seems that I have made a proverbial. Somehow or other (technical ignorance) I seem to have deleted the two earlier posts about the Council meeting and I hadn't saved a copy!

Well if you've read them you don't need them and if you haven't you should have done. No1 was about the incompetence of the Administration and No2 about the inability of the Presiding Officer. No doubt I'll have further posts on these issues – matters being unlikely to improve significantly in the near future.

Council Meeting (4) Sterilisation or contraception of parents with children in care

We (Labour) had put down a question that required Cllr Alan Robinson to explain what was the "awkward and difficult question" (to use his own words) that he had asked at the Councillors Forum on the 17^th July and which resulted in the public row about the sterilisation of parents with children in care. This would have happened at the previous Council Meeting at the beginning of September – but our questions were excluded because the submission deadline had been moved!

We had already tried to get an explanation at the Council meeting at the end of July – but Cllrs Robinson and Fitzgerald had run away. No let me be accurate, they didn't run, they left the Council Chamber at a brisk walk – allegedly as a result of legal advice. Who this advice was from or what it said, only they know.

Anyway we know what Cllr Fitzgerald believed as she had helpfully written to Cllr Paxton Hood-Williams stating that what she was talking about was long term enforced contraception.

Cllr Robinson had held his tongue. It had never been suggested that he had used the words "compulsory" & "sterilisation" together (no-one did) – but that forced sterilisation was the clear meaning of what he was proposing. However, as this was a matter of great public interest (not least given the responsibilities of the Cabinet Portfolio he holds), we considered that we should give him another opportunity to put the record straight.

We had asked him "for the avoidance of doubt",

"Would (you) now...unequivocally advise Council what (your) views are on compulsory sterilisation (whether permanent or temporary) of parents with children in care?"

He replied,

"To the best of my recollection, the discussion was in relation to the very sensitive issue of the situation with Looked after Children whose mothers were drug addicts. During this discussion I said that "I thought mothers, who were drug addicts, and who had had children taken into care, should be offered some form of contraception or reversible sterilisation.

I can unequivocally advise Council that, at no time during the meeting did I mention "compulsory sterilisation" and I am totally opposed to compulsory sterilisation".

The question and Cllr Robinson's answer (which is reproduced here in full) can be seen in the Agenda for the Council Meeting of the 22^nd October 2009.

So we do now know at least, that he considers drug addict mothers should be offered contraception or reversible sterilisation. However, he won't now go as far as Cllr Fitzgerald. Curious that! She at least was prepared, to some extent, to be up front.

Readers should note the weasel words of "to the best of recollection", which unfortunately (no doubt due to the passage of time) does not match either my notes of what he said (which I made at the time) or the recollection of other members present at the Forum.

For the record what my notes record Cllr Robinson (and myself) as saying is the following,

AR (He began by committing a breach of confidence which could aid identification of a child of his acquaintance who was in foster care. I won't repeat it here to avoid the danger of identifying the child, whose parents were well known to Social Services. I do have a record of what he actually said.)

AR "These parents aren't fit to have children, we end up looking after them..."
AR "Something should be done to stop unfit parents from having children".
DP "So what are you proposing...?
AR "If they can't look after them, they shouldn't be allowed to have them"
DP "So you're proposing forced sterilisation....
AR "If they can't look after their children, we should stop them having anymore, we should..."
DP "So sterilise unfit parents?
AR "We end up having to look after them. I'm entitled to my views......"
DP "Forced sterilisation – this is simply outrageous, it's disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself. I can't believe I'm hearing this"

Readers will note that he did not deny my accusation, which would have been the simplest course, he could have said that I'd misunderstood. He didn't.

I put the above conversation to him as a supplementary question at Council. He didn't specifically dispute my record, he wouldn't engage with the question at all. He did allege that I had arrived at the Forum late. True – I'd been at a school governors meeting. But I arrived in time to hear what he said – indeed it was difficult for me not to as he was sitting next to me!

Council Meeting (3) Cllr Peter May

(With apologies for the delay in getting back to this)

I now return to Cllr Peter May's performance at the meeting. When I used to write film criticism or book reviews, my general policy was not to review bad films or books (unless they were really bad, wrong or deceitful). There was no pleasure in it – so I'd just ignore them. I apply those criteria here as well. I take no pleasure in it, but I consider that it is in the public interest to be open what went on. What was that poncy expression I heard the other day – 'speak truth to power', a bit 'High Falutin' perhaps, but nonetheless seems true here at least.

Well to describe what he did as 'performance' would be to make it more than it was; as it would suggest that there was some degree of intention, practice or rehearsal. There wasn't any of that. It was almost as if he was the understudy – but one who hadn't bothered to learn the lines. But he's had near enough eighteen months. Given his educational qualifications, he clearly can't be stupid, but it was a shockingly poor show. Abysmal really. As an ex-Cabinet Member myself I know that you can asked really complicated left-field questions, but he was unable to answer the simplest questions without prompting from the officers behind him. He seemed shaky about the most basic information - even stuff he might have reasonably been expected to know something about (and seemed indeed to be literally shaking – fear?). It was almost as if he had been ambushed, he was so unprepared! He was so far out of his depth that I almost felt sorry for him. Almost!

I refer to this, not because, he is a political opponent, but because it is a matter of concern. Achieving the Welsh Quality Housing Standard is a significant issue for the City & County of Swansea. Since the Authority's tenants comprehensively rejected stock transfer, Cllr May has seemed bereft of any credible ideas as to what he and his Lib-Dem/Independent colleagues could do. When he wasn't blaming the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), [they had rejected as unfeasible what proposals he had come up with] he seemed to be suggesting that it was the tenants own fault for voting the way they did. Frankly they deserve better, they deserve someone who could at least appear to engage with the problem.

Compare this dismal showing with the confident and knowledgeable performance regularly delivered from Cllr Mike Day. Disagree with him or not – he is clearly a man on top of his brief – Peter May seemed imprisoned by his.

Anti-fascist rally

I am still evaluating whether to continue this blog – but having been to the anti-fascist rally yesterday I felt I had to write something about it – not least following what I considered to be incorrect news reports.

It was a very good natured rally and demonstrated, if anyone was in any doubt, that the sort of politics propagated by the WDL (and their BNP friends) are not wanted in Swansea. The WDL claims not to be fascist or associated with the BNP. This rang a little hollow (and was not helped) when they started with the Nazi straight arm salute or when they were apparently given B&B by a BNP activist in Killay. There was certainly less than a hundred of them.

What I found particularly encouraging was the 'spread' of participants – it wasn't just the usual suspects, there were people of all ages and all classes.

There were lots of speeches (of course), drummers and singers. There were over 200 at about 1pm but this grew during the course of the afternoon to what must have been close on a 1,000. I understand that this was young people texting their mates to join them. This 'viral' messaging was very effective.

The overall intention was to occupy and hang onto Castle Square – for Swansea people to occupy their city from 'invaders' – to deny them the goal they wanted. In this they were very successful and victory went to the anti-fascists. In fact there were some young women – who were so exciting by the victory that they wanted to hug everyone – even old politicos like me. I had blogged earlier that this week should be renamed "Hug a Councillor" and so it proved. Hurrah!

What was curious was that both the BBC and Swansea Sound under-reported the attendance figures. The BBC web newsreport was rather one-sided and anti- protester. It said there were only 200 anti-fascists and 2-300 WDL! (The WDL fielded their greatest numbers in the middle of the afternoon when they tried to occupy Castle Square. They were held on the pavement opposite in Castle St. They only occupied the whole footway for the width of one window of the Sheep Shop and one window of Pizza Express – about 24ft. So certainly nothing like the numbers the press have claimed).

So double counting of the latter on the grand scale. Perhaps the reporters had been partaking of the liquid refreshments so freely indulged in by the WDL in Yates' Wine Bar! (why did Yates allow them in or serve them – is this a breach of licensing conditions?) Swansea Sound also tried to allege that it was a bit of a damp squib and was rather oversold. Well, there certainly wasn't any trouble, which perhaps some parts of the press found disappointing – apart from towards the end when the WDL half-heartedly tried to breach the Police lines. It was all very jolly – very noisy – but well behaved.

The organisers worked with the Police to avoid any confrontation – which there wasn't any real desire for from anyone anyway.

I must commend the Police's handling of the affair. It was very low key, light touch and there was a good relationship between the Police and the protesters. They allowed the two groups to address each other across Castle St. (not that anyone listed!) and ran a controlled stand-off. It was very well done including the 5pm dispersal. So full marks to Ch Supt. Mark Mathias and his officers. Full marks also to the protesters for their good behaviour.

I was asked to assist in passing on the arrangements agreed between the organisers and the Police for the end of the demo to some of the protesters. This got me into hot water with some. Anarchists I was told later, who told me that these were their streets and no-one was telling them to move, they asked "...wasn't I that £$%!!&" Labour Councillor..." and that I should be ashamed of myself for doing the Police's work for them, concluding that I was a "...stooge of the Capitalist supporting Pigs". So, so old fashioned! I think I'll have a badge made with this on.

I must also pay tribute to those who attended the silent protest outside the Friends Meeting House and the others who remained outside the YMCA.

Congratulations to all of them. I know that some were inconvenienced by the road closures and the diverting of the buses and that cannot have been popular. But I hope those inconvenienced will accept that it was necessary. Swansea should be proud of itself. I trust that the WDL and their cronies have now got the message – that Swansea is not the place for them and their like.

Day Five - Friday & Final

Late Night Final

My day started with a meeting of the Council’s Standards Committee. I had been asked to attend in my capacity as a Group Leader to give my views on the Standards Committee process and how it might develop. This is part of a series of meetings/discussions the Committee is having with the Chief Executive and other party leaders on the Council.

There is a general agreement that the Standards Committee has a wider role beyond that of its ‘policing role – and that it should be taking the lead on the wider issue of standards and dissemination of best practice. And also that some of it decisions need greater explanation, particularly in comparison to others.

My own view is that the ‘policing’ role has got out of hand – not the fault of the Committee as they react to what is sent their way. The Welsh Councillors Code of Conduct is the most draconian in the UK and contains provisions that have been removed from the Codes in England, Scotland and N.Ireland. Indeed, I believe that the ‘policing’ role inhibits the Committee from exercising its wider functions, not least as they don’t have the time because of the petty and footling complaints that they have to deal with. This process arose from the, laudable, desire to prevent corruption. It was not intended to dealing with adults saying unkind things about each other. Interestingly however, the controls imposed on local government are far, far stricter than those for the Welsh Assembly or Parliament – and we know what has been recently reported as going in those institutions.

I consider that Standards - and the Ombudsman for that matter – have no role in adjudicating on what happens in Council meetings, that is clearly the job of the Chair/Presiding Officer. We certainly don’t want to get into what happens in Powys – where the ‘independent (i.e. external) members of Standards Committee attend Council meetings on rota – and provide judgements as the meeting goes on. Like some sort of super school monitor! I cannot conceive as to who thought that a good idea.

However, in truth, councillors need to get thicker skins; they need to recognise that the ‘rough and tumble’ of the Council meeting is not real life! And is not to be taken personally – and must not be taken outside the Council Chamber. (I consider that this arises from misunderstanding due to inexperience – especially the inexperience of independent councillors, who have no experience of political debate or, in some cases, of conduct in meetings. And I am making a general point here - not criticising colleagues on Swansea Council.) When we are through the door – that’s it’s over and normal service is resumed. In fact most councillors have the good sense to understand that. Some however, do not. Members of the public may be surprised if they observed two councillors recently knocking chunks out of each, 10 minutes later sitting down very companionably having a cup of tea together. And as I said in an earlier post – we need to stop taking ourselves so damned seriously!

As I also say above, I think that most of the stuff that results in complaints should be swallowed! Regrettably there will be, nonetheless, occasions when matters do go too far. However, in Wales there is no halfway house, no informal dispute resolution procedure. It’s either a full formal complaint to the Ombudsman or its nothing. So I do think that there is discussion to be had on some form of arbitration. For example, an informal ‘star chamber’ - but this should be operated by the political parties jointly – entirely separate from the formal process – thus leaving the Standards Committee and the Ombudsman free to concentrate on the Code of Conduct breaches that really matter.

My attendance at the Standards Committee (and a further external meeting that followed) both of which had been arranged ages ago, meant that I could not go to the Child Poverty Conference in Gorseinon, with which they clashed. This shows that conflicting prior appointments (which happens a lot) means that you cannot get to everything, even those things like this conference, that you consider important. I have asked to receive the outcomes of this conference, as it is an issue that concerns me, representing, as my colleagues and I do, one of the most deprived wards in Wales (and indeed the UK).

What time I had free I used to finally eradicate the email mountain – which I achieved about an hour and a half ago – and now there is another 20 in my Inbox awaiting attention. It never ends….

I have no further appointments today and have a free evening. Hurrah! So this is theoretically the end of my five days blogging experiment for Local Democracy Week. I’ll now check whether anyone read it, whether I’ve blown my credibility – and evaluate whether I’m going to continue. Watch this space…

Hasta la vista!

Day Four (Thursday)- evening the 'Melt'

My last appointment was to attend the “Melt” outside the Waterfront Museum. This was the melting and pouring of iron into sculpture molds. It was part of (or a corollary to) the sculpture exhibition currently running in the Mission Gallery in Gloucester Place. When we look at a painting for example, we understand how it was made (well broadly) paint was applied to a prepared canvas. But when we see a cast metal sculpture – how’s it done?

Well how it’s done is not only very interesting, technically challenging but damned exciting! All you need is a mobile gas-fired furnace, sand, moulds and lots of fire. Oh, and West Wales School of Art to operate it – that's a bit important! (Scroll down to VJ Ironpour 2007 and Press Play). I have also posted a couple of fine photos from last night’s pour, courtesy of Darragh Murphy. The Mission Gallery under the direction of Jane Phillips, is a great asset to Swansea and puts on some of the most challenging and original contemporary work. Those of you who saw me with my chef’s hat on in a recent edition of the Evening Post – that was for one of the Mission’s events. If they have me there performing and cooking food for 70 – they have got to be a good thing! (The National Waterfront under Steph Matsoris isn't bad either)

Day Four (Thursday)

I am posting Day 4 on Day 5 – because I didn’t have time to do it yesterday. I got home at just before midnight and frankly couldn’t face starting it then!

I note that the blog by the Leader of Council has been taken down. After four days of non-blogging I suppose it was inevitable. But why promise you’d do something, accept a commitment and then not do it? But then I’d say that was entirely of a piece with the failed promises of openness, transparency & democracy that Chris Holley so often promises but fails to deliver. So the public can know what the Lord Mayor, the Leaders of the Labour & Conservative parties and the sole Plaid councillor are up to – but not the Leader of Council. I for one would have it interesting to read what does. But we’ll never know.

I think that these blogs are a more appropriate activity for Local Democracy Week than the damnable and demeaning ‘I’m a Councillor get me out of here’ that the Authority ran previously. But is anyone actually reading them?

Well, I’ve now got the email total down to less than a hundred. Tomorrow, I’ll read the lot. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace…why answer do today what you can put off until tomorrow, especially if its an email!

A special Council Meeting has been called for this afternoon to discuss the Corporate Improvement Plan, I cannot attend that as I have pre-booked appointments that I have already postponed twice because of the interference of Council business and can’t do it again. Life goes on outside the Council Chamber. But I think that’s only the second Council meeting I’ve ever missed (other than being ill).

Electric Scooters

I spent a large amount of time today in dealing with the continuing saga of electric scooters in residential homes that I referred to in an earlier posting. The Authority now seems to have taken leave of its senses.

It has apparently commissioned a survey from the Fire Brigade and as a result is proposing to write to all tenants advising them that they cannot store electric scooters in common passageways and cannot charge them indoors etc etc. The result of this is that a great many tenants (including some long-term scooter users) will have to remove their scooters from their homes and (presumably) new or prospective tenants will not be allowed into these facilities if they are a scooter user. And what is the Authority proposing to do for these affected, mostly elderly and inform people? Well, they can be comforted by the knowledge that the Authority acknowledges that there is a problem and they are looking for a solution? But in the meantime…….

I guess that if this advice holds then it will apply right across the Mid & West Fire Authority area. I guess those tenants and residential homes will be really really grateful to the officers of the City & County of Swansea for bringing this issue to the fore. And all because one warden in one block wanted to stop two or three tenants from continuing to store or charge their scooters in the premises! Health & Safety is important but is supposed to be about managing risk – NOT an excuse for not doing something.

Day 3 additional

Well I got the email total down to just over 200 – so that was a pretty big dent. No doubt it will be back up again by tomorrow. And as I suspected I was able to delete most of them without having to do anything. Except read the damned things of course. Email is a very useful tool and is certainly a good way for constituents to get in touch ...but I don't know, the world has continued to turn and would have done so, without any of these having been written.

This evening I went to the monthly council Labour Party meeting. It's where I (as Party Group Leader) report back to the party members on activity on the Council, where we discus the future plans and develop policy. I enjoy these particular meetings - members are always very engaged and interested with lots of useful ideas and contributions. Being in politics can sometime feel like your in one of John Cleese's training films – there was called I think "Not Another Bloody Meeting". There's a meeting for this and meetings for that, committees here and sub-committees there and working groups somewhere else. Branch meetings, constituency, county, trade union, group – and that's just the internal stuff. But yes, I enjoy them, I like the debate, explaining what we are up to, listening to what others have to say...there has to be something wrong with me, I think! Well, I don't like all of them, all of the time. Obviously! I am not completely barking.

But its interesting times in the Labour Party at the moment what with the selection for the new Assembly member in Swansea East and the Assembly Leadership contest. Am I going to discuss these ... I think I'll keep my council for the moment. Discretion being the better part of valour and all that.

One thing I will say is that if you are anti-fascist/anti-Welsh Defence League/anti-BNP – after all they're really much the same thing (unless somebody - Cllr Robinson? - can tell me otherwise) – you can show your distaste for these sorts of politics on Saturday afternoon by joining the 'silent' gathering in Castle Square.

Day Three

I am really tired this morning. After having got to bed late, my mind was on overdrive and I couldn't settle. I tried reading – I am on the second of Steig Larssen's Millenium trilogy - big mistake, far too exciting. So I made a cup of fruit tea and switched to Simon Singh's account of the attempts to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. There's a bit of a cross-over as one of Larssen's characters spends her time trying to solve the theorem. Anyway, I thought a book of mathematical formulae would send me off. But no! Whilst I understood the story (unfortunately gripping like a murder mystery), I just got frustrated that I could neither head nor tail of the formulae. Probably due to the fact that I was tired, but I admit that I didn't 'get' algebra when I was at school. Perhaps I still don't. I've also just bought a copy of Logicomix (I read an amazing review), a graphic novel that explains Bertrand Russell's long pursuit of the foundation of mathematics (1+1=2 (the academic life can clearly be really exciting!)) and the development of his paradox about the state barber (no, nor me either!) The jacket blurb describes it as a book about "...ideas, passions, madness, and the fierce struggle between well-defined principle and the larger good". Sounds just like Swansea Council. This is a gift for our grand-nephew (I think that's what he is) who is a self-confessed 'maths genius'. Perhaps when he's read it he can explain it to me – although most teenagers he's taciturn to the point of incomprehensible grunting, until he wants to be fed!

So bog-eyed and grumpy!

I have a quiet day today – nothing until this evening, when I have a party meeting. So I had hoped to get an early start of the email mountain – which seems to have grown overnight! However, that's gone off the rails as I've been rather involved in regards to the anti-fascist, anti-BNP rallies this Saturday.

One question I have been asked is why I became a councillor. The answer is as a result of a challenge.

My family had always been political, my parents were Welsh/Cornish-Irish/Aberdonian, left-wing Daily Herald, News Chronicle Liberals, both from non-conformist (in the wider sense, certainly, at the least, unconventional non-conforming) backgrounds. Essentially caring socially committed, boys clubs, children's homes, looking after neighbours (but then everyone did then), doing what they thought was right, good people. The Labour Party was a bit too far out, the Liberals were more acceptable. Curiously although it was my father who had the stronger opinions, it was my mother who was the most active on the ground. It would be unfair to say that "He talked & she did", but certainly my mother was the sort of committed activist that politicians like – always delivering, canvassing, regular attender at meetings etc. She was often asked to stand for the City Council (this is in Liverpool – I am a scouser in case you didn't know) but she always said no, she was a 'behind the scenes' person. A great pity because I think she would have been a great councillor and an excellent ward councillor. However, politically, it was a bit too wet for me as a teenager. I wanted something a bit more red-blooded and I tried to join the Labour Party – but what happened there is one of my 'dinner' stories – sorry.

Anyway, in default I went with them to the Liberals – not least as most of the members seemed to have rather pretty daughters and they had very good parties. This was interrupted when I became a Customs/Waterguard Officer and spent many years wandering around the UK. I finally settled in Pembrokeshire. I recall that about a year after my arrival I was canvassed in an election by a long-sitting councillor who was complaining that in all his 30 years or whatever on the Council, this was the first election he had ever fought – he'd always been elected unopposed. I found this remarkable, as in Liverpool there were elections every year and they were hotly contested. He thought that his having to explain himself to the electorate was outrageous. He certainly didn't get it – needless to say I didn't vote for him. He got elected anyway!

I wasn't impressed by him – nor by many of his colleagues to be frank. I used to moan to one of my elderly neighbours. He gave me short shrift, advising me that if I didn't like what they were doing and I thought I could do better then I should stand myself. And if I wasn't prepared to do that, I really should shut up! So after a couple of years of this, I did stand and was, surprisingly elected. And apart from a brief spell when I moved to Llandeilo (although even here I stood for Dyfed County Council – narrowly losing against the sitting candidate), I've been a councillor ever since, that getting on for 20 years (Do you know I'm not really sure, it certainly feels like it at times!). It does seem to get into your bloodstream.

Why do I do it? Well apart from wanting to make a difference (we all say that I know) I really enjoy it and I think I'm quite good at it (no doubt I'll now get disagreeable comments, but you cannot satisfy everyone and I recognise that I'm not everyone's 'cup of tea'). All my working life, my jobs have been to do with people in one shape or form (that's the jobs, not the people!) And I really get a kick out of helping and getting things done. I cannot speak for all of the 72 councillors on the Council but I believe that this is what motivates most of us. I am quite proud to be one of them, and I include the many dedicated officers in that as well (no doubt some readers will find this a bit naive or even pretentious, but it's what I feel). Whether its big things or the mundane, there is a definite 'kick' in making things better – although sometimes the 'kick' has to be a bit more physical. If there any of you who felt like I did – why not give it a try? You never know, you might win!

Day Two

I am posting late in the evening (well actually it's now well into tomorrow morning - I had to start this again as I had a major computer crash and lost the first version of this post) because this little man has had a busy day!

I got home about 8.30pm and after eating (chips – comfort 'I can't be bothered to cook' food, but still very very wrong!) I watched Criminal Justice on Catch-up. I missed it when it was on last week (evening commitments again) and have been trying to catch up with it ever since. But x*!?# Virgin had some national problem, twas ever thus, so now I have to watch several episodes at once before they take it down.

I couldn't get to the Area 2 Site Visits today – as it was an all day (well 10am-3.30pm) trip around the Gower – and I had lots of other prior appointments/meetings. There are a considerable number of site visits called for the Gower – I can't believe they are all necessary, as I can't that they all need to go to Committee. Still that's a matter for another place on another day.

This morning I dealt with a couple of phone calls from constituents and discussed these with my ward colleagues. (Although the Leader of the Labour Party I am still a ward councillor and have to carry my share of that workload as well). I also made another assault on my email mountain (a bit like climbing Crib Goch ridge in the rain, three steps up and four back; as fast I get rid of them they arrive) but I think I've made a dent in the backlog, inasmuch as the net total was smaller than when I started – even if by not much!.

After lunch (which I don't eat – leaves space for the chips later!) I had a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the Metropolitan University. I always enjoy meeting Prof. Warner; he's such a live wire. I don't know how many cylinders he's got, but he's certainly firing on all of them. And he has such commitment to the University and to the city. I believe there's no doubt that he turned the Institute (as was) around and made it into the dynamic force that it is today. Amongst other things we were discussing the University's community commitment and how it might this might develop. Very stimulating.

After that it was straight back to County Hall for a briefing on 'self-evaluation' for the Children and Family Services Scrutiny Board. Most people will be aware that Swansea's Children Services were severely criticised and judged inadequate by Inspectors and an Intervention Board was appointed by the Assembly Government to oversee the delivery of an Improvement programme. The Children and Family Services Scrutiny Board was part of the Council's response to the Intervention. It has proved very effective, indeed it's one of the best performing Scrutiny Boards (and that's not just my opinion or to belittle the work of the others). Its effectiveness is a tribute to the commitment of the members from all political parties, and to the dynamic leadership of the Chair and vice-Chair, Cllrs Mark Child and Paxton Hood-Williams respectively. Nonetheless, this is a highly complex area and despite our best intentions we are in danger of information overload. This was a 'professional' guidance session on how to assess and make the best of the enormous amount of information that we are presented with, the sort of things that we should understand and the questions we should ask. Very informative and useful. That was immediately followed by a meeting of the Board itself and the approval of the reports our various working Groups had prepared on our respective investigations. The conclusions are too long to go into here – but are publicly available. I continue to be surprised at the depth of knowledge the Board members have and the considerable amount of time that they are prepared to put in to get this right. We hold many more meetings that the scheduled cycle – indeed 2 or three times as many. But everyone willingly accepts it, but I do find it difficult to get to all of them.

Then straight onto an Association of Governors Body meeting (which was to have a presentation of dealing with the more gifted pupils. Unfortunately, I had to leave early as I had to go to meet some constituents to discuss a problem.

Amongst the problems that my Castle ward colleagues and I are currently dealing with is the issue of the use and storage of mobility scooters in residential complexes. I won't say which complexes, but we do think that the Authority (through some of its officers) is being entirely unreasonable in its response to its tenants. Electric Scooters have transformed the lives of infirm people, who previously would have had to rely of someone pushing them around in a wheelchair. Now they have regained a considerable element of freedom and re-asserted control over their lives. Nonetheless, I do acknowledge that some of the Authority's facilities were not designed to accommodate these vehicles and that that poses problems. However, they are now a fact of life and the Authority should really be being more pro-active in finding a solution. Instead of being (as it often seems) the Authority that finds reasons to say 'NO', it should be finding the ways to say 'Yes'. My colleagues & I have pushed the matter a bit higher up the tree and we are hopeful that a solution will be found.

I think that tomorrow (or today) is scheduled to be quieter – let's see how that works out!

Local Democracy week

Well....
Here I am writing a blog. Not something that I ever thought I’d do! I have often been exhorted to get myself into the blogosphere, “...this is the modern way to reach the electorate...” etc., but I’ve never been convinced. I’m still not, if the truth be told. I know that many of my political colleagues do it, some of them exhaustingly! (Where do they find the time?) But are people really interested in every utterance, opinion, social occasion, when I have a cup of tea or visit the ‘loo (or is that Twitter? I can’t really tell the difference, Rene Kinzett and Peter Black could probably tell me). I know that I am a very interesting person, with a life jam-packed with incident and fascination (I wish), but do you really care? I rather think you don’t – and that’s not simply my innate modesty!
I believe that we politicians tend to take ourselves rather too seriously, we think we’re important (no, we are important, dammit), so you should too! The truth is that we are generally, quite ordinary, normal people doing an extraordinary and unusual job (some more ordinary or extraordinary than others). I suppose that it’s true to say that we don’t feel very loved most of the time. Perhaps that should be the theme of Local Democracy Week – Hug a Councillor! Perhaps by the end of this week – I’ll either be bitten by the blogger bug or I’ll stop doing it to the relief of a grateful nation.
[It really is quite easy to witter on]
This week is quite quiet in meeting terms, so is not especially representative. I have (as at this afternoon) 16 council related appointments this week – and over half of those tomorrow. Generally, it’s nearer twice that. I recently completed a survey on the amount of hours I work as a councillor/Leader of the Labour Party and it was well over 60 a week on average. I am not asking for your sympathy (I do this voluntarily) – but that’s the reality. So I’ve got a week of Planning meetings, tenants associations, Scrutiny Board, Training, school governor meetings, special Council Meeting and the Standards Committee (to talk about democracy!) So I suppose that gives me some time to complete this blog.
Email takes up a lot of time – I get over 50 a day. And the time taken to deal with all of them is considerable – and mostly uncounted. I am still trying to catch up on the backlog that developed from my recent holiday. I’ve got it down to just over 500, but that’s still a long way to go. Are all of these emails necessary – well, no they’re not – but I still have to respond to them. I do think that email can also be quite tyrannical – correspondents have now come to expect instant replies that they wouldn’t with a proper old-fashioned letter. [Erm...I knew that I’d eventually start to sound like an High Court judge or a correspondent to the Daily Telegraph!]
I don’t know whether these blogs can be opened up to contributions – if they can I think I will do it. Besides liking a good argument (in the academic sense), it will give me something to write about/respond to. If it goes well enough, I could get you all (if there is anybody out there) to write it for me!