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April 13, 2008
41%
An exclusive TNS System Three poll has found that 41% of Scots want the SNP government to negotiate an independence settlement, compared to 40% who are opposed to breaking up the UK.
The seminar will see the First Minister try to persuade a European audience of the benefits of Scotland being a full member state of the EU.
First minister Alex Salmond said: "The poll is further and dramatic evidence that as the SNP delivers good government in the devolved areas, so support for Scotland to be governed equally well in all areas with independence is surging.
And the poll clearly indicates that Westminster attempts to bully Scotland and the Scottish government are also boosting support for equality for Scotland, and a parliament with full powers.
"People want a government that will speak up for Scotland - not shut up for London. It is a tremendous boost for the SNP in the run up to our conference next week - it will have our opponents choking on their cornflakes."
We need a Welsh Government that will speak up for Wales - not shut up for London.
April 6, 2008
NO REAL DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY
A RISING Conservative star has claimed a Tory victory at the next election would be the "biggest threat to the Union since Bonnie Prince Charlie".
Leslie Clark said he fears his party winning the next general election as he believes it will make Scottish independence inevitable.
The President of the University of Aberdeen Conservative and Unionist Association also claimed that disgruntled southern voters are looking for their own version of William Wallace to "free the oppressed English nation" from Gordon Brown and the Scots.
"When the proponents of devolution argued that the Tories had no moral mandate running Scotland in the early 1990s when they only had 11 seats, just imagine what it will be like once the Tories win at Westminster with barely any Scottish representation!
"Alex Salmond will claim that they have no real democratic legitimacy to run Scotland. We could then see a seismic shift in public opinion."
"We should not frighten or bribe Scotland into maintaining the Union. We should not treat the electorate as children.
"Scotland and England would survive perfectly well apart – not that I advocate that policy.
It can be argued that a Tory Government in Westminster would not have the democratic legitimacy to run Wales either.
April 2, 2008
SELF-GOVERNMENT
ALEX Salmond yesterday invoked the words of Thomas Jefferson when he told a US audience that Scotland had the right to self-governance.
In a Scotland Week speech at the University of Virginia, the First Minister used the founding father's work to promote a referendum on independence for Scotland.
In his second keynote speech of the week he said: "Scotland, sooner rather than later, is entitled to have the right to choose our constitutional future.
"That is a guiding principle for the debate on Scotland's future – a national conversation involving all the people of Scotland.
"And it is the words of Thomas Jefferson that will inspire us: 'We are a people capable of self-government, and worthy of it'."
The Welsh people are capable of self-government too.
March 27, 2008
LANGUAGES SURVIVAL
Culture Minister Trond Giske worries that the ever-expanding use of English in Norway is threatening the very existence of the Norwegian language. He's preparing an official government declaration aimed at nothing less than ensuring its survival.
Giske plans to put forth what's known as a stortingsmelding, or "white paper," on the Norwegian language at the end of next month. It won't merely be concerned with comma rules or grammatical matters.
Rather, it's the survival of the language itself that will be the subject of the declaration. Giske is seriously worried that Norwegian is being too heavily influenced by English, not least because of the Internet and the emergence of English as the common language of the globe.
"Languages around the world are simply disappearing, not being used anymore," Giske told news bureau NTB. "Norwegian is under entirely new pressure than it was just a few years ago, especially because of the development of the Internet and the media."
Giske, who hails from the left wing of the Labour Party, wants to make sure that a full Norwegian vocabulary is upheld within business and academia. Those are two areas that he feels are particularly subject to too much influence from English.
He criticizes companies like airline SAS, for example, which stresses English on its website even though it's part-owned by the Norwegian government.
Sylfest Lomheim of the state language council known as Språkrådet says a government declaration on Norwegian will be the most important on the language in the past 40 years.
"It will represent an attempt to create a new language policy that we haven't had in the country before," he said. "In the 1900s, a declaration on language involved issues of how it was written. Now it involves how the language shall survive."
Powers to legislate over Wales's languages must be transferred to the Senedd from the British.
March 26, 2008
PARITY WITH SCOTLAND
The choices Scotland gets but not Wales, yet.
JUST before midday yesterday, the political ground in Scotland shifted, starting a process that will change the United Kingdom for ever. Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, one of the country's senior academics, was unveiled as the chairman of a new cross-party, cross-Border commission to review the devolution settlement.
These are the four main possibilities the commission will explore:
1. THE STATUS QUO
Sir Kenneth knows he is acting under the auspices of the main Unionist parties who want to see movement, particularly financial, in the devolution settlement and he will be under pressure to justify the commission's role.
2.NON-FINANCIAL POWERS
The main ones – defence and foreign affairs – will remain in place because these represent the last bulwarks of the Union. If the Scottish Parliament was given charge of these policy areas, Scotland really would be independent. Sir Kenneth Calman's job is to consider whether any of the more minor powers should now be transferred to Edinburgh.
Some are small, self-contained policy areas like control over broadcasting or abortion policy in Scotland, issues which were considered for the Scottish Parliament but rejected by the UK government during the discussions in 1998.
3.ASSIGNING TAX REVENUES
If, for example, stamp duty raises £500 million a year in Scotland, then that would be allocated under that heading. The advantage of this system is that it introduces a limited degree of control and responsibility. If revenues in one area go up, so the money coming to the Scottish Parliament in this area would go up, so it would be in the interest of the Scottish Government to improve the economy and hence improve the buoyancy of tax receipts in a particular area.
4.TAX-VARYING POWERS
SIR Kenneth's commission could solve some of the problems of assigned tax revenues by recommending that various tax levers are handed over to the parliament (Scottish) as well.
March 24, 2008
FIRST MINISTER'S ANSWER
FORMER Labour first minister Henry McLeish will this week give his support to the SNP's "national conversation" on independence for Scotland.
McLeish, who ran the former Scottish Executive from 2000 to 2001, said: "We need an open and inclusive conversation to discuss our future, one in which all the positive options are included – the current devolution settlement, more powers, independence and also a form of federalism."
Lets have an open and inclusive conversation to discuss our future, one in which all the positive options are included in Wales too.
March 21, 2008
WALES'S 12 MILE
Richard Lochhead, the environment secretary (Scotland), told MSPs that he believed Holyrood should be in charge of the marine environment around Scotland's coast, and he would lobby Westminster to achieve it.
The Scottish Government has power over an area 12 miles out from the coast. Mr Lochhead wants that to be extended up to 200 miles out.
A Welsh Government must have power over an area 12 miles out from our coast. These powers must be transferred from the British to the Senedd.
March 13, 2008
DONG
Greater autonomy for Greenland has moved a step closer after a compromise on income from Greenland's underground natural resources is struck.
Profits from Greenland's natural resources are seen by politicians in Copenhagen and Nuuk as a source of revenue that will help fund greater independence for the territory.
All powers over water in Wales must be transferred to the Senedd.
March 5, 2008
How many Admirals do the British need?
The Royal Navy (British) has 33 admirals earning an average of more than £120,000 a head to manage its 75-strong surface fleet, according to figures revealed in a parliamentary written answer.
The total manpower of the Royal Navy includes 290 captains - the equivalent of 11 for every destroyer or frigate - 1090 commanders, and 2320 lieutenant-commanders among the 7480 officers in its ranks.
Is this a good use of Welsh taxpayers money?
March 4, 2008
Wales's number plates
Under the agreement, the Idaho State Traffic Department has begun to market registration plates boasting the word Basque, a landscape of mountains and a picture of the wagon used by Basque shepherds who emigrated to the US. The first Basque License Plates, as they are known, have already been sold in places like Sun Valley, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Boise at a cost of 35 dollars, reduced to 25 dollars for renewals. Part of the money from these special number plates will be used to promote Basque culture in Idaho.
Wales deserves to have its own number plates too. If you agree then please sign this petition.
February 25, 2008
2009-2010-2011
While neither of the two major parties are likely to win an absolute parliamentary majority, nationalist parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country will play an important role when forming government.
The campaign of a general election in Spain started on Friday's 00:00 as a darkening economic outlook and the end of a housing boom and the relationship of pro-independence regions with Spain set the stage for a close-run race.
While neither of the two major parties, the Socialists and the Popular Party, are likely to win an absolute parliamentary majority, nationalist parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country will play an important role when forming government.
Comparisons between Kosovo and Catalonia and the Basque Country have been drawn since the new Balkan state declared its independence. The fact that the creation of new nations within the 21st century Europe is possible is likely to be a recurring theme during the election campaign.
Attempting to close the door on a referendum in Wales before 2011 is mistakenly putting narrow personal interest before the interests of the Welsh people. Wales should not be placed in a position ever again where it is dependent on a British Government that the majority in Wales did not vote for.
February 23, 2008
PARADE
America's Independence Day Parade takes place late morning every July 4th, right on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street before a street audience of over 300,000 spectators. The Parade consists of invited bands, military and specialty units, floats and VIP's, and is a patriotic, flag waving, red white and blue celebration of America's birthday. The Parade is co-hosted by the National Park Service and produced by Diversified Events, which is under contract to the National Park Service.
If you would like to take part in a Parade you don't have to go to the USA. Stay in Wales.
People from across Wales are being urged to take part in a series of events being organised to mark St David's Day in Cardiff. A Parade, the motto of which is 'If You Love Wales You Should Be There', will take place in Wales' capital to mark the celebration of the country's patron saint on March 1. More than 2,000 people took part in 2007 and it is hoped that as March 1st falls on a Saturday this year, even more will take part in 2008 to show their pride in being Welsh and celebrate the country's unique heritage and history.
February 19, 2008
U-turn on new tax power
Gordon Brown has performed a dramatic U-turn that has opened the door for Holyrood to be handed new tax-raising powers.
In an interview with the BBC to be shown today, Brown appears to back the case for change, declaring there is "an issue" over the Scottish Parliament having responsibility for spending money but not for raising it.
He says he supports plans put forward by Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander to set up an independent commission to study plans to transfer more tax powers from London to Edinburgh.
This could lead to income tax rates, business taxes and VAT all being set by the Scottish Government and not Downing Street.
The Scottish Labour party has realised that without their own tax raising powers the Scottish people will be liable to endure the policies imposed upon them by a future British Conservative Government. So will we in Wales, therefore powers over income tax rates, business taxes and VAT should be transferred to the Senedd. These rates can then be set by the Welsh Government not the British.
February 14, 2008
WALES WINS EUROVISION
Scotland has been given permission to break away from the UK and submit its own entry to the Eurovision song contest.
The competition's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said there was nothing to prevent Scotland from entering on its own merit. It means that broadcasters BBC, ITV, STV and Border Television, which are all members of the EBU, could submit an entry.
S4C is a member of the EBU as well. Wales can enter the Eurovision Song Contest and winning it will bring economic benefit.
The Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Helsinki in May last year, brought 40,000 people from outside the Helsinki region to the Finnish capital. About ten per cent were guests from abroad.
A study commissioned by the City of Helsinki found that when Helsinki residents are included, about 80,000 people attended events linked with the contest.
The greatest economic impact of the contest resulted from the organisation. The Helsinki region got EUR 12.6 million, of which EUR 10.8 million was from the organising of the event itself. Less than EUR 5 million came from outside guests.
Foreign visitors especially were economically important. Whereas the Finnish Eurovision guests spent less than EUR 50 a day on average, hundreds of foreigners would spend more than EUR 500 in some cases.
"Finnish guests acme to enjoy the experience. The foreigners came to party and to spend money", says Seppo Laakso of the urban research company Kaupunkitutkimus, which conducted the follow-up study.
hat tip: Miserable Old Fart
February 13, 2008
BRITISH BEHAVING BADLY
But the senior member of Ms Alexander's (Labour leader in Scotland) Holyrood team told The Herald the majority of Labour members in Scotland backed greater powers for the parliament and accused party chiefs in London of looking at the matter "from the wrong end of the telescope".
The aide said: "David Cairns (British Scotland Office minister) and some of his colleagues are out of step with party thinking.
"I would imagine that the bulk of the Scottish party believe in the dynamic of the situation, which is that if you ask the ordinary man or woman in the street do you think the Scottish Parliament should have more powers?' the answer overwhelmingly will be yes'.
LibDem MSP Robert Brown, yesterday accused Mr Cairns of living in a "Whitehall bubble". "I think he will find most people in the Labour Party and across Scotland do not agree with his view," he said.
A source close First Minister Alex Salmond added: "For David Cairns to dismiss the people of Scotland as the McChattering classes' is foolish and insulting, and speaks volumes for why Labour lost the election.
"It is reminiscent of the dismissive way Michael Forsyth and the Tories rejected devolution - which is no doubt one of the reasons why Labour is suffering a similar fate in Scotland: out of touch and divided, and with a leadership crisis."
Wales must have parity with Scotland because it is increasingly likely that future Governments in Whitehall will not have been elected by a majority of Welsh voters.
February 5, 2008
THE RIGHT TO DECIDE
Danish opposition to nuclear energy remains staunch even though the controversial energy source has received a renaissance in recent years.
Nuclear energy, which produces practically no carbon dioxide emissions, has been heralded as a wise choice in light of growing concerns about climate change.
The vast majority of Danes remain sceptical of nuclear energy, however, according to a Vilstrup/Politiken poll.
Only 16 percent of the 1400 respondents felt nuclear energy should power Denmark's homes and workplaces.
Security issues about nuclear energy caused the greatest amount of concern among Danes. Some 59 percent cited them as the main misgiving, while 37 percent attributed their opposition to problems disposing with nuclear waste.
Women and young people appeared to be the strongest critics, according to the poll.
Eirik Schrøder Amundsen, an environmental expert and a professor at the University of Copenhagen, considered the poll an accurate indicator of the country's attitude.
'Denmark is a little country and there would be far too many expenses involved in investing in nuclear energy,' said Amundsen. He noted that the logistics and cost of disposing of nuclear waste still presents a challenge.
Connie Hedegaard, the climate and energy minister, also interpreted the figures as a seal of approval of the country's current policy, which focuses on generating electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind power and bio-fuels.
'The figures show that there is still a large majority for what has been Denmark's main policy since 1985,' said Hedegaard. 'So instead of engaging in a new arduous battle about nuclear energy, I would prefer to work so we lead the pack with future technologies.'
Hedegaard also appears to have a unanimous parliament behind her. No parties currently advocate the development of nuclear energy sources.
The Welsh Government has a View on Nuclear Power in Wales too - it is, that the pursuit of new nuclear build in Wales is unnecessary.
The difference though is that the British still have the powers to decide what happens in Wales with regard to nuclear energy build. These powers must be transferred to the Senedd, for these matters to be decided in Wales in our own interests.
February 2, 2008
Review of devolution
The Westminster Government has thrown its weight behind the planned review of Holyrood's powers, with a promise to clarify the funding of the Scottish Parliament.
It was also announced that Chancellor Alistair Darling is to publish a paper on the funding of devolved administrations, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Parity with Scotland and tax raising powers for the Senedd should be part of the review.
February 1, 2008
Foreign Princes
Despite Prince Charles of England joining in the growing boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Norwegian Royal Family has no plans to cancel its trip to China this summer.
Aftenposten gets it right!
January 28, 2008
Arrivals - Bagram Air Base
The pressures faced by the armed forces are driving away experienced personnel and damaging morale, MPs have warned.
The strain of operating at full capacity in Afghanistan and Iraq has left the services "deteriorating", a defence select committee report says.
Personnel do not get enough rest time, and budgets are spiralling out of control, its annual MoD report adds.
The Russians made a film about it.
Any lessons to be learned by those sending Wales's armed forces personnel in harms way?
January 26, 2008
Pensioner's benefits
Benefits for pensioners are among the powers that could be transferred to Holyrood, a former Liberal Democrat minister said yesterday.
Ross Finnie said that a cross-party body looking at the constitution should consider the issue.
The former environment minister said there needed to be closer integration between benefits and "healthcare, care to elderly and provision to the unwell.
"It's perfectly proper for a Scottish Parliament to decide exactly how it delivers that level of care".
It's perfectly proper for the Senedd to decide too.
January 23, 2008
INDEPENDENT STANCE
Joe Grant, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation said,
"I congratulate the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Justice for their independent stance on this issue. This demonstrates the cooperative and constructive approach this Government has taken to policing since coming to power."
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill, has on behalf of Scottish Ministers, agreed to implement the PNB agreement arising from the Independent Arbitrators award.
A Welsh Minister for Justice can take an independent stance on pay for the Welsh Police Force just as in Scotland, while the the British continue their confrontational approach to wage negotiations. Powers over all aspects of policing should be transferred to the Senedd. Wales needs effective policing where the moral of the officers concerned is of great importance.
January 21, 2008
FINES BASED ON INCOME
A millionaire real-estate magnate and art dealer from Setesdal in southern Norway has been fined NOK 425,000 (USD 85,000) for drunk driving, and been further required to chop wood for 30 days.
In the fall of 2006, Kjetil Uleberg, 55, had enjoyed an evening with his friends drinking red wine until past midnight. The next morning, he got into his car to drive to a business meeting. When he was stopped by the police, he was required to take a breath test, which showed him to have a blood alcohol level of 0.7. The legal limit in Norway is 0.2.
In Norway, fines for drunk driving are based on the driver’s income, which meant Uleberg ended up with a whopper of a bill for his hangover.
A model of Criminal Justice worthy of consideration for Wales. The powers to decide the size of fines for crimes committed in Wales must be transferred to the Senedd.
January 17, 2008
GAMBLING LAW
The gambling pastimes of Finnish online poker addicts may become seriously complicated if the authorities’ latest plans materialise. Helsingin Sanomat has received information, according to which the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is planning to introduce an amendment to the law on gambling that would enable Internet gamblers to claim back their losses.
The payer would be either the firm providing the online poker services, a credit card company, or the winning player in the game.
According to the Ministry, in practice this would mean that the foreign companies running the Internet poker services would in all probability prevent Finnish players from ever taking part in the game. A player protected by such a law would be altogether too great a risk to the game organiser.
The idea of an amendment to the law on gambling is presented in a University of Joensuu report made public today. The Ministry commissioned the university to look into ways of protecting gambling addicts and children from the dangers of online gambling.
The idea was conceived by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health civil servants together with the compiler of the report, the University of Joensuu professor of Law and Economics Kalle Määttä. According to Määttä, such a law does not yet exist anywhere in the world.
Welsh Laws about gambling need to be made in the Senedd and they need to be made soon - those powers should be transferred from the British.
When people think of poker, the World Series of Poker comes to mind. The WSOP is held in Las Vegas, so it is natural to assume that the U.S. city is the center of the poker universe.
A recent report, however, shows that it is Wales who currently has the highest amount of people playing within the country.
Of The Welsh people who participated in the survey, thirty one percent admitted they had played poker at least once in the past year.
January 15, 2008
ALL WALES CONVENTION
Leading politicians from Holyrood and Westminster will gather behind closed doors in London today for their first meeting to discuss the prospect of giving the Scottish Parliament more powers.
Wendy Alexander, Annabel Goldie and Nicol Stephen, the respective leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties at Holyrood, will privately meet their London counterparts in a room at the House of Commons to discuss how the proposed constitutional commission on devolution should be established and to underpin Unionist opposition to the independence policy of the Nationalists.
The issue of more powers for Holyrood is now seen by all of Scotland's Unionist parties as the main means by which they will prevent First Minister Alex Salmond getting a second term in office.
Ms Alexander whose brainchild the commission is, has called for a "more balanced home rule package" with Scotland possibly getting more powers on tax, welfare and transport.
Labour AMs and MPs elected from Welsh constituencies need to be progressive instead of separating themselves from the drive for the devolution of more powers followed by the rest of the Labour party. The All-Wales convention of which some of them are part, like the Scots, should be recommending the types of extra powers and numbers of members a Welsh Parliament will need.
January 11, 2008
WALES'S FOREIGN MINISTER
Alex Salmond yesterday forged a new link with a like-minded Catalan who was visiting Holyrood to learn more about plans for holding an independence referendum.
Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira, vice-president of the government of Catalonia, is a senior member of a three-party, left of centre coalition in the Barcelona parliament. He was in Scotland to gain an insight on how to develop a stronger national identity.
The vice-president, effectively deputy first minister in the semi-autonomous region of Spain, said there are lessons the SNP Government is keen to learn from Catalonia about its business culture and extensive network of foreign embassies, which could act as a model for Scotland.
A working group is also being set up to build stronger links, including foreign minister Linda Fabiani (Scotland) and her opposite number in the Catalan administration.
A Welsh Foreign Minister can be doing the same, learning from Catalonia about its business culture and extensive network of foreign embassies, which could act as a model for Wales.