THE BUDGET

No matter how they would like to spin it the Con Dem's have made a very basic and bad decision budget wise, they should have concentrated on growth rather than cuts in their first Budget last year. This publicly announced (in not trumpeted) “austerity” budget rather than a “growth” budget is simply bad economics.

The UK coalition has got it's financial policy fundamentally back to front and cuts in capital investment, not to mention the snatching £385 million away from the Welsh Government's funds, has left Wales in a weak position especially when it comes to securing economic recovery.

Here in Wales, things could be quite different, Plaid have already launched their proposal for a “Build for Wales” investment vehicle which would ensure capital investment in new schools, new hospitals and new roads while creating up to 50,000 jobs here in Wales.

Jonathan Edwards MP

Plaid Cymru’s Treasury spokesman, Jonathan Edwards MP, said:

“The Office for Budget Responsibility is set to lower growth expectations in the UK in this Budget, while figures from the Office of National Statistics show higher than expected UK government borrowing.


“This is the scenario we set out a year ago - that cutting too much and too early would lead to the situation where the tax-take falls, and more people are out of work and claiming benefits after losing their jobs.


“The UK Government should have pushed for growth in the economy first and secured the recovery, before making massive cuts to public sector jobs and investment.


“Quite simply, they got it the wrong way around.


“Capital investment, in new schools, new hospitals and new roads, is key to making our economy work in Wales, by creating jobs for our construction industry and developing vital infrastructure.


“On top of that, the Treasury has mugged Wales by taking back £385m End Year Flexibility that we were keeping to use for just this purpose.


“Clearly Plaid is the only party interested in a better future and a credible economic plan for Wales. Plaid’s Build for Wales investment vehicle, for example would allow us to raise money to counter the cuts and to create up to 50,000 jobs.”

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER!

The three London based parties had a pretty poor record in the old parliament when it came to standing up for Wales. Things did not get off to a good start in this still relatively new parliament either - especially when the new Con Dem Government refused to either commit to or provide a timetable to develop a high speed rail link to Swansea - sorry make that Cardiff.

Originally New Labour only proposed to electrify and improve the rail line as far as Bristol, and only after the intervention of the Plaid driven One Wales Government and Ieuan Wyn Jones did they reluctantly agree to propose to electrify the line as far as Swansea.

In the long months that followed the emergence of the ConDem Government in Westminster, they were just a tad evasive when it comes to committing to the extending the electrification programme into Wales. And we are seriously expected to believe that Wales is a ConDem, let alone a Labour priority – I think not.

Now of course now it's not just the Swansea - London railway line that needs electrification, there are plenty of other more local lines including the North Wales Coast line and the Valley lines where the National Assembly can make a real difference to transport links and people’s lives. We should also not forget the Severn Tunnel diversionary line, which lies entirely outside of Wales, but, is particularly important.

So why is the Severn Tunnel diversion route important you may well ask? I mention it because, the proposed multi-million pound upgrade and electrification of the rail line between London and Cardiff, which if it goes ahead should be completed by 2017 and which should cut 20 minutes off the existing journey times, but this would only fix only part of the problem.

It's pretty simple really, when the Severn Tunnel is closed for maintenance rail traffic from South Wales is diverted via a single-track 12-mile section of line between Swindon and Kemble in Gloucestershire. Any plans to upgrade this section to double track as it is the only diversionary route between Wales and London were conspicuous by their absence from Network Rail’s plans in 2008/2009.

Talk to (or listen to) anyone who works the rails (or anyone who has relatives who work on the rails) in the south and they will tell you that the aging Severn Tunnel is going to require more maintenance as time passes, yet it remains a vital transport link, but it ranks pretty low on Network Rails list of priorities.

Interestingly enough back in November 2008 when Gordon Brown was running the shop, the Office of Rail Regulation’s settlement for Network Rail allocated some £26 billion pounds some 2.4 billion less than requested. This has forced Network Rail to drop a number of projects - if you think this was a short sighted decision just wait until the ConDem cuts really kick in!

Anyway, you may have worked out by now that one of the project that was dropped was a plan to restore the 12 miles of single track to double from Kemble to Swindon, at the moment the reduced capacity of this line adds an hour to passenger journeys as trains to and from Wales have to wait for services coming in the opposite direction, and lets not forget any impact on rail freight movements.

This is a vital link between Wales and London (and Europe) and is the only alternative to using the Severn Tunnel. In the event of a major accident or incident in the tunnel, perhaps a crash, a fire or even flooding, then we need a fully operational alternative so that passenger and freight services to London are not affected.

It is pretty essential that re-doubling work on the line, which would allow at least an hourly service, is carried out as quickly as possible. While the upgrade and electrification programme is under way on the mainline, its only common sense to electrify the line all the way from Severn Tunnel Junction through to Swindon as well.

So at the moment Wales is one of the few counties in Europe, save for Albania and Moldova to have no electrified rail-lines, this is one exclusive club we do not need to be a member of. While the Con Dems have finally committed to electrification of the railway lines from Cardiff to London, admittedly with about as much grace as someone having wisdom teeth extracted, they have finally done so.

Having got this far we now need a concrete commitment to a timetable as to when the job will get actually gets done. Personally I would also ask them to start the work from the Cardiff end of the line. When it comes to electrified railways it used to be a case of literally for Wales see England - and that was never acceptable! However, as was once said, things can only get better !

FORMER PHONE HACKER'S CHIEF QUITS

Not a headline that the Downing Street Press Office or Tory Central Office will want to see! The loss of Andy Coulson as Downing Street's Director of Communications, may have more significance than people think. Coulson, an Essex boy (and proud of it) was born and brought up in Wickford, Essex, educated at the local state school, Beauchamps Comprehensive. A devoted Tottenham Hotspur fan - he began his career at the Basildon Evening Echo, before joining the Sun and rising rapidly through the ranks of News International) was one of the few contacts between the Conservative Cabinet and ordinary people. The bunker mentality that tends to pervade political parties (with like employing or selecting like) is a dangerous but understandable trend. Coulson, who was reasonably rooted in reality (well as much anyone who worked for the News of the World can be) may well missed, as one of the few tangible links with how ordinary people live, work and think is now broken. So show your appreciation for Andy Coulson. Leave him a message of a support on your voicemail!

SAVING OUR POST OFFICE

I should be in Aberystwyth but instead am still trying to fight of 'man flu' not very successfully (such is life) what with the winter we have been having (so far) its not really a surprise. Despite the worst of the weather the Posties in Newport were hard at it, despite the weather (and the thick frozen fallen snow).

Our postal services workers more than went the extra mile over the Christmas and the New Year to make sure presents and cards were delivered (I had double postal deliveries on more than a few days). Despite the terrible weather and the record level of mail sent, their huge effort was a reminder of the importance of a public post service. it's worth noting that when many of the big on-line retailers stopped delivering, the Royal Mail carried on.

Makes you wonder that would happen if the Mail was privatised I wonder? We cannot and should not simply view the Royal Mail as yet another asset to be sold off cheaply - no doubt making a few a fat windfall in the process - as happened with many of the other utilities that were sold off cheaply by the Tories in the 1980's and the 1990's to the lasting benefit of their chums in the City.

The Post Office is an important (if not vital) national institution that provides a massive social function on which many of our citizens and small business depend. We must oppose any Con Dem plans to sell off the Royal Mail. The Tories and their Lib Dem little helpers must step back from these plans and commit to keeping the postal service public in 2011.

DISORDER, POLICING AND PROTEST

Very little (or nothing) in this world is a simple matter of being black of white; there are many shades of grey in between, especially when it comes to how large demonstrations are policed and even more so when there is resultant disorder which is splashed across the TV and the Press subsequent to the events of the Student protests. One thing, however, is very true, little is added to the eloquence of your argument by trying to stove in the head of a Police Officer.

We should ask (and it is proper in a free society that we do ask) searching questions about the Police tactics (especially 'Kettling') used by the Police at large demo's - I have been on both sides of the line so to speak and have seen both sides of confrontational demonstrations. I can accept that in heated or tense situations a Police officer at the end of his or her tether after hours of provocation (from the usual suspects the SWP and their ilk) might on occasion be less than polite when he or she asks people to move out of the way or along. It is worth noting that press photographers have lived with this sort of thing for years, but, there is no excuse for excessive force or violence. This does not, however, make it acceptable conduct or excuse blatant brutality.

One thing to remember is that there are those amongst the thousands of peaceful and law abiding demonstrators who attend demo's, there are those (and this is by way of experience and observation rather than the near permanent hysterical rant usually found in the pages of the Daily Mail or the Daily Telegraph) who do systematically direct what can be best described as focused and targeted hostility towards our Police officers for their own ends.

Whether we like it or not there are those who are looking to provoke a tangible public reaction for their own purposes, and who are more than happy to hide behind more naive and inexperienced demonstrators at large demo's and high-jack peaceful demonstrations. Now Police officers are effectively empowered to use reasonable force providing that it is proportionate to the situation they find themselves in, if excessive force is used by either side then it should be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Any Police officers who knowingly or maliciously crosses the line when it comes to acceptable standards of behaviour should be firmly dealt with; as should any demonstrator who likewise may have crossed the line of acceptable behaviour. It is important for us to develop and retain a sense of perspective, we should remember that the vast majority of Police Officers and the vast majority of demonstrators did not cross the line when it comes to acceptable standards of behaviour at the Student protests, only a very small minority of people at the protests did so.

At the end of the day we are dealing with Policing by consent within a democratic society and it is important to remember that Police officers are only human and may react, as would anyone who has been subject to systematic provocation at the hands of a very small minority hell bent on inciting or causing trouble by provoking a reaction from harassed Police officers.

Now it works both ways because the public would expect overly thuggish or aggressive violent behaviour and the use of excessive force towards peaceful demonstrators and similar behaviour from demonstrators towards our Police officers, to be dealt with. Violent conduct from public servants to the public and from the public towards public servants is not, has never been and never will be acceptable and should be subject to the full penalties and rigours of the law - not trial by media or the Daily Mail.