JUST SAY NO!

The Western Mail (Saturday 10th March) carried an article about the selection for the Team GB football team for the 2012 London Olympics. They tried to pas sit off as some sort of debate over whether players from Celtic nations should be involved. Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader at the National Assembly, proved that he clearly does not get it or chooses not too. While Plaid AM for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins got it spot on.

The continued existence of an independent Welsh international football team, especially through the temporary emergence of a Team GB football team, is non negotiable. The UK Government simply does not get it and is probably incapable of getting it. Why would an English sports minister have the slightest concern about the future of the Welsh national football team? FIFA's word is clearly not good enough, the organisation is tainted with a long and recent history of corruption and some very questionable financial dealings.

 Our Football Association of Wales is one of the world's oldest football associations and is an important symbol of our nation.The game in Wales is undergoing a renaissance at the moment and Welsh footballers and Welsh teams have a higher profile than for a while domestically and internationally - this should not be threatened under any circumstances. The football associations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have pretty clearly stated (on more than a few occasions) that they are not interested in a Team GB football Team, which bit of NO don't the London Olympic Organisers understand?

A CARD CARRYING SCANDAL

I think that Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins is absolutely right to ask for assurances from the Labour Welsh Government that no public funds will be used to pay-off AWEMA officials that have been implicated in the charity's financial mismanagement. I for one share the concern that any officials who may be implicated in recent reports into financial mismanagement at AWEMA might receive 'redundancy payments' as the organisation's affairs are wound up. Considering the actual (if not potential) scale of the extent of maladministration highlighted in last week's official report, and previous reports, it would be scandalous for those responsible to receive any further public money. One impression I get it that Labour in Wales quietly hoped that they could ride out the storm and not so secretly hoped that the problem would go away. I just wonder that if the scandal had not involved card carrying members of Labour in Wales would they have acted a great deal earlier and with something like a degree of urgency.

SUPPORT OUR FIREFIGHTERS

Danny Clark, a Plaid Cymru activist and community councillor in Llangynwyd near Maesteg has started a campaign against proposed shift changes for fire service staff in Wales. I have sought to support Danny’s work in highlighting the difficulties fire service staff will face if these changes are made. The South Wales Branch of the Fire Brigades Union balloted members for industrial action short of a strike over the proposals for a new duty system, and the union’s committee met recently to discuss roster plans for Maesteg, Penarth and Pontypool, where 50 jobs will be cut and the firefighters left will have to double their weekly working hours to 96 hours per week.

The proposed plan by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service of an alternative crewing system at selected South Wales fire stations, aimed at maintaining existing response times and levels of service to the public will make, according to them, make net savings for the service. However, it will expect longer working hours from crews, while firemen and women will be expected to work to an older age. I do not think this is an acceptable way to treat fire officers and believe that it could lead to tired crews that may become a danger to themselves and to the public.

From the staff Danny and the Plaid team have spoken to in Maesteg, these changes are not positive for the workforce or for the service in general, and therefore an e-petition has been started to garner support for the campaign, and to support the FBU.

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The above is a straight lift from Bethan Jenkins AM's blog it's worth reading and is a campaign that is well worth supporting as the implications of the proposed shift changes will impact across all of South Wales.  Bethan has already written to the FBU to request a meeting to discuss this matter further, and to offer Plaid Cymru’s support. 

The petition will be presented to the petitions committee at the beginning of the new National Assembly term, and I fully support the campaign and urge people to support our Fire Fighters and sign the petition and the campaign.

This is the link to the petition.