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amalfiboy

Listed below are comments made by amalfiboy between Tuesday, 30th September 2008 and Thursday, 27th August 2009.

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"Where YOU are" 10:49am on 27 Aug 2009 Even if health is a devolved issue, what the Westminster Government and Parliament decides does matter to the people of Wales, because we get access to so much of our secondary and specialist healthcare in England. For example, people in central and much of south Powys have to travel to Hereford (in England) to get kidney dialysis, a journey for some of over 100 miles per day on three days a week on winding country roads. For a large proportion (maybe more than half) of the residents of Powys almost all of their secondary healthcare will be delivered at DGHs in England. So a healthcare debate at the GE will be very relevant to Wales.
Out shopping? 09:51am on 20 Aug 2009 Many more headlines like yesterday's in the Western Mail (ref. to 'Stalinist NHS' on website that Welsh Tory MPs contribute to) and more ill-advised comments like P. Cormack MP's about MPs' salaries needing to double could still wreck it for the Tories. They are not loved or trusted and their high opinion poll rating is due to anti-Labour rather than pro-Tory feeling. If Cameron does not retrieve the situation on the NHS he is in big trouble. The quotes from Hannan, David Davies and others are a gift to the other parties. For goodness sake Hannan said on US TV that our NHS is worse than Zimbabwe's health system! I can see that appearing on a few leaflets come election time.
One rule ... 09:34am on 02 Apr 2009 Benedek is being kind. I can think of much harsher words - hypocrite comes to mind. But why should we be surprised? We see it all the time. Plaid and backbench Labour AMs disowning the One Wales Government's, their parties' government's, policies in public, speaking against them in the chamber and then voting for them when the votes are taken. Yet this is hardly ever reported by the media (Betsan being an honourable exception). It is as if these backbenchers are living in a world of virtual reality. Those people applauding Rhodri Glyn Thomas need to be asking him and Alun Davies some harsh questions, not clapping to the sound of warm and insincere words. God help Welsh politics if this is the best they can do.
Then there were seven 10:57am on 05 Feb 2009 Difficult to know what is worse - the apalling charade of PMQs at Westminster or the rather dull FMQs in Cardiff Bay. The former is an insult to democracy, made worse by David Cameron's inability to do anything other than bully and belittle the PM (perhaps revealing his true character), and the latter is, yes, boring, apart from the brief flashes of fun when Kirsty Williams gets under Rhodri's skin, which appears to be surprisingly thin.
Cameron's Cut 10:39am on 15 Jan 2009 The Cameron plans are a case of blatant gerrymandering. The move to 'roughly equal numbers of electors in each constituency' would mean the cuts in MP numbers would fall disproportionately on Wales, because of the lower average elector numbers that currently populate Welsh constituencies. There is no logical reason why elector numbers should be equal across all constituencies. Other factors such as geographical size, population sparsity and deprivation should all feature in the boundary commissioners' deliberations. If a constituency has high levels of economic deprivation it makes eminent sense for the constituency to have a lower number of electors than a more affluent one. For one thing, the local MP will pro rata have more casework to do. Similarly, if a MP has a big geographical area to cover, it is logical that a lower than average constituency population should be accepted.
If there is to be a reduction in the number of MPs, that reduction should not discriminate against Wales in the way that Cameron's suggestions would. His proposal is a cynical political ploy.
We own Royal Bank 09:52am on 28 Nov 2008 Isn't it instructive that the only banks that appear to be in a healthy state are the ones that have eschewed the high-risk gambling approach and concentrated on the nuts and bolts activity of banking, obeying the age-old customs and practices developed over centuries. I personally feel much more confident now that banks like Santander are in charge of more of the UK's banking capacity. Coming from a family of merchant bankers I have less than zero sympathy for the feckless financial spivs who by their reckless behaviour have driven the world in to a global recession. The senior executives and directors of these institutions that have now required vast sums of public money to prevent their collapse should have their personal assets, buolt up on the back of their awful behaviour, taken in to public ownership as well.
Never 09:41am on 18 Nov 2008 Urr, brynt41, Kirsty Williams's comment on her 'biggest mistake' was supposed to be a light-hearted joke. Peter Black is one of her main backers. We do know who he will be voting for in the leadership contest - her.
The gloves are off. 10:48am on 12 Nov 2008 Perhaps Ms. Willott ought to pause to consider whether launching such a thinly-veiled attack on a colleague is either wise or dignified.
The Bourne Ultimatum 12:32pm on 07 Oct 2008 We keep being told that the Tory Party has changed. It hasn't. Same old nasty party as before.
Extraordinary circumstances 10:58am on 30 Sep 2008 I notice from the BBC website that when Mr. Cameron was challenged about his lack of experience on the economy, he reminded us all that he once worked in the Treasury. Yea, during the Black Wednesday debacle as Norman Lamont's special adviser. Not something he should be reminding us about.

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