Housing Crisis
Last week the BBC was accused of finding devolution rather difficult to reflect.
Yesterday Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Derek Wyatt, proved he has no such difficulty. In fact he killed two birds with one stone: he had a good bash at explaining what's happened to the UK over the past few years and proved that it's always tempting to take a metaphor just that little bit too far.
"My constituents are living in a half-finished house that costs them money, and they are beginning to resent it. The half-finished house in our country--the United Kingdom--has, like so many historic houses, grown up over the centuries without a master plan and according to the needs or whims of successive owners. Nearly 90 years ago, after a long and bitter dispute, we gave the neighbouring property to its sitting tenants--although some preferred to go on living with us. We spent the next 70 years or so trying to improve our house to make it a better place in which to live and trying to protect it from outside attack. We made no changes to the structure of the house and all the rooms and facilities were shared among all the residents.
However, in the past 10 years, there has been some major remodelling of the property. We converted the upstairs into a separate flat for the Scots and created another flat with inferior facilities in the west wing for the Welsh. We then persuaded the Northern Irish to live in another flat in the orangery--although many of them wanted to live with their neighbours next door. All that remodelling failed to create any special space for the English. They went on living in the property, but the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish were still free to walk in and help themselves to the fridge and the drinks cabinet. They could even make rules for the English that they themselves did not have to follow.
Meanwhile, the English went on paying most of the household bills."
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~52~RS~)
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I thought it an excellent and amusing description of the state of affairs from an English point of view.
May we now look forward to a barrage of bellicose criticism from the ranks of the simple-minded nationalist element on here.
However, I was disappointed that Mr. Wyatt failed to mention that he provided his leaky greenhouse as a meeting place for the Welsh assembly.
Somewhere they could meet and think up novel ways to waste money on expensive buildings. These being erected for the sole purpose of adding an air of permanence to the existence of the Welsh assembly.
This they have singularly failed to do.
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Betsan:
It is sad that there is a housing crisis....
This problem needs to be figure out....
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Interesting that you think all nationalists are simpleminded but then again you probably never listen to the arguments anyway.
House prices are supposed to fall by 9% this year. And that can only be a good thing because if they've been raising for the past 10 or so years then naturally they are too high.
Hehe what a good story and a rather fair reflection of the situation. Also note the way that the English created the space for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish - so its your own stupid fault that we're in this untenable situation which no one agrees with. And I have never had free beer from England!
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Much as it pains me to say it, there is a grain of truth here - we are better sticking together as Britishers than being hoovered into the Lisbon Treaty European Superstate....
I have always been of the view that the English never really understood early enough how awful the European project would be, since they hadn't had the Welsh experience of being governed remotely by Westminster career politicians who were out of touch with life in the valleys.
Sadly, history repeats itself, and England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland [ a political union and 'superstate' I can live with, if not entirely 'love'] is about to find itself at the, how can I say this without being 'moderated', the..'derriere' end of a continent which knows little and cares less about the problems of a country which did stick together to defeat the last, failed attempt at European integration in WW2..
Plus ca change...
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A flat in the west wing for Wales? Not exactly eqitable. Didn't we own the whole property before some illegal German immigrants came in and squatted?
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In the West Wing - cool!
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... but without the film noir lighting please!
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I think there is also a small question of where the water supply is coming from for this mythical house. May get a similar query from the Scots about the oil for the central heating and the gas for cooking.......
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Given that the English are about 85% of the population of the house, is it any surprise that they pay the largest proportion of the bills? Really poor analogy, stretched beyond breaking point - probably to be condemned as unfit for use...
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Well well, once again someone who speaks out against Welsh nationalism has a post taken off, obviously at the behest of a Welsh nationalist.
Having read through my post again I can only assume that my use of the words "simple-minded nationalists" caused hand-wringing, heart-fluttering distress to the nationalist enthusiasts.
When will the BBC run their blogs/boards evenhandedly. Far worse has been used in comments on Labour/Lib-dems. While even more abusive language is often used against the Tories.
This only goes to reinforce the growing suspicion among many, that the BBC really is favouring the nationalists over the other parties.
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-Osian- wrote:
Also note the way that the English created the space for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish - so its your own stupid fault that we're in this untenable situation which no one agrees with. And I have never had free beer from England"
Wyatt's whole analogy in my opinion is bad. *sigh*
I can't help but notice Wyatt's inference that it is the English who are accomidating the Scottish, Welsh, and Irish in a building owned by the UK government! As if the nations had not had their own accomidations in the first place!
Anywhos, from an American prespective, that a politican would take the position that the interests of residents in England were somehow overlooked by devolving authority to Scotland, Wales, and No. Ireland.
As all of you are aware, Wales returns only 40 representatives to the 646-member House of Commons. Though there is a Wales office and a special Welsh interest committees, the whole arrangement is inheretly inequitable.
The 529 UK Parliamentarians from England dominate legislation which in effects cater to the largest and widest segment of the UK population. The UK Paliament is the English Parliament, if by simple mathmatical dominance. Andy politican who does not recognize this is being disingenuous.
(The same holds true for BBC programming and coverage of Wales and Welsh related interest: There is little Welsh prespective as has recently been reported on.)
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Drachenfyre.
You are damn right, "the whole arrangement is inherently inequitable"...The U.K now has a population of 60 million. Wales a population of 3 million.
There are 646 members of parliament, of which Wales has 40. (your figures).
Now, thanks to my splendid grammar school education, I can work out that Wales does considerably better than it should in the population/number of MPs ratio, stakes.
Far from having 40 MPs, Wales with just 5% of the population, should have 5% of the MPs. Which comes to just 32 MPs.
You must also bear in mind that Wales also has that bunch of wasters busy calculating their expenses down Cardiff Bay. They do little however, so really shouldn't figure in the scheme of things.
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12. At 10:13am on 21 Jun 2008, Noah_sembly wrote:
Drachenfyre.
You are damn right, "the whole arrangement is inherently inequitable"...The U.K now has a population of 60 million. Wales a population of 3 million.
There are 646 members of parliament, of which Wales has 40. (your figures).
Now, thanks to my splendid grammar school education, I can work out that Wales does considerably better than it should in the population/number of MPs ratio, stakes.
Far from having 40 MPs, Wales with just 5% of the population, should have 5% of the MPs. Which comes to just 32 MPs.
You must also bear in mind that Wales also has that bunch of wasters busy calculating their expenses down Cardiff Bay. They do little however, so really shouldn't figure in the scheme of things.
I hope you are not willfully missing the point... which is that the interests of Wales.. all 3 million of them... is getting lost in the noise of the current arrangement. Even a nation of 3 million deserves to have its interests reflected. Currently it is not.
The only solution is either for the UK to federalize, in which each nation has an equal voice on the federal level... or to desolve and let Scotland and Wales administer themselves.
The answer is not the current status que, which only further encourages the rhetoric.
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The current system as I have already noted is untenable. It is not working. Who cares if we have 8 more MPs than we should. 8! * from 600 is nothing! We could have another 80 and still Westminster would in effect be an English parliment.
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I agree with Osian... the interests of an English resident outweighs the interests of a Welsh resident. The legislation from the UK parliament reflect this, so does the programming of the BBC. It is centered in the south-west.
However, it is a natural occurance for this because that is where the population is centered on the Island of Great Britain.
However, given the three distinct nations on that same island, the interests of those other nations.. whatever their population number ... should be reflected both politically and in the media.
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I'd rather be living in my own little cottage, on my own little bit of land, earning my own little way in the world that hanging around in the stately home of someone who clearly thinks that I am a lesser person than himself and bedgrudges any good fortune I may have (despite his own enormous wealth and influence).
But I suppose I just bear all the signs of being a simple minded nationalist.
Doh! What am I like?
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As has been hinted at, and suggested on here, I am not an Englishman from Surrey or Hampshire, I am Welsh through and through.
Born in Glossop terrace maternity hospital, just across the road from Cardiff Royal Infirmary. I have lived in the capital all my life, as a young boy watched the Commonwealth games at Maindy stadium, and learnt to swim in the Empire Pool. Was down Ninian Park when Cardiff City won promotion to the first division (I thought Brian Walsh was the best right winger in the world). Watched as Pontypridd RFC swept all before them with players who played their hearts out for nothing more than boot money. I've since played golf with several of them and they are proud to say they'd do it all again with no financial reward.
I have made(and kept) a fortune, and love Wales as much as any man. So you may understand my irritation when I am somewhat slyly accused of not having the best interests of Wales at heart. For goodness sake, I live here, in spite of having property in other countries, I chose to live and pay my taxes here in Wales.
There seems to be a new breed of nationalist in Wales nowadays. They arrogantly brush aside any who dare to stand up to their foolishness. They are invariably young people, who have fallen for the promises made by those who should know better.
I would much prefer a Wales that remains an integral part of the U.K. I have argued long and hard against those who say Wales can get a good living out of sponging from the EU. I would hate to live in such a subsidized, cap in hand, Wales.
My views on here are at odds with the majority who post on this blog. I realize that, but am aware that most people in Wales do not support either Plaid Cymru or the views expressed on the BBC website. So I ask you to excuse someone who, having spent his life in Wales puts forward a future for Wales that does not include a Wales outside the existing UK framework.
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I had mistyped with "It is centered in the south-west"
I ment south east! /doh!
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When they hand out medals for services to the Welsh nation, I'm sure Noah will get his gong with the best of them, but please, dear comrade, stop patronising those of us who think that Wales is a nation.
What is so awfully terrible about a country having its own democratically elected government? It seems to work pretty well for most other places. As for being cap in hand to Europe, our currently lack of freedom has seen us sink below Northern Ireland and former Communist states in the economic table and qualify not once, no, but TWICE for Objective One status as a designated poverty stricken part of the EU.
Objective One is our badge of shame. If Welsh men and women just took Noah's stirring example of making his way in the world and carefully looking after his interests, then maybe more of us would be able to enjoy a round of golf with our local rugby heroes, instead of just looking enviously through the fence?
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In "Guns, Germs, and Steel; the Fate of Human Societies" the author Jared Diamond argues that it is a combination of easily accessable natural resources of a country, the ability of the native population to exploit them, and the balkanization of Europe as a whole that contributes to viable nation-states we see today in Europe.
Professor John Davies wrote in his History of Wales that the Welsh of the two primary principalities (Gwynedd and Deheubarth) in the High Middle Ages, was part and parcel to the Western European expierences, and developing its own institutions and interpertation of those expierences.
After the 1282 Edwardian Conquest, and the ultimate failure of the Glendwr revolt , Davies argues that most of Wales was owned by absentee Anglo landlords who siphoned off Wale's natural resources into England, rather then investing them in Wales.
We all know that Wales was blessed with natural resources. We know that the vast forests of South Wales was harvested to help built the Engish navy, and more recently how the Welsh coalfields powered the worlds industry in the Industrial Revolution. With the Welsh people themselves are the greatest natural resource in Wales.
Davies argues, and Diamond's modle demonstrates, had a localized national government, investing in industry and patronizing local Welsh arts, Wales today would not be in the economic circumstance it is today.
Wales needs its own government and its own institutions, that has always been the answer. To think that the Welsh would not have the technical know-how to administer their own finances and governance is patronizing and I would suggest prejudice against the Welsh.
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Look basically if you English care about us Welsh so much then just let us have what we want.
I wonder if Noah can speak Welsh? Not that you need to be able to speak Welsh to be Welsh. But if he's Welsh through and through then I take it he speaks Welsh. Anotherpoint and one that I've already made is that a number of Welsh people are only Welsh when a Welsh sports team is doing well eg Cardiff City winning promotion to div. 1, Ponty, etc. As refered to by a fellow contributor to this blog.
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Osian is assuming that all Welsh people want what he wants. He certainly doesn't speak for all of us, even though he seems to think that he does. As for needing to speak Welsh in order to be 'Welsh through and through', only 3% of the population is, therefore, genuinely Welsh (i.e. speaks Welsh as a first language) and if that's the case why do we need a Welsh Assembly since 97% of us are, by Osian's definition, English.
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http://sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/the-house-that-someone-built/
Made in on Slugger Betsan....
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