I've started so I'll finish
Twelve hours ago I knew far less than I do now about dinosaurs, Greek mythology, the High School Musical films, Julius Caesar, The Simpsons, the first Plaid Cymru MP Gwynfor Evans and what sound like incredibly exciting but bloody books about demons and spies along with any number of subjects that appeal to today's bright young things.
By young I mean ten year olds vying to become this year's Mastermind Cymru champions. I now know rather more about all of the above, helped along by the fact that I have all the answers written on the card in front of me.
Some will get a lot right but no-one will get everything right. Every single one of them will all be glad when it's all over ... which brings me back to the Welsh language LCO and the row it has stirred. Ah yes, I've started so I'll finish. I'm not referring to the comments following yesterday's posting, though - as is traditional on this blog - nothing gets you going into your corners, seconds out, like the mention of 'yr iaith'.
No, I'm talking about the fury amongst members of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee that the Secretary of State saw fit to announce a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee to discuss their report on plans to devolve power over language legislation to the Assembly before the report had seen the light of day. Not on.
Peter Hain's desire to "get the dirty washing done before recess" was one thing as one angry voice put it but he'd shocked everyone by jumping the gun.
The first anyone knew of a debate before the Welsh Grand next month was an announcement on the Wales Office web site. Not on again. The ink on the Select Committee's report will hardly be dry by July 8th so Welsh MPs will barely have had time to consider it. Mr Hain might be "under pressure from language campaigners, from the CBI, from his own side, from all sides but ..." his fellow Welsh MPs had been "stunned" by the way he'd played things.
A statement this afternoon from the Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, Hywel Francis makes that icily clear: "I have informed him he will need to consult with me and the opposition parties before a Welsh Grand Committee can meet to discuss my Committee's Report."
There's tellin' 'im.
As a colleague put it the other day Mr Hain is very, very pleased to be back in office and is very, very keen to get on with things. On this occasion, just that little bit too keen by the looks of it. The debate before the Welsh Grand has been postponed.
The new date? Pass.
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~38~RS~)
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Good on Hywel Francis, he is one of the MPs that one can respect.
Peter Hain needs to hold his horses a wee while.He needs friends
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Peter Hain will put the nail in the coffin of the Welsh Labour Party if he continues in this vein. He must recognise that the Party is split down the middle. If he sides with Labour Nationalists and opportunists, those of us who abhor the current nationalist direction of the Labour/Plaid Administration will simply leave the Party. And the next election result will be even more humiliating than the last one.
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The Think Left Act Right Syndrome
I do not see this as a nationalist or language issue, its the think left act right syndrome, or say one thing and then do the opposite.
We need to establish openness and transparency in government at Westminster before it can be devolved to Cardiff Bay.
Peter Hain introduced the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 which took away powers from the Auditor General for Wales to investigate and intervene in public services that are now struggling to survive under criticisms of financial mismanagement.
He now says in a veiled attack on Gordon Brown that communities and the public need to be empowered.
Even if you agree with his intentions, the problem with going along with this sort of behaviour is that they will stitch you up in due course.
If there is a split in the Labour party lets hope its between those for and against transparent and democratic government and sort out issues of devolution afterwards.
Its seems that all important decisions that effect us from transport to higher education is done on the basis of secret reports.
We the serfs are not fit to be told the truth of what is going on or why decisions were made, let alone have some kind of say in these issues or hold people to account for their failures.
Its seems that the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, the Secretary of State and the Archbishop are all jockeying for the title of Supreme Leader.
We need to let them know its the electorate that are in charge and then we can have power to and not away from the people.
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Government by Stitch Up
I have just seen the Chairman of the All Wales Convention Sir Emyr Jones Parry on BBC news expressing concern about voter apathy towards the political process.
What difference does voting make anyway, if the Welsh Affairs Select Committee can be stitched up what chance does Joe Public stand of making any point about the decisions that effect our lives.
Moreover, this attitude spreads through out the system, have you tried making a complaint to the Welsh Assembly Government? You get tied up in red tape before being fobbed off and then ignored.
Have you tried making a complaint to your MP, Assembly Members for you constituency or area representative? Most of them dont even bother with the fob off they just ignore you.
What does more power to the Assembly mean? more secret reports, more legislation banning us from complaining, less public consultation, and being fobbed off more often?
I suggest that no other Cabinet Minister at Westminster would dare treat their respective Select Committee with the same contempt so why should we put up with it in Wales.
Whats the purpose of the Welsh Grand Committee? If its to scrutinise legislation in order to bring transparent government and democracy to the people of Wales its seems to have either lost the plot or is working on a less ambitious project.
If politicians cannot be trusted to play it by the rules to introduce the Welsh to their own language then you cannot trust them with anything.
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Actually the purpose of the Welsh Grand Committee is to debate, it had the power to discuss minor uncontentious bills for Wales but not take any substantive decisions. It as someone (who I can't remember) said, exists because Wales is a Nation but has no power in case Wales acts like a Nation. Its a talking shop, its given some extra responsibility with under this process but ultimately is a talking shop. It can't propose amendments, though clearly its views will be take into account. What it shows is how Labyrinthine and complex the process of legislating for Wales. Certainly calling the Welsh Grand Committee meeting without consulting more widely shows how its treated by the executive, and this more of an example how the Executive at Westminster treats the Legislature there.
Remember we aren't even discussing legislation here with this LCO, just a permission for the National Assembly to legislate over an aspect of the Language.
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#5 Thank you for the explaination
While I have concerns about devolution it is blatantly obvious that Welsh Grand Committee or some other body should act in a similar way to the House of Lords with the power to propose amendments to legislation. Its members should also be open to lobbying by the public the same as Peers.
We all suffer as a result of repressive legislation and inadaquate scrutiny. Moreover, because of devolution we cannot refer it back to Westminster to have it put right and is an example of the failure of the current system.
I think it is a measure of how the electorate are treated irrespective of who you vote for.
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While scrutiny is vital this is not what the LCO process is about. There is no role for parliament to decide on legislation that may or may not flow from an LCO, an lco is only an order giving the power of primary legislation over a specific aspect of policy to the National Assembly for Wales. It isn't actually about scrutinising any legislative proposals within that specific aspect of policy. One of the criticisms of the then National Assembly under the previous government of Wales act was that the limited size of the National Assembly meant less committee meetings and as a result the depth of scrutiny was not enough. While the proposed referendum will not alter this the scrutiny methods at the National Assembly are better than they are at Westmister. With prelegislative committee investigations and public participation during the process of reviewing the legislation during its passage. You would like some sort of upper house for the National Assembly - well that would be an additional expense - I don't think MPs should fill that role, otherwise why bother having a national assembly at all?
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#1
"Peter Hain... ..needs friends"
He's got Gordon, who hasn't got many friends outside of Westminster, even if he has any there.
Although born in Kenya, Hain and his parents moved to South Africa when he was a young child. They and he were, commendably, anti-apartheid campaigners. That is how Hain came to public notice and made a name for himself. Having campaigned for majority rule, he failed to return to build the new democracy under Mandela. Instead, he ends up here in Wales because it suited his political career. He had no connection whatsoever with our country. Blair and Brown have both chosen him to be Secretary of State. Neither of them had any connections with Wales, either. One would think that with all the support Wales has given to Labour for a century or more, that Party would treat us with some respect.
Hain is once again Secretary of State. He does represent a constituency in Wales, but only because he was parachuted into a safe Labour seat which is a abuse of the electoral process by a powerful centralised party machine, and often dependent on the awful FPTP voting system.
How can such a person have a real commitment to our country?
He says,
'As everyone is aware, I am a strong supporter of the Welsh language and therefore want the Welsh Language Order to be given a high priority and full consideration at Parliament. That is why all Welsh MPs are being given the earliest opportunity to debate the order at a full meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee.'
http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Politics&F=1&id=16997
(Don't speak for 'everyone' Peter - you don't speak for me, and probably not for a large number of people in Wales)
Hain says he wants the Welsh Language to have the, 'full consideration of Parliament'. How nice, 646 MPs, most of them from England (if they all turn up) will debate the Welsh Language for the first time in 16 years on the floor of the Commons. It was debated twice in the twentieth century. Only forty MPs represent Welsh constituencies, including Hain. That is some six percent of the total. These people will be discussing giving power over the Welsh Language to the people of Wales. Its arrogance beyond belief. Parliament has already devolved legislative powers to Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the native languages are far weaker. Illogically, and contemptuously, as far as Wales is concerned, those powers remain at Westminster.
Personally, I hope that Labour (be it the New Labour tories, or the tired old Labour dinosaurs from Wales) will be decimated at the next election, throughout the UK. The party deserves nothing less. It has failed woefully. Wales and the UK are in a dreadful mess, the worst I can remember, as a consequence of twelve years of arrogant and incompetent government.
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#8
Bryn-Teilo
If any one want's him as their MP, please take him.
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