Going around, coming around
Remember this?
If you do, you'll probably remember what followed: this and this.
The moral of the story? Never, ever make the mistake of causing the First Minister to accuse a leader of another party, in this case Kirsty Williams, of telling "an outright lie", only to find that he's the one to have told an untruth. It's the ultimate no-no.
International Business Wales may well be reflecting on just that thought this morning.
They are the people who promote Welsh business abroad. That costs money. That won't be news to you. But the Liberal Democrats wondered out loud some months ago whether the amount IBW officials were spending wasn't a heck of a lot - and I mean, a HECK of a lot - compared to the amount they were bringing in. The implication, that they were living "first class" and "jet set" lifestyles, said the First Minister, was "repugnant".
Then a couple of receipts were leaked, showing that first class flights had indeed been paid for from the public purse. The upshot - an inquiry by KPMG into their expenses at a cost of £129,000 (to the Tories' astonishment) and a wider inquiry into IBW's efficiency - a benchmarking study against its counterparts elsewhere in the UK.
IBW might think of it as retribution. I couldn't possibly comment but the promise was of an "independent and comprehensive" review.
It's both. Watch this space.
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~10~RS~)
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I wonder if Rhodri's bones will be, in the future, as revered as those of "Thérèse of Lisieux's", revered as a reminder of his clarity of thought.
Post or reactive moderation in memory of Rhodri please!.
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When I think of the person who stopped aprenticeships who stopped Planned Preventative Maintenance who introduced four tiers of management in the health service. The great Lady who Mortgaged all our futures it makes my blood boil to hear her pupet saying he will put things right, and yes I am talking about Tories.
What is joe public going to do at the next election, what do you think he feels when the MP are squabbling about their expences and turning out the old cliques. It makes me laugh they educate people then wonder why we do not say yes oh wise one. Me I am voteing Liberal, Vince Cable seems like the only one with a way out of this mess without selling the crown jewels.
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Surely the key point is about the effectiveness of IBW. Ireland has shown how important investment courting in the US can be. Ireland may have an advantage in being an English speaking member of the Euro zone, but it is (or was) a good model.
Politicians being fed answers that are economical with the truth may be the cause of some mild amusement, and why not. However the critical commentator in these difficult economic times should be looking at performance at least as much as air miles.
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#1 - ?
Wow! - what a novelty - a British politician making a thorough investigation into allegations of taxpayers money being miss-used :
"It is essential that this review is both independent and comprehensive, and will provide absolute transparency and clarity on all of the issues raised."
Whilst the Tories wanted a quick and short investigation into it. You have got to wonder why, haven't you?
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Cilmyn... as much as you'd like it to be, the issue here is not what the Tory toffs in Westminster are doing.
You cant keep going on about the tories when WAG initiatives like International Business Wales are pulling their own 'tory-esque' expenses fiddles and enjoying the fat cat lifestyle on our tight Welsh budget. What's worse is that the report out today confirms that they have done nothing for inward investment in Wales whatsoever. At least the tories usually generate something whilst they're apparently milking the system. IBW have nothing to show for the vast sums of money that we the Welsh public pay for them to be in existence.
People will begin to see that with increased powers in Wales we are also leaving ourselves open to exploitation by an incestuous network of backscratching elitists! This is the very thing that those paltry 25% of the electorate that actually wanted devolution wanted to avaoid. Now then Cilmyn (and I can tell by the way you write you are an avid Plaid supporter), I would suggest activists like yourself and you party need to stop insulting the people of Wales by never being accountable for anything... always pointing to westminster and the Tory bogeyman (who in this case have absolutely nothing to do with it!).
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There was me thinking this thread was about King Morgan lying whilst accusing another Assembly Member of lying.
Cilmyn, this Conservative does not want a quick and short investigation into anything, I prefer the truth, I wonder what will be in the Plaid letters, much the same as the other MPs.
Post or reactive moderation for all except Cilmyn, he needs to be helped to keep on topic!.
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5# Cardiffian - I was referring to the Tory toffs in Wales rather than England - follow the links in the article and you'll see that it was Nick Bourne who wanted a 'quick investigation' into the issue and was appalled at the cost of a proper investigation.
If you think that the IBW is a bad thing what would you have in its place - the old buddy-buddy WDA? (which was marvellous according to Thatcher).
And to repeat - I have never been a Plaid activist or supporter - I am in fact a 'sunderer' (drum roll and flashing lights) - by whichever party can do this the quickest. Sooner we are free from the London fat cats milking Wales, the better.
Now then Cardiffian (and I can tell by the way you write that you are an avid supporter of all things right-wing) I would suggest activist like yourself and whatever pro-British party you support need to stop insulting the integrity of the bloggers here by actually reading the article fully before you then comment on it and go instantly into Tory-boy mode.
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Tell me Stonemason - why is it off-topic? Have I not been righteously right-wing enough for you? Should I follow your first comment here?? Do I need to follow orders from the Lodge more often?
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Isn't it amazing the number of times that the nats refer to Conservatives as toffs? Don't they realize how increasingly aware us Brit nats are of the Welsh elite Rhodri type toffs? Speaking as an English speaking Brit, give me an English speaking toff anytime, the fact that David Cameron was educated in one of the Worlds finest schools is a huge bonus.
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Re 9
At last...they come clean!!!
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At last...they come clean!!!
Pardon?
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I know we have occasionally debated, discussed and argued about the 'embassies' that the Assembly has established across the globe, but the latest revelation just about sums up the whole nonsense, and for me takes the biscuit.
The 'office' in Munich Germany costs us 200 grand a year, and NONE of it's staffers speak German.
I do believe that is really taking the urine, why on earth are we tolerating such a carry on.
Oh! maybe the Germans are supposed to learn Cymraeg, but on the other hand, perhaps English is the means of communicating? In which case, why the pressures to get all into the language, if it is not commercially viable in an important market place such as Germany?
If this is the situation everywhere else, and our potential investors and customers are not able to communicate in their own languages, then I suggest the Assembly start to worry about any possibility they ask for powers to enforce business into a Cymraeg mode, be put aside for the obviously stupid idea it is.
Have we no Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese capable staffers in other 'embassies?
What a bloody farce, coming on top of the other revelations about the costs of travel etc these outstation staffs have been getting up to.
I am afraid I cannot accept belated apologies from the First Minister, in the light of what has come to light in the very recent past.
He, above all others, should have been totally aware of what his motley crew have been playing at.
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Help me understand Jack,
DC being educated at one of the world's finest schools is good how? We all know that elitism and the old boy network are still going strong in that fine educational establishment.
As how does that, coupled with his estimated £30m wealth, help him identify with the average working Joe?
We all know, especially someone of your intelligence, that the best laid plans on paper rarely work out well in the real world at the ground level!
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I also have to object to the comments about back scratching elitists, this is a comment that could be directed at any Government in the world.
Why is putting up with Cardiff based back scratchers unacceptable but London based back scratchers are completely acceptable?
Can someone answer that please?
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message 14...
I will not be able to answer your direct question,directly, however I will make a comment, which is this, why do we need to have many backs to scratch, surely just the one is enough, and given the right momentum, the people could see that one off anyway.
That one in London had become so 'top heavy' to the extent it has toppled over, and a massive hygiene exercise is under way to clear it all up, so what is to be gained by having to repeat such an exercise on a region to region basis?
I find it incredible that once upon a time the UK, Gt Britain, what have you, ran the largest empire ever seen on earth, with far fewer civil servants, and with everything done with pre Biro pen and ink, yet today, with computing powers that until forty years ago no one could have ever imagined, we cannot run a booze up in a brewery it seems, so we are compelled to break up what is now little more than the head office of that prior empire, in order to survive the present moment in time.
Its a total farce, so bad in fact, we should be damned well ashamed of our present self inflicted predicament.
Is it any wonder some see the only answer being a dictatorial regime, run either on a left, or a right wing agenda.
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I agree, political intelligence has been on the wane for a while now, maybe from not having to all the thinking ourselves.
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