Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The despicable state of Welsh schools!

This did not come as a surprise to me. I had always had known that Welsh schools were in a poor state of repair, by personal observation over a number of years , observation by my own children who attended Cardiff schools (usually comparing it to the good condition of their US High schools), reports that appeared in the Echo and Western Mail that were usually forgotten. And a former assistant director of education I knew in Cardiff who told me that Cardiff and South Glamorgan County Council had neglected repairs on schools for over 20 years (and that was in 2004). So I was not surprised when I had read this report from the BBC today by Ciaran Jenkins (the blogger formerly known as Blamerball)

It just illustrates how politicians in Wales will talk about education but will do nothing. This is the backlog of repairs that need to be done.

Swansea

£147m

Caerphilly

£130.9m

Rhondda Cynon Taf

£63m

Carmarthenshire

£48m

Bridgend

£37.5m

Flintshire

£35.5m

Neath Port Talbot

£27m

Anglesey

£16.5m

Conwy

£12m

Blaenau Gwent

£10m

Merthyr

£9.7m

Ceredigion

£7.2m

That I believe is probably the tip of the iceberg. An estimated One Billion Pounds. This is a disgrace. How can you talk about schools fit for the 21st Century, when some of them were not fit for the 19th.

Unfortunately everyone has to take responsibility for this. Politicians, Parents, and educators. We do have responsibility to do something for this before we bankrupt the next generation with the repairs. This has to be done now, and the government should borrow beg and steal to pay for this.

Wales wake up, before it is too late!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Hey, Mark Zuckerberg could you spare Welsh schools a 100 Million quid?








I was impressed when heard that FaceBook’s Mark Zuckerberg had donated 100 Million Dollars to Newark schools on CNN.. I understand that Bill and Melinda Gates have donated half a billion Dollars to American education for teacher training.

This is a great example of what philaphropy can do for education.

I think it would be great if Wales own billionaires and millionaires could work together and invest in Wales crumbling schools and teacher education.. Even better what about business’s operating in Wales? They complain rightfully about inadequately trained our kids are. How better than for then to work with the schools and educating our kids for the 21st century.

So Sir Terry Matthews, Howard Stringer etal what do you think? Tesco?

Welsh kids do not need to be educated in schools that look and sound like something out of Charles Dickens.

We want Wales to to a prosperous place that people do not feel the need to leave. We want Wales to a Celtic Tiger like Ireland was until recently. And not like the Ireland of the Great Famine, except the this a famine of opportunity!

Maybe next year its time for the people of Wales to say good bye to the outmoded ideology of yesterday that has kept us poor and unknown.
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Is This The Age Of the Train for Cardiff?

When we were living at a unnamed theological college in Llandaff in 2008 , we often used the Radyr to Coryton line to travel around Cardiff , (especially after our car had been stolen and wrecked) . Trains run twice an hour Mondays to Fridays, I dont think they ran on Sundays. Most of the time the service was not that well used. That was a shame as it is the fastest and most painless way to get into town, and then catching trains to Barry or the valleys.


I believe this line was reopened as a imitative between BR and the old South Glamorgan County Council.


It struck me that with the fact that the Swansea mainline not going to be electrified in the foreseeable future. Why can they not electrify the local lines. Surely this is something that could be worked with the cooperation of the WAG, Cardiff, Vale, and valleys councils.


They should integrate the bus and train services like they do in the US, rather like the RTD in Denver.


If this was properly planned out with some vision, then Cardiff could see a solution to its problem with congestion.


Just needs someone with vision!



Friday, September 17, 2010

Are Cardiff Councillors Value For Money?

I have noticed when visiting the Wales Online site that this “Quick Vote” poll has been on the main page for a couple of months.


I am curious why Media Wales has chosen Cardiff in particualr? It does not seem to be aimed at the Executive in particular.


Does this indicated that Media Wales has a low view of Cardiff Council, or the current batch of councillors.


Also you can vote multiple times!!


Is there an agenda?


Curious said Alice!





Are Cardiff councillors value for money?

Yes

No


Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Pope supports devolution in the UK








I read with interest Pope Benedict’s first address on British soil and noted his support for devolution.

"As I begin my visit to the United Kingdom in Scotland’s historic capital city, I greet in a special way First Minister Salmond and the representatives of the Scottish Parliament.

"Just like the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies, may the Scottish Parliament grow to be an expression of the fine traditions and distinct culture of the Scots and strive to serve their best interests in a spirit of solidarity and concern for the common good.”


This is good and positive, and will certainly be a help in the referendum in Wales for the Assembly to gain legislative powers. For the large population of Catholics in south Wales who still respect the pope (even the ones that may not agree with the Magisterium’s teachings in matters of sexuality)

Its a shame that his visit has been greeted by the stupid and inane “Basil Fawlty” type racism. I don't recall the last Papal visit receiving this much negative feedback (except from Ian Paisley). This pope has been more proactive than his predecessor in dealing with the issues of child abuse than his predecessor.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Roald Dahl Day. Cardiff? Theme Park

Theme parks have been around longer than most of us think. Unfortunately when we think "Theme Park" we think Disney land or its Florida cousin Disney world, or worse Universe Studios, and fair enough that is what they are. They take us out of our dull reality into a new world filled with wonderment and colour.

As I said Theme Parks are not new, and the best example closer to home (Cardiff) would be Cardiff Castle

This Victorian folly built by William Burgess for the Marquess of Bute in the 19th Century along with Castell Coch.

These are 2 great examples of 19th Century "theme parks", with their splendid gardens and architecture, with a typical medieval theme which was a manifestation of the Romantic Movement that was popular in the 19th Century. However they were private and built for the entertainment of the "idle rich".

Since I have been living in the US, wife and I have visited what would be called "Living Museums". I would think of then as a type of "theme park" Usually they tend to be frontier forts like Fort Laramie


A important part of American Western history. In the summer they usually have programs, and you feel like you are there. Its both entertaining and most importantly it is educational.

This to me is how a theme park should be.

I have always wondered why Cardiff has never celebrated her famous sons. For example the great writer, Roald Dahl grew up in Llandaff/Fairwater. Yet I have not even seen any indication that he was ever there. Also that he attended the Cathedral School, and that some of his experiences appear in his books.

What I think would be a good idea and quite possible. Is to build a theme park with Roald Dahl and his works as the subject matter. It would be great addition to what already exists. I would envision it as being based on one of his work “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. It would have to be large enough.

I thought a possible location would be where the Bosch plant is near Miskin




It would be great for business, the location would help create jobs in the Valleys, Cardiff and the Vale.

The first thing you should do is consult Roald Dahl’s estate to get there approval and support. Then set up company to chase up investment to get this project of the ground.

I believe his could happen with the right sort of people with the vision to carry it through.






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Thursday, September 9, 2010

so you want to be mayor of Cardiff?

So oh hum the great non debate on whether Cardiff's wants a mayors forges on. The fury of the nondebate is absolutely shattering. The truth is most people know what a mayor is. They have seen both Ken Livingstone and now Boris Johnson running London (and on episodes of East Enders). What people really want to know is what will a mayor do for Cardiff. Lets look at the potential cadidates.

Cllr Russell Goodway (Former Labour leader of Cardiff Council)
Cllr Rodney Berman (LibDem leader of Cardiff Council and opponent of an elected mayor)
Jonathan Morgan AM (Conbservative AM who is the only Tory in Cardiff that strongly advocates a mayor)
Cllr Neil McEvoy (Plaid Cymru Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council)
Cllr Jane Cowan (Leader of the independent group on Cardiff Council
Mystery Candidate ( any able bodied citizen of Cardiff)

What people really want to know is what will he/she do for

1. Law and order/anti social behaviour
2. Education (good schools for all)
3. Jobs and the economy in general
4. Environment rubbish collection, clean streets
5. Transport
6. Housing
7. democracy (will a mayor be subject to scrutiny)
8. Open space, parkland.
Never mind the bullshit just a simple manifesto that those who want to be mayor will do once elected..

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

God is redundant?

So says Professor Stephen Hawking, world famous cosmologist and author of "A Brief History of time" who had once said
" "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason: for then we should know the mind of God."
So why has a scientist like Hawkin suddenly join the ranks of militant atheists such as Dawkings,Hitchens, Harris and the famous Frederick Nietzsche who proclaimed "The Death of God", and went mad.


Mr Nietzsche in a contemplative mood

However he has not gone that far. He feels that you cannot disprove the existence of God, but you can prove that he was not necessary for creation.




The case against a Cardiff mayor

In fact page 41 of Capital Cardiff (Morgan and Hooper) Makes for depressing reading for those in the last Labour administration detailing its failures from the cock up in the social services department. Then the whole problem of the allowances taken when the council had a shortfall of 2 Million pounds along with redundancies in the council work force. On top of it illegal payments that were made using "Emergency Powers" avoiding approval in full council. It also says quite clearly in the Lyon report that Cllr Goodway "decided to assume both the roll of leader and Lord Mayor himself" Your description is nothing more than a "legal fiction" if any Labour councillor had dissented you would have disciplined them as you where the "whip" (I believe) at the time. It would seem that this makes for an strong argument against Cardiff opting for a directly elected mayor if there is no strong scrutiny (another criticism of the scrutiny powers under the current system that apparently is evident in some authorities that have elected mayors).

If this was not addressed with the introduction of an elected mayor, then I would oppose its introduction (strongly), along with having election nonpartisan (as one finds in most US cities).

There is no reason for local government to be run in the same way as national government, and as you can see that cardiff has suffered from it.

This was written in response to Cllr Ralph Cook's on Cardiff Online's "Debate" on an elected mayor for Cardiff.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Obama has a plan from the Daily Politico


Obama unveils $50B road, rail plan
By: Mike Allen and Abby Phillip
September 6, 2010 07:12 AM EDT

Seeking to bolster the sluggish economy, President Barack Obama used a Labor Day appearance in Milwaukee to announce he will ask Congress for $50 billion to kick off a new infrastructure plan designed to expand and renew the nation’s roads, railways and runways. 

Using tough tones, he assailed Republicans as the party of “No, we can’t” – a play off his campaign slogan “Yes we can” – and accused his critics of talking about him like a “dog.” But he said he’d keep fighting “every single day, every single hour, every single minute” to turn the economy around. 
But those same Republicans said they had no interest in Obama’s new plan – a sign that it would face an uphill battle in Congress. 
In his speech to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, Obama laid out the goals of his new program: Rebuild 150,000 miles of roads; construct and maintain 4,000 miles of rail, enough to go coast to coast; and restore 150 miles of runways, while putting in a next-generation air traffic control system to reduce travel time and delays. 

The president announced the establishment of an Infrastructure Bank to leverage federal dollars and focus on national and regional investments that often fall through the cracks and a plan to integrate high-speed rail on an equal footing in the surface transportation program. 

The idea is that to jump-start job creation; the policy front-loads — through the $50 billion upfront investment — a significant share of the new infrastructure resources, the White House said. 

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has been pushing an infrastructure plan in West Wing meetings for weeks. But with the November midterms looming, officials were having trouble finding a way for the effects to be felt immediately. 

Obama and Democrats are under pressure to show voters they are trying to do something about the sluggish economy, with unemployment still hovering around 10 percent. Their options are limited, but some economists have said that another infrastructure plan — along the lines of the first stimulus package of more than $800 billion — would be a way to infuse cash into the economy to stimulate hiring. 

The White House describes the plan as a two-part proposal that would include both an initial $50 billion investment in projects and the renewal of the six-year surface transportation infrastructure bill that has been overdue for reauthorization for a year. 

Both parts would require finding significant sources of revenue to pay for the funding increases, though Obama told the Milwaukee crowd that the plan will be fully paid for and will not add to the deficit over time. 
So far, the administration is proposing to close more corporate tax loopholes that would specifically target tax breaks for oil and gas companies. 

But the prospects of rapid congressional action on such a proposal seem dim, given that even some Democrats to any additional government spending in the face of voters worried about the growing federal deficit and critical of Obama's original stimulus plan. Senior administration officials, in a conference call with reporters Monday morning, would not say whether they would push Congress to pass a bill before the end of 2010. 

“These types of reauthorizations have always been a substantial undertaking,” one official said. “This one is particularly ambitious because of the front loading and the set of reforms.” 
Under the best-case scenario, however, jobs would be created in 2011, the official said. “This is not an ... immediate jobs plan. This is a six-year reauthorization that’s front-loaded,” according to the senior administration official. “We’re not trying to put out an idea today that in October 2010 will be creating jobs.”

House Republican leader John Boehner criticized the plan as "more of the same failed 'stimulus' spending" and said Obama's earlier effort didn't bring down unemployment. 

"If we've learned anything from the past 18 months, it's that we can't spend our way to prosperity. We don't need more government 'stimulus' spending — we need to end Washington Democrats' out-of-control spending spree, stop their tax hikes and create jobs by eliminating the job-killing uncertainty that is hampering our small businesses," Ohio's Boehner said in a statement. 
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky added: "A last-minute, cobbled-together stimulus bill with more than $50 billion in new tax hikes will not reverse the complete lack of confidence Americans have in Washington Democrats' ability to help this economy.” 

In his remarks in Milwaukee, Obama took aim at the Republicans, saying they had opposed all of his efforts to shore up the economy by hewing to the same philosophy that got the country in trouble in the first place. “"That philosophy didn't work out so well for middle-class families all across America," Obama said. "It didn't work out so well for our country. All it did was rack up record deficits and result in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." 
Obama travels to Cleveland Wednesday and holds a news conference on Friday. 

In addition to proposing the funding of a slew of road, rail and air transportation infrastructure projects that are typically funded by the surface transportation bill, the president is also proposing a set of reforms to the way transportation funding is allocated. 

According to the president’s plan, high-speed-rail funding would be integrated into the surface transportation bill for the first time. The bill also calls for the creation of an infrastructure “bank” that would leverage private and government funding for infrastructure projects. And it includes a “Race to the Top”-style program that would inject competition into the process of allocating money for nearly 100 “boutique” projects across the country. The Education Department’s Race to the Top program involves having states compete for funding by producing specific plans about how they would spend the money. 

Here is a White House fact sheet on the plan, “Renewing and Expanding America’s Roads, Railways and Runways”: 

The President today laid out a bold vision for renewing and expanding our transportation infrastructure — in a plan that combines a long-term vision for the future with new investments. A significant portion of the new investments would be front-loaded in the first year.

This plan would build on the investments we have already made under the Recovery Act, create jobs for American workers to strengthen our economy now, and increase our nation’s growth and productivity in the future. At the same time, the plan would reform the way America currently invests in transportation, changing our focus to enhancing competition, innovation, performance, and real analysis that gets taxpayers the best bang for the buck, while moving away from the earmarks and formula debates of the past. In prior years, transportation infrastructure was an issue that both parties worked on together, and the Administration hopes the same can be true now. 

Some of the main provisions of the President’s plan over the next six years include: 

• ROADS: Rebuild 150,000 miles of roads — renewing our commitment to the backbone of our transportation system; 

• RAILWAYS: Construct and maintain 4,000 miles of rail — enough to go coast-to-coast; 

• RUNWAYS: Rehabilitate or reconstruct 150 miles of runway — while putting in place a NextGen system that will reduce travel time and delays. 

The President’s plan would accomplish this through: 

• An up-front investment. The President will work with Congress to enact a new up-front investment in our nation’s infrastructure — an investment that would help jump-start additional job creation, while also laying the foundation for future growth. This initial investment would fund improvements in the nation’s surface transportation, as well as our airports and air traffic control system. 

• A vision for the future. The President proposes to pair this with a long-term framework to reform and expand our nation’s investment in transportation infrastructure. Since the end of last year, when the last long-term surface transportation legislation expired, these investments have been continued on a temporary basis, even as the trust fund to finance them has fallen into insolvency. If we are to enjoy the benefits that come from a world-class transportation system, Congress must enact a long-term reauthorization that expands and reforms our infrastructure investments and returns the transportation trust fund to solvency. To jumpstart job creation, this long-run policy front-loads – through a $50 billion up-front investment — a significant share of the new infrastructure resources. As with other long-run policies, the Administration is committed to working with Congress to fully pay for the plan. 

The long-term framework includes meaningful reforms: 

• The establishment of an Infrastructure Bank to leverage federal dollars and focus on investments of national and regional significance that often fall through the cracks in the current siloed transportation programs; 
• The integration of high-speed rail on an equal footing into the surface transportation program to ensure a sustained and effective commitment to a national high speed rail system over the next generation; 

• Streamlining, modernizing, and prioritizing surface transportation investments, consolidating more than 100 different programs and focusing on using performance measurement and “race-to-the-top” style competitive pressures to drive investment toward better policy outcomes.

• Expanding investments in areas like safety, environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and livability — helping to build communities where people have choices about how to travel, including options that reduce oil consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and expand access to job opportunities and housing that’s affordable. 

Specifically, the President proposes to make the initial up-front investment in the following areas: 

• Roads. The nation’s highways serve as the backbone of our transportation system. Many roads and bridges are in need of repair and expansion and many of the Americans who want to do this work face high unemployment right now. Our investments would be focused on modernizing the highway system’s critical assets while providing much-needed jobs. 

• Rail. Many parts of transit systems have been allowed to fall into a state of ill-repair. The President’s plan would help address this by making a major new investment in the nation’s bus and rail transit system. The Administration is also committed to expanding public transit systems and would dedicate significant new funding to the “New Starts” program — which supports locally planned, implemented, and operated major transit projects. In addition, the Administration is committed to building on its investments so far in high-speed rail — constructing a system that will increase convenience and productivity, while also reducing our nation’s dependence on oil and cutting down on pollution. The President’s plan would also invest in a long-overdue overhaul of Amtrak’s fleet. 

• Runways & NextGen. The Administration proposes to invest in our nation’s airports by improving their runways and other equipment and facilities. We also propose a robust investment in our effort to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system (NextGen). This investment will help both the FAA and airlines to install new technologies and, among other improvements, move from a national ground-based radar surveillance system to a more accurate satellite-based surveillance system — the backbone of a broader effort to reduce delays for passengers, increase fuel efficiency for carriers, and cut airport noise for those who live and work near airports. 

• Infrastructure Bank. The President proposes to fund a permanent infrastructure bank. This bank would leverage private and state and local capital to invest in projects that are most critical to our economic progress. This marks an important departure from the federal government’s traditional way of spending on infrastructure through earmarks and formula-based grants that are allocated more by geography and politics than demonstrated value. Instead, the Bank will base its investment decisions on clear analytical measures of performance, competing projects against each other to determine which will produce the greatest return for American taxpayers. 

Glenn Thrush contributed to this report.

© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC


Thursday, September 2, 2010

Cardiff c'est Moi, Jonathan Morgan



Jonathan Morgan AM General Charles De Gaulle



Sometimes the "Viewpoints" page of the South Wales Echo can be source of unintentional and ironic response to the council's chair of planning Ed "Every Little helps" Bridges about education, where Cardiff's would be elected mayor, Jonathan Morgan AM quotes from Charles De Gaulle " “A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless.” which was aimed at the Council Leader, Rodney Berman.

However was there a more deeper meaning to that quote.

Remember that besides liberating France single handily. He also overthrew the semi defunct Third Republic which was a parliamentary democracy replaced with a strong executive presdident and weak legislature, becoming France's savior with his famous diktat "France c'Moi" (I am France).

Was this letter to viewpoints just a demonstration to Cllr Berman that he will overthrew Cllr Berman's inept "Directory"

Just realised maybe its Napoleon hes emulating as his own version of the "18th Brumaire"coup? Cllr Berman must be quaking in his shoes when they erect that guillotine in front of City Hall!


Just glad that no one reads my stuff!!





Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Gwynfor who?

I understand from another blog that today would be Gwynfor Evans birthday. the self styled "Tad y genedl".

However his success (if one could call it that as he lost Carmarthen a number of times) was probably what marginalized Plaid as being more a party of Welsh speakers than of Wales in general, this further illustrated by his threat to fast to the death to establish S4C (which I personally did more harm to Welsh by putting in a ghetto). Did he offer to fast to the death for the thousands of Welsh who where thrown on to the scrapheap of Thatcher's Britain

I would have had more respect for Gwynfor if he had returned to Barry (place of his birth) and promoted the case for Welsh nationalism there, instead moving to the west as if to escape the contamination of those he referred to as "Di Cymraeg" in one of his books, non Welsh speaking.

This I believe has been detrimental to creating an authentic and inclusive form of Welsh nationalism.

Plaid has certainly not emulated the SNP in Scotland, and their fanaticism over the issue of WM education in Cardiff will damage its chances in Cardiff West next year. A shame I think. To see Rhodri's heir apparent do the cake walk to the Assembly next year.

And before you dear reader see this as a anti Gwynfor, Cymraeg, or even Plaid post. I respected Gwynfor for his honesty and integrity. I believe in supporting the Welsh language and seeing it prosper, I just don’t believe it in shoving it into a ghetto, and Plaid it could be the future of Wales, but English speakers do not feel comfortable.

I would support erecting a statue In Barry, instead of a bust in the library.