Assembly Bwletin Cynulliad July 2013 Assembly Bwletin Cynulliad is a joint initiative between Grayling and the Institute of Welsh Affairs. Every month we aim to bring you the ABC of Welsh politics. For information on ABC, please contact: On the agenda this [email protected] or [email protected] month: To the polls…again Wales: the future and the present Articles Following the Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP, immediate has provoked debate in the Cardiff ‘bubble’, To the polls…again resignation of following his speech in defence of the current long serving constitutional settlement. Against the back- Wales: the future and the Assembly drop of the Silk Commission and UK Govern- present Member Ieu- ment responses on the future constitutional an Wyn settlement in Wales, the Clwyd West MP stat- All for one, one for all Jones, the people of Anglesey will go to polls ed that: “I believe the flexibil- for second time this year on 1 August 2013 to ity of the current model of Carwyn expands Cabinet select Mr Jones’ successor. The former Depu- Welsh devolution means that as Leighton exits front ty First Minister, who will take up a position it is the right one for Wales.” bench leading the Menai Science Park, was credited Mr Jones went on to com- ment that his views were his Did Leanne spook by Assembly Presiding Officer as a “great Leighton? loss” and someone who “made so many own and not necessarily thoughtful and passionate contributions in the those of the UK Government. chamber over the past 14 years.” Mr Jones also claimed that Assembly proceed- Events Plaid Cymru will no doubt have raised hopes ings were ‘tame’ and that “What we need is not of maintaining the island seat following a good a Cardiff Bay bubble, but a legislature that is result in the recent local authority election, in truly representative of the people of Wales and The second City of Wales? which they are the largest party – although not which robustly reflects their sometimes widely Swansea and its identity in control. Former BBC and Newyddion pre- divergent views”. With his comments not senter Rhun ap Iorwerth has been selected for pleasing many, Presiding Officer, Rosemary IWA Coffee Shop Debate @ Plaid Cymru, whilst Welsh Labour, who will Butler AM, disagreed with his stance on As- Chapter - There's an SNP offer the greatest challenge to a Plaid Cymru sembly proceedings, stating that "We are not for that retention, have named former Police and Westminster, and the Assembly took a deci- Crime Commissioner candidate Tal Michael as sion from its inception it was not going to mir- their candidate. Others to confirm their candi- ror the schoolyard knockabout politics of West- dates are Welsh Liberal Democrats with Steve minster, which poll after poll has suggested Churchman, Welsh Conservatives with Neil turns people off the political process” whilst Fairlamb, Nathan Gill of UKIP, and the Social- Plaid Cymru AM, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, reflect- ist Labour Party who have put forward a candi- ed on Mr Jones’ short time as an Assembly date in the form of Kathrine Jones. Member stating: “I’ve never thought of David Jones as a great orator myself – I may be The by-election will be held on 1 August 2013. wrong though as I have not heard him speak that often.” All for one, one for all Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have taken a strategic step forward in rela- tion to Welsh Government budget negotiations, by announcing a partnership between the two parties to create a “strong bargaining position”. With Welsh Labour holding 30 seats, and the opposition parties combined holding 30 – although that number stands at 29 at present due to immediate retirement of Ieuan Wyn Jones – Welsh Labour have required the support of both parties previously to get the Annu- al Budget through the Assembly. Commenting on the deal, which will only exist for budget negotiations, Plaid Cymru Leader, Leanne Wood AM, said that it will “force the government to take action that will boost the economy, address its failures on health, and improve standards in our schools.” The other female leader in the Assembly, Kirsty Williams AM, added that “By working together we hope to get the most for the people of Wales.” The position taken by the two parties certainly appears to put them in a dominant position in the future, although of could be trumped if Welsh Labour return a member for Anglesey, thus swinging the advantage in the Assembly to their favour. However a non-Labour winner would force the Welsh Government’s hand as a deal with the Welsh Conservatives would be unthinkable, therefore leaving Carwyn Jones AM and his cabinet troops with little options but to negotiate with the Plaid-Liberal Democrat group. With the Welsh Liberal Democrats previously agreeing a deal with the Government to support a budget with additional funds for disadvan- taged pupils, and Plaid Cymru more recently agreeing to abstain for the vote in favour of apprenticeship finances, education would appear to be an obvious choice on their wish list for votes. However, with dwindling health budgets and services reorganisation concerns rife - none less so that in the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board where both Chair and Chief Executive have recently stood down - any agreement on the Welsh Government Budget that doesn’t address health may be unavoidable. Whilst the announcement is only in regard to the annual Budget, such one off acts of enterprise may not be so rare as more complex and controversial bills and legislation come forward. Only recently all three opposition parties threatened to oppose a Welsh Government bill on local government and democracy unless it stipulated a clause concerning senior council management pay, which resulted in a change of heart from the Welsh Government who subsequently supported such a clause. Such incidents would of course be avoided if Welsh Labour candidate Tal Michael were to win Anglesey. Carwyn expands Cabinet as Leighton exits front bench While the dust was still settling from the Assembly rarity of a Ministerial resignation, the rumour-mill of a Cabinet reshuffle had already began. Whilst not as dramatic as the Welsh Government’s previous drip-feeding twitter announcements, the Cabinet appointments were announced via social media, with Huw Lewis AM, the previous Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty moving to the now vacant Education department. Former deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Jeff Cuthbert AM, moving up to be a formal fixture at the Cabinet table taking Mr Lewis’s de- partment, with newcomer Vaughn Gething AM taking up the new post of deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty. Finally North Wales AM Ken Skates, another newcomer to the Government, takes on the important brief of deputy Minister for Skills and Technology. For Huw Lewis it will be his priority to distinguish his Cabinet responsibility from his constituency concerns in a clearer way than his predecessor. Photographed demonstrating against the closure of Pentre Primary school in Rhondda, closing because of his Departments own policy to tackle surplus places, Mr Andrews claims that he was left in an untenable position when the First Minister failed to stand by him, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies AM, calling his resignation, ‘’inevitable’’. That he appeared to sacrifice his Ministerial career for his constituency drew tangible support, with Rhondda MP, Chris Bryant tweeting that he was ‘’very proud’’ of Mr Andrews, who had ‘’laid down his job to fight for the Rhondda’’. In stark contrast, Plaid Cymru’s shadow Education Minister Simon Thomas AM said the Education Minister’s ‘’long-held position on school surplus places has been undermined by his actions and this undermines the Welsh Government as a whole’’. Regardless of the opinion to whether he acted within the realms of his remit, it cer- tainly allows Mr Andrews to focus on the up and coming fight with Plaid Cymru lead- er Leanne Wood over his Rhondda seat. So what of the new Cabinet members? Ken Skates, AM for Clwyd South, is a relative newbie having been elected in 2011. Previously a Community Councillor his rise to an important brief is certainly worth watching. Vaughn Gething AM for Cardiff South and Penarth is also of the new breed, elected in 2011. Formally president of the National Union of Students in Wales, Mr Gething is the first Black Minister in any of the devolved UK administra- tions. His meteoric rise to the Tackling Poverty department is one of considerable importance; his success in dealing with a critical problem for Wales could go a long way in ensuring Labour’s and his own success. Did Leanne spook Leighton? John Osmond probes the reasons behind the resignation of the Education Minister from the Welsh Cabinet The after-shocks continue to reverberate across Cardiff Bay following Leighton Andrews’ resignation as Education Minister a week ago. But there is still no real explanation for why he went. In the scheme of things a campaign over a primary school in a Minister’s constituency is a trivial issue to occasion the first such resignation in the history of Welsh democratic devolution. Why was the apparent conflict of interest between Leighton Andrews’ Minsterial role and his defence of his constituency interests allowed to get out of hand in such a gratuitous way? I say ‘apparent’, because the word is deployed in Leighton Andrews’s carefully crafted resig- nation letter to First Minister Carwyn Jones: “As you know, I have been and remain a passionate advocate of my Rhondda constituency. I regret that my commitment to my constitu- ents may have led me to an apparent conflict which has led to difficulty for your government.” Plainly, there was a disagreement between the two about whether a conflict had occurred sufficient to require Leighton Andrews to go.