Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Blogging from the chamber
Well here we go. I am sitting in the chamber with my new Blackberry, Edwina Hart is answering questions on alcohol and drug abuse and there is barely a handful of Labour AMs here. I am down to ask a supplementary on question seven on social housing for older people. I am starting to get used to this device.
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Are you allowed to blog in the chamber?
The Presiding Officer's Protocol on Conduct in Chamber / Rules of Debate states that "Members may not bring food, drink or intrusive electronic equipment into the Chamber"
The reference is aimed at mobile phones, but presumably would also cover blackberries!
Tut, tut ...
The Presiding Officer's Protocol on Conduct in Chamber / Rules of Debate states that "Members may not bring food, drink or intrusive electronic equipment into the Chamber"
The reference is aimed at mobile phones, but presumably would also cover blackberries!
Tut, tut ...
We are at the cutting edge of new technology. A blackberry is hardly intrusive. In any case in the new chamber we will have full internet and e-mail access on our desks anyway.
Martyn, if you and your Labour colleagues cannot lift your aspirations and imagination above the level of that of a petty bureaucrat obsessed with the minutae of every rule and regulation then it is no wonder that your grip on power in the Welsh Assembly is slipping.
I can imagine the people of Wales taking to the barricades once they hear that an AM was in the chair for six minutes, a whole six minutes, more than standing orders say he should have been.
you have to wonder several points.
a) why didnt labour insist that the standing orders were obeyed, the fact they didnt means that they are responcible as much as the opposition of erroding the authority of standings orders.
b)why the line of reponcibility isnt longer than just the presiding officer and deputy presiding officer if, as it sounds, they are insufficient for the job.
c) why havent they got more help from assistants to help take on their constituency work loads so that they can be in the chamber.
as for you arguement that this is why standings orders should be made by the secretary of state i dismiss with contempt. as i said previously labour are just as much to blame than the opposition
for not asking the plenary to be ajurned after 15 minutes etc... they show a distinct lack of will to inforce standing orders, which could be indicative of them being uninterested in them or shows a simple lack of knowledge.
moreover where is the progressive devolution in having the secretary of state ruling with a dictat over the assembly we elected the assembly more than we elected peter hain therefore i would be better suited to having our rules for our assembly decided by the representatives for the whole of the welsh people, rather than a new labour goon who represents only neath (not that im saying anything against neath - you know what i mean)
a) why didnt labour insist that the standing orders were obeyed, the fact they didnt means that they are responcible as much as the opposition of erroding the authority of standings orders.
b)why the line of reponcibility isnt longer than just the presiding officer and deputy presiding officer if, as it sounds, they are insufficient for the job.
c) why havent they got more help from assistants to help take on their constituency work loads so that they can be in the chamber.
as for you arguement that this is why standings orders should be made by the secretary of state i dismiss with contempt. as i said previously labour are just as much to blame than the opposition
for not asking the plenary to be ajurned after 15 minutes etc... they show a distinct lack of will to inforce standing orders, which could be indicative of them being uninterested in them or shows a simple lack of knowledge.
moreover where is the progressive devolution in having the secretary of state ruling with a dictat over the assembly we elected the assembly more than we elected peter hain therefore i would be better suited to having our rules for our assembly decided by the representatives for the whole of the welsh people, rather than a new labour goon who represents only neath (not that im saying anything against neath - you know what i mean)
The DPO was present on Tuesday. He voted. I think the point here is that John Marek gets paid an extra £20k on top of his already substantial AMs salary to deputise for the Presiding Officer when his Lordship needs to nip to the loo - sorry, take a 'comfort break'.
Besides, who decides which Committee Chair should run the Plenary? I don't seem to recall Rose Butler, Jan Gregory or Ann Jones ever been called upon to do so.
Besides, who decides which Committee Chair should run the Plenary? I don't seem to recall Rose Butler, Jan Gregory or Ann Jones ever been called upon to do so.
The way that the PO and DPO manage their time and their affairs is not a matter for me. It is a matter for them and for the Assembly as a whole. Remember that John Marek was elected DPO only because of the support of the entire Labour group.
There is a rota of Committee Chairs to sit in on Plenary comprising one from each party.
There is a rota of Committee Chairs to sit in on Plenary comprising one from each party.
Really? So Peter Law voted for Marek !!!
It's worth bearing in mind the shenanigans surrounding Marek's election, but be careful to be accurate. The Labour Group supported Marek as least worst option only after David Melding (who would make a spledid PO or DPO) pulled out at the last minute under massive pressure from CCO and other membersc of the Tory group
It's worth bearing in mind the shenanigans surrounding Marek's election, but be careful to be accurate. The Labour Group supported Marek as least worst option only after David Melding (who would make a spledid PO or DPO) pulled out at the last minute under massive pressure from CCO and other membersc of the Tory group
who'd have thought that a simple message saying "im blogging from inside the chamber" could errupt into this!
re: martyn williams
it is the responcibilities of all members of the assembly to be vigilant and aid in up keeping the rules of the place, i remember that when leanne wood (pc) got expelled from the chamber for refering to the queen as miss windsor duing the queens speach debate a point of order was brought by a conservative am (i believe,) and was subsequently judged on by the chair
out of interest since wales is a principality why isnt there a princes speech?
any way i digress, i wasn't saying it is wholly the responcibility of the labour group to inforce the rules but like wise it is not the sole responcibility of the opposition parties to inforce compliance to the rules. nor is it soly the responcibility of the chair. it is the responcibility of all members equally any one of any party or persuasion should have stood up yelled "point of order" and saved us from having this debate.
with regard to peter hain (has he actually spent any time in the welsh office - ok cheap snipe) anyway i was refering to my preference to standing orders being drawn up, debated, and passed by the representative of more than just one constituency, a panel / committee of AMs, multi-party, can better reflect the population of wales than one MP with single constituency, with a large work load that requires a lot of attention else where (in my opinion it is incorrect to combine two secretary of state positions as it undermines them)
as regard to my comment on devolution, it is hardly fitting for a polity striving for independence from westminster, to be dictated the rules of the game from the said parliament. it is preferable in my opinion that the assembly starts to stand on its own two feet "clear red water and all that" and to show its independent spirit and begin to creat a welsh polity and not a transposed english version.
re: martyn williams
it is the responcibilities of all members of the assembly to be vigilant and aid in up keeping the rules of the place, i remember that when leanne wood (pc) got expelled from the chamber for refering to the queen as miss windsor duing the queens speach debate a point of order was brought by a conservative am (i believe,) and was subsequently judged on by the chair
out of interest since wales is a principality why isnt there a princes speech?
any way i digress, i wasn't saying it is wholly the responcibility of the labour group to inforce the rules but like wise it is not the sole responcibility of the opposition parties to inforce compliance to the rules. nor is it soly the responcibility of the chair. it is the responcibility of all members equally any one of any party or persuasion should have stood up yelled "point of order" and saved us from having this debate.
with regard to peter hain (has he actually spent any time in the welsh office - ok cheap snipe) anyway i was refering to my preference to standing orders being drawn up, debated, and passed by the representative of more than just one constituency, a panel / committee of AMs, multi-party, can better reflect the population of wales than one MP with single constituency, with a large work load that requires a lot of attention else where (in my opinion it is incorrect to combine two secretary of state positions as it undermines them)
as regard to my comment on devolution, it is hardly fitting for a polity striving for independence from westminster, to be dictated the rules of the game from the said parliament. it is preferable in my opinion that the assembly starts to stand on its own two feet "clear red water and all that" and to show its independent spirit and begin to creat a welsh polity and not a transposed english version.
There was nothing fundamentally inaccurate about my statement with relation to the election of the DPO. The Labour group took the decision to support John Marek, Peter Law took the decision to defy that decision and stand himself. Seems to me to be the pattern of events since.
Welsh Spin's gloss on events is just that - spin.
Welsh Spin's gloss on events is just that - spin.
Martyn, I am indulging you by even responding to your last post. I am only doing so because I am concerned that you are coming across as a bigger geek than you really are. I have no intention of responding to your questions as I do not consider them to be ones worthy of an answer. I really do have other, more important matters to deal with. If you don't like this response then I suggest you complain to the appropriate authorities.
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