Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Open and transparent
The Welsh media nearly experienced an unaccustomed level of openness and transparency this morning when somebody pressed the wrong button and the Plaid Cymru group meeting was broadcast around the Senedd.
Members of her majesty's press had gathered in the media briefing room in the new building to hear Jane Davidson set out the Government's views on the issues of the day when all of a sudden they were startled out of their slumbers by the dulcet tones of Dai Lloyd AM announcing the start of the Plaid Cymru group over the loudspeakers.
Naturally, they reached for their notebooks just in case something newsworthy might come from this broadcast whilst a Government Press Officer scurried around to warn the Plaid AMs that their deliberations were no longer confidential. The last words that were heard before the microphones were switched off were Dai Lloyd theatrically telling his fellow AMs that nobody had offered them any loans for peerages.
Members of her majesty's press had gathered in the media briefing room in the new building to hear Jane Davidson set out the Government's views on the issues of the day when all of a sudden they were startled out of their slumbers by the dulcet tones of Dai Lloyd AM announcing the start of the Plaid Cymru group over the loudspeakers.
Naturally, they reached for their notebooks just in case something newsworthy might come from this broadcast whilst a Government Press Officer scurried around to warn the Plaid AMs that their deliberations were no longer confidential. The last words that were heard before the microphones were switched off were Dai Lloyd theatrically telling his fellow AMs that nobody had offered them any loans for peerages.
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So the Plaid Mumble group do their internal party business in English do they ??? Have they informed Cymdeithas Yr Iaith?
Painted Green, Painted Green...
Painted Green, Painted Green...
They have simultaneous translation facilities available, which is why they use the Committee rooms. In fact, I am informed that it was the translation feed that was broadcast.
The comment by Edis reminds me why I like visiting this site. It allows people like Edis to parade their ignorance causing amusement to the rest of us. Why should a party committed to building a bi lingual nation only conduct its business in one language as Edis seems to imply?
All the Plaid meetings I attend are conducted bi-lingually often without simultaneous translation but with plenty of patience and good will few problems arise.
All the Plaid meetings I attend are conducted bi-lingually often without simultaneous translation but with plenty of patience and good will few problems arise.
To be fair to Edis he does live in England and it was possible to read my post to imply that the intruding broadcast was Dai Lloyd speaking in English.
Not knowing everything that is happening in Wales because you live in Milton Keynes seems to me to be a very reasonable point of view. I suppose if you had your way all English people would be expelled from the Country anyway and we would set up customs barriers to stop them getting back.
The cost of providing simultaneous translation to the Plaid Cymru group is about £10,000 to £20,000 per year. This is met out of the public purse. The facility is available to other groups. However, as nobody in the Liberal Democrat group has expressed a wish to participate in meetings through the medium of Welsh then we have not availed ourselves of the facility. To have done so in those circumstances would not have been a good use of public money.
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