Friday, November 23, 2007
Fisking the budget
I am substituting for Jenny Randerson on the Assembly's Finance Committee on Tuesday as members continue to try and make sense of one of the least transparent budgets since the Assembly was set up. It is so opaque in fact that even leading members of Plaid Cymru are having trouble with it.
Sanddef carries a translation of a recent post by BBC Welsh Affairs Correspondent, Vaughan Roderick in which he reveals that Adam Price got a bit carried away in claiming successes for the Nationalists. Writing on his blog, Adam said:
"Poring over the details of the One Wales budget you'll find there's twenty four specific commitments in line with Plaid's election manifesto. As someone closely involved in the manifesto process there's a real sense of achievement that these ideas have made that journey from pledge to policy."
Amongst the 24 things Adam listed are:
"2. £1.75 million over 3 years to pilot a free lap-top scheme for pupils"
However, as Vaughan points out there is no sum earmarked for this scheme in the budget although, according to officers and ministers, some £700,000 will be spent over the next three years, with the money coming from the education budget. It is no wonder that post has now disappeared from Adam's blog.
Plaid MPs are not the only ones who are using the opacity of the budget to their advantage. On Wednesday the Welsh Liberal Democrats staged a debate calling for the re-introduction of the Post Office Development Fund. During my speech the Deputy Minister intervened to say that the fund will be re-introduced in the next financial year. However, it does not feature in the budget for any of the next three years. Something else to ask the Minister in committee.
Sanddef carries a translation of a recent post by BBC Welsh Affairs Correspondent, Vaughan Roderick in which he reveals that Adam Price got a bit carried away in claiming successes for the Nationalists. Writing on his blog, Adam said:
"Poring over the details of the One Wales budget you'll find there's twenty four specific commitments in line with Plaid's election manifesto. As someone closely involved in the manifesto process there's a real sense of achievement that these ideas have made that journey from pledge to policy."
Amongst the 24 things Adam listed are:
"2. £1.75 million over 3 years to pilot a free lap-top scheme for pupils"
However, as Vaughan points out there is no sum earmarked for this scheme in the budget although, according to officers and ministers, some £700,000 will be spent over the next three years, with the money coming from the education budget. It is no wonder that post has now disappeared from Adam's blog.
Plaid MPs are not the only ones who are using the opacity of the budget to their advantage. On Wednesday the Welsh Liberal Democrats staged a debate calling for the re-introduction of the Post Office Development Fund. During my speech the Deputy Minister intervened to say that the fund will be re-introduced in the next financial year. However, it does not feature in the budget for any of the next three years. Something else to ask the Minister in committee.
Comments:
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Get a copy of the Glamorgan Gazette to read the take of the local AMs on the local government settlement. It seems that Bridgend CBC has no need to make any savings because of the magnificent generosity of the coalition government. Aneurin Bevan comment about Eden that ' If he really believes this then he is too stupid to be Prime Minister ' springs to mind! They even got the Assembly increase of 1.8% wrong.
# posted by 
: 10:08 AM
: 10:08 AM
SUBMISSION BELOW WITH APOLOGIES FOR LOWERING THE TONE OF THE BLOG - BUT THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL WALES ASSEMBLY MEMBERS TO BEAR IN MIND AT ALL TIMES :-
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients
to operate on.
The first surgeon, from New York, says, "I like to see accountants on my
operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is
numbered"
The second, from Chicago, responds, "Yeah, but you should try
electricians! Everything inside them is color coded."
The third surgeon, from Dallas, says, "No, I really think librarians are
the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order."
The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in: "You know, I like
construction workers... those guys always understand when you have a few
parts leftover."
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington , DC shut them all up when he
observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on.
There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the
head and the arse are interchangeable.
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Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients
to operate on.
The first surgeon, from New York, says, "I like to see accountants on my
operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is
numbered"
The second, from Chicago, responds, "Yeah, but you should try
electricians! Everything inside them is color coded."
The third surgeon, from Dallas, says, "No, I really think librarians are
the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order."
The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in: "You know, I like
construction workers... those guys always understand when you have a few
parts leftover."
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington , DC shut them all up when he
observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on.
There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the
head and the arse are interchangeable.
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