Monday, November 19, 2007
Regulating the bloggers
The Welsh Assembly's Standards' Committee is meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss, amongst other things, the use of blog sites by members. The agenda tells us that the Committee is invited to consider the issue of Members publishing to blog sites and the potential for this to result in breaches of the Code of Conduct, and consider whether to issue a note to Members regarding the use of blogs.
People often complain about the creation of a nanny state. It seems that the nanny state culture is alive and well within the National Assembly for Wales itself. What will they seek to issue guidance on next, press releases, pamphlets, how to frame an attack on your own party leader, lectures to the Institute of Welsh Politics?
By all means act when a breach of the code of conduct has occurred, but this committee must accept that AMs are grown ups and capable of taking responsibility for their own actions. They are clearly struggling to fill their agenda time.
People often complain about the creation of a nanny state. It seems that the nanny state culture is alive and well within the National Assembly for Wales itself. What will they seek to issue guidance on next, press releases, pamphlets, how to frame an attack on your own party leader, lectures to the Institute of Welsh Politics?
By all means act when a breach of the code of conduct has occurred, but this committee must accept that AMs are grown ups and capable of taking responsibility for their own actions. They are clearly struggling to fill their agenda time.
Comments:
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Peter, I'm not soft soaping you. We have occassionally had differences, but your blog site is without doubt the best one I've read from a Welsh politician of all parties and it provokes lively debate responses from across the political spectra proving it is very well read. Many of the Assembly Members' blog spots never get comments because they are useless and never read by anyone except by themselves. Having said that (and it does sound like "soft soaping"), personally I feel very strongly that all of you AMs, including you Peter, would be advised to spend ALL your time either on the real work as AMs or with your families. Really it does annoy me mega times to read blogspots of AMs saying "I'm writing this during a debate on .......and so & so has just come in the chamber ......". For goodness sake we pay for you lot to work in Cardiff not to write fantasy diaries. So why not ban the lot? If not, then keep the best one going!
There are many Assembly bloggers who quite rightly do not get any messages because they are dross and self indulgent (all parties included), there are some who don't take messages and others who don't update their blogs from one month to another. I share the concern of others that AMs are blogging from the Senedd (did anyone see the report regarding elected members in Eastern Europe being caught looking at porn in today's Times?). Surely there's work to be done - and not just being seen to be done.
Thank God for your site Peter!
Thank God for your site Peter!
# posted by 
: 4:27 PM
: 4:27 PM
Peter blogs from the Chamber! Doesn't blogging as such show democracy working. Come on!
# posted by : 5:22 PM
: 5:22 PM
"They are clearly struggling to fill their agenda time"
If that's the case, then they should start work, ASAP, on the protocol on the role of Regional AM's that the GOWA demands. The sooner they get that done the better.
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If that's the case, then they should start work, ASAP, on the protocol on the role of Regional AM's that the GOWA demands. The sooner they get that done the better.
# posted by : 8:06 PM
: 8:06 PM<< Home
