Peter Black

An anonymous post coupled with similar comments on the South Wales Evening Post website from the usual suspects prompts me to use this blog once more to justify my own existence as a regional Assembly Member.

The poster, going under the name of 'a Welsh taxpayer' concludes his or her contribution by stating:

I dont expect you will allow this comment, such is the nature of political blogs. You can simply edit out reality and critical remarks. However as as a Lib Dem, I am sure, you will defend my right to question such matters and have my point of view.

Well if you had the guts to use your real name you may have a better chance of your comment being posted. Welsh taxpayer is right though, I do not intend to put his or her comment against the post concerned. Instead I will reproduce it here and answer his or her questions. I will do so because I believe in being accountable and because people generally have a right to know.

Oh and before anybody accuses me of only being able to do this because I have too much time on my hands, I should point out that I am at Party Conference, reading and dealing with my e-mails and writing this in bits between meetings. This is the comment:

Congratulations Peter on receiving yet another award for your blog.

Now, while when you come 'down' from your euphoric high after receiving such an accolade from your peers, would you be so kind as to answer me this.

Besides writing this blog, do you actually do any work?

As a Welsh taxpayer, can you tell me what you actually do with your time each day, other than write posts, allow comments and edit this highly biased piece of political propoganda? Am I getting value for money from you? I guess not.

You don't represent a constituency do you? So, you have no constituents to look after and care for. So what do you actaully do other write this blog?

From my experience since moving to Wales, Constituency AMs work very hard - meeting constituents with genuine problems. When they write, they do so on behalf of their constituents - sorting out their problems on a daily basis. They have no awards for doing that. It's their job. They just get on quietly and do it.

Regional AMs like yourself, on the other hand, seem a bit short of something to do - a real waste of money - do you agree?

At a time when we are all suffering with job losses and with finances being so tight, I am sure you will understand that voters look around the political landcape and think, "Why I am paying my hard-earned taxes to Peter Black, for him to write a blog each day?"

Is that value for money? I would contest not. Particularly when you don't have any constituents to look after like other AMs.

First and foremost, I should make it clear once more that I do not approve of the electoral system that is used to elect Assembly Members. It is not proportional and it creates two different classes of AM with all the public perception issues encapsulated by 'Welsh taxpayer' in his or her comment.

Nevertheless, the system exists and as such it is important that political parties use it. Regional members are elected from party lists and, irrespective of how they are chosen, they are essentially party nominees. They must face an election to get to the Assembly but voters are largely voting for the political party not the individuals concerned.

Secondly, as a Regional AM I am both the public face of the Assembly and of my party. I am elected, as are constituency AMs on a manifesto which it is my job to fight for in the Assembly. If in opposition or on the back benches I have a duty to scrutinise the government and hold it to account, whilst also promoting my own agenda and that of my party.

I also play a role in policy development either through the committee system or through my own efforts. Thus I have spent the last few months working with my staff to research and prepare a policy paper on affordable housing including an analysis of the individual policies and actions of all 22 local Councils. This was launched today and will now form the basis of my work on housing in the Assembly next term as well as a debate at the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference in the spring.

These roles require an on-line presence as one of many tools to get my message across to my constituents. As well as this blog I have a main website here at which constituents and others can find details of my speeches, articles, press releases, campaigns, surgeries and other work. Hopefully it demonstrates the vast amount of work that I do and the many many things I do on behalf of my constituents.

I have of course written in detail on many occasions on the uses and purpose of this blog and other on-line applications such as Facebook, most recently here and do not propose to repeat all of that again. However, suffice to say that it is a useful medium to get across my unedited views and those of my party, to engage in debate with others and to respond to criticisms as I am doing here. Under normal circumstances it takes no more than half an hour a day, though it is only possible to approve comments through the use of a Blackberry whilst on the move and between meetings.

I have also used this blog to generate news items and to add value to various campaigns. It is one small part of my work and yes it is partial and opinionated. If my anonymous commenter does not like that then they do not have to read it. As an Assembly Member I need to reach all sections of society and blogging helps with that. It is not about getting 'down with the kids' as one person alleged elsewhere but talking to people of all ages through a common medium.

None of this answers the basic question posed by 'Welsh taxpayer' but it does put what follows into context. My time as an Assembly Member is filled daily by a whole host of different tasks that amounts to about 70 hours of work a week spread over seven days. I am normally reading my e-mails from about 6.30am and often still working at 11pm on a normal day. It is not the sort of structured day I had when I was a civil servant but it is varied, interesting, engaging and purposeful.

For a start, the idea that I do not have a constituency is nonsense. I am the only Welsh Liberal Democrat AM in South Wales West, representing over 340,000 people spread over seven constituencies, and a large number of them come to me for help with a wide variety of problems. I hold fortnightly surgeries spread around my region and deal with e-mails, letters and visits in the same way as any constituency Assembly Member.

This involves writing to Ministers, liasing with the Child Benefit Agency, the Home Office, Works and Pensions and a whole host of other government agencies. It also means writing to any one of the four local councils in my regions on bread and butter issues that constituents have not managed to resolve in any other way. And yes, that is my job. I get on with it quietly and do not seek to publicise that work either through this blog or any other way unless I judge it will help my constituent.

I have staff to help with this work and other matters as do all Assembly Members. Without them none of us could cope. They help me prepare for debates, deal with constituents including representing them at appeal tribunals, manage my diary and accompany me to visits where it is necessary. I actively supervise that work and direct it.

So what is an average week like for an AM? Well there is no such thing as an average week. During term time I will spend Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Assembly attending formal meetings, meeting with various organisations particularly during lunch times and in the early evening. In this time I will also be dealing with correspondence from constituents asking for my help or seeking to meet me to discuss a particular issue. This will include many organisations who want to influence the Assembly's position on matters of concern to them.

On Mondays, Fridays and weekends I will normally be in my region talking to various local organisations, holding surgeries or meeting with constituents about their problems. This may include, as it did last week, meeting with my local councils for briefings on matters of concern, visiting local educational institutions to discuss their plans, attending church services or formal events and discussing with the local health trust or LHB their plans for hospital or community services. All of this work helps to inform the decisions I have to take as an Assembly Member and can lead to extensive work in writing to and meeting with Ministers on matters affecting my region.

During recess this activity will spread across the whole week though I will also go into Cardiff to catch up with correspondence and meet up with officials regarding my duties as a Commissioner. I work on policy matters, put out press releases commenting on my policy portfolio and local issues and liase with journalists and media organisations on news pieces they are working on. Communication is part of the job so it is ironic that I am being criticised for doing it effectively.

Of course none of this will satisfy those who want rid of me for their own reasons or just believe that the Assembly is a waste of money and should be abolished. Being a full time politician is not like any other job that I have done. It is challenging and it is hard work. I am often tired but that is something I have learnt to live with, because whenever I feel that I cannot go on something comes along to make it all worthwhile and that is normally news that a constituent I have been helping has won their appeal, got the house they have been trying for or just had their problem sorted out thanks to my intervention.

At the end of the day helping people is what I am there to do and nothing beats the feeling when it all works out for the best.