Friday, June 12, 2009
Plaid Leader in trouble again
Having blogged yesterday on Freedom Central about Ieuan Wyn Jones' shortcomings as a Minister I was not expecting yet another controversy to flare up about him so soon. However, this morning's news is once more reporting on his reluctance to be scrutinised on the job he is allegedly doing.
This time it is the Finance Committee who, having been frustrated over a period of four months in their efforts to get important information out of the Transport Minister on his roads programme, are now threatening to subpoena him to get their way. This is the first time this power has been considered by any committee of the Assembly and I think it is fair to say that it was never envisaged that it would be used against Ministers, who would normally be expected to cooperate with scrutiny arrangements.
Claims by Plaid spin doctors that this is all politically motivated can be shot down in flames by the cross party support for this threat. Members of the Government parties are the most vociferous of all the AMs in their call for the Minister to be held to account. It really does lead one to question whether Ieuan Wyn Jones is up to the job he has taken on. Plaid Cymru may be in government but do they know how to govern? On the evidence so far it seems not.
This time it is the Finance Committee who, having been frustrated over a period of four months in their efforts to get important information out of the Transport Minister on his roads programme, are now threatening to subpoena him to get their way. This is the first time this power has been considered by any committee of the Assembly and I think it is fair to say that it was never envisaged that it would be used against Ministers, who would normally be expected to cooperate with scrutiny arrangements.
Claims by Plaid spin doctors that this is all politically motivated can be shot down in flames by the cross party support for this threat. Members of the Government parties are the most vociferous of all the AMs in their call for the Minister to be held to account. It really does lead one to question whether Ieuan Wyn Jones is up to the job he has taken on. Plaid Cymru may be in government but do they know how to govern? On the evidence so far it seems not.
