Sunday, May 27, 2012
A new definition of irony
As the Olympic torch hits Wales, organisers predict that the games will initiate a fresh interest amongst youngsters in sport and exercise. Meanwhile, a debate gets underway about support for obese youngsters following the Georgia Davis case.
The main sponsors of the Olympic games are Cadburys, McDonalds, Heineken and Coca Cola.
The main sponsors of the Olympic games are Cadburys, McDonalds, Heineken and Coca Cola.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Welsh Liberal Democrats continue to influence policy
We may have had a bit of a bashing in this month's local Council elections but the Welsh Liberal Democrats' influence on Government policy continues to show.
On Thursday the First Minister launched the pupil deprivation grant, a £32m boost for schools targeted at the most deprived pupils. That scheme would not have been in existence if the Welsh Liberal Democrats had not insisted on it as part of the budget deal we struck with the government. It has met universal approval from schools, teachers and parents.
Earlier in the week the Finance Minister announced details of how she will be spending a £42m windfall from the UK Government. Twenty million pounds of that money will be spent on Welsh Liberal Democrat priorities including a mortgage guarantee scheme for first time buyers in new build homes, £5m for home insulation schemes benefiting 1,000 homes, an additional £6m to expand the Welsh Housing Partnership, levering in a total investment of £30 million to deliver 280 family homes for immediate rent, an additional £5m to double the size of the recyclable empty homes fund, contributing to the target of bringing 5,000 empty homes back into use during this Assembly term and a Welsh Housing Bond. Four million pounds will be committed each year for thirty years to support a Bond issue of over £100m, which will finance delivery of more than 1,000 affordable homes over the next four years.
On Thursday the First Minister launched the pupil deprivation grant, a £32m boost for schools targeted at the most deprived pupils. That scheme would not have been in existence if the Welsh Liberal Democrats had not insisted on it as part of the budget deal we struck with the government. It has met universal approval from schools, teachers and parents.
Earlier in the week the Finance Minister announced details of how she will be spending a £42m windfall from the UK Government. Twenty million pounds of that money will be spent on Welsh Liberal Democrat priorities including a mortgage guarantee scheme for first time buyers in new build homes, £5m for home insulation schemes benefiting 1,000 homes, an additional £6m to expand the Welsh Housing Partnership, levering in a total investment of £30 million to deliver 280 family homes for immediate rent, an additional £5m to double the size of the recyclable empty homes fund, contributing to the target of bringing 5,000 empty homes back into use during this Assembly term and a Welsh Housing Bond. Four million pounds will be committed each year for thirty years to support a Bond issue of over £100m, which will finance delivery of more than 1,000 affordable homes over the next four years.
Friday, May 25, 2012
The interweb is not so free
We have already seen Police crackdown on offences on Twitter, now this news item in today's Guardian reminds us that not everything we can access through search engines is available free of charge.
They say that Google is receiving more than a million requests a month from copyright owners seeking to pull their content from the company's search results. The number requests has grown so fast that it now often tops 250,000 a week, more than Google received for all of 2009:
Lohmann said the dramatic rise had come with the growth of "enforcement vendors", which police the internet looking for copyright violations. The largest submitter of requests for removals was Marketly, which serves the software industry, followed by Degban, which works with pornographers.
Filestube.com, a search site dedicated to finding downloadable files such as audio, video and documents, was the most targeted website. It was followed by torrentz.eu, a file sharing site. Marketly was by far the largest reporting organisation, making close to 2.2m requests since June 2011. It was followed by NBC Universal, which made 985,905 requests over the same period.
In a blogpost, von Lohmann wrote: "Fighting online piracy is very important, and we don't want our search results to direct people to materials that violate copyright laws. So we've always responded to copyright removal requests that meet the standards set out in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). At the same time, we want to be transparent about the process so that users and researchers alike understand what kinds of materials have been removed from our search results and why."
Not all of these requests are legitimate though. Although Google comply with 97% of the requests there are instances where the complainant is trying it on.
They say that Google is receiving more than a million requests a month from copyright owners seeking to pull their content from the company's search results. The number requests has grown so fast that it now often tops 250,000 a week, more than Google received for all of 2009:
Lohmann said the dramatic rise had come with the growth of "enforcement vendors", which police the internet looking for copyright violations. The largest submitter of requests for removals was Marketly, which serves the software industry, followed by Degban, which works with pornographers.
Filestube.com, a search site dedicated to finding downloadable files such as audio, video and documents, was the most targeted website. It was followed by torrentz.eu, a file sharing site. Marketly was by far the largest reporting organisation, making close to 2.2m requests since June 2011. It was followed by NBC Universal, which made 985,905 requests over the same period.
In a blogpost, von Lohmann wrote: "Fighting online piracy is very important, and we don't want our search results to direct people to materials that violate copyright laws. So we've always responded to copyright removal requests that meet the standards set out in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). At the same time, we want to be transparent about the process so that users and researchers alike understand what kinds of materials have been removed from our search results and why."
Not all of these requests are legitimate though. Although Google comply with 97% of the requests there are instances where the complainant is trying it on.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
A difference of opinion
Today's Western Mail reports on yet another row over process that has erupted between the Welsh Government and their UK counterparts.
The paper quotes a senior Welsh Government source who claims that on the last two occasions when they met, David Cameron had told Carwyn Jones that the Assembly election system would not change without the consent of the people of Wales, we sought clarification from 10 Downing Street.
However this is disputed by 10 Downing Street whose spokeswoman said: “We have always been clear that we would consult on any changes to electoral arrangements for the Welsh Assembly which is what we are doing through this Green Paper.”
Personally, I am inclined to believe Number 10 and to think that Carwyn Jones heard what he wanted to hear. This is because no Minister would give such a categorical assurance in a way that would undermine their own authority.
But what is the fuss about anyway? I don't recall Labour AMs demanding that their permission be sought when Peter Hain fiddled with the system in 2006.
The paper quotes a senior Welsh Government source who claims that on the last two occasions when they met, David Cameron had told Carwyn Jones that the Assembly election system would not change without the consent of the people of Wales, we sought clarification from 10 Downing Street.
However this is disputed by 10 Downing Street whose spokeswoman said: “We have always been clear that we would consult on any changes to electoral arrangements for the Welsh Assembly which is what we are doing through this Green Paper.”
Personally, I am inclined to believe Number 10 and to think that Carwyn Jones heard what he wanted to hear. This is because no Minister would give such a categorical assurance in a way that would undermine their own authority.
But what is the fuss about anyway? I don't recall Labour AMs demanding that their permission be sought when Peter Hain fiddled with the system in 2006.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Push for growth
As the Secretary of State for Wales comes to the Senedd to try and sell the Queen's speech to AMs, today's Guardian reports that Nick Clegg has signalled that the coalition has plans for a "massive" increase in state-backed infrastructure investment.
They say that the deputy prime minister has said that instructions have been issued to the Treasury setting out the government's plan to use its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy, with a "massive" increase in housing and infrastructure and schemes to reduce youth unemployment in a new emphasis on growth:
In an interview with the Financial Times, Clegg said the government's "absolute priority" was to use its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy.
He denied that the plans in the pipeline signified a "plan B", stressing that the government's deficit-reduction plan had earned Britain market credibility.
Though he insisted the coalition initially had no choice but to set out "in very lurid terms the state of the emergency we were facing", he went on to concede that "that kind of language over a prolonged period of time can have a dampening effect on mood, which is very important in an economy".
Clegg admitted the use of state balance sheets to assume additional risks on major schemes was not popular with all Treasury officials.
"From the top of government, a few weeks ago we decided this was the route we're going to take," he added. "That's the instruction we've issued to the Treasury."
Downing Street said Clegg's comments reflected what David Cameron set out last week in a speech on the economy. The government was able to do this thanks to the "credible fiscal policies" that allowed it to use the balance sheet to help the economy grow and support investment, said a Downing Street spokesman.
That is very welcome news and is a stark contrast to the reheated package put forward by the Welsh Government yesterday.
They say that the deputy prime minister has said that instructions have been issued to the Treasury setting out the government's plan to use its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy, with a "massive" increase in housing and infrastructure and schemes to reduce youth unemployment in a new emphasis on growth:
In an interview with the Financial Times, Clegg said the government's "absolute priority" was to use its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy.
He denied that the plans in the pipeline signified a "plan B", stressing that the government's deficit-reduction plan had earned Britain market credibility.
Though he insisted the coalition initially had no choice but to set out "in very lurid terms the state of the emergency we were facing", he went on to concede that "that kind of language over a prolonged period of time can have a dampening effect on mood, which is very important in an economy".
Clegg admitted the use of state balance sheets to assume additional risks on major schemes was not popular with all Treasury officials.
"From the top of government, a few weeks ago we decided this was the route we're going to take," he added. "That's the instruction we've issued to the Treasury."
Downing Street said Clegg's comments reflected what David Cameron set out last week in a speech on the economy. The government was able to do this thanks to the "credible fiscal policies" that allowed it to use the balance sheet to help the economy grow and support investment, said a Downing Street spokesman.
That is very welcome news and is a stark contrast to the reheated package put forward by the Welsh Government yesterday.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Clegg on social mobility
Today's Guardian reports that after Vince Cable's success in forcing a Government climbdown on the reform of employment rights, Nick Clegg has stepped up to the mark on social mobility.
The paper says that the Deputy Prime Minister has vowed to address the "absolute scandal" of Britain's lack of social mobility and open up a society that is "too closed" and "too static".
They add that the government has published 17 trackers to assess progress in improving life chances over the coming decades. These include school readiness, the proportion of children on free school meals achieving a "good level of development"; and the social backgrounds of pupils at 19 who achieve the AAB grades at A-level demanded by the Russell Group of universities.
Nick Clegg acknowledges that progress will be slow but is determiined to press ahead anyway:
He told ITV's Daybreak: "One of the things we are doing in these figures that we are publishing today – for the first time ever, it has never been done before – we are lifting a lid, if you like, on an absolute scandal, which is that, in our country more than many other countries, where you are born and certainly what your background is seems to determine your subsequent life."
Although he conceded that change could not be achieved overnight, Clegg said social mobility had to be factored into the education system, from pre-school to university.
He told Sky News that while the coalition was not launching an attack on the middle classes, "it's just not right that if you go into an average classroom, one in five children will be on free school meals. Go into an Oxford or Cambridge lecture theatre and only one in 100 will [have been] on free school meals."
It was, he added, a "national scandal" that some of the country's brightest children were being left behind simply because they came from poorer backgrounds.
Clegg also stressed the need for universities to think carefully about student admissions. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said they had "to look behind the grades an applicant has on their CV and look at the potential a youngster has to thrive at university".
While viewed with suspicion by some in the UK, he added, such an approach was "totally uncontroversial" in the US and elsewhere.
Once more the Liberal Democrats are providing the radical edge for the UK coalition.
The paper says that the Deputy Prime Minister has vowed to address the "absolute scandal" of Britain's lack of social mobility and open up a society that is "too closed" and "too static".
They add that the government has published 17 trackers to assess progress in improving life chances over the coming decades. These include school readiness, the proportion of children on free school meals achieving a "good level of development"; and the social backgrounds of pupils at 19 who achieve the AAB grades at A-level demanded by the Russell Group of universities.
Nick Clegg acknowledges that progress will be slow but is determiined to press ahead anyway:
He told ITV's Daybreak: "One of the things we are doing in these figures that we are publishing today – for the first time ever, it has never been done before – we are lifting a lid, if you like, on an absolute scandal, which is that, in our country more than many other countries, where you are born and certainly what your background is seems to determine your subsequent life."
Although he conceded that change could not be achieved overnight, Clegg said social mobility had to be factored into the education system, from pre-school to university.
He told Sky News that while the coalition was not launching an attack on the middle classes, "it's just not right that if you go into an average classroom, one in five children will be on free school meals. Go into an Oxford or Cambridge lecture theatre and only one in 100 will [have been] on free school meals."
It was, he added, a "national scandal" that some of the country's brightest children were being left behind simply because they came from poorer backgrounds.
Clegg also stressed the need for universities to think carefully about student admissions. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said they had "to look behind the grades an applicant has on their CV and look at the potential a youngster has to thrive at university".
While viewed with suspicion by some in the UK, he added, such an approach was "totally uncontroversial" in the US and elsewhere.
Once more the Liberal Democrats are providing the radical edge for the UK coalition.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Commonsense from Cable
Business Secretary, Vince Cable strikes a blow for commonsense this morning by blasting suggestions that Government should cut employment red tape by stripping down labour rights and making it easier for firms to sack under-performing staff as complete nonsense.
The Telegraph reports Vince as saying that he is opposed to the "ideological zealots who want to encourage British firms to fire at will":
Writing in The Sun, Mr Cable said: "Some people think that if labour rights were stripped down to the most basic minimum, employers would start hiring and the economy would soar again.
"This is complete nonsense."
He added: "British workers are an asset, not just a cost for company bosses. That is why I am opposed to the ideological zealots who want to encourage British firms to fire at will."
He added: "Those who want to shake up the law need to realise that the days in the 70s and 80s when the unions ruled the roost have long since gone.
"I talk to businesses every day and none of them tell me that their biggest obstacle to employment and growth is troublesome workers who they can't get rid of."
Another example of the Liberal Democrats fighting the ideological right in government.
The Telegraph reports Vince as saying that he is opposed to the "ideological zealots who want to encourage British firms to fire at will":
Writing in The Sun, Mr Cable said: "Some people think that if labour rights were stripped down to the most basic minimum, employers would start hiring and the economy would soar again.
"This is complete nonsense."
He added: "British workers are an asset, not just a cost for company bosses. That is why I am opposed to the ideological zealots who want to encourage British firms to fire at will."
He added: "Those who want to shake up the law need to realise that the days in the 70s and 80s when the unions ruled the roost have long since gone.
"I talk to businesses every day and none of them tell me that their biggest obstacle to employment and growth is troublesome workers who they can't get rid of."
Another example of the Liberal Democrats fighting the ideological right in government.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Bridge
With the screening of episodes 9 and 10 of the Bridge last night, another great Scandinavian TV series ends. Apart from the rather bizarre story line, excellent script and a high standard of acting, in my view the theme music was a stand-out feature of this series.
Already there is talk of a British re-make in partnership with French TV, which does not quite work for me. largely because the major differences in language and culture. I think it is best left alone.
I quite enjoyed this spoof report of a re-make though in which the initial setting will be the Severn Bridge. Entitled Bridge | Bont it is suggested that this will be a co-production between BBC Bristol (former location for the production of Casualty) and BBC Wales (new location for Casualty):
The first victim, a camel-backed cat (CBC), will be found directly on the borderline between England and Wales on the second Severn Bridge (the newer, smart one). Spurred into action by a series of 999 calls, Bristol’s top detective Martin Portishead (Dominic West reviving his west country burr from Appropriate Adult) will meet and clash with Caldicot’s top and last-ever-on-the-beat-in-Wales copper, the blonde Stori Morgan-Jones (Joanna Page), in the middle of the bridge.
When it becomes obvious that exhibit CBC is not the only victim, social justice is identified as the compelling motive for further crimes where someone calling himself ‘No4Toll’ seeks to end the exorbitant tolls for entry into Wales after crossing the bridge. Soon, members of the media are frenzied by No4Toll’s calling cards, as members of high government are traumatised by his threats.
Already there is talk of a British re-make in partnership with French TV, which does not quite work for me. largely because the major differences in language and culture. I think it is best left alone.
I quite enjoyed this spoof report of a re-make though in which the initial setting will be the Severn Bridge. Entitled Bridge | Bont it is suggested that this will be a co-production between BBC Bristol (former location for the production of Casualty) and BBC Wales (new location for Casualty):
The first victim, a camel-backed cat (CBC), will be found directly on the borderline between England and Wales on the second Severn Bridge (the newer, smart one). Spurred into action by a series of 999 calls, Bristol’s top detective Martin Portishead (Dominic West reviving his west country burr from Appropriate Adult) will meet and clash with Caldicot’s top and last-ever-on-the-beat-in-Wales copper, the blonde Stori Morgan-Jones (Joanna Page), in the middle of the bridge.
When it becomes obvious that exhibit CBC is not the only victim, social justice is identified as the compelling motive for further crimes where someone calling himself ‘No4Toll’ seeks to end the exorbitant tolls for entry into Wales after crossing the bridge. Soon, members of the media are frenzied by No4Toll’s calling cards, as members of high government are traumatised by his threats.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Plaid leader snubbed
New Plaid Cymru Leader, Leanne Wood's avowed intention to form a united front against public spending cuts received a setback yesterday, when the sort of tribalism she is seeking to combat kicked in and the Unite union rejected her advances.
According to the BBC Andy Richards, who is Wales secretary of Unite, accused her of an "opportunistic publicity stunt", believing that somehow next week's Wales TUC conference in Llandudno is of national significance and will command the attention of the entire Welsh nation.
In fact it won't and to be fair to the Plaid Cymru leader, making such a suggestion just before a major gathering of this kind was both reasonable and well-timed. After all what better forum is there for trade unionists to discuss how they should work with other parties to achieve their aims.
The reaction of the Wales Labour Party to Leanne Wood's advances can only be described as vitriolic. According to the Western Mail a spokesperson said:
“Welsh Labour remains proud as ever of its long and deep-rooted bond with its affiliated Trade Unions, and we were disgusted by Leanne Wood’s inaccurate and vindictive attack on the good work they do.
“But people in Wales will see her claims for what they are – the grubby politics of a leader who has already lost her way, and the support of much of her party.
“There are many reasons why trade unions remain deeply suspicious of Plaid Cymru. Plaid’s threat of separation, threat to the UK economy, threatening to tear up pay bargaining arrangements, telling lies about the Welsh Union Learning Fund, and calling development grants for working people ‘bribery’ are just some of them.”
An objective observer might wonder what exactly Labour are worried about given their overwhelming success in local elections earlier this month.
Where Plaid Cymru go from here is unclear. Labour too have inadvertently dug themselves into a hole.
The building of a progressive alliance on which Leanne Wood has based her leadership seems to be dead and buried already. When one adds onto this her poor performances in the Assembly chamber and doubts and uncertainty amongst many Plaid Cymru members about the way she is conducting herself, Leanne Wood looks to be in trouble already, even before her honeymoon period is over.
Labour too appear to have commited a tactical error in the vehemence of their response. Clearly, there is no love lost amongst the former coalition partners, but the rift between them is growing wider.
Labour do not have a majority in the Assembly chamber and need to work with other parties to get things done. All they have succeeded in doing this week is to close down their options and hand a stronger negotiating hand to the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
According to the BBC Andy Richards, who is Wales secretary of Unite, accused her of an "opportunistic publicity stunt", believing that somehow next week's Wales TUC conference in Llandudno is of national significance and will command the attention of the entire Welsh nation.
In fact it won't and to be fair to the Plaid Cymru leader, making such a suggestion just before a major gathering of this kind was both reasonable and well-timed. After all what better forum is there for trade unionists to discuss how they should work with other parties to achieve their aims.
The reaction of the Wales Labour Party to Leanne Wood's advances can only be described as vitriolic. According to the Western Mail a spokesperson said:
“Welsh Labour remains proud as ever of its long and deep-rooted bond with its affiliated Trade Unions, and we were disgusted by Leanne Wood’s inaccurate and vindictive attack on the good work they do.
“But people in Wales will see her claims for what they are – the grubby politics of a leader who has already lost her way, and the support of much of her party.
“There are many reasons why trade unions remain deeply suspicious of Plaid Cymru. Plaid’s threat of separation, threat to the UK economy, threatening to tear up pay bargaining arrangements, telling lies about the Welsh Union Learning Fund, and calling development grants for working people ‘bribery’ are just some of them.”
An objective observer might wonder what exactly Labour are worried about given their overwhelming success in local elections earlier this month.
Where Plaid Cymru go from here is unclear. Labour too have inadvertently dug themselves into a hole.
The building of a progressive alliance on which Leanne Wood has based her leadership seems to be dead and buried already. When one adds onto this her poor performances in the Assembly chamber and doubts and uncertainty amongst many Plaid Cymru members about the way she is conducting herself, Leanne Wood looks to be in trouble already, even before her honeymoon period is over.
Labour too appear to have commited a tactical error in the vehemence of their response. Clearly, there is no love lost amongst the former coalition partners, but the rift between them is growing wider.
Labour do not have a majority in the Assembly chamber and need to work with other parties to get things done. All they have succeeded in doing this week is to close down their options and hand a stronger negotiating hand to the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Monmouth on-line
As Facebook floats its shares on the stock market, an equally as significant landmark event prepares to get underway on the interweb. ABC news 10, which rather bizarrely appears to be reporting from London, says that the Welsh town of Momouth, birthplace of Henry V and historical market town, is about to become the world's first "Wikipedia town.":
Wikimedia UK, which works to support, develop and promote Wikimedia Foundation projects such as Wikipedia, says that when it launches its experiment in Monmouth on Saturday, hundreds of articles about the life and history of the town in southeast Wales will be available online in more than 26 languages.
The idea is for smartphone users to scan the barcodes on places such as churches and pubs to learn their history.
The tourism potential is huge. This is an experiment that will be worth watching.
Wikimedia UK, which works to support, develop and promote Wikimedia Foundation projects such as Wikipedia, says that when it launches its experiment in Monmouth on Saturday, hundreds of articles about the life and history of the town in southeast Wales will be available online in more than 26 languages.
The idea is for smartphone users to scan the barcodes on places such as churches and pubs to learn their history.
The tourism potential is huge. This is an experiment that will be worth watching.
