Comments on: There’s a pattern emerging… http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/ ...now tell me yours Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:51:53 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Michael Cridland http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-67 Michael Cridland Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:47:27 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-67 Welsh civil society is not in decline! Its dead! its been dead for years. Its just not had a proper funeral. The evidence is apathy! the third world poverty in the council estates, binge drinking in the cities. A public transit system that would not even greeted with envy in a Third world country. Tesco laying of workers. People angry and campagning about green fields instead of education and jobs! None of the passions of the 80s. Ordinary people's concerns ignored even on the blogs. I do see light and a resurrection ahead. It will come only with the destruction (in Wagnerian terms a "gottdamerung sp) of the political class and its sordid culture, just like 5th Century Rome or 18th Century France. Welsh civil society is not in decline! Its dead! its been dead for years. Its just not had a proper funeral. The evidence is apathy! the third world poverty in the council estates, binge drinking in the cities. A public transit system that would not even greeted with envy in a Third world country. Tesco laying of workers. People angry and campagning about green fields instead of education and jobs! None of the passions of the 80s. Ordinary people’s concerns ignored even on the blogs. I do see light and a resurrection ahead. It will come only with the destruction (in Wagnerian terms a “gottdamerung sp) of the political class and its sordid culture, just like 5th Century Rome or 18th Century France.

]]> By: Dr. Christopher Wood http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Dr. Christopher Wood Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:38:25 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-59 Just an observation, but the 'pattern' is likely to become more resolved as the USA shows increasing signs of distress in the American small business sector. I noticed before the real estate collapse in the UK that there were signs of 'chill winds" blowing in the US real estate market (letter published warning about this in the WM or Echo), I saw a similar warning sign, but this time in the American small business sector in the Washington DC metro area - this is very significant because the DC area is normally largely insulated from economic woes because so many people here work for the government or contractors working for the government. Why should anyone in the public or private sector in Wales be concerned about this? As small businesses fold in the USA there will be less requirement for imports into the USA from Europe/UK/Wales … Just an observation, but the ‘pattern’ is likely to become more resolved as the USA shows increasing signs of distress in the American small business sector. I noticed before the real estate collapse in the UK that there were signs of ‘chill winds” blowing in the US real estate market (letter published warning about this in the WM or Echo), I saw a similar warning sign, but this time in the American small business sector in the Washington DC metro area – this is very significant because the DC area is normally largely insulated from economic woes because so many people here work for the government or contractors working for the government. Why should anyone in the public or private sector in Wales be concerned about this? As small businesses fold in the USA there will be less requirement for imports into the USA from Europe/UK/Wales …

]]> By: David Jones http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-56 David Jones Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:10:46 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-56 2 thoughts... CAPACITY In the lead-up to the next election we will see an interesting battle-ground emerging as both parties vie to convince voters that they are better placed to wield the surgeon’s knife on the public-sector with greater precision. Then the discussions should turn to the effectiveness of delivery. So, Lee, if “Capacity” equates to “Delivery”, than this analysis is spot-on. SCRUTINY Perhaps the trick to unlocking better delivery is this scrutiny role. Various parts of the public sector have formal scrutiny roles – with the NHS having the most mature systems (and here I declare an interest as one of the out-going Non-Executive’s on the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust). But other areas of the public sector do not seem to enjoy similar scrutiny. Does, for example, the Career’s service in Wales have a permanent external scrutiny function ? 2 thoughts…

CAPACITY
In the lead-up to the next election we will see an interesting battle-ground emerging as both parties vie to convince voters that they are better placed to wield the surgeon’s knife on the public-sector with greater precision.
Then the discussions should turn to the effectiveness of delivery.

So, Lee, if “Capacity” equates to “Delivery”, than this analysis is spot-on.

SCRUTINY
Perhaps the trick to unlocking better delivery is this scrutiny role.
Various parts of the public sector have formal scrutiny roles – with the NHS having the most mature systems (and here I declare an interest as one of the out-going Non-Executive’s on the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust).

But other areas of the public sector do not seem to enjoy similar scrutiny. Does, for example, the Career’s service in Wales have a permanent external scrutiny function ?

]]> By: Gina http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Gina Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:35:15 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-55 WCVA you are joking they are a major part of the problem, lets look outside the usual suspects or we will stay in mire we are in now. The capacity outside of WAG is there, it just is not allowed to emege, its tribalism and politicking and nepotism again. WCVA you are joking they are a major part of the problem, lets look outside the usual suspects or we will stay in mire we are in now.
The capacity outside of WAG is there, it just is not allowed to emege, its tribalism and politicking and nepotism again.

]]> By: daran http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-54 daran Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:50:30 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-54 Thank goodness someone has started to say something on this issue. Without a doubt, there is significant resource reallocation happening at the moment. It would be useful if WCVA together with Publc Affairs Cymru were looking at this issue and, indeed, some sort of map of existing posts/roles could be drawn up. What is not clearly known, cannot be defended. Thank goodness someone has started to say something on this issue. Without a doubt, there is significant resource reallocation happening at the moment. It would be useful if WCVA together with Publc Affairs Cymru were looking at this issue and, indeed, some sort of map of existing posts/roles could be drawn up. What is not clearly known, cannot be defended.

]]> By: Annabelle Harle http://www.thisismytruth.org/2009/07/theres-a-pattern-emerging/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Annabelle Harle Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:32:37 +0000 http://www.thisismytruth.org/?p=100#comment-53 I think it's in part a vicious circle - we have so little Welsh press, the London organisations don't read about their Wales offices' activities in the paper and assume they're not doing anything. Whereas most people in Wales read the London press and know there won't be anything about anybody's Wales offices anyway, unless there is a trapped kitten or a talking dog involved. The lack of information in the press that people in Wales read about the non-Westminster institutions governing Wales is a serious problem as you say. I think it’s in part a vicious circle – we have so little Welsh press, the London organisations don’t read about their Wales offices’ activities in the paper and assume they’re not doing anything. Whereas most people in Wales read the London press and know there won’t be anything about anybody’s Wales offices anyway, unless there is a trapped kitten or a talking dog involved.
The lack of information in the press that people in Wales read about the non-Westminster institutions governing Wales is a serious problem as you say.

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