Setting aside the questions of the lack of jobs full stop, the fact that there is NO evidence that unemployment benefits deter people from working, the increase in bureaucracy (because 1,000s of councils are paying tax rather than one big government department), all the unforeseen side-effects (as unemployed people ‘border hop’ from low benefit to high benefit areas) there is the little matter of history….  In the 1930s, unemployment in Merthyr Tydfil was so high that the authorities were no longer able to afford to provide ‘public assistance’ and the town was near bankrupt.

Sixty one years ago today – 1st Feb 1939 – S.O. Davies MP said in the House of Commones that ‘areas which have suffered widespread and longstanding unemployment ought not to be left to bear entirely the financial and social consequences of such a burden’.

Sixty one years on, that same principle holds true.

Personally, I welcome this campaign and think its a great idea. There are plenty of misconceptions about the Valleys out there and its good to see a focused campaign intent on tackling those head on. It’s an area of Wales that I’ve only recently started getting to know, and I must admit I’ve been impressed by the surprising beauty as well as the warmth of the people. It’s about time the rest of Wales and the world saw a different side to the Valleys as well.

Obviously, I’d like to see tourism develop in Wales as a whole and I would personally dispute that the Valleys are the ‘heart and soul’ of the country. I think every single area in Wales has an unique contribution to make to the essence and spirit of the country. But as a marketing campaign, I think it’s clever. Let’s just hope it has a positive impact and attracts more people to visit Wales, thus giving a much needed boost to the local economy.

Here, we have FInance Wales which may or may not be doing a good job, who knows. But their investments seem to be mostly along the M4, with few that I could see in the south Wales coalfield.  Perhaps some targetting of Finance Wales’ efforts is in order.  (As well as some scrutiny about just what they achieve as well, but that is another post).

‘we will fund the creation of a Low Carbon Region … with the aim of creating the first Low Carbon region in Europe.’ (p.56)

Sounds good. Then I look up and see what is soon to be the largest open-cast coal mine in Europe.

Joined up government?

At a discussionon vaccinations we held in June, Age Concern highlighted that take-up of flu vaccination would hugely increase if NHS staff thought about the patient’s needs when planning services. For example they found much greater flu vaccine take-up when administered in community settings – rather than expecting older people to go to their GP surgery vaccinations would be done e.g. at day centres or lunch clubs. There were logistical issues, but these could be overcome. 

With some way to go before vaccinations against measles reaches the magic 95%, and with the prospect of mass swine flu vaccinations in the autumn / winter, perhaps it is time to think about a more radical ways of reaching people.