I Agree with a Plaid MP...sort of.

It does happen from time to time believe it or not althought the fact that Plaid Cymru only have 3 MPs means that by default, there is relatively little to agree or disagree with.

All the same, I found myself agreeing with the new Carmarthen East & Dinefwr MP, Jonathan Edwards when he challenged the UK Government last week to change the way in which Welsh Assembly members are elected.

Jonathan Edwards MP

As this Western Mail article states, Jonathan has requested that the Government considers the possibility of future Assembly Members being elected with an equal share of 30 AMs from constituencies and 30AMs from the regional lists. This would replace the current 40AM / 20AM split at present.

I agree with this new way of thinking because it would chime with the planned re-organisation of Parliamentary boundaries which is likely to see the number of Welsh MPs elected to Westminster reduced from the current 40, down to 30.

My biggest concern with this legislation currently going through Parliament is that unless alterations were made at a Cardiff Bay level, there would be different sized constituencies electing MPs and AMs and there could be great confusion. As an example, if the Boundary Commission decided that the new Ceredigion Westminster seat would extend to incorporate the parts of north Pembrokeshire that it used to cover in the 1980s and 1990s, then my maternal family living in and around Eglwyswrw would vote for an MP who covers an area up to and beyond Aberystwyth whilst electing an AM (on the current Preseli Pembrokeshire electoral boundaries) who represents down to Milford Haven and Neyland in southern Pembrokeshire.

This to me makes little sense and Jonathan's comments if carried through, would eradicate this problem as the co-terminus link between Westminster and Cardiff Bay electoral boundaries would remain the same (whichever way they may look by 2015).

Better Proportionality
In addition, by compensating for this loss of 10 constituency AMs by filling the void by extending the amount elected on the regional lists, it should help to further increase the proportionality of votes cast, to seats attained by different political parties in the Assembly.

So in theory, I wholly agree with Jonathan's sentiments.

Indeed, when he raised the question in the House of Commons to the Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan, she responded by saying:

"I am taking (Mr Edwards') question as a recommendation that we have 30 first-past-the-post seats and 30 elected on a list system, and I will look seriously at that suggestion".

So it is not at all inconceivable that this idea could be taken forward in the future.

Don't Make it Political
However, what frustrated me and doesn't do Jonathan's worthy cause any help was the way in which he phrased the issue.

On his website here, the Press Release that covered the question and response in Westminster was titled 'End Labour Assembly Bias'. He makes the valid point that Welsh Labour's dominance of politics in Wales is based on the first-past-the-post electoral system and that a more proportional alternative would help to reverse to some degree, that imbalance.

However, he is not going to win any friends with the Labour administration in Cardiff Bay which holds half of the seats in the Senedd, by using an anti-Labour argument to bolster his case. For it would be difficult for the Westminster Government to force through changes to the way in which the Assembly is elected without the support of that very body. Yet by couching his argument in such a politically party-partisan way, he is going to throw up unecessary obstacles in the way of getting such a change through the required political processes.

It's incredibly frustrating. He makes valid points about proportionality and the co-terminosity of Westminster and Assembly constituencies but loses the moral high-ground by bringing Labour-bashing into it.

British Guns on Dublin's Streets

It's not 1911 and not 1921, but 2011 and today, members of the British security services will walk the streets of Dublin, fully armed.

It's an incredible occurrence that until only recently, would've been thought as wholly inconceivable.

Yet today, as a new mark of a new political stability between the United Kingdom and it's nearest neighbour, Queen Elizabeth II will start a truly historic visit to the Republic of Ireland - a full 100 years since her grandfather King George V visited a then constituent part of the British Empire back in 1911.

But following that visit a century ago, there followed bloody confrontations between Irish republicans, the Irish and the British Army as the Irish battled for their independence. The latter decades of the 20th century were dominated by 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland between Republicans and Unionists during which almost 4,000 died from both sides of the sectarian divide.

It has been a torrid, blood-stained relationship.

During her visit, she will lay a wreath at the Irish Garden of Remembrance in memory of those Irishmen and women who died in the battles against the British and will also visit that bastion of Irish nationalism, Croke Park, the scene of the original Bloody Sunday massacre in 1920 when the the infamous Black and Tans of the British Army, entered the stadium and turned their guns on the crowd and killed 14 spectators and players.

This is not therefore just a typical ceremonial visit but one that will take in emotive places in the Irish psyche. The itinery is bold and brave. It has come at the request of the Irish President Mary McAleese but then, if the Queen was to accept a cordial invitation, the first in a century, then it may as well be made in fulsome reconciliation to cover the old enmities that have scarred the relationship between these two nations.

The Irish financial bailout of recent months has demonstrated the interdependence of European nations in these difficult economic times and the Irish/British trade links are of course strong.

But we're not talking about economics here. We're talking history. We're talking symbolism. We're talking death, grief, anger and pain.

Queen Elizabeth II has in her 59 years on the throne, conducted countless official visits to foreign countries but none of them will quite hold the meaning than the one which is starting today. She has probably walked on the soil of more nation states than any other human being in the world in her 85 years. Yet, remarkably, she has never set foot on the sovereign soil of the one nation that shares a land border with her own. She'll put that right today and in doing so, will formalise in its entirety, the normal diplomatic relations of these two nations.

There are of course security concerns as not all in the Irish Republic will be pleased with this visit and hence there will British security forces on hand, along with the Irish security forces, to ensure that all goes according to plan.

To be precise, the Irish Government is allowing up to 120 armed British police officers to patrol the streets of Irish cities to protect Queen Elizabeth II on her State visit. A force of the Metropolitan Police's royalty protection force carrying Glock pistols and Heckler & Koch submachine guns will join gardaí in ensuring her safety. They will be allowed to patrol the streets fully armed wherever Queen Elizabeth goes on her four-day visit, which has sparked the biggest security operation in the history of the State.

This is the way of things and should be taken with a pinch of salt. But just remember, as the footage is screened back to us here in Britain, that this is a remarkable sight. British guns on the streets of Dublin? Extraordinary, but a sure sign that Ireland and the United Kingdom have walked out of the darkness of the 20th century and into a more hopeful and prosperous century where they will learn to co-exist alongside each other in harmony.

Stevie Wonder & Paul Mc Cartney - Ebony & Ivory

I'm having a 'Stevie Wonder Sunday'.

Amidst my work of going through Council paperwork today, I'm in need of a soundtrack for my day. It's usually the 'mellow sounds' of Magic FM that sees me through but thanks to a blog post by Jonathan Calder here earlier today, I'm turned my attention to the boy Wonder.

I've got a very eclectic range of music here at home as anyone who knows me will testify but to my continuing shame, not one of my many CDs is dedicated entirely to the legend that is Stevie Wonder.

So, inspired by Jonathan this morning, I've been searching out some of his many, many hits and was particularly taken by his soulful (when aren't they?!), meaningful duet with Paul McCartney.



It's a simple message of humanity sang by two of the greatest musicians of the last century. How have I never fallen upon it before?!

An Azerbaijan Victory but Moldova the Moral Winners!

It was an amusing European Song Contest and thanks to my friends on Facebook who made it an on-line 'community' event!

I must admit that having been underwhelmed by the opening few entries, I suddently found my home with the absolute randomness that was the Moldovian effort!

It reminded me of Madness in the early 1980s. It was over-the-top, wholly irreverant and 110% ridiculous which for me, made it brilliant!

Here they are in the semi-final...

Congratulations to the winners Azerbaijan but for me, with unicycles, monocles, pointy hats and trumpets, there was only one real winner for me tonight - Moldova!

The FA know FA about Football

It's FA Cup Final day. I'm not always in a position to be able to watch it but today I am at home and am looking forward to watching a real David Vs Goliath clash and I shall of course be supporting David - in the guise of Stoke City.

But why is the FA Cup Final being played on the same day as Premiership matches? Not only is there a clash between cup and league but it is more than likely that Manchester United will today secure the point that they need to win a historic 19th league title. Good luck to them in that quest but it should not have been allowed to get in the way of what historically has been one of the greatest days in not just British, but world football.

The FA Cup Final should take place after the league season has come to a conclusion or at the very least, not be allowed to clash with the league fixture list.

Having just watched Football Focus, they understandably had to share the coverage between the Final build-up with the likely conclusion to the Premiership title race today. Indeed, their end of coverage montage was of a dominant Manchester United over the years as they move in towards eclipsing Liverpool's 18 league titles. I can understand why they did that but it nevertheless dilutes the prestige and the importance of the FA Cup. Because it is likely that whoever wins the Cup today, be it a first ever giant-killing victory for Stoke or a first major trophy in 35 years for Manchester City, the result will be knocked off the sporting headlines by Manchester United's triumph.

This is not right and the FA are to blame.

FA Incompetence
But it gets worse. At present, the FA are looking at gathering evidence to prove that FIFA corruptly decided on the venue for the 2018 World Cup based in part, on bribery. The FA are also considering abstaining on voting for the next FIFA President in protest at this alleged corruption.

It may well be the case but it can't hide the FA's incompetence in many facets of the game.

Not only the above, but the recent controversy ovber QPR's penalty or lack of it for transfer irregularities has also shown the Football Association up.

Now as a Welsh football fan that supports both Swansea and Cardiff City, it would be easy for me to chastise the fact that QPR weren't deducted points despite having been found guilty last week. But I won't. It wasn't QPR's fault that the decision was made so ridiculously late in the season. Why did the FA decide to make a decision in the last week of the league season? There was no way that they would've taken points away from QPR when doing so could've jepordised their automatic promotion party and there would've been no time for natural justice to prevail for QPR. At the end of the day, they deserved to be promoted because the football they played consistently put them top of the league throughout the season. If sanctions should've been levied on them, then it should've been done earlier in the season to leave them enough time to play football to counter that penalty.

Good Luck Stoke City
So it frustrates me greatly that the FA have again shown this incompetence by allowing today's clash to occur.

But in the meantime, I look forward to what should be a cracking Cup Final encounter.and I'm hoping that Tony Pullis becomes the first Welsh manager to lift the FA Cup in its 139 year history!