What are the Liberal Democrats for?

Adam makes points about the Liberal Democrats with which we are all so familiar in Ceredigion. Look at his blog on What is the point of the Liberal Democrats? and The New Nasty Party?.

Kirsty Williams' response is rather typical of the Liberal Democrats, stating what she is against and not offering a whiff of what she proposes as a replacement. The closest we have got to a comprehensive Liberal Democrat policy statement on tuition fees is One Man Band Liberal Democrat Vince Cable's opinion on Question Time that the Lib Dems will reduce the number of students in University and constrain the academic curriculum. In a Liberal Democrat society are we really to believe that choice and academic freedom will disappear? It seems so. People who campaign for what they believe are an anathema to the Liberal Democrats, for them, elections and its processes are the only thing that are important not the objectives, outcomes, politics and principles in between. This is why I will continue to call them a reactive not a proactive party, the cap fits so wear it.

Leanne Wood AM and Bethan Jenkins AM in Aberystwyth

The Aberystwyth Plaid Cymru Branch is organising an evening at the top of the Coopers Arms with AMs Leanne Wood and Bethan Jenkins on Thursday the 7th of May.

London Marathon Congratulations

Congratulations to Phil (the Vet) from Llandre who came 28139 overall see here also originally from Borth, Carwyn Fowler who came in at 31995 overall, details here. Da iawn chi'ch dau.

Campaigning for the European Election 4-6-2009

Had the pleasure of Ioan Bellin's company for a visit to Telynau Teifi in Llandysul. Ioan is one of the Plaid Cymru candidates in the European election on 4th June 2009. It has excellent manufacturing facilities employing local labour and diversifying its expertise to manufacture car components as well. Ioan has a blog here.

Ceredigion Ar Waith - Ceredigion Action

The Royal Mail has by now nearly finished distributing the Plaid Cymru newspaper Ceredigion Ar Waith - Ceredigion Action. The newspaper describes the work being done by Plaid Cymru in helping the residents of Ceredigion deal with a poor economic outlook.

The newspaper has stories on

• Supporting families during hard winters and tough economic times
• A vet school for Wales
• Fighting child poverty
• Plaid minister announces massive housing grant
• A demand for more frequent rail service
• Listening to local fishermen and the problem with scallop dredgers, and
• Liberal Democrat disarray in supporting affordable housing.

The Aberporth roundabout

Whoever designed the new Aberporth roundabout must think that its possible to suspend traffic in mid air using a Star Trek tractor beam - its not! There has been substantial rebuilding, relevelling, reinforcement to prevent cars disappearing into a man made ravine. It still appears to be dangerous.

Ceredigion County Council are responsible for the work and used consultants to get the job done, or not done in this case. The Welsh Assembly Government funded the project and now have 'stumped up' additional monies for the badly designed project. The additional expenditure created by Ceredigion Highways Department amounts to £1.2M with another £500k in the offing. This puts Ceredigion Cabinet in a bit of a bind, how can they now complain of Assembly underfunding when they themselves are responsible for a badly designed roundabout, over expenditure and have to rely on the Welsh Assembly Government to bail them out.

Bare faced cheek

If there is anything to be admired in the Liberal Democrats its their bare faced cheek! My old friend Roger Williams MP (see past blogs here, here and here) has called Plaid Cymru 'gutless' . As a reminder, it was the Liberal Democrats who could find the 'guts' to join Plaid Cymru in Government, its Plaid Minister Elin Jones who has had the 'guts' to take tough decisions on TB and badgers while the aforementioned MP hadn't the 'guts' to use his own headed notepaper when attempting a public rebuke. I think that the most anonymous of MP's should find a better way of getting his name in the media.