Friday, March 19, 2010

Cosmetic rather than substance changes after 100 days

So Carwyn Jones has been in the First Minister’s post for 100 days and to be honest it feels very much the same as under Rhodri Morgan tenure, but then Carwyn is a very laid back individual and earthquakes were unlikely.

Maybe it’s unfair who knows, a 100 days is a short period of time and the One Wales Agreement is still the driving force of the Government, but if nothing else the last 3 months have given us a sense of how things will be in the months and years ahead – as one of the people in Bridgend said on Dragon’s Eye Carwyn is a good AM, but Wales need someone with drive and energy to lead the country.

The biggest achievement that most commentators can point to is the trigger vote for the referendum which was almost derailed for party political reasons don’t forget and he has also given Leighton Andrews permission to look at the thorny issue of Education funding in Universities and Schools, both welcome and things that needed to be tackled.

I’ve been less impressed with the various attempts at sheltering Communities First from criticism or acknowledgment of problems with the scheme and the same old lines trotted out lines about ProAct when Carwyn is challenged over the economy and unemployment – but Labour don’t accept Wales has economic problems that weren’t cause by the last Tory Government.

There have been other changes in Cardiff Bay there are some new faces around the Cabinet table and one or two new Special Advisors, Carwyn was quizzed this week by AM’s in the First Minister’s Scrutiny Committee more vacuous platitudes on shows mind you and WAG now has a YouTube channel which the First Minister uploaded Welsh and English messages for St David’s Day recently and to help raise Wales profile, but these are cosmetic changes that could have been introduced by any party not specific to Carwyn or his Cabinet.

I’m not really sure what I expected, much of the last 100 days has been similar to the past 10 years, I suppose it depends on where you sit but I hope for better in the next 100 days Wales certainly needs a boost.Any source

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