Standing Up for Wales, more like an irrelevant spectator

Yesterday the First Minister’s of the devolved Government’s were in Edinburgh for a meeting to discuss priorities and points of agreement ahead of the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting with the UK Government next week.

This is the first time the four leaders have met face to face since May 5th elections where they all emerged with strengthened mandates and their get togethers are a welcome step in stronger lobbying the UK Government on issues to benefit us all.

I’ve no idea how the meeting went, but at the press conference our First Minister Carwyn Jones was a mere spectator, while Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Northern Ireland’s First Ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness discussed Corporation Tax, priorities for the JMC meeting, end of year flexibility, Wikileaks revelations in the Belfast Telegraph and sectarianism in football among other things.

Carwyn was also the only leader not to go through the niceties of welcoming the meeting and thanking his host for his hospitalities and after his brief opening remarks only joined the press conference on the subject of end of year flexibility and to congratulate Swansea City on their promotion to the Premier League while trying not to offend Cardiff City fans as well. Not even a word about his favourite hobby horse borrowing powers for the Assembly!

Add to that the Scottish Government had a comprehensive press release here on the meeting and the Northern Ireland Executive has a press release including the communiqué here, the Welsh Government’s latest story was Local Government Minister Carl Sergeant in Anglesey last Friday 27th May, no mention of the meeting in Edinburgh and I’m not accepting the fact they are on half term holiday. Maybe as a friend said most of our AM’s are all at the Hay Festival this week, alright for some.

And in case you think I’m picking on Carwyn, it wasn’t just the First Minister and the Welsh Government who appear half hearted about these meetings. BBC Wales Political Editor Betsan Powys was also absent from proceedings for the second time unlike her Scottish and Northern Ireland counterparts, she couldn’t make it to Belfast last time the four leaders met and given what’s going on with cuts to BBC Wales budgets shouldn’t senior staff be showing the value of what BBC Wales political and current affairs give to Wales?

The full press conference is here make your own mind up
Any source