Recession highs and lows

The discussion on the recession on Tuesday showed how far politics in Wales has come, in that the debate was lively, thought provoking and expertly chaired by Mick Bates AM. I can't replicate the discussion but here are some (personal) highlights and lowlights:

Highlights
1. The recognition across the board that the problems the economy face are huge, although there was some disagreement about just how deep and how long the recession will be - David Melding AM was probably the most pessimistic.
2. Martin Mansfield's (Wales TUC) argument that anti-recession efforts must be targetted on the worst affected areas - and that those are areas that already had very deep-seated problems as a legacy from the last recession.
3. The points from the floor that the recession could have a lasting impact on people's health (including mental health) and on social cohesion. We were told the next but one economic summit will look at social issues.
4. The emphasis on the critical importance of upskilling the workforce by all speakers - whether it was David Melding stressing the importance of Master's degrees for new graduates or the others stressing the importance of keeping craft and other skills.
5. The common feeling that somehow Wales needed to get ahead of the game, through a transition to a low carbon economy (Martin Mansfield), greater entrepreneurship (David Melding) or local purchasing and action (Ieuan Wyn Jones).

Lowlights
1. The lack of a clear vision of post-recession Wales and how to pave the way there.
2. The limited ability of the Welsh Assembly Government to do much in the face of huge national and international shifts in the economy. At one point David Melding looked like he was about to argue for independence - but no, he didn't.
3. The views of some in the audience that the future is bleak indeed.
4. The 15 people who booked places and didn't turn up.

Next discussion - post 16 education on 28th April.