One Wales One Year On

So, it's just about a year since the One Wales agreement was, well, agreed. But is this coalition government any different to the Labour governments of the previous 8 years? Most obviously, various Plaid pet projects are now moving forward, such as the All Wales Convention and free entry to Cadw establishments. But has it made a difference to Labour? I think it has, not least because over the last year we've seen a lot more bold actions, from free hospital car parking and a shake-up of health bodies, to demanding the electricity suppliers account for their actions.

There are two big weaknesses. First, economic and labour market policy, which is surely one of the worst policy areas for years. Whatever you might have thought of A Winning Wales (which was not a lot) and the shake-up of WDA and WTB, at least there was SOMETHING. Now, there is an appalling vaccuum. At a time when Wales needs a clear direction and firm action we get nothing. Whilst there were understandable reasons for the allocation of Ministerial roles, IWJ is hardly cutting the mustard in his portfolio.

Second, where is the challenge and scrutiny from the opposition? The new committee system is fine in some ways but means that great chunks of policy go unquestioned, whilst the opposition just don't seem to be asking the right questions in plenary.

Let's see what the next year brings.

What do the local election results mean?

Anyone who spent a few minutes glancing at the local government election results in Saturday's papers couldn't help being struck by the remarkable divergence in results across Wales. There is no doubt that the results were awful for Labour, but even for Labour there were chinks of light in Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend. For every other party there were significant opportunities to celebrate but also the odd downside or two.

The question now is what kind of pattern of political control will we see emerge from the mish mash of results that was May 1st? I'd say the jury is very much out at the moment, and it is very much a case of watch and wait.

BUT, and I think this is a crucial point for the whole future of Welsh politics - political pluralism is here to stay. If these results prove anything they show that the once dominant force of Welsh politics, the Labour Party can lose anywhere. [Labour has also shown over the past 15 years in Wales that it can win anywhere]. For those who still think that coalition government in Cardiff Bay is an aberration, some rethinking is very much in order. Because, at a local level while Labour could reasonably aspire to play a leading role in a dozen or so authorities, if it adopts old ways of thinking in its approach to negotiations, it could end up in opposition in all but a few authorities.

These elections are not only a challenge to Labour, but will challenge all parties to think anew about patterns of political competition and cooperation; and that can only be healthy thing for the future of politics in Wales.