Honest John: Morgan calls for referendum on new powers
Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Jonathan Morgan is stepping down from a comfortable regional seat to fight Cardiff North for the Tories. He's tried twice before, and failed. If he fails this time, he's out of a job.

Jonathan, then, has more reasons than most to watch his back. But he's still the first politician to get his Honest John answers in. The challenge: to be as upfront as possible.

So here it is, and there's some interesting stuff. Despite not having a favourite album (what kind of person doesn't have a favourite album?) Jonathan hits out at the media and finds common ground yet again with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats: he'd like a referendum on Scottish-style powers for the assembly.

Introducing, You versus Jonathan Morgan...

What have you done as a party or an individual to help engage young people in politics? (Marcus Warner)
In 1999 we had the youngest group in the Assembly. We have a young team of county councillors and candidates. Young people get on in our party.

Are alcoholism and drug dependency offences that should be punishable or illnesses that should be cured? (Sion Gwilym)
Clearly treatment is important. Drug dependency leads in many cases to dealing drugs and theft to fund the habit. This cannot be ignored by the criminal justice system.

What is your favourite album of all time? (Marcus Warner)
I don't have one.

What are you going to do to encourage a more comprehensive coverage of Welsh politics in the media? (Sanddef)
Nothing. It's up to the media to decide what to print or broadcast. I am fed up with being told that it's our job to get the voters out, especially when ITV/BBC put their Assembly programmes on so late at night that only bored shift workers get to see them!

Do many of the 'older' Tories feel a bit confused by the direction that David Cameron is taking? Many (not you) seem to disagree with his 'direction' but are happy to bask in his new media glory and I wonder if that is a problem? (Marcus Warner)
No problem at all. Overwhelming numbers know that we needed to change, however difficult that change is.

Is it true, as suggested by Dr Non Gwilym of StrataMatrix in Y Cymro last week, that you are seriously worried that you'll lose crucial votes to Sir Dai? (Sanddef)
No. I don't know where Non got her information from but there is no sign of UKIP. The anti-Assembly feeling is not an issue as it has been in the past.

Do you believe that the Welsh language should be given official status in Wales? (Hedd)
Yes.

Do you believe that the people of Wales should have the Right to Services in Welsh? (Hedd)
Yes, although as someone who lives in the real world there would be huge implications for how this could be achieved.

Do you believe that the people of Wales should have the right to work through the medium of Welsh? (Hedd)
Where possible yes, although I can imagine a series of examples of where this would not be practical.

Who is your political hero and why? (Marcus Warner)
Churchill, for being the best of British! A great leader who approached life with vigour.

How would you like to see the assembly develop in the future? (der)
I would like to see a referendum after 2011. Four years of the new Assembly measures should give ample opportunity to see if the new system works. I would campaign for a yes vote for Scottish-style powers in a referendum.

So, how does he do? Are you jumping up and down in the corridors of your depraved imaginations, exalting with joy at actually getting a politician to answer some of your questions? Or is it just the same old story?

Labels: , , ,

posted by Blamerbell @ 11:03 am,

30 Comments:

At 12:14 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

Fair play he was honest...He is one of the few tories i think the assembly needs.

Job Done!

 
At 12:47 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

An interesting exercise, especially as it seems to have been done in a way so as not to encourage the regurgitation of swathes of manifesto pledges. I trust all of your guests will be as free-thinking and provocative.

“It's up to the media to decide what to print or broadcast. I am fed up with being told that it's our job to get the voters out, especially when ITV/BBC put their Assembly programmes on so late at night that only bored shift workers get to see them!”

I resent the suggestion that we watchers are all shift-workers…
& S4/C at least puts Pawb a’i Farn on at an accessible hour.

 
At 2:26 pm, Blogger Unknown said...

Worrying that I am warming to some of these Tories......

 
At 2:43 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seems a nice chappy. But I think future AMs should as least instigate an independent report on the coverage of Welsh politics in the media, and that the report's recommendations should be passed on to Welsh TV and the press.

 
At 4:45 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

As much as he will probably look on in horror, i agree with Ordovicius on this one. We dont have a huge media and only limited political coverage, and it is important we have a rigorous yet fair media.

 
At 5:25 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

Also i like the way Churchill is a hero if though his work regarding the gold standard plunged millions into poverty!!!

 
At 5:51 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmmmmmm was warming to him until the Churchill bit
Probably going back to the comments from my family on the way he responded to the miners who were picketing in Tonypandy Churchill did send troops, which was exceptional in mainland Britain, and an action for which he was widely criticised at the time and for years afterwards.
Speaking to colleagues all had the same reaction.
Personal history no matter how far back it goes gets into our being
I wonder if much of the reason that Wales continues to vote red is for the same root. Urban Myths Rule – may be

 
At 7:28 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

the sad fact is that the tories have been a good opposition, and Plaid pisspoor: pisspoorley led, if led is th eriught word, and pisspoorly presented by their own AMs. The Tories have the huge of advantage of standing for pretty much everythign: anti-Devolution blimps, welsh-bashers and colonial tossers on the one hand, and pro-welsh, pro-Dev, kind and cuddly on the other.
The real question we shoudl ask them is whether they believe large scael unemployment is an acceptable price to pay for stable inflation. They still believe it is. Watch this space: when they get in at Westminster we'll see what they're really made of. And it's not very nice.

dave rodway

 
At 8:38 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marcusian said...
"Also i like the way Churchill is a hero if though his work regarding the gold standard plunged millions into poverty!!!"

A little off topic but Marcusian, I think that Brown's policy of just turning on the printing press will get you to the same destination you mention sooner or later.

 
At 9:02 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

Der,

I never said gordon brown was my hero though!

My mum is my hero...well maybe Morrissey of Steve McManaman!

 
At 9:09 pm, Blogger Damon Lord said...

I'm glad to see Cardiff North's next assembly member, JM AM (aside: sounds like a radio station!), is the first with honest answers from the Welsh Tories. Why are the other parties taking so long? Have the other parties got something to hide? Questions to difficult for the others?

 
At 9:28 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jonathan Moorgan is just an ambitous twat who will say anything to win. Hopefully, he will loose and have to get a real job, which i believe he has never had!! Then he might actually learn something!! A shame as there are many good Tory AM!!

 
At 9:30 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

the sad fact is that the tories have been a good opposition, and Plaid pisspoor

Yeah yeah (yawn), that must be why the media recognise Plaid's campaign as being the most professional.

But to return to the thread, if I was voting in Cardiff North, my first vote would naturally go to Jonathon Morgan, the only man who has a chance of liberating the constituency from Labour.

 
At 10:01 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

wxidOrdo - if you think having your camnpaign recognised as professional by the media is any substitute for getting real peopel's actual votes, then that goes some way towards explaining why you're lot - and mine, incidentally... - are going to come 3rd in the elections.
DR

 
At 10:06 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

DR adds - part of the problem with PLaid voters like u is that they're so desperate to get rid of Labour, from a sense of utter powerlessness inflicted on them by their crap leadership and amateur party machine, that they'll actually - like Ordo - vote Tory just to have one les Labourite in.

Sad tribalist grudge politics from people who can;t face asking the tough questions.

 
At 11:01 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sad tribalist grudge politics from people who can;t face asking the tough questions.


A goog description of your tedious political views

 
At 11:07 pm, Blogger Blamerbell said...

"But I think future AMs should as least instigate an independent report on the coverage of Welsh politics in the media, and that the report's recommendations should be passed on to Welsh TV and the press."#

Another report. Whopee. Can't see what difference it'll make.

"Personal history no matter how far back it goes gets into our being"

I'm not sure. I wouldn't be surprised if a few young people give the new Tories a chance. What happened decades ago probably matters very little to them.

"Watch this space: when they get in at Westminster we'll see what they're really made of."

When, and not if?

"Why are the other parties taking so long? Have the other parties got something to hide? Questions to difficult for the others?"

I'm not sure. Mick Bates has replied, albeit in not very much detail.

"if I was voting in Cardiff North, my first vote would naturally go to Jonathon Morgan, the only man who has a chance of liberating the constituency from Labour."

Surely such a Plaid/Tory osmosis is merely a Glyn Davies fantasy? I'm shocked.

 
At 3:31 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Surely such a Plaid/Tory osmosis is merely a Glyn Davies fantasy? I'm shocked.


If there's a two-horse race, vote against Labour. That's not an osmosis, it's just common sense.

 
At 8:31 am, Blogger Deleted said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 9:53 am, Blogger Glyn Davies said...

Just thought I'd say thanks for the mention. I seem to remember osmosis involving a semi-permeable membrane separating substances through which only one of them could pass 'to the other side'.

 
At 11:16 am, Blogger Aran said...

'I seem to remember osmosis involving a semi-permeable membrane separating substances through which only one of them could pass 'to the other side'.'

You mean Sanddef's lost for good?!

Maybe just thinking about it doesn't count - fingers crossed...;-)

Chwarae teg to JM for a pretty clear set of answers.

 
At 1:15 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

Blamie...

The tory still decimated many places in Wales, something that has been passed down through the generations. People still fear the tories having a position of power in Wales...MC Dave Cam'ron or not

 
At 1:15 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbDwyEsqzhE

Check this...

 
At 1:29 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marcusian said...

The tory still decimated many places in Wales, something that has been passed down through the generations. People still fear the tories having a position of power in Wales...MC Dave Cam'ron or not

Hasn't Wales unferperformed through the generations? Oh yes...Thatcher caused massive changes to take place because of which areas are reeling to this day. But isn't it to the shame of successive UK governments throughtout the years....Labour and Tory that the economy in large parts of South Wales were so heavily reliant on one sector? You blame the Tories Marcusian....I don't think Labour in the long run would have kept the mines open. They, like all London parties are obsessed with the Golden Goose....The City of London.....to the detriment of manufacturing etc

 
At 1:38 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You mean Sanddef's lost for good?!


Never! What was the context?

The tory still decimated many places in Wales

Labour had already ruined Wales by the time Thatcher got there.

 
At 2:58 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

I think it would take a pretty blinkered view to believe Labour hasnt made SOME improvements in Wales compared to a tory run led government. I think Labour has been too preoccupied with 200 thousand votes in Middle England to really solve these problems, but then some (not me) would argue that this is the electoral reality.

However i am firmly of the belief that we need more intervention to tackle the problems of long term and generational poverty, which requires generational solutions and much more power being devolved to the assembly. 10 years of any party wont solve 100 years of poverty in Wales, the challenge to the next generation of politicians in Wales is to go that step further, to be freed from 'middle england' caveats to social policy and tackle the stubborn problems we have in the valleys. This requires consensus nearly as much as argument by the political parties,

i believe in social democratic solutions to Wales' problems and far more emphasis placed on equality not only opportunity but outcome. Economic democracy and social justice, our problems will need radical policies. I think we need to reform the barnett formula, and be solving uniquely welsh problems in Wales. I indulge in tribalist politics, but if i ever have a chance to influence welsh politics i would want far more consensus on issues, because coalitions are going to be the future of Wales.

 
At 4:04 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If I may say so Marcusian....you seem to talk a lot of sense. I find it difficult to understand how you are then a Labour supporter and I am talking either at Westminser or Assembly level. You must have family who are Labour councillors or something like that.....

 
At 5:58 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

Der,

My family are labour voters but are not political at all. I am a labour supporter because the party still is the place where my values lie, of course i sit to the left of the Blairite tendencies in Labour, but i still believe in the Labour Party, particularly in Wales. I am democratic socialist, but you will never find the perfect party in that respect. I believe in the politics of the real, the politics of the 'visible', sometimes you have to check against delivery with regards ideas into policies.

I am slowly losing faith with westminster politics in delivering what i believe is necessary for Wales. We need vision that is born in Wales and is welsh specific, i believe we need to harness the centre-left support in Wales and deliver the vision to achieve that. The 'clear red water' idea is what turned me onto assembly politics but i think welsh Labour is stuck between a rock and a hard place at times. I still believe that the Labour Party has the values at its heart to deliver for ordinary people in Wales...I just think the changing political landscape in wales means a rethink of how the party needs to act in Wales.

 
At 6:00 pm, Blogger Marcusian said...

http://renewedlabour.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-vision-for-wales.html

A bit more of what i mean.

 
At 3:38 pm, Blogger Independence4Celts said...

If there is anything that people out there should look at it's this: just cut and paste it's easy. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ASj84C9yX4

 

Post a Comment

<< Home