You, my friends, signify nothing
Monday, May 07, 2007

I'm so sorry to have to tell you this... But you, my friends, signify nothing.

That's the message from Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews. Returning to his normal blog, the man who is now in possession of one of the largest Labour majorities in Wales has given the following appraisal of the Welsh political blogosphere:

I wasn't that impressed with the so-called 'Welsh blogosphere' during the campaign...

Too many blogs, including this one, seemed more interested in gossip and rumour. When that spreads to the BBC, it's bad news. The Beeb should apply the same standards to its blogs as to the rest of its news coverage. I do agree with this one that the absence of competition in the Welsh news media gives more opportunity for bloggers, but having now caught up with some of the blogging from election night itself, it seems to have been largely based on rumours which were being broadcast on the mainstream media anyway. Welsh bloggers need better sources if they are going to make waves...

To me, this seems like an odd analysis of the contribution blogs have made to the election, and one which is at odds with everything I've heard from other notable personalities and plenty of ordinary Joes too.

So, I posted this reply:

Leighton, you appear to fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of the blogosphere.

If it's to break stories, well then, that's news to me:)

Its most significant contribution has been to provide a platform for analysis and debate. To allow people, no matter if they're a mam from Merthyr, a politician experimenting with being honest or a pensioner from North Wales, to have their say. If it's interesting enough, people will read it.

It is, after all, a meritocracy out there...

To my surprise, Mr Andrews responded almost instantly:

Yes, I thought my comments would upset you.

Having blogged for two and a half years, I'm afraid my conclusion is that the Welsh so-called blogosphere is a self-referential realm, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Having a blog has improved the hit rate on my web presence ten-fold; it's been a useful platform for some of my campaigns; but its influence on Welsh politics - and overall, the Welsh media - is zilch.

By the way, were you born pompous?

Well, no, I replied, assuming that Mr Andrews was joking. (Huw Edwards, by the way, was definitely joking, we cleared that one up!)

Also, I can't speak for you lot, but this blog is devoid of any 'fury'. The only time I've got worked up is in support of my beloved Cardiff City. And as a fellow bluebird, I'm sure Mr Andrews would understand.

What he appears not to understand, however, is the contribution YOU have made to this election by insisting on having your say, whether in your own blogs (and there are new ones every day) or in the comments section of others.

The overwhelming political sentiments of recent times are apathy and an erosion of trust in our elected politicians. The blogosphere, used appropriately, is a partial remedy to both. Surely, something is better than nothing?

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:08 am, ,


And on the sixth day, God made Leighton
Tuesday, May 01, 2007

For them, politics is like a cult. They congregate around certain figures, whom they hold in great esteem. It's almost like hero-worship. If you can call a man in a suit a hero.

They are, of course, the followers - the political enforcers who will not have a word said against their man. And for some reason, don't ask me why, they tend to congregate around the right wing of the Labour party.

For England, see Blairism. For Wales, see Leightonism.

Whatever you might say about Leighton Andrews, he is first and foremost a very effective Labour assembly member for the Rhondda. He is outspoken and combative - just the type of guy the assembly needs. Perhaps followers are an inevitable consequence of strong leaders (although Mr Andrews leads nothing much yet). What's certain is that they exist, and they put themselves about.

Let's take for example, David Taylor, Mr Andrews' researcher. He has a track record to make the Labour right proud:



It is, I'm sure you'll agree, a fairly impressive CV. There's evidence of a lot of graft here, and I can't imagine it's been done for no reason. These people are well-organized and ruthless. The territory, it seems, has been set. And after this election, there may just have to be a battle.

So, how long will it be, do you think, before that crucial Leighton4leader domain gets registered too?


Generous hat doffs to Tim Ireland, Dizzy and The Register.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:04 pm, ,


Minister's 'snub' to the Welsh Language
Monday, April 16, 2007

Staying with the Welsh language theme today, it's interesting to note which Labour candidates have submitted English-only registrations for the forthcoming national assembly elections.

There's plenty of talk in Cardiff Bay of a nationalist/unionist split in the Labour party. And this may become all the more pronounced after the election as the end of Rhodri Morgan's tenure as leader grows ever closer. While Carwyn Jones, perhaps unbeknownst to himself, heads up the nationalist wing, the two AMs widely considered the stalwarts of the unionist camp are Leighton Andrews and Andrew Davies.

So it's intriguing to discover that Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies has not submitted a bilingual registration for the May 3rd ballot, unlike most of his colleagues up and down the country who will stand on a 'Labour Party/Y Blaid Lafur' ticket.

Unfortunately, the Rhondda Electoral Office does not publish its list of candidates online, so at the time of writing it's not possible to tell if Leighton Andrews has overlooked the Welsh language in a similar fashion. What's certain is that for Andrew Davies there's no going back; nominations are now closed. And with pundits already pointing to his Swansea West constituency as a possible upset he'll be kicking himself if voters, when staring at this monolingual appearance on the ballot paper, decide that's enough to swing their vote.
Andrew Davies' name as it appears on the official Swansea West ballot.


 The more common bilingual format, as used by Edwina Hart in the Gower.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 1:47 pm, ,


Blame it all on the BBC
Thursday, April 05, 2007

Bashing the BBC is the new vogue in the political world. First, Leighton Andrews got stuck in to the broadcaster for daring to be as impartial as Westminster and Holyrood at election time. Then, Glyn Davies got in a strop because he felt news stories on his blog were being overlooked. And just when the BBC thought it could let down its mud-slinging guard, Jane Davidson waded in and blamed it for voter apathy.

While Jane is out on the streets shoving leaflets into the hands of people who probably think she's just another one of those annoying people from Oxfam or Save the Children, the BBC are ignoring the Welsh assembly election, according to Labour's Education Spokesperson:

There is still a huge level of ignorance out there about the elections on May 3rd and people don't appear to be getting information from the BBC – the so-called public information channel. Today, I didn't hear any mention on the news at all. Considering the election campaign period formally kicked off on Monday and it is only Wednesday, this would be unthinkable in a general election. And then of course the BBC and others will blame politicians for voter apathy….

After all that, Trident-hating Jane rounds off the post on her MySpace blog with a swipe at the opposition parties:

Parties choosing to mislead voters by playing to people's fears do politics no service at all. We should be fighting this election responsibly on what each party has to offer positively, not with the politics of fear.

Hear hear, I agree completely. The fact that Labour statements on Plaid Cymru are now routinely peppered with the words "arrogant", "dishonest" and "weak" is, I'm sure, merely incidental:)

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:17 am, ,


Carl Sargeant's slow blogging death
Sunday, April 01, 2007

After three exhausting posts, the blog of Carl 'the caveman' Sargeant is no more.

It's a shame. I had hoped Carl would be the Labour Glyn Davies.

So, who'll step up and challenge the Welsh bloggerati?

Sandy Mewies. Used to be a journalist. Great at staccato local paper style headlines. 'Delyn AM saves cat' etc.

Carwyn Jones. Who will he thank today? Too nice to be a proper blogger.

Leighton Andrews. On extended leave from the blogosphere just when it's starting to get interesting.

Conclusion: position vacant, at least until the next Plaid v Huw Lewis handbag swinging tournament.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:57 am, ,


The People's Republic of Rhondda
Monday, March 19, 2007

Separated at birth...









Leighton Andrews AM and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin

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posted by Blamerbell @ 9:19 am, ,


Wolves should open its doors to Cardiff fans
Friday, January 19, 2007

A little while back, I wrote that Wolves were right to ban Cardiff fans from attending Molineux tomorrow. I was writing in anger at the trumped-up little turds who were setting off flares and then throwing missiles (unprovoked) at police during and after the Tottenham game.

I wanted the sizable minority of City fans to be told in no uncertain terms that their actions were juvenile and idiotic. Perhaps banning supporters from the Wolves game would cause the Bluebirds to self-reflect, to escape its obsession with victimhood and kick-out the crap from its ranks.

I still believe that Cardiff is in for a tough slog if it's to shake off its yobbish image. But loyal away fans don't tend to be the same people as the spotty mock-Burberry delinquents who cause trouble at home. Moreover, Wolves' decision to lock-out City fans sets a dangerous precedent.

It's good to see politicians such as Leighton Andrews and now, the Sports Minister Alun Pugh backing the Cardiff cause. Who knows, we may still get in. It aint ova till da fat lady sings...

UPDATE: Cariff have just won the game 2-1. Good riddance! How ironic that we win for the first time since November and our fans aren't there to see it.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:45 pm, ,


Leighton Andrews and the blog police
Friday, December 08, 2006

Leighton Andrews is frequently mentioned as one of the Welsh Assembly's most famous bloggers. He's linked to in all sorts of places, and gets a lot of attention for doing something a great deal of ordinary people do quite routinely.

However, he's an elected representative, and therefore his willingness to at least make some effort at communicating with people via his blog is commendable.

But Leighton doesn't seem to fully understand the medium.

Blogs have comments, and other bloggers are commenters. The internet is democratic, and it is now more than ever about debate.

Some bloggers wish to moderate comments and that, I suppose, is fair enough.

But policing comments is something totally different. I've now remarked a few times on some of Leighton's posts, but he seems to have chosen not to publish them.

This would be somewhat against the spirit of blogging. Politicians already inflict their monologues on the traditional media; there's no way they should do the same with what is meant to be a discursive and democratic medium. Blogging is, more than anything else, a conversation. Otherwise, get a column.

Peter Black, the other 'Assembly blogger', gets it. And his blog is one of the best political blogs on the block.

I hope it's just a technical error and that Mr Andrews's site can become a forum for some genuinely interesting debate.

UPDATE: Comments are now appearing on Mr Andrews's site once more. Good stuff!

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posted by Blamerbell @ 11:22 am, ,


Virtual suits and sofas
Saturday, October 14, 2006

18 Doughty Street is the UK's first online political television station.

Leighton Andrews AM isn't a fan - he took a pop at the project in his video blog.

"I don't think people want more suits on sofas" he said.



What's that you're wearing Leighton?

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posted by Blamerbell @ 10:13 pm, ,