Five issues Labour can't duck
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The countdown to the Welsh assembly elections begins in earnest today as Labour meet in Llandudno for their spring conference. Here are five issues they'll have to address if those elections and their aftermath aren't to be an unmitigated disaster:
1. Worst case scenario
Will Rhodri Morgan resign if Labour net only 24 seats? And who will replace him?
2. National Health Shambles
Already committed to a controversial long-term plan and with little new money, how can Labour rescue the health service?
3. Enemy No.1
Election strategy: this week they've been painting it as a straight race with the Tories. But is it wise to overlook Plaid? Attacking the Tories might serve only to motivate their vote, while voters on the left float over to Plaid.
4. "Noises off" getting louder
Rhodri Morgan would rather Tony Blair kept his nose out of the Welsh assembly campaign. But guess who's making an appearance at the conference on Friday? Can Welsh Labour avoid being affected by the scandal and fatigue of the Westminster administration?
5. Said and not done
How can Labour convince people to believe their election promises after the debacle over the 2003 pledge to provide free personal care?
Please feel free to add your own Labour conundrums in the comments section.
Labels: Conference, election promises, manifesto, NHS, Rhodri Morgan, Tony Blair, Welsh Labour
posted by Blamerbell @ 3:53 pm,
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Gibbons: NHS needs more managers
What's the best way to deal with the crumbling NHS in Wales? Could it be employing more front-line staff? Supplying more beds? Investing in better equipment and training staff to use it? Providing patients with drugs and treatment they currently have to travel miles to receive?
No. Top of Health Minister Brian Gibbons' wish list is another tier of managers:
"We will be changing the structure of the health service in south-east Wales with more managers being employed and staff being used more effectively.
"Managers are being interviewed this week and we are hoping to get the right people into the right jobs."
Dr Gibbons also warned that it would take time to sort out deep-rooted problems in the NHS. After ten years of Labour government, patients waiting eleven hours in A&E or being driven there in a fire truck may wonder if employing yet more managers is the best solution.
Labels: Brian Gibbons, Health service, management, managers, NHS, Welsh Labour
posted by Blamerbell @ 3:36 pm,
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It's election time: these are our two 1st priorities
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Tories are playing a very clever trick in the run up to May's elections. Whatever issue is currently hot is suddenly their new first priority. The electorate, after all, has a short memory.
21 October 2006, Party leader Nick Bourne: "Welsh Conservatives will back our NHS. It is our priority above all else. It's as simple and straightforward as that."
Hang on a second!
12 February 2007, Environment spokesman Brynle Williams: "Tackling climate change is our first priority. Wales must do its part to help Britain show global leadership on climate change."
So which is it - NHS or tackling climate change? Both noble causes indeed, but by definition only one can be a first priority.
And yet, three days later...
15 February 2007, Party leader Nick Bourne: "I have made it quite clear that the Welsh Conservatives’ number one priority is our cherished NHS."
Yes, about as clear as the murky sea water that will surely rise to wash away the palm trees on the all new climate change enhanced Welsh riviera.
Labels: Brynle Williams, climate change, Conservative party, election promises, NHS, Nick Bourne, politics, priority, Tories, Welsh Assembly Election 2007
posted by Blamerbell @ 1:10 pm,
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NHS: 'Designed for chaos'
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Plaid yesterday called for the government's ten year NHS strategy to be scrapped.
They say the forward plan, called 'Designed for life', is unworkable, with 'peasant revolts' emerging all over the country against controversial hospital closures and mergers.
The plan, which is now almost two years old, sets out a ten-year vision for the NHS in Wales. However, it often reads more like a dreamy aspiration than a firm guiding document. For instance, by 2012 "the Health Gain Targets for Wales will be achieved," and by 2015 "Wales will have a world class health and social care service in a healthy, dynamic country."
...And children will dance and sing in the streets while they scatter rose petals in the sunshine.
On the ground, people see only wards closing and cost-cutting. Each 'reform' will be met with fierce opposition and Wales will stutter, not sprint, towards 2015.
The Tories have made the NHS their battleground for the Assembly election. Plaid waded in yesterday. Health Minister Brian Gibbons will be glad he's fighting a safe seat, because in the next few months, he's going to have his hands full.
Labels: Brian Gibbons, Conservative party, Designed for Life, Hospital closures, NHS, Plaid Cymru, Welsh Assembly Election 2007
posted by Blamerbell @ 8:46 am,
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