Good to be back
As I hurried off to Neath was rife I see.
Right surname but wrong job as it happens. Mr Murphy it was but Paul Murphy - Torfaen's MP and the man some had expected to emerge as spritual leader of the anti-referendum-on-further-powers campaign, let alone an anti-further-powers campaign.
Instead he's back in cabinet, back in charge of a 'smooth transition' of powers to Cardiff, just as he was in 1999. Those are his own words by the way unless my ear-piece was playing up.
As he's pointed out already tonight he was no fan of devolution back then but he did his job. Now he must do it again and work with the Assembly Government - a coalition government he never, ever wanted to exist. His job, he says, is "not to frustrate anybody". Colleagues from the opposition benches seem to want to believe him. He is, they say, a gentleman. 'What you see with Paul is what you get' says one, suggesting only in the tone of his voice that he wouldn't have chosen those particular words to describe his predecessor.
Should they be surprised that Paul Murphy has already said he agrees with Peter Hain and does not believe "there will be a referendum this side of a General Election"? (I'm relying on ear-pieces and dodgy satellite links again but I'm pretty sure that's what he said).
No of course they shouldn't.
And it's not just colleagues from London, or from other parties who will wonder what lies ahead. Things weren't rosy in the Hain/Morgan garden - that much was obvious. What of Murphy/Morgan?
By the way just as Peter Hain's day couldn't get any worse, it did. As his agent and ever-loyal former agent arrived at Mr Hain's constituency home to greet the media, they tried a clever manoeuvre and reversed straight into the lamp-post at the top of the drive.
That damage, at least, can easily be put right.
I'm Betsan Powys, 大象传媒 Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
颁辞尘尘别苍迟蝉听听 Post your comment
Personally, I'm disappointed at the UK PM's choice of Welsh Secretary, but not really surprised, bearing in mind that Brown has professed in public to be a staunch believer in the Union. Hopefully, Murphy will only occupy the post in the short term. Personally, I would have preferred someone else 鈥 I can think of two women who would have done the job very well, even if the appointment of either might have had a knock-on effect, but I'll say no more.
To Paul Murphy,
I watched your interview on the 大象传媒 last night and was impressed with your emphasis on providing good public services and avoided commenting on devolution. In that respect may I remind you of this quote from Tony Blair
鈥榯he difference between democracy and tyranny is not that in a democracy bad things do not happen, but that in a democracy when they do happen people are held and brought to account,鈥 Hansard 19 Jan 2005 : Column 804
This means that all students in Wales have a common law right that is also enshrined in the Higher Education Act 2004 to complain about the University of Wales. However the University does not have any complaints procedures and refuses to implement any despite being a legal requirement under Administrative Law and stipulated in guidelines published by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. Moreover, HM the Queen as Visitor despite having no longer having any jurisdiction has written to the First Minister on this issue, unfortunately he seems too busy posturing over prisons and slapping. He fails to realise that if adult students are not safe in our Universities then neither are the children of the adults, an issue that will be taken up with the Children鈥檚 Commissioner in due course.
You may be wondering is there more to this and you are right there is, the good thing that has happened over the Peter Hain affair is that people are now ready to believe the unbelievable. He was caught out by legislation that was passed without realising the consequences, the same has happened over the Charity Act 2006; it threatens to do the same for Welsh Universities and the Assembly Government what the Electoral Commission did for him.
Lastly, I have attempted to bring this situation to the attention of your predecessor without success; its seems the only way people can be heard is over the internet as all other avenues are being obstructed by the Welsh Assembly Government.
This raises the question of what do you propose to do about the situation?
鈥淧eter Hain has done the honourable thing and fallen into his Think Tank鈥
Hey, it鈥檚 now 鈥淢urphy鈥檚 Law鈥! Leave the 鈥渟macking鈥 of Peter Hain to us!鈥
I though our Paul was particularly 鈥渄iplomatic and consoling鈥 in his 大象传媒 interviews today鈥︹滻 have obviously noticed that some of my fellow members in parliament are Neo-Plaid. Almost human on a personal basis, if politically of course a bunch of uncouth ruffians鈥hat the hell was Rhodri thinking of!鈥
2011鈥n your dreams!
Day off today but the ear-piece wasn't dodgy then: he DID say General Election.
Paul Murphy has been in politics for a great number of years, and throughout his career he has, in my opinion and a lot of others, the correct thing. He may not totally agree with devolution, but democracy has spoken and he will work with this.
The other main advantage of Murphy over Hain is that he works for the people and not for himself. Peter Hain only ever looked for himself, went on TV whenever he could, at least twice a week on most occasions just to promote himself. Paul Murphy will concentrate more on providing rather than looking for himself.
Lets not forget Murphys work in Northern Ireland between 97-99 and 02-05. Lets not jump and give all the plaudits to Hain too quickly. Murphy worked on the Good Friday agreement, as well as work extremely hard as Secretary of State.
Hopefully Paul Murphy is here to stay on a long term basis, he will be better for all people in Wales in the long run.
Anybody care to put money on Peter Hain turning up as an EU Commissioner? He appears to be qualified...
I would rather have seen Kim Howells in the job than Paul Murphy - he would have been more entertaining and that's important when I can't take much that happens in Cardiff Bay seriously...
Not least because most of the policies they are persuing were actually handed down from the real government in Brussels!
And that's something that doesn't come through 大象传媒 ear-pieces very clearly either - right Betsan?
I would have preferred Kim Howells to Paul Murphy - he would surely have been more entertaining! This is important when I can't really take seriously much of what the toy Wales government does, since about 80% of the policies it is forced to implement are just handed down from our real government in Brussels...
But that is something else that doesn't come through your 大象传媒 ear-piece too clearly, isn't it Betsan?
Mind you, with 大象传媒 racking up about 拢141m of soft looking loans over the last few years, from the EU sponsored EIB, it's hardly surprising that the sheeple are deprived of a coherant commentary on the realities of politics while the trivia comes to the fore...
Dunno about anybody else but I haven't been able to post for days - yet more 502 errors from the server box... I reckon 大象传媒 owe me at least as much as my TV Tax in compensation for such a low level of service provision!
Was Paul Murphy the person who said "I will never talk to terrorist referring to the Labour Plaid coalition"