British banks quizzed on exposure to Dubai crisis | Business | The Guardian

British banks quizzed on exposure to Dubai crisis | Business | The Guardian: "The Financial Services Authority is understood to have demanded that the firms it regulates are open about their exposure to the troubled Dubai entities and along with the tripartite authorities – which also include the Bank of England and the Treasury - the FSA is continuing to monitor the situation closely"


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How about a list of things the banks are exposed to?

Where do I start?

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian: "And here is the remarkable thing: with Labour more than likely to lose next year's general election to the Tories, and Alex Salmond entrenched in Edinburgh until 2011 at the earliest, whoever wins will probably become his party's biggest executive hitter – a kind of left-leaning Boris Johnson, with the added bonus of being in charge of a whole country, and possibly becoming the de facto leader of any anti-Conservative resistance.
When I mention that prospect, Jones – raised 40-odd miles away in the Bridgend constituency that he represents – is at pains to seem somewhere between unimpressed and horrified. 'Under no circumstances would I want that to happen,' he says. 'It would be bad for the party. Not because it would be me, but because we wouldn't have a Labour government in Westminster.'"


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What happens in 2011 if Labour loses its AMs? It could be a very short period of euphoria...

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian: "Hart is by far the leadership race's most unspun voice, who last week caused a brouhaha connected to the fact that she doesn't speak her country's native tongue. As some see it, Morgan's bilingualism built Welsh-speaking into the first minister's role. Jones ticks that box, and Lewis is learning the language, but Hart told an interviewer that its importance is perhaps overrated.
To massed gasps, her choicest quote ran as follows: 'I'd also find it very useful if I could speak some other languages like Bengali or Chinese when I'm in the Swansea community.'
She tells me that rating any candidate by their linguistic facility is akin to 'judging them on having red hair, or how loud they shout at the rugby'. And such bluntness is carried over into just about everything she talks about. Keen to maintain the fabled 'clear red water' that separates Cardiff and Westminster, all three candidates sit well to the left of, say, Lord Mandelson – but Hart is as old Labour as could be imagined."


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Why doesn't she learn Bengali then?

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian

Next Welsh first minister could lead Labour's post-election resistance | Politics | The Guardian: "'I'm a convinced devolutionist,' he says. 'What I'm frustrated about is that my party has subsumed its basic mission into something quite different: the future of the assembly and Wales's constitutional arrangements, instead of the future of Welsh communities.'"


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Absolutely spot on, but this is what happens when humans are drunk with power.

BBC News - Hain 'no veto' pledge on powers

BBC News - Hain 'no veto' pledge on powers: "On Tuesday, senior Plaid sources had threatened an end to the coalition if the issue was not clarified.
It followed a Labour statement ruling out any progress before the UK general election on a referendum to give the assembly full law-making powers.
The statement was issued in the name of Mr Hain, Welsh Labour chair Garry Owen and First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Rhodri Morgan.
Sources had called the Labour news release the most serious threat to the coalition since its formation in 2007."


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As the 'coalition' it is such an uncomfortable alliance of alien policy makers it should never have been allowed, it only exists so that power mad Labour AMs can appease the truly self-serving Plaid Cymru element who use the Welsh language as a smokescreen for their attempts to 'assimilate' non-Welsh speakers while feathering their own nests.

Daily Post North Wales - Business - News - Assembly finance minister answers criticism of Spatial Plan

Daily Post North Wales - Business - News - Assembly finance minister answers criticism of Spatial Plan: "Assembly Member Eleanor Burnham said a north east Wales-based pressure group had claimed that the Spatial Plan was “completely anti-democratic”.
Mr Davies said he did not know “where that idea comes from” because preparation of the Spatial Plan had been subject to democratic procedures in local authorities and the Assembly itself."


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I have to support the criticism of this 'Spatial Plan', the people have never been consulted and it therefore follows that it is indeed "completely undemocratic".

BBC News - Coalition in danger of collapsing

BBC News - Coalition in danger of collapsing: "'Because a 'No' vote in a referendum could set back devolution for several decades, triggering the referendum process needs to be based on a firm prospect that public opinion is ready to respond positively in the referendum."


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Is this democratic? Or have I missed something here?

Tory councils 'less likely to grant planning permission' - Planning Resource Daily Bulletin - PlanningResource

Tory councils 'less likely to grant planning permission' - Planning Resource Daily Bulletin - PlanningResource: "Conservative councils are less likely to grant planning permission for new homes, according to research published today."

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Even less chance with a Plaid Cymru council, unless you are one of them of course!

BBC News - 'Failures' of scrapped jet repair work that cost £113m

BBC News - 'Failures' of scrapped jet repair work that cost £113m: "Mr Morgan said his colleagues welcomed the learning of lessons but also recognised there 'is still some uncertainty as a result of devolution about the way in which public bodies should work tighter on a project of this kind'."


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Dear Mr Morgan

There will be some uncertainty as a result of devolution.... full stop

RAF Hawk jets come within 50ft during training exercise over Wales - Telegraph

RAF Hawk jets come within 50ft during training exercise over Wales - Telegraph: "The pilots failed to spot each other until the final moment because of the their low altitudes and the rolling terrain, it was found."

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Once upon a time they were organised, now they fly willy nilly all over the shop and even in opposite directions at the same time!!

Very dangerous practiced at RAF valley nowadays.

Very annoying too with constant aerobatics overhead, particularly in the Snowdonia National Park.

Bring back Llanbedr airfield.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | Park airfield request turned down

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | Park airfield request turned down: "Its director, Alun Pugh said: 'It's a question of planning. The site was used by the military in recent years for a very specialist type of research and development, but that doesn't give them carte blanche to conduct all sorts of general aviation operations.
'As a society we have always pressed for a full and public debate on this and the best way to do that is to have a full and formal application for planning permission.'"


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Dear NIMBY

Thanks for nothing.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales 'old fashioned' says study

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales 'old fashioned' says study: "He said: 'Unfortunately, these stereotypes are still out there. We have got to try to address these stereotypes but make sure once people are here these stereotypes are really addressed and people go away feeling that there is a tremendous welcome and that this is a modern and vibrant country.
'There are a small number of miserable people in any part of any country in the world.
'What we have got to make sure is when tourists come here they are treated properly.'"


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Lots of 'stereotypes' in that paragraph!

Yes there are lots of miserable people in parts of Wales, Gwynedd in particular, they don't want visitors in case they decide they like it and then buy a house!!

£4,350 per family to bail out Britain's banks - Telegraph

£4,350 per family to bail out Britain's banks - Telegraph: "The near-collapse of RBS resulted in the resignation of Sir Fred Goodwin, its chief executive, who led its aggressive expansion into investment banking. His house in Edinburgh was attacked by protesters after it was disclosed that he had retired on an annual pension of £703,000, later reduced to £342,000."

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Not much of a pay cut in the scheme of things, the rest of society wonder why is is allowed to have a pension or even stay in this country.

BBC NEWS | Wales | AMs pass bid for language powers

BBC NEWS | Wales | AMs pass bid for language powers: "'The increase in the number of children who receive their education through Welsh is encouraging but despite the success, it is still a battle to increase the use beyond the school gates. '"

'Clearer'

Mr Jones said part of that effort was the commitment in the One Wales coalition agreement signed by Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru to establish the right to use Welsh when accessing services.

"The LCO recognises that public, private and voluntary organisations play an important role in the provision of services to the public in Wales and recognises the need to make things clearer.

"Members of the public in Wales want to receive consistent and high quality [services] through the medium of Welsh."


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The language will only survive beyond the school gates when it is of use beyond Wales where most of our youngters have to go to establish careers which are outside the public sector.

Alun Ffred Jones said: "Members of the public want to receive consistent and high quality [services] through the medium of Welsh." Dear Mr Jones, please supply the evidence in each county, each town and each community, public statements must be supported by fact, not rhetoric.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Plastic bag charges by May 2011

BBC NEWS | Wales | Plastic bag charges by May 2011: "The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said customers should be encouraged to change, and not 'clobbered' with new 'taxes'."




Could not agree more, give them some powers and they will abuse them.

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But Ms Davidson said the evidence showed that "introducing a charge works".

"Ikea and Marks & Spencer already charge for bags and they have seen reductions of between 80% and 90%," she said


Has anyone noticed how badly both companies are doing in the marketplace?

Daily Post North Wales - News - North Wales News - Luxury cruise liners to pump nearly £1m into North Wales economy

Daily Post North Wales - News - North Wales News - Luxury cruise liners to pump nearly £1m into North Wales economy: "Cllr Bryan Owen, economic portfolio holder at Anglesey council, said: “This is definitely good news for Anglesey, tourism has been one industry that has held its own over the credit crunch and given a boost to the island."


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Is the news good enough to rescue the Council? Will the passengers simply cross the island to get to the mainland attractions?

Crime Fighting Is Getting A New Take On Crime Scene Cleaning | The Gov Monitor

Crime Fighting Is Getting A New Take On Crime Scene Cleaning | The Gov Monitor: "“Ultima Cleaning has continued to expand and move into new markets and I am pleased it has been benefited from the range of specialist support from the Assembly Government that has helped it grow to become an important employer in the region.”"


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Very enterprising but what does it do for manufacturing in Wales, apart from cleaning things...........

BBC NEWS | Politics | Iraq inquiry hearing 'snub' claim

BBC NEWS | Politics | Iraq inquiry hearing 'snub' claim: "Mr Llwyd said Wales has been 'completely left off the radar' by the decision not to hold any hearings in Wales.
He said: 'Yet again, Wales is barely an afterthought."


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Does he also suffer from the well know affliction: Plaid persecution complex?