Here is a great graphic outlining arguments for and against filming at council meetings.
For and against filming council meetings
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Rhondda Cynon Taff, says maybe if you ask
After submitting nineteen FOI requests to Welsh councils, I have heard back form one. Rhondda Cynon Taff have recently amended their constitution (20.1) to include the following rule on filming and taking photographs at their council meetings:
“Proceedings at meetings may not be photographed, videoed, sound recorded or transmitted in anyway outside the meeting without prior permission of the Mayor. Failure to comply with this rule may invoke Rule 19.4 (Members to leave meeting) and 20.1 (Removal of members of the public).”
So what would happen to you under rule 20.1? Well the following…
“If a member of the public interrupts proceedings, the Mayor will warn the person concerned. If they continue to interrupt, the Mayor will order their removal from the meeting room.”
It is unclear how holding a phone (or any recording equipment) up in the public gallery could “interrupt proceedings”. It is also unclear on what criteria the mayor will allow or disallow filming at council meetings. I have replied to the council to clarify this point, and I am currently awaiting a reply.
No Pylons in Montgomeryshire
Welsh Govt to set limits on rural windfarms. Montgomeryshire pylons and sub-station "not needed"—
Vaughan Roderick (@VaughanRoderick) June 17, 2011
It would seem that people power is alive and kicking. Anti-pylon campaigners in Montgomeryshire will be celebrating this evening with the announcement from the First Minister, Carwyn Jones that the Welsh Government will be setting limits on rural windfarms and so Montgomeryshire Pylons and sub-stations are not needed.
The First Minister said,
“ My Government would not support the construction of large pylons in Mid Wales and my Ministers are pressing this case with National Grid Transmission and with Ofgem”
The statement can be read in full here. This has been a fast moving campaign which has found success faster thatn many had expected.
FOI on blogging, tweeting, and filming at council meetings
Since the fiasco at Carmarthenshire council meeting last week, I have sent requests for information from 19 of Wales’ 22 local authorities concerning their policies on tweeting blogging and filming at their meetings. This has been done under the Freedom of information Act, and so they have 20 days to respond. The remaining 3 local authorities have been contacted by another person, so we should get a clear picture of the situation in Wales.
Get askin’ them questions!
After hearing the terrible way Carmarthenshire County council treated a Jacqui Thompson and seeing that a FOI request was sent to the council in question about their policies on blogging, tweeting, and filming at council meetings, I thought it would be great to see how each of Wales’ 22 councils treat these issues. So I have already put a request into my council, Powys. I urge you to do so with your council.
What a load of tosh!….oh wait that might be a good idea!
So Plaid Cymru were ridiculed for their plans called Build4Wales where bonds would be issued to pay for investment in Welsh infrastructure etc. However it would seem that the UK government have agreed that this is a great idea, and offered it to Scotland. So what about Wales? When will Wales get its “Calman like” commission that was promised, and when will we be getting borrowing powers so we can pay our own way.
Incidentally, it would seem that Labour have decided that a few months after the election campaign that this is now a good idea. As Mabon ap Gwynfor succinctly puts it:
“Who is it that called it Pie in the sky? Lib Dems.
Who called in “ineffective”? Conservatives
Who said it was “to good to be true”? Labour”
Sound advice from my local Conservative Assembly Member
Sound advice from my local Conservative Assembly Member!
Federalism and devolution?
A while ago I wrote this post a while ago, when i first received David Melding’s book. In it he argues that for the union to survive, the UK should look to a federal future. Mr Melding’s view is a departure from the traditional Conservative view on constitutional matters. His argument is well thought out, and is likely to find sympathetic ears from both Labour supporters and Plaid supporters. I’m not as sure how much support he is finding within his own party to this idea.
David Melding has recently written a blog post for the Institute of Welsh Affairs, where he argued that the UK has been one of the most successful states, however many would disagree. Sure there has been no revolution nor dissolution, however we do have devolution, an ad hoc arrangement that has no real clear direction.
This unplanned (if you could call it that) constitutional arrangement can’t be anything other than ad hoc, after all the entire British constitution is ad hoc, and is designed to suit the needs of which ever party occupies No. 10. What David Melding argues is that the UK needs a written constitution that outlines the roles of the UK government and the home nations’ governments. He also suggests that Lords reform should be used to give each home country equality within the a ‘Federal Britain’ through over-representation of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
I for one support a written constitution, and an equal representation to each home country within the Lords; an arrangement that has worked well for each state in the USA. Of course parliament’s lower chamber would be proportional to the population.
In his posting, David Melding doesn’t go into any detail about the jurisdiction of the UK parliament and the respected devolved bodies. A federal argument is something I hope develops within the ‘unionist’ parties, only then will Wales have a clear path for devolution.
What have they got to hide?
caebrwyn arrested (c)Alex Murray Smith
I was shocked to see news of the arrest of a blogger in Carmarthen for the terrible crime of… filming a council meeting from the public gallery. Yes, it would seem that Carmarthenshire county council have something that it doesn’t want to be filmed. In today’s connected world this story was across twitter and on the Telegraph website.
Carmarthenshire County Council meeting: woman arrested for filming proceedings http://tgr.ph/lwsUKA—
The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 10, 2011
It’s a sad situation to find that a supposedly democratic body stops its meeting in order to have a member of the public arrested for filming proceedings, what have they to hide? I welcome the work @caebrwyn is doing holding the council to account and bringing council proceedings to the public.
There is no wonder that councils across the country are dominated by cliques when they actively oppose transparency and openness.
It is a welcome sight to see more people tweeting blogging, and (attempting to) film council proceedings. Lets hope more people will be willing to draw attention to what councils do.
Jacqui Thompson (caebrwyn) has started a petition to the Welsh Assembly on the issue of filming local government proceedings and openness, I urge you to sign it HERE
UPDATE 13/6/11 : It was only a matter of time before a Freedom of Information request was made. Lets hope the response will give some clarity on the situation.
Here is the video of what happened in the chamber.
Ieuan to go
Picture: Plaid Cymru
So, Ieuan Wyn Jones has announced that he will go in the first half of this Assembly term. I doubt I’m the first one to raise the question, “who will be in the running?”
First of all I should consider whether this is a good thing for the Party. I was intending to wait until Carwyn Jones had announced his government before blogging about why Ieuan should go. Yes, Ieuan led the party into a coalition government for the first time, and had served as Deputy First Minister from 2007 to 2011. And yes it was Plaid with him at the helm who secured a referendum on ‘more powers to Wales’ – all of which, achievements and milestones.
However, between 2000 and 2011, Plaid has slipped from a strong second Party in Welsh politics, to a weak third. 1999 was a strong showing, maybe a swell of support for due to the creation of the new Assembly, and a sense of pride in our new fledgling democracy. However the following 3 election weren’t to live up to the success of the first. It is certainly time for Plaid
Eleven years is a very long time to lead a party, and it certainly time for Ieuan to step aside. Plaid needs to identify its purpose, what will its role be in this decade? What is the next step in the national project? So, who then could possibly take over from Ieuan?
Here are, who I think could be contenders (in no particular preference):
Rhodri Glyn Thomas: This would not be a step forward for the Party. I believe this would be much of the same, it would be a continuation of what we’ve had over the last decade. However, he could be a possible stop-gap untill 2016, when Adam Price might return to Welsh politics.
Simon Thomas: Although he is a newbie to the Assembly, a novice he is not. Former MP and special advisor to the previous Welsh government, Simon certainly could be what Plaid needs to take it forward.
Leanne Wood: Could Leanne, who is on the left-wing of the Party, win enough support to lead the Party. A few have already suggested that she could be what the Party needs to win in the Valleys and North East Wales. I for one don’t think that it’ll be as easy as that.
Dafydd Elis Thomas: Of course lets not forget the former Presiding officer. Never one to shy away, could Dafydd be tempted to take the leadership once again? He’s already said how Plaid worked well with Labour, could Plaid under him find itself in perpetual coalition with Labour?
Elin Jones: One of the Plaid ministers in the previous Government, I think Elin would be a popular leader with both left and right in the party.
Or could there be a surprise contender? Interesting times.
