Comings and goings and stayings

Bubble — By Daran Hill on May 29, 2010 5:41 pm

The secret's out - German's off

THE decision to make Mike German AM a working Liberal Democrat peer is a sensible and worthy one. He has been a significant member of the National Assembly for over a decade and left an indelible mark on both his party and the institution. In 2000 he took his party into government in Wales and in 2007 would have managed it again if the party had been ready to do so. He was always far-sighted when it came to devolution and back in 1997 I found him one of the most professional and effective people engaged for the Yes for Wales campaign. His grasp of procedure and political nuance is second to none and his friends and colleagues will be sad to lose him from the Assembly, but also confident that he will do an effective job for Wales in Westminster.

For as long as Parliament retains an appointed chamber, there will be a need for people of high calibre to be there and to speak for Wales. This is especially true for as long as the Legislative Competence Order process continues, since the Lords has a key role in approving LCOs, and in that process Lib Dem peers have shown themselves diligent and capable.

There remains, however, the niggle that no Plaid Cymru peers have been named in the dissolution list. Dafydd Wigley and Eurfyl ap Gwilym would be excellent representatives for Wales in Westminster and it is well past the time that they were elevated to the red benches. It would be good for Plaid and good for Wales.

New girl on the block

Mike’s departure means that the next person on the Liberal Democrat list for South Wales East takes his place in the Assembly. By quirk it is Veronica German. She may be his wife, but she is very much a person in her own right. An effective and passionate campaigner, she performed a political quickstep in 2008 when she moved from Newport Council to Torfaen. She has worked for Mike in his constituency office and some years ago was also Kirsty Williams’ Assembly researcher. Veronica’s science background, amongst other things, will be an interesting addition to the collective pool of experience at the Assembly. And she’s also a lot of fun. Expect her to make a mark.

Someone who has gone somewhere but is going nowhere too is Alun Cairns. As reflected previously, he offered to resign as an Assembly Member having been elected to Westminster and for a time it looked like this would come to pass. But the smart money in the Welsh Conservatives always told me it wouldn’t come to pass. So Alun stays and makes the noble and important decision not to take his Assembly salary. Nobody is pretending this situation is ideal, but it’s a good compromise that will stick. And I’m glad my old school friend will still be around the Assembly.

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5 Comments

  1. Dominic Hannigan says:
    May 29, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    Isn’t another possibility in Tory minds that Chris Smart will get so angry he will say or do something that would leave the way open for alun to have his resignation accepted? After all, if the next person on the list is no longer a party member, succession is allowed to jump a place.

  2. steve says:
    May 29, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    Don’t actually expect Alun Cairns to be in the Assembly that much. He doesn’t want to be there and wont be.

    As for the Lib Dems. For all their talk of ‘new politics’ they have made one AM a lord and he has left allowing his wife to take office. If that isn’t ‘old politics’ what is?

  3. Marcus Warner says:
    May 29, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    Steve,

    At the end of the day, Veronica was selected second, she should not be stopped from trying to stand because her husband does.

    However – http://plaidpanteg.blogspot.com/2010/05/veronica-german-should-step-down-as.html

    She should step down as a Torfaen Councillor. Every minute she is working as an AM, she is not doing so as a Councillor. We already have one Lib Dem councillor whose attendance (albeit through illness, but still taking the crust) is woeful.

    And before people throw rocks, if Plaid AMs are also councillors, then still say that no one should be an AM and Councillor, AM and MP full stop.

  4. Jeff Jones says:
    May 30, 2010 at 9:38 am

    We must be one of the only democracies in the world where politicians who are continually rejected by their fellow citizens at the ballot box can still attain office by the back door and therefore have influence over the lives of others in society. The dissolution honours list illustrates once again how the Labour Party elite squandered the opportunity to really transform UK politics. Hopefully as right wing Liberal Democrats merge with the Tories, Labour in the 21st century will once again become the party which will make the UK a true democracy in which those who wish to pass laws which affect the lives of their fellow citizens are always made directly acccountable through the ballot box for their decisions.

  5. Angela says:
    May 30, 2010 at 10:20 am

    I have always thought Mike German was a good politician and he did well in coalition. I think the Lib Dems have missed him as a leader.
    No idea about the calibre of his wife, I just hope she is sparky, we need that and it would be good to have another woman in situ
    The guy in the Vale, I don’t understand why they don’t just deselect him. I think its farce that Alun C will just be there in title only, the Vale needs a living presence in the Assembly and in effect it leaves the Tories one down to scrutinise.
    Either Chris Smart is good to stand or he isn’t, sort it and stop politicking

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