Ermine and pearls

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 11:05 AM | add or read comments (1)

Plaid Cymru peers will soon be sized up for ermine before nestling into the well-padded red leather benches of the House of Lords.

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• Tags:
• lords
• plaid cymru

Get your exes in

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 4:39 PM | add or read comments (0)

The annual returns for Assembly Members' expenses and allowances have been published.
Generally, AMs can claim cash for business travel, running an office, employing staff and overnight accommodation.
Those running a small business might find the figures interesting. They can typically amount to around £90,000-a-year each in total.
North Wales AMs, by necessity, generally claim the most for travelling.
Conservative Mark Isherwood must like the inside of his car at £6,848.75 in mileage, while Lib Dem Eleanor Burnham's preference is mainly for rail among £7,923.54 in claims for 'other travel'.
The figures in full can be found here.

• Tags:
• allowances
• Members

Children in Need

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 9:19 AM | add or read comments (0)

Caught in a moment of quizzical frustration in the Senedd, North Wales Tory AM Brynle Williams' pose just screamed out for a suitable caption.
The idea caught the imagination of colleague David Melding (front) who invited some gentle ridicule, all in the name of charity.
The winning entry came from Abi Oag with: "Brynle rubs his eyes in disbelief when he realised how fast Harry Potter had grown up."
The prize was a bottle of Pol Roger champagne, with proceeds of £62 for Children in Need.
UPDATE: Mr Melding says he was able to take the ribbing in good part, as a boy he was often referred to as 'The Milky Bar Kid'.
Some entries had to be disqualified on grounds of decency, he adds, 'but we took their money any way.'

• Tags:
• brynle williams
• charity
• david melding

Six of one...

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 8:51 AM | add or read comments (0)

Labour’s relatively poor performance in the 2007 Assembly election partly reflected a failure to get its voters to turn out, according to a major study conducted by the Institute of Welsh Politics at Aberystwyth University.
Of those who said they voted Labour in the 2005 general election, more (45%) did not vote at all in 2007 than turned out to vote Labour (37%).
However, Labour remain the most popular party in Wales, with the most popular and visible leaders.

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One to watch

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 10:32 AM | add or read comments (0)

Judging took place at the Angel Hotel in Cardiff for ITV Wales annual Welsh politican of the year awards.
Winners will receive their accolades in front of the cameras at a dinner at City Hall soon.
Viewers were invited to make their nominations ahead of the judging, and as a member of the panel I am sworn to secrecy until the televised event.
Categories ranged from Politician of the Year, to AM, and MP of the year, local politician of the year, campaigner of the year, and 'one to watch'.
Suffice to say there was an earnest discussion about all the categories from among the eight good men and women on the jury.
Second guesses on the eventually line-up are welcome but unfortunately there can give no hints to avoid spoiling the surprises on the night.

• Tags:
• itv wales
• politician of the year.

Counting the pennies

• Posted by Tom Bodden at 7:57 AM | add or read comments (0)

A scratching of heads, pens thrust between clenched teeth, which ruminate rapidly while papers bearing spread sheets rustle relentlessly.
Yes, it’s budget briefing time at the Assembly when willing hacks try to outwit seasoned accountants over the smoke and mirrors that passes for the government’s spending plans.

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• Tags:
• budget
• council tax