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April 2008 Archives

April 29, 2008

X marks the spot

When the one in three voters entitled to make a choice heads for the polling booths on Thursday it is difficult to gauge what might fully motivate the direction of travel for the pencil to place that X in the box.
More often than ever before, it seems driven by some mythical feel-good/bad factor or a raging single issue than a tribal political allegiance or general concern for the standard of schooling locally or lack of kerbside recycling.
Lib dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable reckons that the backlash from Labour’s 10p tax gaffe - doubling the income tax rate for 195,000 Welsh people - could cost them up to 100 seats in Wales on Thursday.
He said Wrexham Labour councillors have written to residents urging them to ignore the national picture and vote only on local issues: "All too often local elections become about national politics-what do you think of the Labour Government? However our local problems deserve a true vote on their own merits. We urge those of you planning to vote on polling day not to vote for or against us just because of our central party. "

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April 29, 2008

Tea and Welsh Cakes

Tea and Welsh cakes marked the retirement of top Welsh civil servant Sir Jon Shortridge as he gave a rare audience with the media in Cardiff Bay.
The permanent secretary to the Assembly Government for nine years, Sir Jon, 61, is one of the old school.
"I took the view I am a public servant, it doesn't necessarily make me a public person," he said.
But he did offer some glimpses inside the world of a real-life 'Sir Humphrey'.

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April 21, 2008

Sex in the Senedd

UPDATE: This from the Assembly Commission today: "The National Assembly has carried out a full internal review of the circumstances of the filming of ‘Caerdydd’.
"We can confirm that at no stage of the negotiations about the use of the building for filming, or during the filming itself, was the content of the scene disclosed by the programme makers.
"Despite this setback, the Assembly is committed to being open and accessible to all, including programme makers and we sincerely hope that this does not prevent us from working with responsible companies in future."
And this from S4C: "S4C has looked into the circumstances surrounding the filming of drama series Caerdydd at the Senedd and is satisfied that the production company followed the correct procedures.
"We are confident that Senedd personnel who dealt with this issue were not misled.”
Spot the difference? This is becoming a true mystery.

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April 15, 2008

Yer 'aving a larf!

Corpsing is defined as breaking into uncontrollable laughter at exactly the wrong moment in front of a camera or audience.

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April 8, 2008

We're all happy Bluebirds now

Cardiff fans
Surely, all Wales - apart from parts of Swansea - is now backing the Bluebirds to complete the remarkable feat of taking the FA Cup out of England for the first time since 1927.
But at the other end of the footy spectrum, the outlook is black.
Can we contemplate Wrexham playing Conference football, leaving just two Welsh clubs in the Football League?

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Welcome to ‘Gog in the Bay’, the occasional diary of a political journalist. My name is Tom Bodden, the Welsh Affairs Correspondent of The Daily Post, which is North Wales’ best selling newspaper. I am based full-time at the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff Bay.

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