Paul Flynn - Read My Day

Real Newport Unveiled.

Real and raw

Tonight at 7.00 at the Riverfront,  there will be a unique event.

Ann Drysdale's thrilling revelations of the delights of Newport will be launched. Named 'Real Newport' the book has convinced me that I have been viewing  the city through a haze of half light. Now revealed in sparkling Technicolor are the city's treasures and secrets.

Who knew that the new police HQ is a giant Lego construction, that the new pedestrian bridge is overtly sexual, that the River Ebbw is a 'bloke' and his 'buttie' is the Sirhowy, and that Dr Who's K9 broke the municipal by-laws in Belle Vue park?

Ann makes the ordinary exceptional, the familiar glow with new interest, and the drab warm and intriguing. She resents the Newportonian failing of downplaying the city's virtues. She hope that the Transporter Bridge will assert the city's pride and,

'stretch her glorious legs, straighten the seams of her mesh stockings and mince through Pill on spikey heels-- pausing only to wink at the naked sailor on Gilligan's  island.'

After reading Real Newport for the first time, I sent her a fan e-mail of extravagant praise. She replied that she will keep it close and dab some of it behind her ears  at times of low spirits.

She once worked for the Argus- as she points out pronounced locally with an added 't' at the end. Someone noticed that they had a gifted writer on the staff, who produced work of elegance, humour, wit and sensitivity. The Argus has always taken a firm line with that sort of excess. Her desk disappeared and she left with a few cuttings from a pot plant.

She wrote a column named "Afterthoughts' which alternated with a political gossip column that I wrote. She says that I "remember the small liaison with pleasure, though we slipped past each other like ships in the night, settling turn about into each other's still warm spot.'

Everyone with affection for the city will be bereft if they fail to see Real Newport through through the eyes of Ann the poet. We are indebted to her. Thank you, Ann.

Real Newport published by Seren at £9.99.

Steve Fairie

The sad news of the death of former Councillor Steve Fairie has been announced. He passed away on Monday in New Zealand.

He was a doughty fighter for Bettws and one of the City council's unsung heroes. His politics were sharply focused on his socialist roots and he was loyal to his party and his colleagues. This news will greatly sadden the thousands of people that he helped in a long period of service to the city. He stood down at the last election because of failing health.
The funeral is to take place in New Zealand but a gathering of people will be arranged in Newport when the family return from New Zealand.  There will be no religious service or flowers, this is at Steve's request.

paulflynn@talk21.com

Bureaucracy prolongs suffering

Prolonging grief

The middle aged son of a local family died in hospital almost a year ago. There were some small questions about the cause of death and the coroner called for an inquest. It has just been held. The family found the delay distressing. When the coroner was approached in September last year  she was fully committed until Christmas.

I was in a similar position to this family in 1979. As I recall the inquest was about 5 weeks after the death. I well remember the sense of foreboding waiting for it and the sense of relief when it was all over. There is no doubt that delays add to the grief.

I have written to the coroner asking whether there has been any recent deterioration in the waiting times. If so, what are the reasons for this and what remedies are necessary. While I am sure that the cause of the delays are outside the control of the coroner, Government action may be necessary to clear the backlog.

This case was straight forward and involved only medical evidence from two physicians. Deaths of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are understandably complex and there are very long waiting periods.

Loss of love ones is inevitably dreadful. Bureaucracy should not add to the suffering.

From the jaws of defeat

A neighbour called in with an unexpected memento. He had been rummaging through 'his mother's papers' and found an election address from May 1972.

The picture is an impossibly young beardless me standing in the hopeless seat of Allt-yr-yn. Subject in my message include 'bleak uniformity of the town centre redevelopment', 'socialism', 'redeveloping the Ridgeway prefabs' ' and 'justice for the elderly'. Not much change there.

I came third behind a winning Tory and a Liberal. Labour won all Newport's other 12 seats. Two months later, I was elected in a bye-election in Malpas. It was the first time that all 13 Labour candidates were elected.

Privilege
This early day Motion was tabled on the Commons Order Paper on January 17th this year. Anyone with information should contact me or the police.

That this House is appalled that a company that went into liquidation in 2006 continues to trade as Howells Windows and Conservatories of Gibbs Road, Newport; understands that the company has pressurised at least nine customers to pay deposits of sums up to £9,000 without subsequently starting any work; notes that the company continues to seek work and deposits in 2007; and is concerned that few remedies are available in law for the customers to retrieve their deposits or to prosecute the offenders.

paulflynn@talk21.com .

Blame pharmas - not NICE

Another sad story about a lady who is ill with lung cancer. Her family has decided to buy the drug Tarceva in order to prolong her life. I hope it's successful.  I was faced with an identical situation with my sister 18 months ago. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was given a year to live.

Out of the blue I was approached by a public relations company touting for Tarceva. Perhaps this could be a lifeline, I thought.  I contacted my sister immediately and she passed on the information to her doctor. The family would have gone to any expense to secure a few extra weeks of life. The doctor strongly advised against it.

The information of the use of Tarceva for lung cancer was not convincing. For pancreatic cancer there was a clearer picture. Trials had proved that it prolonged life for an average of 12 days only and produced side effects including death in 10% of patients. The whole family agreed that we should not press for it to be used.

I hope there is some more persuasive information from the trials available now. The evidence on Tarceva was certainly not clear 18 months ago. Sadly not all the new drugs are miracle cures. Even drugs like Herceptin has very limited benefits in a minority of patients. We all wish this lady from Caerleon and other cancer patients well. The progress in diagnosis and cure has been remarkable recently. 

The decisions that NICE have to make are impossible ones. Spending on vastly expensive drugs might or might not prolong life in some patients.  The cost could be to deny life saving treatment for others where drugs are available at reasonable cost. There is no easy solution. The decisions are best when made by objective clinicians and not as a result of the pressure  of campaigns by public relations companies employed by pharmaceutical companies.

The pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing and pr than they do on research. there is usually a pr man behind many of the stories that the papers publish about individual patients. If the pharmas cut their pr and marketing spending the price of their drugs could be slashed. Today I had a grateful e-mail from a constituent who complained a fortnight ago that the drug Velcade was not available in Wales. I assured him it was but I believe it not available on the NHS in England. His physician confirmed that it has been used on the NHS in Wales for three years and assured him that his myeloma was not sufficiently advanced to justify its use yet.

My sister lived for eight months beyond her expected date. The period was a happy and fulfilling one. She wanted to live life to the full. That included a joyous trip to Parliament and a night at a Rolling Stones concert. The family believe that her personal attitude was more life-enhancing than a fistful of drugs. She had to use pain killers in the last weeks, but she remained alert, humorous and positive until the end. We are grateful for the treatment she had in the NHS - especially that in a hospice in the final days.

Don't spit on the decks

New "Sus" laws?

'Don't spit on the deck or shout at the new helmsman' was Stanley Baldwin's advice to ex-Prime Ministers.

Was yesterday's Sunday Times article by Tony Blair a sign that he intends to do a great deal of both?  Possibly he plans an axis of provocation with John Reid.

They are both out to crank up the fear of terrorism that they have greatly increased by their involving the UK in Bush's war in Iraq. Already there is a perception of discrimination among Muslim Communities.

To avoid deepening that fear, many Labour MPs and the Tory frontbench last time opposed the extension of the right to hold suspects beyond 28 days. Blair used that to attack the Tories as being 'soft' on terrorists. If the Blair/Reid proposal for new 'sus' comes to Parliament, will it be left to conscientious Labour and LibDems MPs to do the right thing?  Then, to be exposed to the flack as 'friends of terrorists" once again.

Chartist Renewal

The threat to the Chartist Murals is a worry.

I recall them being unveiled There was disappointment then that it was displayed in a dark alley. The artist used the faces of council officers as soldiers. One is Bill Kershaw a former Borough Engineer. Are there any others that anyone can identify?

There will a public meeting to discuss this on  Monday June 11th at 6.30 pm in St. Mary's Institute, Stow Hill. No doubt, theere will be usual Council bashing, But I hope there will be some practical suggestions. I cannot attend but I will be represented.

There is no Labour Councillor or party member in Newport who  does not cherish  Chartist history. The present mayor Allan Morris is especially knowledgeable. If it is impractical at reasonable cost to preserve the murasl or find a better site , then an improved Chartist memorial should replace it.

We already have the greatly admired statues in front of the Westgate. What new ideas are there?

Drugs wars don't work

America has spent billions battling the drug industry in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. And the result? Production as high as ever, street prices at a new low, and the governments of the region in open revolt.

One of the reasons we went into Afghanistan was to end the supply of heroin. In 2001 90% of the heroin on the streets of Britain came from Afghanistan. Now, after 57 UK deaths, thespending of more than £200 million on crop irradiation, poppy production is at an all time high, and 90% of heroin in the UK comes from Afghanistan. There is a difference, the UK heroin street prices are the lowest they have ever been

The immensely costly "war on drugs" in Latin America is slowly collapsing. The £13bn that Washington has spent trying to control narcotics over the past 15 years in Latin America has  been wasted.

In 2005 Colombia, Peru and Bolivia had the capacity to produce 910 metric tons a year. As more productive strains of coca bushes appear, production has been increasing.
Unsurprisingly, the price of cocaine on US streets has tumbled, according to the White House drug tsar John Walters, to $135 (£70) a gram, a fraction of the $600 a gram it was fetching in 1981. The purity of cocaine has gone from 60 per cent in mid-2003 to more than 70 per cent last October.

Like the conflict in Iraq, the war against drug is lost. Time for an alternative intelligent strategy?

Click on pics to enlarge

paulflynn@talk21.com

Secret thoughts revealed -exclusively

What are leaders of the four Welsh parties thinking as they lounge in bed on this  grey wet morning?

Rhodri Morgan. It was strange week but Friday was deeply satisfying . Nothing can be the same, but with Trish Law dithering and almost on board, plus half a dozen Plaid and LibDems who see the rainbow as a kamikaze self-immolation, any new coalition would be fragile. The possibility of a fresh election looked a nightmare last week. Now it's an agreeable dream. Welsh voters will not understand if  a government  led by the most successful  party created on Friday, without opposition, is now ousted by the three losing parties. The Brown bounce gets better everyday and it coincides with the Cameron droop. A new election will give me an overall  majority from voters resentful of being asked to vote again. Lots of Plaid and LibDems groupies will stay-at-home because they are fed up that their votes on May 3rd came close to putting the Tories back in power. Wales is still Labour at heart although they are irritated with the 'New', deep down they love the 'Classic.'. Today is a good day. The future is still promising.

Ieuan Wyn Jones. Everyone said my speech Friday was good. Although I never read speeches well, I had a great feeling about it because, I was not haunted by the nightmare of taking charge of a kamikaze coalition. Working with the Tories has infuriated so many of our supporters - especially the former Labour voters. The bitching about a Plaid-Tory Axis of futility has returned with a vengeance. A coalition with the Tories could finish us in the Valleys and cities for a generation. It could be back to 'Plaid Gwynedd'.  We will be damned for all the mistakes the coalition will make. If it all collapses in a year or two, Dafydd Wigley will come bouncing back. I'm fed up with the snide remarks that if Dafydd had been leader we could have had a result similar to Scotland's on May 3rd. Best to stay in opposition where we can do no wrong. Labour seem to think it's a great if I stay as leader.

Nick Bourne. Did I really strike a sour note on Friday's consensus love-in? The only reaction I had to my speech was the titters when I said I wished David Davies well in Westminster. I certainly do, now the irritating boy wonder is out of my hair. Coalition would be great for me because no one in Wales knows who I am. The trappings  of ministerial office are appealing but we will be hammered for the certain cock-ups that will happen. I'd have to deliver on all that populist crap  I spouted about the NHS closures. God knows how. We will be suffocated by Labour Government in Westminster who still provide the oxygen of resources - or not. Working with some of the LibDems and Plaid nut cases will be hell. All we agree about is shovelling more cash to farmers. Must still push for the coalition - but not too hard.

Mike German. What a pleasant morning. For three days I have been  pinned to the wall and  punctured by journos' questions on  the idiocy of our decision last Wednesday. Did my best to sound statesmanlike and positive while talking b******s about why the rainbow went phut. Stabbed in the back and the front. Does Kirsty really fancy herself as my replacement? One of the great mysteries in Welsh politics is why she and Ieuan think they are natural leaders?  What a pantomine it was in Llandrindod. Lembit went manic- tried to do passion and waved his arms about and shouted. Looked like Pinocchio on speed.  Alex went all God like. He makes me grind my teeth. Though I  won the vote yesterday, the anti-Tory passion has split us badly. We will pay for that in future. Still being a minister last time was very flattering, I'm no spring chicken and this may be my last chance. Of course there is also that big new mortgage to pay off. Best to press for the coalition. We will look chumps if we reverse our inaction on Friday. After all we did not vote against Rhodri. How can we ditch him in a few weeks time? Best to wait for the first Labour's cock-up, then go for the jugular.

Click to reveal the fine beautiful details of the images

paulflynn@talk21.com

From purgatory to paradise

Warm welcome

Jessica Morden and I had a wonderful morning with the statisticians yesterday.

Praise was heaped on Newport from dozens who have been relocated here. Although few of then have settled in Newport, they all love our wide open spaces, mountains, beaches, schools, low council taxes and prices.

It was a greatly encouraging visit and a stout denial of all the negative nonsense printed from hostile sources in London. Very few of the ONS staff in London actually hail from London originally. A surprise was that many, having escaped unavoidable long commuting journeys to Central London have chosen to live in areas a long way from Newport. 'Ah' one explained' in London commuting was a misery. Here it's a pleasant ride through lovely countryside.'

Others spoke of the purgatory of London living. We asked them about the downside here. What could be done to improve the welcome of new key workers? the only gripe was the bus service from ONS to the centre of Newport. Public Transport is one of the few areas where London is brilliant.

Working conditions are calm and spacious. The informality of office life continues to astonish. One senior staff member we interview had holes in the elbows of his shirt. I ask him whether this was a fashion statement or evidence of low pay. He said it was best shirt.

It was a pleasure to open the ONS new assessment centre. It was a full ceremony with brief funny speeches, a cake and a ribbon to cut. One hilarious note is that the Argus today covered the event. Inadvertently they failed to mention either Jessica or me. We were pretty central to the event, cutting the ribbon and the  cake. Incompetence or malice?... probably, as usual, both.

Click to enlarge pics

paulflynn@talk21.com

Robeson

Yesterday the beautiful Senedd building was filled with the heavenly sound of a choir singing in impeccable Welsh 'Oes gafr eto?'

I was talking live on Radio Wales and I interrupted my flow to explain that astonishingly, we were listening to a choir from the United States. They attend the same college where Paul Robeson was a student. then he was the only black face in the college photograph of a 1,000 students, admitted for his sporting prowess not his voice. It was then Rutgers College - now University.

In a welcome change from those viciously divided days, the choir now represents all the races on the planet and they were all singing the same song - in Welsh. The ever young delightful Beverley Humphreys let me address the choir. Paul Robeson was a boyhood hero of mine. The inspiration and tingle in listening to his 'Joe Hill' and 'Jacob's Ladder' is still a great thrill.

More than one bit of history was made at the Senedd yesterday.

Kamikaze Coalition

Welsh devolution has matured.

The delay of three weeks  in settling who governs Wales is swift by European standards. The Netherlands took three months. But coalition is still a bizarre concept in the UK.

The legacy is fascinating. Labour are strengthened and likely to survive in government for a year or two. Even though  LibDems have flip floped today, their credibility is likely to be further undermined if they reverse the decision taken yesterday to allow Rhodri to be First Minister. Who will ever trust them again. Precipitating a new election would crush opposition parties and give Labour an overall majority. Plaid's frenetic bid to hug the Tories will not be forgotten.  A Plaid-Tory coalition would be a kamikaze one for the nationalists.

Both the Western Mail and the Telegraph confidently wrote Rhodri Morgan's obituary on Wednesday.

Watching from the public gallery yesterday, I thought Rhodri was his usual relaxed and  commanding presence in the Siambr. He is the giant political personality among the struggling pygmies. Nic Bourne made the worst speech. The only comment that stirred a ripple of contemptuous interest was when he said  that he wished David Davies well in Westminster. Like Jade Goody wishes Bollywood actresses well

Rhodri beamed happiness. Victory is sweet. Resurrection is better.

Unfair and cruel blow

The   job losses announced at Llanwern Steel works are a cruel blow to Newport steelworkers and wholly unjustified.

The Llanwern workforce have performed brilliantly over the past 20 years in making the plant competitive. Many sacrifices have been made to ensure the future of steel jobs in Newport.

The whole city must get behind the campaign by the steel union Community to fight this bid to weaken Newport in order to strengthen steelworks elsewhere. That appears to be the only excuse for the loss of 220 skilled jobs. The blow is unexpected and baffling because the world steel market is buoyant with high demand and good prices.

Having worked at Llanwern from 1962 to 1984, I have lived its chequered history. It once employed 9000 and it has been long been the main manufacturing works in Gwent. A loss of 220 jobs from the now slimmed workforce of 1,500 threatens future viability.

LibDems a laughing stock again

What are the LibDems for? 

They have covered themselves in humiliation in the Welsh Assembly.

Not enough that they have had Jeremy Thorpe, Charles Kennedy, Mark Oaten and Lembit Opik, like addicts they seek more shame. This is the party of proportional representation. They believe in all the parties working together for the common weal in glorious harmony. Yesterday they wrecked the plan for coalition. Plaid and the Tories are foaming with contempt.

It's a rare occasion in UK politics when the LibDems have had to take a decision of any significance. They were at the centre stage on Welsh politics and an expectant nation held its breath.

But history can wait. The LibDems cannot agree.

Merck's Mass Medicine

The Pharmaceutical companies are at it again.

Merck set up bogus parents' group to demand that all young girls have the vaccine Gardisil. It is claimed to reduce chances of contracting cervical cancer.

Forced out the Food and Drug Administration files by a FOI demand is a catalogue of horrors:
“1,637 adverse event reaction reports were received since it was approved for marketing, June, 2006. Of these, 371 were serious reactions, including three deaths linked to Merck's vaccine. A female patient "died of a blood clot three hours after getting the Gradualism vaccine."  Two other reports, on girls 12 and 19, reported deaths relating to heart problems and/or blood clotting.

Other serious R reports included paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures. And of 42 women who were vaccinated with Gardisil while pregnant, 18 experienced complications, ranging from miscarriages to foetal abnormalities. "

It's claimed that the vaccine will avoid 70% of cancers. Proof is now published that Pharmas suppressed information on adverse drug reactions. Is it the same old story?

Mean Mail

Tory Chief Whip David Maclean is seeking to shield MPs from the Freedom of Information. His bill is almost certainly doomed. A compromise is being cooked up by Martin Linton MP. It will protect correspondence but not give a carte blanche cover that few others like the Royal family  have.

But there is genuine indignation against the front page lead story of the Sunday Mail. They  who crucified Maclean for buying a quad bike on expenses.  MPs were puzzled. Vehicles cannot be bought with expenses.  A few crucial details were omitted from the Mail report. An EDM is being tabled;

         

That this House salutes the bravery with which the Rt. Hon Member for Penrith & The Border has for several years defied the onset of multiple sclerosis so crippling that a less determined person would have been confined to a wheelchair long ago; endorses the decision of the House of Commons Fees Office to approve his purchase of an outdoor vehicle, from the appropriate Parliamentary allowance, to enable him to negotiate the largest rural constituency in England; and accordingly condemns the journalists and broadcasters who sensationalised this story for playing down, and in some cases not even mentioning, the devastating effects of his illness and his refusal to give in to it.

paulflynn@talk21.com

Tories scared witless at power prospect.

Coalition Chaos

David Davies MP for Monmouth and his two Tory chums at Westminster are horrified at the prospect of the Liquorice Allsorts coalition in the Assembly. David has built his career by whinging and moaning against Labour controlled bodies. The prospect of actually being responsible for defending policy is terrifying. Opposition is always easy. Government calls for intelligence and skills. Not the strong points of the Welsh Tories.

If the Tories link with Plaid and the LibDems it will be the first time since 1997 that they have been in government in the UK. As a coalition, it's split from top to bottom and side to side before it's created. Urban LibDems are against. Rural LibDems are for. Plaid in the North are for. Plaid in the South are against. Tories in the Assembly are for. Tories in Westminster are against. It would be coalition of chaos and not a way to run a country.

There is another reason that there is a new spring in Rhodri Morgan's step. The Labour party has the right to nominate the First Minister. The SNP did so in Scotland because they are the largest party with a lead of one over labour. Labour in Wales have a majority of 13 over its nearest rival.

If a First Minister is not elected, there will be a new election. Labour has already enjoyed a Brown bounce. Two polls show the party up four and five per cent since Tony Blair has announced his step down. If the Assembly election was held again Labour would probably have an overall majority. Voters tend to punish parties to call them out to vote unnecessarily. If there is a new vote, they will blame Plaid, LibDems and the Tories. Quite rightly so.

A new election is an enticing prospect.

No Jon, it's Peter

Jon Cruddas was my first choice for deputy leader of the Labour Party. My vote was one of those that gave him 48 - three above the necessary 45 .

But I am now changing my support to Peter Hain. Peter was always my second choice. He is consummate politician with a splendid record of achievement since his brave pioneering work opposing apartheid, to a deft and skilful minister who has achieved historic change in Wales and Northern Ireland.

This week, there was a hustings in which all the candidates spoke. It was a testing occasions. Sadly Jon Cruddas did not do well and there are serious doubts about his credibility as a deputy leader. He is offering a different agenda that I will continue to support. But he is not now the person for this job. Another Welsh MP is also withdrawing support from him.

Euro vanity boob

It could another massive waste of your money and no one is saying a word.

Galileo is planned to rival the American Global Positing Satellite system that guides all the SatNavs in Western Europe. It will cost £billions and work on it have been going on for five years. So far:so bad.

Eleven countries want to be the location for the HQ and are fighting like ferrets in a sack for the lucrative contract. Helsinki is the sensible choice but it could end up in a small town without an airport. It all depends of the political arm twisting. No chief has been appointed to run it and the technical difficulties are mountainous.

Why invent Pepsi cola while we already have Coco-Cola?  What's s the point? It all about European nationalism. Like Concorde, the European airbus and Eurofighter, it has been conceived in vanity and is likely to be a financial and technical disater. It could be still born.

Ten Commandments

A few people have been in touch recently to ask about my role as a backbencher.  Below are the Backbencher’s Ten Commandments which I wrote in my book Common’s Knowledge.  I have had the daunting task of following my own advice over the last 10 years.

Value the role of backbencher as a high calling

Serve constituents, the weak and the neglected

Seek novel remedies and challenge accepted wisdom

Attack opponents only when they are wrong

Never covet a second income, honours or retirement job

Value courage and innovation above popularity

Honour your party and extend its horizons

Use humour and colour to convey serious ideas

Fortify the independence of backbenchers against the executive

Neglect the rich, the obsessed, the tabloids and seek the silent voices

Great Welsh Renewables

Tidal power has vast potential in many forms - mills, lagoons and barrages. The power source is abundant in around the Welsh coast and especially in the Bristol Channel. It’s clean, non-polluting and eternal.

The Severn Barrage could generate 12% of the UK's electricity need. The Rance Barrage in Britany has been generating some the cheapest electricity in the world for 37 years, without missing a single tide. Its equipment is still in pristine condition. While there are objections to developments on the scale of the Severn Barrage, other small scale mills, lagoons are practical short-term propositions. A chain of these around the Welsh coast could utilise pulses of tidal energy throughout the 24 hours of demand - storing energy at off-peak times by pumping water into storage lakes at the heads of the south Walesvalleys. Power could then be generated by allowing the water to flow downstream during times of peak demand

I have signed an EDM on the re-appraisal of the Severn Barrage Project

“That this House notes that the need for reliable and renewable sources of energy has intensified in recent years and that the River Severn, with the second largest tidal range in the world, has the potential to contribute towards building a more sustainable energy resource for the UK; further notes that, as one of the objectives of the forthcoming Energy White Paper will be to address the growing concerns over fulfilling the UK's sustainable energy requirements, the case for the Severn Barrage project deserves to be revisited; further notes that the Severn Barrage has the potential to become a renewable and sustainable option in the UK's energy mix, as it would produce 5 per cent. of current electricity needs and reduce carbon output by 3 per cent., and that the Barrage is also able to prevent flooding in Gloucestershire and calls on the Government to include an urgent reappraisal of the Severn Barrage as one of the options in the forthcoming Energy White Paper.”