Croeso Ifan

 Great news that Jessica Morden MP has given birth to a son Ifan.

She already has a daughter Mali aged two. I understand that all is going very well. Jessica has continued working until a very short time ago.

In the sad days of the past, many women MPs had the bleak choice of career or family. Very few combined the two. Then the average woman MP was tougher and more able that the average male MP. They had to be to overcome the obstacles that were put in their way. In our more civilised times, successful female MPs can manage the two jobs very efficiently.

In the year that Jessica had Mali she voted more often that two other Gwent MPs. Members now have staff to cover the absence of the MP from the office. Hi-tech also is a boon and allows MPs to do much of their work from remote locations. It was possible for me to continue my work last year for the two days I was in hospital.

My office in Newport West is in daily contact with Jessica’s team in a very happy harmonious cooperation in our work for the city. Our relationships with our AMs Rosemary Butler and John Griffiths could not be better.

Well done! Tonight I may raise a tiny glass of medicinal champagne to Ifan, Jessica and Sion.

Drugs sense

Great presentation in Lisbon on drugs.

 It is the home of the science-based European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction. Before 1995, there was no independent accurate statistics of drugs deaths. Now their annual report is eagerly expected.

They have cut through the dense undergrowth of ignorance, scare mongering and prejudice that have long distorted the truth on drugs. Policy has often been evidence-free and driven by media hysteria.

Today we had the facts delivered by two senior scientists from EMCDDA, Felguirerras e Souza and Paul Griffiths. It was refreshing to hear the unbiased statistics of the promising trends in our continent and a few discouraging ones.

Portuguese MP Mme Roseira’s personality dominated the meeting. She was our host and provided a sound summary of the opportunities and dangers on the financial turmoil.

A Russian MP said that the sales of Marxist Leninist textbooks are soaring in the Russian Federation. Our splendid chair Christine MacCafferty said perhaps it’s time to dust down her copy of Das Kapital. Last time she did not get beyond the first page and could not make head or tail of it.

 Mme Roseira was modest about her country’s great drugs achievements. Portugal depenalised drugs in 2001. All parties are now agreed on he policy. Drugs deaths have been halved and huge savings have been made in court, police and jail costs.

They still have a small number of drugs users, and they tend to be intensive users. There is no silver bullet. But the total use has been dramatically reduced to very low levels.

The lesson is obvious.