Older readers will be able to recall how under Soviet communism there were familiar organs of state, such as a president, a prime minister and a parliament, but real power lay with a tiny self-perpetuating elite within the party which formed a body known as the Politburo.
All that was more or less swept away by history, but it seems that the winds of change did not make it to all parts of Wales.
Carmarthenshire County Council's online Pravda has just announced to jubilant collective farm workers and steel combines across the county that Welsh Labour's National Executive Committee has decided that Carmarthenshire will be allowed to continue as a standalone local authority, and will not be merged with any of the neighbouring councils.
Kevin Madge is mightily relieved, and says that the removal of uncertainty means that the council can now get on with recruiting new senior officers.
Where the Welsh Assembly and voters fit into this scheme of things is not clear, and it's a two-fingered salute to the Ombudsman for Public Services who told Kevin Madge and the council off only last year for allowing the press office to be used for party political purposes.
4 comments:
Its called politics !
Considering Labour are running Wales at the moment it is reasonable to accept what they say goes.
Does Plaid think it would be better if Carms was merged ?
Come on - give them a break, hopefully there will be changes to governance but for CCC to remain as a standalone council is best for everybody.
Shocking, blatant, shameless action by a Labour Leader using a publicly-funded council facility to praise and promote a Labour Party election promise. Madge MUST be brought to book. If this was signed off by a senior officer, then he/she is also accountable. Totally disgraceful! Do these people never learn?
Monitoring Officer ... aaah ...
My preference would be for a two tier solution, with a strong regional council covering West and Mid Wales running Health & Social Services, Education, Transport, Economic planning, The Police, Ambulance and fire services and a tier of district authorities (Carmarthen, Llanelli, Ceredigion, Pembroke, Brecon & Radnor) below them running most other things. Thus doing away with joint boards, nominated bodies and other less than democratically accountable bodies and replacing them with real democratic accountability. And for good measure I'd have them elected by STV which puts power in the hands of the electorate.
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