The debate begins to rumble…

Behind the scenes two related debates are beginning to rumble…

The media hasn’t yet appreciated the constitutional importance of these, preferring to concentrate on procedure rather that the more complex but fundamentally important constitutional issues.

Firstly, in the light of…

Community Matters

We hear the words “community engagement” more and more these days, and quite frankly, it’s starting to grate on my nerves. I understand this may be a rather uncomfortable conversation, but it is one which needs to be had.

The…

A stroll in the park

If, like me, you enjoy spending time in the outdoors rather than at your desk, there’s a very good chance that you’ll spend some of your summer – whether a day or two (or, if you’re fortunate, more),…

An absence of applause

The Prime Minister’s exhortations to the Welsh Government to open up Welsh public services to individual choice and diversity of supplier met with a stony silence in the Assembly chamber. A reading of the UK government’s White Paper…

Social Service Bill: An opportunity and challenge

How we care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society has recently been near the top of the UK news and political agendas, due to a combination of stories coming together.  These include the…

Communities First – The Future

The consultation process for the new Communities First Programme (Communities First – The Future) was launched on July 5th and responses have to be submitted by September 26th (the document can be downloaded here). The document proposes some…

The Unthinkable on Child Poverty

Eradicating child poverty in Wales will mean a transformation in Welsh society. As described last week, both parents in couple households and lone parents will have to have at least some paid work.  This in itself is a…

Singing the Blues

Carwyn Jones has had an easy two months. Not only did Labour win the last Assembly election, it is also clear that all three other parties also emerged from the fray damaged in different ways. The most visible wreckage…

What Is the Real Purpose of the Public Sector?

I am privileged to have worked with many public sector organizations, and one of the first questions I ask is “Who is your customer?”.  The number of times I hear “We have many customers – Councillors, the Welsh…

Collaboration, Co-operation and Care

International Co-operators Day, held every year on the first Saturday in July, involves 251 International Co-operative Alliance member organisations from 94 countries active in all economic sectors. Together they represent nearly one billion individuals worldwide.

On July 2nd, an event held at the UWIC School of Managements, Cardiff,  showed the Co-operative…