Now, who’s to blame this time?

A recent survey by Manpower has said that jobs outlook in Wales is second worst in the UK. The report says that employers in Wales are looking to lose staff or freeze numbers, rather than hire more workers.

From the BBC:
“Wales is behind the other regions when it comes to hiring by SMEs [small and medium enterprises], many of which are currently running on skeleton staff and are significantly less keen to recruit,” said Manpower’s operations manager for Wales, Andrew Shellard.

“The manufacturing sector in Wales is suffering even more than in the north, and the public sector has no hiring ambitions at all.

“As the economy slows down across the country, employers in Wales are now significantly less confident about taking on additional staff.”

Whilst the Welsh Government can’t do all that much to boost the Welsh economy with the Government not having the powers to raise its own revenue, however incentives for small and medium enterprises (as the report says) are well within the Labour Government’s grasp. It once again comes down to devolution, and the nasty Coalition Government can’t be wholly blamed here. Again.

Sorry about that.

For example in the Assembly Election the Welsh Lib Dems proposed training grants (5000 worth £2000 each) for new businesses that set up in Wales to take on unemployed young people to give them the skills needed. We proposed freezing business rates, cutting red tape which sees costs increasing with developments and less businesses setting up in Wales. A Welsh Stock Exchange to give businesses capital to improve their business?!

Incentives for businesses to employ, train and set up in Wales are within reach of the Welsh Government, but it’ll probably still be the nasty Coalition Government undermining hard-done-by Wales again.

Ieuan Wyn: AWOL

Ieuan Wyn Jones has recently spoken to the BBC saying that he ‘put his family first for the first time in twenty five years’ after missing the Royal Opening of the fourth Assembly and the first week of Assembly business. Ieuan Wyn – who is set to stand down as Plaid Cymru leader within the next two years – has come under criticism from other parties (most notably Labour who jump at the chance to muddy the waters), but also from within his own party.

Possible future Plaid Cymru leaders, and backbench MPs, have been called ‘vultures’ by Plaid MP Elfyn Llwyd for turning on Ynys Mon AM in the way that they have been doing. Ieuan Wyn said the date for his holiday to France had been set before the date for the opening of the Assembly had been announced, and that he decided to put his family first having dedicated most of 25 years to politics.

Whatever angle you look at it, there’s no denying that the whole situation has been handled badly by the party. The incident has been massively blown out of proportion, and has had too much attention from the media and from the other political parties. It’s almost as big a story as the ‘Lib Dem Two’ story!

However, with things – hopefully – getting back to normal over the next two weeks, it’s time the Assembly got back into the swing of things and business as usual, instead of playing pointless games. Our government needs to start delivering on their aspirations for Wales, as Labour is so fond of promising.

Here are a few articles on the issue:
Plaid leader missed royal opening to ‘put family first’
Dafydd Iwan backs Plaid Cymru leader over absence
Plaid MP hits out at ‘vultures’ calling for head of Ieuan Wyn Jones
Plaid Cymru’s French Revolution