West of Centre

The quest for democracy is a long road with a seemingly intangible destination. The last week has shown us just how elusive it can be. The Labour Party in the UK continues to struggle with the decision of their electorate to choose Jeremy Corbyn as their leader. Whatever one's political leaning, the behaviour of Labour Party MPs in recent weeks has hardly emboldened the public to engage with the political process. If democracy is the result of asking the people what they want, the recent election of Jeremy Corbyn has provided one of the most overwhelming mandates in history. Such was the public desire for his election, there was no need for a second ballot. We might be forgiven for thinking that even the most arrogant of MPs would have to take such a result on the chin with a modicum of good grace. Not so. Their behaviour in recent weeks has been an insult to the masses who did their bit by engaging with the leadership election during the summer. The legacy of such behaviour is c

In a way, it would have been easier not to write about the events of last night in Paris. Add to that recent events in the Lebanon, Baghdad and Kenya and we must be be in no doubt that we are now living in very dangerous times. Dangerous on so many levels. For one thing, the aftermath of events such as these frequently provide much needed ammunition to fuel the arguments of extremists on both sides of the debate. But putting that aside, we must now face up to the fact that the enclave which  now stretches from Iraq to Syria has the potential to impact on the lives of all of us at any time. So, the question is: What to do now? When Francois Hollande today referred to the Paris atrocities as an "Act of war", he probably spoke for a great many in France and far beyond. But we would do well to remember that it was war which gave rise to this sorry mess in the first place. By logical extension, it is difficult to envisage a different outcome if we once more follow that time serv

If any right minded journalist was following the actions of local government in Denbighshire recently, they would have enough material to keep them in clover until well past Christmas. They would arguably have enough content upon which to base several major conferences to boot. It has been surreal to watch one group point the finger at Westminster for inflicting the cuts to public services while another group points the finger at Cardiff. Surreal because nobody seems willing to point their fingers a little closer to home. When the areas for cuts were first announced last autumn, large groups of local people expressed dismay at what lay on the table. It was as though a challenge had been laid down to see how many vulnerable people could be punished in a single calendar year. On Monday, 120 people turned out for a public meeting to oppose plans to transfer Dolwen in to private sector care with an emphasis on elderly mental health. I chaired that meeting and it was upsetting to have t

I wrote one of my earliest blogs five years ago. It explored a theme to which I have returned periodically ever since. It was a strange experience in the Michaelmas term of 2008 to be the only 40 year old medical student in a sea of school leavers. In truth, the divide between myself and my fellow medical students was always plain to see as one might reasonably expect. I recall with clarity an incident in the first fortnight of medical school which will stay with me to the grave. A large group of us had been undertaking our first session in basic life support. The session passed without major event and at the end, our tutor asked those present to divulge why they had chosen to pursue a career in medicine. Nobody was coerced and all present chose to respond in due course. With few exceptions, the majority cited money as their prinicipal motivation. Even in spite of my advanced years, I was shocked to the core. I still am. I had spent my early career in the private sector in a variet

As Jeremy Corbyn begins to return the Labour Party to it's proud roots, the Murdoch-dominated right wing press is hissing it's predictable vitriol and scorning the chances of a man who espouses fairness and equality. The problem is not so much with Corbyn as his predecessors who occupied the helm of the Labour Party. In the fortnight leading up to the recent General Election, the Labour hierarchy admitted publicly that it intended to execute the same cuts as the Tories if it were elected. That is rather like going in to a fish and chip shop to be told that they have sold out of cod but can offer you haddock instead. The point being that there is not a great deal to choose between the two. That was the big problem with Brown and Miliband. You have to offer something different to the incumbent party but not just different for the sake of being different. Even without the benefit of hindsight, Corbyn was a certainty for Leader from the moment he achieved the requisite number o

When Yvette Cooper today called for UK councils to each take a quota of Syrian refugees, it illustrated the pitfalls of political ambition. As is the custom for the modern breed of politician, she first went to Oxford to study politics, philosophy and economics in which she gained a first class honours degree. The daughter of the former leader of the Prospect union, she left Oxford to gain further qualifications at Harvard and the London School of Economics respectively. Then it was time to gain employment in the real world. Her first job in 1990 was as a policy researcher for the then Labour leader John Smith. By 1992, she had left these shores to help Bill Clinton with his presidential campaign. Any chances of real experience of the real world were dashed when she came back to become a policy advisor to Harriet Harman. This was followed by a role working as a research associate at the Centre for Economic Performance. By 1995, she had progressed to become Chief Economic Correspond

What is the biggest difference between the Labour party of today and it's early incarnation under Keir Hardy? I think the answer to that question lies with all of us. It now astonishing to reflect upon the voter turnout for the General Election of 1950. A staggering 83.9% of the then electorate exercised their right to vote. That figure rose to 66.1% of the electorate at the last election. Why then have so many of us just opted out in the intervening years? Before answering that question, it is not all doom and gloom. The lowest turnout so far was in 2001 when a paltry 59.1% turned out to vote. That is all the more remarkable when we consider that the 1997 election which brought Tony Blair to power amassed an impressive 71.4%. That is quite a drop in just four years. But even that figure of 71.4% is pretty poor when compared to John Major's turnout of 77.7% in 1992. Either we are entering a new period of increased voter engagement or we have just witnessed a blip in the ove

As a resident of Denbighshire in 2015, I am frequently amazed and bewildered by the decisions being taken by my local council. But before I discuss the various decisions, let me first draw your attention to the manner with which they are being made. Under the existing constitution of my local council (last amended on December 9th 2014), it is defined very clearly that our elected County Councillors are obliged to promote active citizenship (among other things). So what exactly is meant by active citizenship? If you take to the internet, you will be none the wiser as a plethora of suggestions confront you. I know how I would interpret it but I may be wrong. It sounds to me as though it is calling for members of the public to become more active in their dealings with their local County Councillors. Hence, active citizens. But this just illustrates one of the main flaws in the current system. I doubt if anyone knows what this means so it is therefore questionable why my local council

Next Thursday, those of us who feel suuficiently engaged will enter a voting booth and cast our vote. Before we do so, we need to heed the very real warnings which make this election unique in a number of ways. Barring celestial intervention, we will once again see a coalition government. To consider that eventuality, it is instructive to cast a critical eye over our current ConLib coalition. Has it been a disaster? No, I don't think that would be fair. Had it been a Conservative majority, it might possibly have become a disaster with the scythe through public services veering too far to the right. We must also remind ourselves that Gordon Brown did his utmost to form a minority coalition but soon conceded defeat. In life, we need a bit of luck and Brown's had long since dried up. History I fear will be rather unkind to Gordon Brown. He promised us prudence and delivered profligacy. The sales ethos founded across the pond in North America is based on a simple foundation:

Listening to "Thought for the day" on the Today programme yesterday morning, I was reminded of the Catholic principle of subsidiarity. Put simply, subsidiarity is an organsing principle which states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralised competent authority. The Oxford English dictionary defines it thus: "The idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which can not be performed more effectively at a more immediate or local level". Apologies for the rather wordy introduction but it makes you think doesn't it? Only this week, North Wales was treated to another example of subsidiarity being badly needed. This time, the story relates to Anglesey County Council. Like all other councils up and down the land, Anglesey has had to find huge savings in it's budget while at the same time putting up council tax by 4.5% - far higher than the current rate of inflation. An Anglesey c

In North Wales this week, we have witnessed yet more acts of corporate arrogance which continue to anger and infuriate the local population. As I observe events unfold, one thing strikes me in particular. As angry as people undoubtedly are, they don't quite seem to know what to do about it. But that is not their fault. This week alone, three decisions in particular have dominated our local news. The week began with news that the plight of a 90 year old lady had finally been addressed by the local council. But let us not get too carried away with ourselves. It is only the plight of one elderly lady which has been addressed. The decision of the local council to close the three local council-run care homes was met with a good degree of opposition. In the first instance, a young lady from one of the towns affected achieved a petition with over 5,000 signatures. Given the modest size of the local population, that was a considerable achievement. The response of the council to this am

In recent weeks, we have observed major shifts in international political direction as first Greece and then Spain have thrown their support behind radical left wing political parties. A brief glance at the history books suggests such a move to be far from novel. Following the austerity of the early 1930s, two major ideologies grew throughout Europe. The extreme right wing sought to take over Europe and, mercifully, failed. The extreme left wing existed beyond the symbolic wall in Berlin and it's influence exerted a vice-like grip across Eastern Europe. But when that wall was brought down in 1989, it ushered in the closing days of the far left in mainstream European politics. Until now. Then as now, a sustained period of economic austerity has brought the political pendulum swinging back to the left. In the UK, it is surprising to observe the Labour Party floundering to express itself in the most fertile conditions for left wing politics imaginable. They have either lost their le

The only constant is change. That has to be the premise. The town of Corwen in North Wales has enormous cultural significance in the context of the Wales and the Welsh culture. It was just outside Corwen in 1400 that Owain Glyndwr declared himself the Prince of Wales. A statue of him remains in the centre of Corwen and he remains the last native Welshman to be Prince of Wales. For 14 years he was a thorn in the side of successive English monarchs and has since become synonymous with the Welsh Independence cause. So Corwen can justifiably boast to be at the epicentre of Welsh culture. The Eisteddfod is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. Although the first such event is reputed to have taken place in 1176, the first large national scale event is known to have taken place in Camarthen in 1451 just a few years after the death of Owain Glyndwr. By coincidence, it was in Camarthen in 1997 that the last votes were counted which ushered in the Welsh Assembly Government -

After our daughter had died from meningitis in June of 2006, my wife and I made the decision to escape to Europe to grieve. We have never regretted that decision because it gave us the space and the time to try and come to terms with a devastating life event. For me, it was my first long term exposure to French culture and I have remained a Francophile ever since. I have so many happy memories from that time but I would like to share one with you in particular. Before we left France and moved South and East to Italy, we spent a few days in Avignon. It really is a beautiful city with an atmosphere all of it's own. Sitting in the Place de L'Horloge during the famous festival d'Avignon, my eyes wandered to the impressive town hall which featured the large clock which gave it's name to the square. Underneath were written three words. Three simple words which can be found on public buildings throughout France. Three words which emerged in the aftermath of the bloody French R

On the 27th January 2014, I started a facebook group dedicated to the growth of my local High Street in Denbigh in North Wales. Since that time, 460 local people have joined the group but I am more interested in the effect on our High Street. I am happy to say that since then, my local High Street has become progressively more vibrant. The site of the former Woolworth's still remains vacant but there has been much about which to become more optimistic. Initially, the facebook site became something of a talking shop in which local people cited those areas which were sadly missing fro our high street. The suggestions which came forward were a revelation as a wide variety of local people pointed to the types of shop they would support if such shops were here. On balance, it's fair to say that the independent retail sector in Denbigh has flourished in the last year with a number of new shops opening all of whom are catering well to a hungry market. The events organised by local