WELSH LANGUAGE SET BACK

1ST -5TH DEC 08

My Assembly week began with a Question Time-style video conference. Conducted in Welsh, the video link allowed me in Cardiff and other AMs in Barry and Swansea to answer questions put by pupils from schools all across Wales. Once again my faith in young people was confirmed, as their broad knowledge resulted in searching questions ranging from the proper Welsh translation on road signs to the Barnett formula!

On Tuesday a group of young people from Azerbaijan and Wales visited the Assembly and met with the members of the Children and Young People Committee. The visit was arranged through Dr. Olga Kelly of the British Council, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable event. Dr Kelly contacted me after the event to say that the international visitors found their Assembly visit the "highlight of the day", and that two of the young Welsh men felt that the visit had encouraged them to take their role in politics more seriously.

Unfortunately, I spent the rest of this week suffering from the effects of a virus and was sadly unable to be at the Senedd for the debate on the Welsh language.

Opposition AM David Melding was proposing that a bid for powers be introduced which would allow the Assembly to create a Welsh Language Commissioner and give Welsh the status of an official language.

Wales already has a Commissioner for Older People and a Children's Commissioner, and as the Labour-Plaid "One Wales" document pledges to establish a Welsh Language Commissioner you would think that this debate would be a foregone conclusion. Not so.

Curiously, the Government has been dragging its feet on the Welsh Language over the past eighteen months. The Welsh Liberal Democrats want the decisions that affect Wales to be made in Wales so naturally we all supported the motion. Despite three AMs on the Government side of the Siambr choosing to break ranks, numerical superiority lay firmly with the Government side and in the end the motion was defeated.

Labour have been worrying lately that they are seen as anti-Welsh. I don't think this week's failure to support the Welsh language will help.

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

17-21ST NOV 2008

Children and young people have been the focus of this last Assembly week.

Monday saw the release of a survey by children's charity Barnardo's which reveals that almost half of the adults who responded believe that children are a danger to each other and to adults. Moreover, 45% use the word "feral" to describe today's children.

I find these results extremely disturbing, and they give me great cause for concern - for adults and children alike.

I'm not going to pretend here that I have all the answers to this problem. I do know from my lengthy experience with young people that not only are there an awful lot of very good and able children out there, but also that the time has come for us to put practical solutions in place to make sure all children reach their full potential.

The Children's Commissioner for Wales recently produced his Annual Review. The Review stresses the need "to focus on closing the gap between policy intent and practice". I second that wholeheartedly. It's time to stop just talking about what can be done and start actually implementing practices that will make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.

Today's youth are tomorrow's citizens and prospective community leaders. They will need to be properly equipped to carry out their duties and I am delighted to report that this week I have seen three wonderfully impressive examples of schools which give me very good reason to be optimistic about the future.

I am always delighted to engage with schools across my region to discuss citizenship and politics and the role that an Assembly Member plays in the process.

Hawarden School 6th form visit

Hawarden and Holywell high schools both invited me to speak to students about the real world of politics. In both groups I saw enthusiastic, perceptive and interested young people who were eager to understand politics as part of everyday life not just something that crops up at election time.

The same was true of Ysgol Maes Garmon, whose students travelled down from Mold to visit the Assembly. Once again, politics and particularly citizenship were seen as included in the routine of their lives.

I am convinced that being included and having a say in decisions that affect their own lives is also the key to addressing the points raised in the Barnardo's research and I will continue to do my utmost to promote that position.

WHAT A LOAD OF "TOSH"!!

10-14TH NOVEMBER 2008

The week began on a high with the Annual Education Lecture, delivered this year by the wonderful Professor (and Baroness) Shirley Williams.

Having visited Branas School in Llandrillo that morning, and having been hugely impressed with the quality of work they are achieving there, it was timely to hear Baroness Williams talk about effective and imaginative ways of dealing with young people in the education system.

What a remarkable woman she is!

It has been a busy week for events in the Assembly. On Tuesday I was privileged to sponsor Age Concern Cymru's "Advocacy Counts 2" launch of their second survey into elder abuse. The first survey, launched in October 2007, was a baseline in the study of the subject.

I was extremely pleased to welcome Louise Hughes and Robert Taylor of Age Concern, as well as Ruth Marks, the Older People's Commissioner. Gwenda Thomas AM, the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services kindly performed the formal launch and there was an opportunity for questions at the end.

I wholeheartedly support the idea of advocacy for older people and I congratulate Age Concern on their admirable work.

On a different theme, the word of the week has been "tosh".

The debate on the digital switchover and the problems it will bring for some viewers in north-east Wales was what prompted me to give that somewhat forthright response to the First Minister on Tuesday afternoon.

Quite frankly, when you are faced with a First Minister who says the problems are there because the mountains face the wrong way and are in the wrong place, then goes on to say that the equator is in the wrong place, there are not a lot of words from which you can choose!

Ever since the move to digital was first talked about in the Assembly I have been trying to find someone who could take responsibility for providing the answer to this problem, but always to no avail.

Next year it will be forty years since we put a man on the moon - surely it's not beyond the wit of 21st Century man (or woman) to come up with the appropriate technology for television in North Wales!

FAMILY PLANNING

AMs are often contacted by local organisations or individuals who would like to have a meeting here in the Assembly. This week, in my role as my party's Spokesperson on Children and Young People I was visited by Julie Bentley and Hayley Blackburn of the Family Planning Association. As a mother, too, I have strong views on sexual education.

Sexual health and wellbeing are sensitive subjects. There are those who argue that teaching young people about sexual matters at an early age simply encourages promiscuity. I do not subscribe to that view. It's surely a parental duty to equip young people so that they can make their own, well-informed choices.

Parents may sometimes be too embarrassed to discuss sexual matters with their children, but they need to know that support is out there! Ignoring the subject will not make it go away. Figures for teen pregnancies and Chlamydia in Wales are a sad testament to that fact.

The FPA tries to work effectively with many community and locally - based organisations to get their key messages across, and I would urge anyone who feels they need a little help to contact their nearest FPA.

The week has been dominated by events "across the pond" and the election of Barack Obama.

US presidential elections usually cause excitement here in the Assembly, and this time was no exception. Our Lib-Dem Group Office proudly displayed an Obama - Biden poster, my researcher wore a fabulous stars and stripes waistcoat and it was good to have an American perspective from Jill, our intern from Ohio.

The end result was truly historic, with all of us feeling part of a great movement towards hope, change and optimism. Having emulated another senator from Illinois, Obama is now living the American Dream. What a bright future he and the rest of the world now have as long as he remains true to himself as he carries out what has been called a "glorious burden"!

The television coverage of voters in some states waiting four hours or more to cast their ballot gave me pause for thought. Could we in Wales ever see such high participation and interest at election time? How could it be achieved? What is it about our political system that discourages people from participating?

If you would like to let me have your views on this subject I would really like to hear from you………………………………………………..

Recess means more time in my constituency

The Autumn Recess took place this week, and AMs were mostly spending time in their constituencies.

Away from the turbulence and bustle of the Assembly, weeks like this always provide the opportunity to get out and about among more people in the constituency.

There is also the chance to find out more about how people at the "sharp end" are dealing with the current economic crisis. For many of the people I have spoken to recently - those running small businesses, working in the rural economy, or struggling to deliver services - life is becoming increasingly difficult.

The credit crunch is hitting everybody in one way or another, and what has been particularly difficult to stomach is that, as belts are tightened to deal with terribly harsh circumstances, the proposed Local Government Settlement just makes matters worse.

With inflation at 5.2% and the average increase local authorities in North Wales will get from the Assembly a derisory 2.6% I have serious concerns for those who depend on councils for crucial services. Not only that, the Welsh Assembly has received a 4.8% increase in its funding from Westminster this year!

Hard-working families and individuals are now under threat of increased council tax bills at the very time the government should be putting money back in their pockets. In this dismal situation local authorities are still expected to find ways of being more efficient with less money.

The fact that there are more people in dire need of local authority-provided services seems to have escaped the Labour- Plaid government in Wales.

In failing to support local communities financially, this Labour - Plaid Government is abandoning us all.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG?

This week's hot topic was the "To Blog or Not to Blog?" debate, held here in the Senedd and hosted by Positif Politics.

The debate consisted of six panellists - three active and enthusiastic bloggers and three not-so-keen sceptics - who first made a case for their side of the argument and then took questions from the audience.

On the "pro" side were Peter Black AM, Betsan Powys and Matt Wardman, and on the other Annabelle Harle of the Electoral Reform Society, Victoria Winkler of the Bevan Foundation and yours truly!

The event had been keenly advertised and there was a very good turnout. One AM was even conducting a "live blog" as the event progressed - it was all very exciting.

The quality and quantity of blogging were debated, the Freedom of Information Act was considered as well as the contentious issue of anonymous blogging. What a wonderful example of democracy in action!

I remain unconvinced that the blog is as significant as many people think it is. I firmly believe that there is no better way of communicating with people than meeting with them and speaking to them face to face.

Eleanor debating blogging

One of the best parts of being an Assembly Member is meeting pupils from schools and colleges in North Wales. When they pay a visit to the Assembly I get the chance to talk to them during their time here. Recently, Coleg Llandrillo, Ysgol Morgan Llwyd and Ysgol Rhiwabon have visited and there are many others scheduled.

It is important for young people to see the work done here and for them to get a feel for the democratic process.

Additionally, I like to visit the schools and colleges in North Wales to talk to students there. As a campaigner for votes at 16, I think it is hugely important that young people see me and the political process I represent as accessible and accountable.

Our young people of today are the leaders of the future and we owe it to them to be as inclusive and engaged as we possibly can.

IN THE PINK

Another exciting week at the heart of Welsh government, made all the more interesting as I ventured into the world of video-conferencing.

I sit on the Subordinate Legislation Committee, which meets once a week. Last week the Committee was scheduled to meet on Monday afternoon, rather than the usual Tuesday morning. Obviously wanting to make the most of my time in the constituency, I opted to join the Cardiff meeting via a video-conferencing link from Glyndwr University in Wrexham. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for!

Sitting in a separate room in Wrexham, my visual contact with Cardiff was restricted to the area around Chairperson - hardly helpful in a two-hour long meeting in which I was expected to interview and interact with invited participants! Sound difficulties also featured, but with some minor adjustments by our wonderful technicians I was able to repeat the experience the following week, championing the best use of time and technology.

Away from the Bay, last weekend saw my party's Welsh Autumn Conference get underway near Swansea. It was Mike German's last conference as leader and it also heralded the contest for his replacement.

Despite the fact that the bulk of business was about a review of our constitution - tedious, I know, but necessary nonetheless - there is always an air of excitement at our conferences. Old friends and colleagues get together to "network" and catch up with the news from Westminster, and party members have the opportunity to vote through Liberal Democrat party policy. Democracy in the making - just as it should be!

Later in the week representatives from the Breast Cancer Campaign visited the Assembly promoting the "Wear it Pink" campaign. On Friday, 31st October we are all invited to show our support for the campaign by donating £2 and wearing something pink - I hope I will see lots of pink in North Wales on that day!

Rhubarb AND Custard!!

A Week in the Life of Eleanor Burnham AM

22nd -26th September 2008

The new Assembly term began this week (22nd Septemeber) with the usual combination of travel, meetings and pertinent questions.

Coincidentally, all three of those factors combined on Tuesday in the first Plenary session when the subject of the new north-south rail link was broached. As most people are now aware, the new service will not be passing through Wrexham.

That's right, Wrexham - new university town, thriving shopping centre, aspiring city - has been overlooked in the new scheme. North-East Wales, having been snubbed by "Ieuan Air" has now been snubbed by "Ieuan Rail".

And I said so in the Siambr. It is appalling that rather than provide a service to the whole of North-East Wales, the Labour/Plaid Assembly Government has chosen instead to have a restaurant car and a business class carriage! So much for "One Wales"!

The costs of this decision have yet to be made public, and I shall be taking every opportunity to get the facts, starting with this week's Plenary. Watch this space!

Outside the Siambr I was delighted to welcome Hilary, Richard and Tim from "Making Tracks" to the Senedd on Tuesday.

"Making Tracks" is an organisation that offers opportunities in horticulture to young offenders in North Wales. I am very proud to be their Chair, and I was delighted to have them down to the Assembly.

I am extremely pleased to provide a showcase for the important and commendable efforts put in by everyone involved in the organisation's projects. It is our fervent hope that these efforts can be duplicated by like-minded people in other parts of Wales.

Lastly, as each new day brings fresh challenges (as we like to call them!), how disappointing it has been to see the launch of a "No" campaign against devolution in Wales.

In August I had the privilege to address a gathering at the National Eisteddfod on this very subject. I argued then that the Assembly Government needs more powers in order to give the people of Wales a fair deal.

I said that the current system could be likened to "swimming in custard".

Now we have the rhubarb to go with it!