PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

During a meeting of the House of Commons health select committee today Health Secretary Alan Johnson told MPs that he “wouldn't go down the free prescriptions route, as I wouldn't in a previous life go down the free higher education route. I think there are better things you can do with your money to target the people who need it most". Whilst this may be yet another case of 'clear red water' between Cardiff Bay and Westminster, the final sentence is probably the killer, especially at a time when the Assembly Government's budget is tight and there will be have to be tough choices made in a number of areas, especially health. As Jonathan Morgan said earlier today, money which should have been spent on treating chronically ill patients and providing access to modern medicines has been wasted on prescriptions for the likes of Bonjela and athlete’s foot powder. Is there anyone out there still of the opinion that people earning well above the average wage should ...

I found an old postcard of the Desiderata whilst clearing out a few things earlier this week. I know it sounds extremely corny, especially for a cynical old sod like me, but reading it made me reflect on a number of personal and professional events that have taken place during the last few years, some which have been fantastic but others which have been exceptionally disappointing. I don't know whether anything would have changed if I had kept to these rules. Indeed, I am sure that many would agree that it is extremely difficult to keep to its total creed, especially lines 3 and 4 when people you trust act like complete shits Have a read, you have probably forgotten it. Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, the...

During the last couple of weeks, details have emerged about the amount of funding that the Welsh Assembly Government will be giving local councils in Wales for the next financial year. As predicted in this blog last month , the settlement is far worse than expected and it is councils in North Wales which are amongst those that have received the worst deal. As a result, many frontline services will be affected. This issue has also been covered since by Ceredig , blogmenai , Alwyn ap Huw and Normal Mouth . We have already seen what is happening in Gwynedd with the proposed closure of primary schools , and this was announced before the county found out that its financial settlement was lower than the rate of inflation. I would expect that all bets are off over the chances that other councils will take similar actions over the next few years. Anglesey and Conwy will both receive one of the lowest settlements of 1.1%, half of the proposed funding average increase of 2.2% for Wales as a who...

According to the politicalbetting.com website, the Conservative lead is now thirteen points over Labour. The poll is reported in today's Independent is the Conservatives biggest lead since August 1988. Whilst I agree this an outlier poll, it does represent the problems facing the current government and I certainly expect the Conservative lead to increase What would this mean in Wales? According to Anthony Wells , it would mean the Conservatives gaining seven seats namely Aberconwy, Cardiff North, Carmarthen West, Vale of Glamorgan, Brecon and Radnorshire, Newport West and Vale of Clwyd. Under such electoral conditions, both Gower and Delyn would also be winnable. This would see my good friends Guto Bebb, Jonathan Evans, Suzy Davies, Matt Wright and, of course, the irrepresible Alun Cairns, elected to Westminster. Of course, there is a long way to go until 2010 (the likely date of the election) but there is a stench of defeat about this Government already. An interesting conundrum ...

This week, Wales undertakes its first ever trade mission to India, with Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones taking a high-profile group of business people to Delhi and Mumbai to create partnerships with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The question that many of us will be asking is why it has taken so long to do this? Does no-one in the Welsh civil service actually bother to read the Economist any more? The growth of India is probably one of the most exciting prospects of all the new Asian tiger economies and its success has been staring us in the face for quite a while. During the past three years, its growth in prosperity has averaged 8% and, based on purchasing power alone, it is now the fourth largest economy in the world. By 2010, India will have a consumer population of 150 million people and, with its growing appetite for Western goods and services, could be a massive potential market for any business that has the entrepreneurial drive to establish itself in ...

Intriguing postings on the website maes-e. It's always fascinating to be the subject of scurrilous rumours, especially one which purports to know my political history! Just to put the record straight once again - prior to joining the Welsh Conservatives in 2006, I had never been a member of any party or actively involved in politics at any level. For one of the contributors to say that I was obviously a member of Plaid Cymru because I came from Pwllheli is a bit off the mark as my father fought against Plaid as an independent councillor for the town for 25 years and won with a large margin every time. Shame his son couldn't have done the same in Aberconwy earlier this year but there's always next time!

The RENT conference is finally over with relief all round. Anyone involved in organising an international event will tell you that the possibilities for things going wrong are endless. However, the conference had its own momentum thanks to a lot or preparatory work and the high quality of the papers being presented. It will probably be the only time this conference will come to Wales so I am gald we put on a good show with the Millennium stadium and the conference dinner at the National Musuem. I am looking forward to Portugal next year, which may be slightly warmer! RENT certainly put Wales on the map at both a UK and European level with regard to enterprise research and policy. It may even lead to greater co-operation between the UK and Welsh Governments in terms of supporting entrepreneurship. All that is left to do is to take five Finnish academics from Turku to their first rugby match this afternoon!

The conference started well last night with a welcome reception at Cardiff University. The delegates were welcomed by Professor Terry Threadgold, Pro vice chancellor and Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Minister for Economic Development. Ieuan gave a very good speech on the importance of entrepreneurship to Wales and how he hoped that the research from the conference can inform policy. With 80 papers to be presented on a range of subjects over the next two days, I hope we can try and get something to the Assembly Government from the latest thinking on small business.

Worrying report in the Western mail yesterday about the effect that cuts in support for renewable energy products could have on the fledgling Green industry in Wales, one of the key sectors targeted by the Welsh Assembly Government. My colleague, Professor Phil Cooke, has written an outstanding paper on green entrepreneurship and its potential for the Welsh economy and I hope to be able to put some of the paper on this blog sometime soon. It certainly should be compulsory reading for civil servants within the Welsh Assembly Government. He will be presenting this at the 21st RENT conference - the main European entrepreneurship research conference - which I am hosting in Cardiff for the first time ever on Thursday and Friday. As a result, any further blog entries this week will be sporadic as I rush around the conference!

Along with the sharp change in weather since the clocks went back, the release of three sets of keystatistics last week will have sent a chilly breeze down the back of many politicians and policymakers in Wales. The first was the VAT data , which is one the main methods used by economists to measure the birth and death of small business. According to this year's figures, there were 6,600 VAT registrations in Wales during 2006, the same as in 2005. This compares to a slight annual increase for registrations across the rest of the UK. There were also 5,300 VAT de-registrations during 2006, representing an increase of 1.4 per cent over 2005. This increase contrasts with the fall of 0.3 per cent in de-registrations across the UK and means that the total stock of VAT businesses stood at a record 85,000 in 2007. Whilst this is comforting in some respects, the higher level of closures, coupled with lower levelsof start-ups, demonstrate the massive challenge facing the Assembly Governmen...

Have been tagged by ValleysMam to do this test. Very difficult to do and if I did it again next week, half of it would change. As I have been up since 5am and couldn't be arsed to read an academic paper until later, I have added a few links as well. 8 things I’m passionate about: My family Doing the right thing Wales Entrepreneurship Singing the Welsh national anthem at the Millennium Stadium People who make me laugh Good food and good wine and good conversation A decent jukebox in a pub 8 things I want to do before I die Hold my grandchildren Be there when a Welsh team wins the rugby World Cup Cross America coast to coast in a 1960 Thunderbird Convertible Be part of a Welsh Conservative Government at Cardiff Bay Walk among the giant statues on Easter Island Publish in Administrative Science Quarterly Help Wales become one of the most successful economies in Europe See " The Watchmen " made into the best film ever made 8 things I say often Brilliant Mae eisho blydi mynadd...

Been exceptionally busy rewriting an academic paper on informal investment and regional development until now so blogging has been the last thing on my mind. Publishing is a long an arduous process, as most researchers will know and satisfying two 'blind' referees' whose opinions may differ after reading your paper is an an acquired artform which I have yet to perfect. Still, the satisfaction comes from having uncovered ground breaking results which may change policy, if the policymakers bother reading the paper!

An incisive article by Martin Shipton in the Western Mail today, which suggests that the local authority settlement will hit Plaid Cymru's 'heartlands' hardest. For the leaders of Gwynedd Council, the timing couldn't be worse. If they had waited a couple of months before announcing their small schools closure programme, then they could have laid the entire blame at the door of the Assembly Government, albeit jointly run now by their colleagues in Cardiff Bay. Now their settlement is going to be even worse than expected, it will be even more difficult to dig themselves out of the hole they have created for themselves without affecting other services. You also to ask why the main defenders of the council tax settlement have been Plaid Cymru members with those representing the Labour Party keeping completely silent on the matter.

Entrepreneurship has a greater influence on the economy of Mid-Wales than any other Welsh region. This is one of the key findings of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) study undertaken by the National Entrepreneurship Observatory for Wales. GEM was established in 1997 as a joint initiative between Babson College and London Business School. It describes and analyses entrepreneurial activity across a large and growing range of nations. Through producing internationally comparable data on entrepreneurial activity, the GEM study is unique as the only longitudinal study of entrepreneurship undertaken throughout the major nations of the world. In 2006, early stage entrepreneurial activity for Mid Wales was measured at 8.2%. This represents one of the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity across the UK and is higher than the early stage entrepreneurial activity index for Wales or any of the other regions – South East Wales 4.7%, South West Wales 6.1% and North Wales 5.7%. This dem...

Ordovicius tagged me early this morning on an article he quoted on economic policy. Clearly there are different viewpoints on what governments can do in this respect but one is contained in an email I received from the USA regarding one of my monthly articles in Ninnau - the Welsh American newspaper. Read with interest the view from across the big pond on the Welsh economy and how it should be developed. Hello Dylan, I read your article in October's Ninnau with great interest. I must say that after two trips to Wales, I noticed a nation highly steeped in social engineering and exorbitant taxation. If this nation desires economic success, I don't believe that government has much of any solution. If any economy is to survive it is the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the creation of wealth and prosperity. It has been proven many times in the U.S. that lower taxes, less government create the impetus for growth. Reagan proved that lowering tax rates created more revenue...

A shocking report from Help the Aged is released today. The study on fuel poverty found that nearly 2 million older Britons wear outdoor clothes indoors 2.2 million turned off their central heating 1 million cut back on their food shopping, to save cash However, £4.5 billion of state benefits earmarked for elderly people has gone unclaimed. Every year we hear of pensioners dying as a result of fuel poverty and yet this is nowhere on the list of priorities for either the UK or Assembly Governments. By population figures, at least 100,000 pensioners in Wales will be turning off their central heating and 50,000 will be cutting back on food. The problem is especially acute in constituencies such as Aberconwy and Clwyd West, which have a far higher proportion of elderly people than many other parts of Wales. Perhaps the answer with this problem lies with using the power of Government as a purchaser. If the UK Government could examine how it could ensure discounted purchases of goods and...

Like hundreds of thousands of people across the country, I yesterday attended a Remembrance Sunday ceremony to honour the millions - including my own grandfather - who laid down their lives to defend our nation. The Merchant Navy's tribute at Cathays Park is shown above. However, while politicians lined up to lay wreaths to commemorate the soldiers, sailors and aircrews that fought past battles, it remains a scandal that the UK Government continues to treat our current armed forces so shabbily. Only last week, senior military chiefs warned that Britain's armed forces were over-stretched and under-funded, and that this would have a significant impact on their ability to recruit and retain personnel. This followed a report from the independent think-tank Demos which indicated that the military covenant - which guarantees troops fair treatment in return for forgoing other rights - is in pieces and that there is no longer fair treatment for troops who go into battle under Governme...

Off to the Cenotaph in Cardiff for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony. I am taking my eldest son Harri for the first time and have spent all day yesterday explaining why we take time to remember those who have fallen whilst defending this nation, including my own grandfather. Will blog more on this tomorrow.

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to keep in touch with the modern world and still write articles for the Daily Post and Western mail while sitting next to a pool in the Algarve on a long-overdue family holiday. Portugal is a wonderful country and is also the UK’s oldest ally, which partly explains the warm welcome we get every time we come here. Having been a regular visitor to the Algarve since 1990, perhaps the biggest improvement I have seen is the motorway that joins the airport at Faro in the east of the Algarve with Lagos in the west. This road, paid for with Objective One money, has opened up economic opportunities in the west of the country by cutting the journey from three hours to just over one. Certainly, this development has lessons in spades for those who object to North-South road links in Wales, although that is an article for another day. Just before flying out to Portugal, I organised the annual Wales Fast Growth 50 dinner at the Holland House hotel in Cardiff....

I wonder how the workers of Dolgarrog feel about the decision yesterday by the Assembly Government to wipe out the debts of the Millennium Centre? Both are independent commercial organisations but only one is worthy of support from Ministers. So much for the argument from Plaid apologists on this blog that the management bid for Dolgarrog should not be funded from the public purse as it would hit services elsewhere - yet the Minister for Heritage is happy to give £17.1 million of taxpayers money to an institution that got its business plan horribly wrong. Was it the same group of civil servants who scrutinised the Dolgarrog bid? If so, what made the Millennium Centre's position more attractive? In contrast, the plant in Dolgarrog only got into financial difficulties because of the unexpected increase in energy prices - something that no-one could have foreseen at the time. Only 15 per cent fof the funds being given to this Arts Centre in Cardiff could have saved a major employer in...

Great article in the Times yesterday , which examines how academics are now afraid of speaking out in case it threatens their jobs. The classic quote is: "Castrated academics are boring....a vapid, dry, disengaged academy, in which only certain ideas are licensed for discussion, will and does breed vapid, dry and disengaged students". This is certainly true in Wales and I wish many more academics would engage in public debate as it would help develop our nation. Anyway, one thing is certain - my cojones are still in place!

Last week, the UK Government admitted that most of the new jobs created over the past decade have gone to immigrant workers, mainly from central and eastern european countries. The virtues of employing immigrant workers have been debated widely in the press during the last seven days but from the point of view of many employers, the situation is a no-brainer. For example, speaking to many North Wales hotel owners about the current situation, they admit that they are more than happy to employ well-educated, hard working and polite individuals from overseas who value their jobs within a customer focused industry. Whilst we hear empty rhetoric such as 'British jobs for British workers' from a Prime Minister who should know better, employers are left with little option but to employ non-UK staff because they simply cannot get the same standard of local people to take up these jobs. The employment statistics show that nearly one in three of working age adults in Wales do not have a ...

Fascinating article by the BBC's education correspondent on the issue of NEETS , which I have blogged on previously , following the UK Government's 'radical response' to this problem. It is scandalous that there is nothing in today's budget announcement by the Welsh Assembly Government about tackling this problem, which is especially acute in our most deprived areas. I certainly hope that there may be more in the detail as dealing with this issue, especially with respect to economic inactivity amongst our young people, is critical to the future of our poorer communities.

Check out the new Fast Growth 50 website www.fastgrowth50.com It contains information from the last nine years of the project as well as a series of detailed video interviews with successful entrepreneurs. We had an awards dinner for 420 people on Friday 26th October and I will blog a bit more about this later this week.

I was recently asked to speak at an event celebrating successful young Welsh achievers, and decided to share some of the results from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor project on the relationship between entrepreneurship and young people which, as Business Week pointed out (above), is healthy within the USA. Is the same true about Wales? While the full paper is not yet complete, some of the headline statistics the project has examined make for fascinating reading, and provide evidence for policymakers as to where they should be concentrating their efforts in the future (especially given the results for North Wales highlighted below). An examination of the GEM data for 2006 shows that young people in Wales – that is, those aged between 18 and 24 – have the highest aspirations of involvement in entrepreneurship of any age group, with 10% indicating that they expect to be involved in starting a business within the next three years. The problem comes in converting this aspiration into bu...