PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

Just a short message to wish Gwilym Euros best wishes in his attempts to win a seat on Gwynedd tomorrow and to welcome him as the first 'Llais Gwynedd' blog on my list. Blaenau Ffestiniog has been let down badly in terms of economic support during the last few years and the large pots of Objective 1 money that have gone to Bangor and Caernarfon has passed this town by. I am sure that, if elected, Gwilym Euros will make damn sure that this situation is changed. Pob lwc, boi.

Last week in the USA, one thing you could not get away from was the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to secure the Democratic nomination for the presidential election later this year. As an outsider to American politics, it has been absolutely fascinating to watch the enormous TV coverage of this campaign which is, in effect, only the hors d’oevres before the main course of the election battle between the Republicans and the Democrats for the White House. What is important, though, is that it has made politics in America interesting again after four years of an ineffectual Bush presidency. Of course, it is Barack Obama who has electrified audiences up and down the country, making it a real possibility that he will become the first black president of the United States. His message of hope has, probably for the first time in a generation, encouraged hundreds of thousands of young people across America to abandon their previous apathy to politics and to take a real interest i

The ruling today in Flintshire about the blogger prosecuted under the Telecommunications Act should possibly make us all careful about we write and how it is interpreted. According to the story, "He claimed he had not meant to be offensive, had used the blog "to let off steam", but had not intended any harm. He apologised if it was perceived as a threat, offered to remove the offending words, and to write a letter of apology. Asked if he realised how the officer and his wife would have felt when they read his comments, he said: "I can now. I am sorry. But their interpretation is different to what I intended. Flintshire magistrates, sitting at Mold, said the blog was articulate, detailed, specific and critical of the police and the CPS". It is a groundbreaking ruling, given some of the things that were said on blogs such as Arsembly during the last Assembly elections. It is little wonder that an increasing number of bloggers are resorting to comment moderation.

Love this blog entry on the ten secrets of success in entrepreneurship? Think success. Be passionate with what you do. Focus on your strengths. Never consider the possibility of failure. Plan accordingly. Work hard! Constantly Look for Ways to Network. Willingness to Learn. Persevere and have faith. Discipline yourself. Do you agree?

Article in The Times tomorrow on the local council elections in Wales, and it is good to see a London-based broadsheet taking an interest in Welsh politics. If it were only thus always. According to the paper, the following is a guide to the targets of the main parties: Labour - Fighting a predominantly defensive campaign with a lot of seats at stake. It would take a good night for the party to retake Bridgend and/or Swansea, which were both lost in 2004 Plaid Cymru - Lost two of its three overall majorities last time, in Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff, where it suffered big losses. Will want to make decent gains in the former as well as in Ceredigion, where it is now the largest party, and Carmarthenshire Liberal Democrats - Had big wins in 2004, for example becoming the largest party in Cardiff. A better than expected evening could allow them to gain overall control in the Welsh capital. Conservatives - Hope to take control in Vale of Glamorgan and to pick up seats in Cardiff and

A question by Cheryl Gillan MP to Tessa Jowell has revealed that firms in England have secured 97 per cent of the 600 contracts so far signed for the games. In contrast, only 1 per cent has gone to Welsh firms. According to Ms Jowell : "To date three businesses or organisations registered in Wales have supplied goods and services to the Olympic Delivery Authority ( ODA ), these are John Evans Photography; Strategy and Solution Limited; and the Office for National Statistics. These contracts were awarded for photography, management consulting services and data processing and preparation. Due to commercial sensitivities I cannot make public the value of each of these contracts, but I can tell you that spend to date with them is £5,053. The Olympic Delivery Authority will directly procure over 2,000 contracts; these are expected to generate 50,000 supply chain opportunities. At this early stage, 600 contracts have been awarded. The percentage shares are as follows: England (97%); Wa

The Orange County Register has a great article promoting tourism in Wales . Apparently, tourists can actually have a meal in someone's home as part of their holiday package. Did anyone else know about this " Home dinners in Wales " scheme? What an absolutely fantastic idea in introducing people to Wales. I hope that Visit Wales is supporting this programme.

For the last week, I have been a guest of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I was invited to meet with organisations involved in developing enterprise, innovation and leadership studies, and to give a lecture on the future of the Welsh economy to staff, students and local businesses. I was honoured to be given the opportunity to talk about what is happening in Wales in terms of entrepreneurship and the economy and, more importantly, to spread the message about how Welsh entrepreneurs are developing and growing their businesses. Wales needs to build greater links with America and hopefully the lecture will makes some contribution to promote Wales, and the best of Welsh business, to individuals and businesses within one of the most innovative regions in the USA. Given my research background in examining technology-based entrepreneurs, I have also been fascinated by discussions about one of the oldest and largest science parks in North America, namely the Research Tria

Bryn Terfel at Carnegie Hall singing 'Ar Hyd y Nos' say no more.......

Given that the Assembly has formed a specific committee to look at affordable housing (eight years too late), it is worth noting that the real reasons behind this problem are down to the simple econ omics of supply and demand, as leading figures in the housing industry have been saying to the Assembly since god knows when.. As reported in Contract Journal . "The number of homes being built in Wales has fallen to its lowest since World War II, according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF). Over the past decade, between 9,500 and 10,000 new homes have been built on average each year – the lowest since the 1940s. HBF Wales planning and policy advisor Richard Price said the country was facing a housing crisis, with a backlog of 40,000 homes and no plans to increase building levels. He said low earners faced massive strife as demand quickly outstripped supply. Price added: “We have been in a crisis for a while now and it will be very difficult to completely get rid of that backlog. A

Following the slightly OTT article in the Times on Tuesday (which, God help us, used the term 'singing in the Valleys'), we now have a story on today's BBC that a village in Cheshire wants to become Welsh. Is this because of our economy, our culture, our sport or just the simple fact that we are a fantastic nation? Er, no. The villagers of Audlem only want to become Welsh to get access to benefits such as free hospital parking and prescriptions. You couldn't make it up, could you?

Have arrived safely in Greensboro, North Carolina. The hospitality, as would be expected, is exceptional and weather is a sunny 78F! My lecture is in about a couple of hours time but I had the pleasure of visiting a number of specialist centres this morning which were ready to partner with Welsh institutions. Given the world class nature of these organisations, it could begin to make a real difference if we can do some collaboartive work together.

There has been a blog debate surrounding the submission by Glyn Davies to Wyn Roberts' commission on further devolution. At the same time, Heffer's column in the Telegraph today actually suggests we will get those extra powers as long as an English parliament is created. I am taking the opportunity to write my submission to Wyn while travelling here in the USA so I can submit it by next week. I can assure you I will be coming out for stronger powers for Wales, as I have always said that we should have had a Senedd from day one. However, we need extra powers not because others have them, but to make a difference to Wales. My viewpoint seems to be supported by the Conservative MEP candidate, Dr Kay Swinburne, in the Western Mail today . Same old Tories - you wish!

According to official figures, the funding gap in higher education between Wales and England grew by 53% last year. The Funding Gap Report for 2005/06 shows that in one year, the deficit in public funding of universities in Wales, compared to England, rose from £40 million to £61 million , although what is even more worrying is that this gap is predicted to rise again in 2006/07 to £70 million. This blog has repeatedly written about the importance of the university sector and I am over in the USA this week repeating the message, namely that the real trick for prosperous economies is linking science and enterprise, the laboratory and the market-place together As numerous business experts will tell you, the Holy Grail is the creation of an entrepreneurial, technologically competent workforce that can create high value-added ideas, businesses and products, as has happened in key growth regions such as Silicon Valley, Route 128 and, of course, the Research Triangle in North Carolina (w

In about an hour, I am off on my trip to the USA for a few days, where I have been invited to give my views on the Welsh economy and the influence of entrepreneurship on creating future prosperity. I will be visiting the University of North Carolina (UNC) to meet with organisations involved in developing enterprise, innovation and leadership studies. The visit will culminate in giving a keynote lecture to staff, students and local businesses entitled “Reawakening the Dragon: Developing the Welsh Economy for the 21st Century”. I am honoured to be invited to give this lecture and to discuss what is happening in Wales in terms of entrepreneurship and the economy and, more importantly, to spread the message about how Welsh entrepreneurs are developing and growing their businesses. More importantly, I am grateful to one of the University's benefactors, Ms. Rebecca Lloyd, who has provided a stipend to cover the costs of my visit, and who cares deeply about Wales as a result of her Welsh

Last week, Rhodri Morgan argued that free prescriptions and free school breakfasts are actually helping the Welsh economy and that was one of the main reasons behind the creation of these policies. At times like this, you just have to stand in admiration of the First Minister’s ability to apply his immense logic to developing such an argument. In his opinion, offering free prescriptions isn’t about improving the health service but is, instead, about supporting those whose income was just above the benefit level whilst free breakfasts in primary schools is helping working parents get to work without eroding earnings. However, in applying this logic, he seems to have missed the real point. It is not a matter of free prescriptions or free breakfasts being made available to the neediest within Welsh society. It is the fact both are available to anyone, whether you are a prince or a pauper. In addition, those on low incomes had already been eligible for free prescriptions before the policy

Last Wednesday, we saw the announcement of the project that will, apparently, ‘transform the Welsh economy for years to come’. As of this week, all Assembly business support will now be delivered through a single investment fund replacing the current system of numerous capital grants and business support programmes. There will be one contact number for businesses (with only one application form to complete) and 200 Assembly Government business-facing customer relationship managers will be employed to act as sole points of contact for businesses seeking support. Is this ‘radical’ approach going to transform the Welsh economy? Well, the spin pumped out from the Assembly Government over the last few months would have you believe that this is the most innovative reorganisation of business support in years and the best thing since sliced bread. However, the reality is that there is probably no more additional money available for supporting Welsh businesses than previously, albeit that what

A fascinating view from North of the Border from the Scotland on Sunday columnist Hardeep Singh Kohli. I don't think we are as Machiavellian as that, are we? Are Scots paving the way? I spent a couple of days in Pembrokeshire last week. I was in St Davids, the United Kingdom's smallest city. I have a lot of time for Wales and the Welsh. There are many parallels between them and the Scots – the sense of nationhood, self-identity, the pride in our respective cultures. Yet there are two very marked and highly significant differences between us and them. The Welsh have managed to protect their native language with great success; yet it is the Scots that came out the winner in the devolution debate: we got a Parliament, they were fobbed off with a glorified talking shop called an Assembly. Having spent a lot of time in Wales of late, witnessing the urban regeneration of Cardiff and the re-birth of BBC Wales and the independent television sector in the city, I can't work out why

In the wake of the debate over the abolition of the 10 per cent tax rate, Southpaw Grammar raises some valid points regarding taxation in the UK. Not surprisingly, I disagree with his points over inheritance tax although I believe, as he does, that we need to re-examine the tax policies of this country. Certainly, I would favour raising the threshold at which people begin to pay tax to a far higher rate than we have now. I will be blogging on prescription charges on Tuesday but one has to question some of the 'freebies' which are available to all, regardless of income. For example, child benefit was created as a vital weapon in the fight against child poverty. However, has anyone examined why higher rate taxpayers are able to receive nearly £1000 per year tax free for their first child? How much does this cost every year to give to the relatively well-off in society? Could it be used instead to raise the tax threshold levels for the poorest paid? If we wish to make the NHS more

It was close but Joe Calzhage won the light heavyweight championship earlier this morning against Bernard Hopkins. Pound for pound, Joe is probably the best boxer in the world today and there aren't many who could to the US and win a championship belt there. He has been a great ambassador for Wales and has probably done more to raise the profile of the country than any other sportsman in recent times. My father loves boxing ever since he became a useful welterweight in the Army and, ever since he let me stay up to watch the Frazier-Ali fight in 1971, I have been hooked as well. There is talk of final match against the equally great Roy Jones here in Cardiff before he retires, hopefully undefeated like that other great Italian descendant, Rocky Marciano. That could really raise the profile of Wales globally and I hope, unlike with the Kessler fight , that the Assembly Government make the most of the opportunity to sell Wales round the world.

Yet another blow for the Welsh economy as Corus announces 300 potential job cuts at Trostre . However, if you listened to the extraordinary interview with the Minister for Economic Development on Dragon's Eye, you would have thought nothing is wrong. Worst of all, he was actually put into the position where he was defending Labour's economic record in Wales over the last eight years. This is genuinely puzzling. I genuinely believe that Ieuan has the personal qualities to make this job a success. Not only that, many of the economic policies developed by Dafydd Wigley and Eurfyl ap Gwilym - many of which are being ignored by the Assembly Government - are also in the same ball park as many of the policies proposed by the Welsh Conservatives. However, Ieuan has to break out of the straitjacket imposed on him by his civil servants and develop his own policies that will make a difference, rather than defending Labour policies that were developed under his predecessor. If he

After manufacturing job losses, it would seem the next to go are retail jobs, with Ethel Austin going into administration on Tuesday . Expect other to follow or for job cuts and store closures to start as other retailers try to avoid the same fate. there is already talk of both JJB and Woolworth's rationalising across Wales. If that does happen, then given that this is where the vast majority of jobs have been created in Wales during the last few years, we could see the economy in serious difficulties over the next couple of months.

The latest job losses announced by 3M today may be just the tip of the iceberg for the Welsh economy. Since the last Assembly election , I have estimated that at least 3700 jobs in the manufacturing sector have been lost due to closures (and these are just the major announcements to the press). Yes there are new jobs coming to Wales but, in the main, they are not well paid manufacturing jobs. They are jobs that have been dependent on the consumer boom both in retail and financial services. What will now happen during the economic slowdown which, I believe, will take at least 18 months to recover from? Will a business like Amazon suffer in any downturn or benefit as people look for cheaper deals on the internet ? Will firms like Picture Finance lose out under the current credit crunch or increase their business as high street banks turn away customers? Will US firms - which make up the largest proportion of inward investors - now retract back to their own country due to recessionary pr

A well written item about Wales and sustainability on CNN news and, most importantly, the investment in clean technology. I am, however, perplexed how a senior civil servant has already decided that millions of European funding will go to a low carbon project when the rest of Wales have to go through the process via WEFO before any green light is given. Perhaps he can give some advice to the rest of us!! I also thought the headline 'Wales less bureaucratic' was slightly perplexing, especially if as the opposite seems to be true for any small firm dealing with the business support structure in Wales. Perhaps G24 Innovations were luckier than most, as I seem to remember they did not actually apply for any financial support, and congratulations must go to the land team at the Assembly for getting this right. Overall, a good news story that should get investors interested in Wales.

Last week , the Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood berated the Welsh Conservatives for opposing legislation that would suspend the right of council tenants to buy their homes, calling such opposition ‘anti-Welsh’. There may be a different view within the South Wales Valleys at what constitutes ‘Welshness’, but for the life of me, I cannot see what is so anti-Welsh about giving 20,000 local families across North Wales (and tens of thousands of others across the nation) their first opportunity to get onto the housing ladder within their communities. Since they were purchased, the pride of possession has transformed many of these houses into fantastic homes which are still lived in by the former tenants who exercised their legal right to buy. Of course, suspending the right to buy would do very little to help the housing crisis within Welsh communities. As the Daily Post reported recently , the Welsh Assembly Government is now forcing local people down the council house waiting lists in favour o

This headline was too good to be true but given the Assembly's current approach to policy, you never know!

Brand new story from Reuters which suggests that a U.S-Japanese consortium is working on a plan to build a new nuclear reactor at Wylfa. The BBC seemingly haven't yet picked this one up yet, but this is apparently the second potential bid for a new nuclear power station which means that there will be nuclear energy sited on Anglesey, contrary to the wishes of many members of the One Wales Government Cabinet. This is potential good news for Anglesey in terms of job creation, although it is completely against the energy policies of the Welsh Assembly Government. It will be intersting to see the reaction of Ministers. However, what disappoints me yet again is that the Assembly has been sidelined and that such an important announcement was not first aired in the Welsh Assembly chamber?

During the last few years, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has continuously pushed the case for entrepreneurs across Wales. By taking the policy fight directly to the Assembly and other public bodies, it has helped to get the viewpoints of your average owner-manager across to politicians. However, in a country where big is still beautiful, some clearly remain unconvinced at whether the FSB and its members, many of whom are micro-businesses, should have any voice in the way business support is managed. For example, when the FSB recently called for greater partnership between higher education in Wales and local businesses, evidence presented to the Enterprise and Learning Committee of the Welsh Assembly Government suggested that the ‘kind of companies’ the FSB represents simply do not understand the role of universities and that, ‘for decades’, all they have done is ‘bemoan’ the fact that universities do not engage with the business community. Such attitudes, especially when con

At a time when there needs to be greater delivery of services in Wales, what do we get from the Assembly Government? Yes, you guessed it - four new 'communications' posts advertised in the Guardian at a cost of £25k each per annum. Yet again, it would seem the Assembly Government is getting its priorities wrong, especially when it is cutting budgets in other key areas . More importantly, if Ministers cannot get their message across without such support (and at a time when they seem to have the slavish backing of the BBC for whatever they do) then god help the future of devolution within this country.

The YouGov poll results in today's Sunday Times would, if a general election was held today, translate into 188 additional seats to the Conservatives, according to Anthony Wells . Of course, there will be local variations (such as Glyn winning in Montgomery), but it would mean an additional 11 seats for the Conservatives in Wales. Heady times but the election is still two years away and much can change, including the PM. In addition to the sitting MPs in Monmouthsire , Clwyd West and Preseli Pembrokeshire , the following have been selected to stand for the Conservatives in Wales. Aberconwy - Guto Bebb (Majority: 0.84%) Cardiff North - Jonathan Evans (Majority: 2.53%) Vale of Glamorgan - Alun Cairns (Majority: 3.57%) Carmarthen West and South Pembrokshire - Simon Hart (Majority: 5.37%) Brecon and Radnorshire - Suzy Davies (Majority: 10.18%) Vale of Clwyd - Matt Wright (Majority: 14.51%) Newport West - Matthew WIlliams (Majority: 15.27%) Gower - Byron Davies (Major

It's worth highlighting a comment from an anonymous contributor yesterday. "Not really sure where to raise this but I hope you don't mind using your blog I have read about the Northern Ireland Investment Fund from the NY Pension Fund worth around 100 million dollars. I understand that much of this is 'Peace Process' money to help rebuild the economy in NI but why aren't our politicians looking at something similar in terms of inward investment for us. Firstly are our politicians and political parties in Cardiff Bay aware of this and if not why not?Secondly, does Wales have access to people in the New York Stock Exchange who could put a package like this together for Wales? I think this needs raising by the opposition politicians in Cardiff Bay. The BBC link is below there are others from the Irish papers." Certainly, I will raise this with the Assembly but it is a shame that we have done very little about cultivating our links with the USA. International

A very disappointing story regarding the broken promises of the One Wales Government in a very vulnerable sector. The Supporting People programme offers vulnerable people the opportunity to improve their quality of life by providing a stable environment which enables greater independence. It delivers high quality and strategically planned housing-related services which are cost effective and reliable, and complement existing care services. According to this story from Inside Housing , WAG has actually cut the budget, in real terms, to this important scheme for 2008-2009. The reason why - because they allegedly spent too much last year on helping people with substance abuse. This is an incredible admission and shows that civil servants are more concerned with spinning stories to suit their policies rather than providing funding for the real needs of the most vulnerable in our society.

One the one hand, the Chancellor says that the UK economy is in a robust state to withstand any worldwide economic slowdown, whilst on the other hand, the IMF has quite different views . I wonder who the market will listen to? More importantly, will Wales be hit more than any other region? Some studies have suggested higher levels of debt in Wales than other parts of the UK, the house market is probably more overpriced (as indicated by the recent dramatic fall last month in prices, second only to the West Midlands) and we are already the poorest region in the UK. It is going to be a nervous few months for businesses and individuals.

Its not often that I share personal thoughts on this blog. However, last week, on my 15th wedding anniversary, my youngest son Dafydd went from being terrified of water to diving into the pool at every occasion! For the sake of posterity (and for his auntie in Bahrain to see the results) we videoed his first attempt at swimming, which made his mam and dad very proud parents.

Caernarfon's Cibyn Industrial Estate is supposed to be the focus of the growth of a high technology multimedia cluster in North West Wales. Companies such as Antena and Barcud Derwen have created well-paid and highly skilled local jobs in a fast growing industry. In particular, access to infrastructure such as fast broadband access is critical to their future growth and development. However, it would seem that the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has managed to conveniently forget about the needs of this growing sector, despite it being the largest of its type outside of Cardiff. Last month, it was revealed that a £30 million WAG scheme to improve high-speed broadband services across North Wales will not extend to the Cibyn Industrial Estate , stopping at Victoria Dock two miles down the road. Yet again, there seems to be a lack of joined up thinking in the way that the different parts of the Assembly Government manage themselves. Having trumpeted a £15 million regeneration strategy

Just got back from Lanzarote (more later!), so it is perhaps apt to discuss sunshine... With the UK entering its first week of British Summer Time, it has been suggested that moving the clocks forward by another hour to provide extra sunlight in the evening could bring in more than £10 million of additional tourism income to North Wales every year. This is not a new concept. The modern idea of summer time goes back to 1784, when the great American politician Benjamin Franklin was living in Paris. In a letter to a French journal, he argued that thousands of francs a year could be saved if people woke up earlier during the summer because they would buy fewer candles to light during the evening. Over two hundred and twenty years later, the main arguments put forward by supporters of extending summer time is to make better use of daylight. For the tourism industry, it increases the time available for outdoor activities, and can thus benefit a range of attractions. In particular, it is esti