| Mark Drakeford 11:26 - Dec 13 with 13560 views | raynor94 |
Has resigned with immediate effect |  |
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| Mark Drakeford on 20:59 - Dec 14 with 1125 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Mark Drakeford on 17:49 - Dec 14 by Togg |
Sorry the M4 relief road was a no brainier. The money was there. It was political suicide and deprived Wales of potential income. |
He should have taken it. You are right.
However Johnson did not offer it to help Welsh motorists.
Johnson made the offer knowing that Drakers could not accept it cos Transport was devolved.
Johnsons offer was not the money for welsh govt to use, it was all strings attached.
Johnson being johnson it was all games to him. |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| Mark Drakeford on 21:00 - Dec 14 with 1131 views | Joesus_Of_Narbereth |
| Mark Drakeford on 12:58 - Dec 14 by Scotia |
I don't think anyone in the Senedd can be described as elite. |
Just replace the E and the L for an S and a H.
Job done. |  |
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| Mark Drakeford on 21:15 - Dec 14 with 1103 views | Whiterockin |
| Mark Drakeford on 20:59 - Dec 14 by Kilkennyjack |
He should have taken it. You are right.
However Johnson did not offer it to help Welsh motorists.
Johnson made the offer knowing that Drakers could not accept it cos Transport was devolved.
Johnsons offer was not the money for welsh govt to use, it was all strings attached.
Johnson being johnson it was all games to him. |
Johnson knew that he had to give the money for specific projects and not just give it over otherwise it would be wasted on vanity projects as usual or worse still, returned unspent. |  | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:01 - Dec 14 with 1066 views | majorraglan |
| Mark Drakeford on 17:49 - Dec 14 by Togg |
Sorry the M4 relief road was a no brainier. The money was there. It was political suicide and deprived Wales of potential income. |
My personal view is that Drakers and the WG played this very poorly.
I do not for 1 minute believe that Boris’s offer was a genuine serious offer, I think Boris was being “clever” and made it knowing Drakers and couldn't or wouldn’t accept the offer to pay for the new road. We’ve seen with the HS2 project that infrastructure in England is being classified as benefitting both England and Wales even though there are no benefits to Wales so that central government didn’t have to provide corresponding funds to improve the Welsh infrastructure as it did to other nations who weren’t deemed to benefit from HS2.
Drakers and Co should have called Boris’s bluff and taken him up on his offer and then waited to see what happened. - we’ll never know now if Boris was being serious or not. A significant chunks of the Brexit levelling up money promised to support development has never actually materialised. |  | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:34 - Dec 14 with 1011 views | Boundy |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:01 - Dec 14 by majorraglan |
My personal view is that Drakers and the WG played this very poorly.
I do not for 1 minute believe that Boris’s offer was a genuine serious offer, I think Boris was being “clever” and made it knowing Drakers and couldn't or wouldn’t accept the offer to pay for the new road. We’ve seen with the HS2 project that infrastructure in England is being classified as benefitting both England and Wales even though there are no benefits to Wales so that central government didn’t have to provide corresponding funds to improve the Welsh infrastructure as it did to other nations who weren’t deemed to benefit from HS2.
Drakers and Co should have called Boris’s bluff and taken him up on his offer and then waited to see what happened. - we’ll never know now if Boris was being serious or not. A significant chunks of the Brexit levelling up money promised to support development has never actually materialised. |
I'm afraid that's a lot of assumptions , we can only speculate what Johnsons motives were but funny then Drakeford announces later that there will be no desperately needed new major road schemes except for ones already started ( and that nearly put paid to the one currently ongoing on the new by pass at Llandewi Velfry) . My opinion is , by reading all matter of WAG policies with a great deal of influence from Sustrans then I truly believe that the money was offered but due to Drakeford's vision for the future of Wales it was never going to happen . | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Mark Drakeford on 23:10 - Dec 14 with 1001 views | majorraglan |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:34 - Dec 14 by Boundy |
I'm afraid that's a lot of assumptions , we can only speculate what Johnsons motives were but funny then Drakeford announces later that there will be no desperately needed new major road schemes except for ones already started ( and that nearly put paid to the one currently ongoing on the new by pass at Llandewi Velfry) . My opinion is , by reading all matter of WAG policies with a great deal of influence from Sustrans then I truly believe that the money was offered but due to Drakeford's vision for the future of Wales it was never going to happen . |
There were a lot of assumptions and I was just going on my gut feeling and some previous interactions with politicians and councillors.
In terms of Lee Waters, he ran the Sustrans Charity in Wales and was involved in the Active Travel Act which puts a lot of emphasis on encouraging people to make short commutes/journeys on foot or bike. I 100% get that there are numerous benefits to more journeys being made on foot etc, but there has to be a sensible compromise because along with exercise etc people need money and jobs and there has to be a sensible balance.
I traveled to the West Country today, the M5 and M4 around Bristol were a nightmare and the number of 20mph was startling - it was like I hadn’t left Wales! On the way back I crossed on the old Severn Bridge and rejoined the M4 at Magor - the M48 was very quiet but the speed limit was 50mph which I found strange. There’d been a crash on the A470 which caused a massive build up of traffic in Cardiff and on the M4 and then there was a huge hold up on the M4 between Penllegaer and Hendy apparently after breakdown and blocking of the contraflows. Two hours in the way up- 4 on the way back! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 23:18 - Dec 14 with 994 views | Boundy |
| Mark Drakeford on 15:42 - Dec 14 by Kilkennyjack |
But Brexit is an important context when judging Drakers.
Drakers had the deal with the inevitable fall out of the biggest act of self harm ever sanctioned by the uk govt in times of peace.
And thats important because it delivered Johnsons Brexidiot government who also could not deliver the lies they had told.
Immigrant numbers at record levels.
GDP -4%.
Goods arriving in UK are still not being checked due to the delays it would cause.
Disfunctional government at No10 describing Devolution as a disaster and taking every opportunity to undermine it …. For example the politically motivated M4 funding offer
This all took funding and focus away from Wales, the HS2 decision to rob Wales also played out with Wales starved of much needed transport investment.
Drakers is a unionist and asked the uk govt to secure the coal tips in south Wales as a visible benefit of the union. The Tory government turned him down flat. |
I think you'll find that a majority vote of free thinking individuals decided the Brexit result after the vote was given to us as part of the democratic process, the same processes that gave Scotland the vote on independence and like many because the result didn't go the way the minority wanted we had the fall out which continues to this day . You can bleat and moan all you like on who's fault it was etc but the people who got off their arses decided and now like most major decisions we have to get on with it.
Immigration numbers have risen throughout your wonderful EU , so much so even the liberal French & Germans have decided enough is enough so don't think this is a problem which will go away overnight, a lot of which is being driven by our ex friendly Russian regime in order to destabilise the west .
Regarding GDP , you must realise that we're in the start/middle/end (who knows) of a global financial crises and even now after nearly 2 years the effects of the pandemic continue to hamper growth.
Regarding the M4 offer of money , all decisions made in government are politically motivated and have been debated on another thread
I agree about nonsense that the classification of the HS2 project as being England ? Wales there are extremely tenuous links as to why Westminster belives it will /would benefit Wales and i think theyre laughable but I'd be more aggrieved if I was Mancunium who's recently been told along with other English areas that HS2 like the Coca Cola Santa it isn't coming to their towns .
He has funding so much so he had to send how many million back to London because he couldn't invent another woke policy to fund.
Drakeford a unionist , you're having a laugh he wouldn't oppose the notion and would happily carry on with more devolved powers because he knew that money would be forthcoming from Westminster , he's like Starmer , non decisive when it suits his cause. But like a river snake he would go with the flow when it came to independence | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Mark Drakeford on 06:13 - Dec 15 with 967 views | Whiterockin |
| Mark Drakeford on 23:10 - Dec 14 by majorraglan |
There were a lot of assumptions and I was just going on my gut feeling and some previous interactions with politicians and councillors.
In terms of Lee Waters, he ran the Sustrans Charity in Wales and was involved in the Active Travel Act which puts a lot of emphasis on encouraging people to make short commutes/journeys on foot or bike. I 100% get that there are numerous benefits to more journeys being made on foot etc, but there has to be a sensible compromise because along with exercise etc people need money and jobs and there has to be a sensible balance.
I traveled to the West Country today, the M5 and M4 around Bristol were a nightmare and the number of 20mph was startling - it was like I hadn’t left Wales! On the way back I crossed on the old Severn Bridge and rejoined the M4 at Magor - the M48 was very quiet but the speed limit was 50mph which I found strange. There’d been a crash on the A470 which caused a massive build up of traffic in Cardiff and on the M4 and then there was a huge hold up on the M4 between Penllegaer and Hendy apparently after breakdown and blocking of the contraflows. Two hours in the way up- 4 on the way back! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 |
Airport run? | | | |
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| Mark Drakeford on 08:05 - Dec 15 with 931 views | majorraglan |
| Mark Drakeford on 06:13 - Dec 15 by Whiterockin |
Airport run? |
Nah, I went to see a family member who’s up there. I’m glad I’d didn’t have to go on the M5 though because that was the reason the M4 and M32 were so busy. Nightmare. | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 08:30 - Dec 15 with 922 views | felixstowe_jack |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:01 - Dec 14 by majorraglan |
My personal view is that Drakers and the WG played this very poorly.
I do not for 1 minute believe that Boris’s offer was a genuine serious offer, I think Boris was being “clever” and made it knowing Drakers and couldn't or wouldn’t accept the offer to pay for the new road. We’ve seen with the HS2 project that infrastructure in England is being classified as benefitting both England and Wales even though there are no benefits to Wales so that central government didn’t have to provide corresponding funds to improve the Welsh infrastructure as it did to other nations who weren’t deemed to benefit from HS2.
Drakers and Co should have called Boris’s bluff and taken him up on his offer and then waited to see what happened. - we’ll never know now if Boris was being serious or not. A significant chunks of the Brexit levelling up money promised to support development has never actually materialised. |
That was one of Drakeford's weakness he was always happy to take UK taxpayers if it came via the EU to fund the heads of the valley road.
He was continually moaning the UK government would never give him enough money but he was offered the money, to build to M4 relief road as part of the UK infrastructure programme, turned it down.
The claim that Boris was bluffing is just that a claim.
The A14 upgrade as part of the UK infrastructure programme cost £1.5 billion more than twice the cost of the M4 relief road | |
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| Mark Drakeford on 08:31 - Dec 15 with 920 views | Scotia |
| Mark Drakeford on 22:01 - Dec 14 by majorraglan |
My personal view is that Drakers and the WG played this very poorly.
I do not for 1 minute believe that Boris’s offer was a genuine serious offer, I think Boris was being “clever” and made it knowing Drakers and couldn't or wouldn’t accept the offer to pay for the new road. We’ve seen with the HS2 project that infrastructure in England is being classified as benefitting both England and Wales even though there are no benefits to Wales so that central government didn’t have to provide corresponding funds to improve the Welsh infrastructure as it did to other nations who weren’t deemed to benefit from HS2.
Drakers and Co should have called Boris’s bluff and taken him up on his offer and then waited to see what happened. - we’ll never know now if Boris was being serious or not. A significant chunks of the Brexit levelling up money promised to support development has never actually materialised. |
They did, and Carwyn Jones is to blame for that rather than Drakeford. He chose the cheapest route as the land was mostly WG owned.
Drakeford then introduced legislation basically making developing that land illegal. | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 08:48 - Dec 15 with 911 views | felixstowe_jack |
| Mark Drakeford on 08:31 - Dec 15 by Scotia |
They did, and Carwyn Jones is to blame for that rather than Drakeford. He chose the cheapest route as the land was mostly WG owned.
Drakeford then introduced legislation basically making developing that land illegal. |
I am sure the Senedd can introduce new legislation to make development of that land legal again.
The vast majority of the Gwent levels was drained and now consists of very poor farm land mostly used for grazing. A tiny fraction on this land was earmarked for the M4 relief road. As part of the M4 relief road money could easily have been put aside to restore the Gwent levels to their former glory to make them a proper wet lands and nature reserve on the lines of the Somerset levels. | |
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| Mark Drakeford on 09:42 - Dec 15 with 898 views | Whiterockin |
| Mark Drakeford on 08:05 - Dec 15 by majorraglan |
Nah, I went to see a family member who’s up there. I’m glad I’d didn’t have to go on the M5 though because that was the reason the M4 and M32 were so busy. Nightmare. |
I only asked because that's the run I did yesterday evening. Left the airport at 5.45 and back in Swansea by 8, I was very lucky no traffic even at the tunnel. I went through Bedminster and across to Gordano and the traffic was heavy on that stretch but the rest was clear, I went through before the hold ups. I normally go through the lanes to Gordano but the sat nav was saying there was an accident in the lanes which may have had a knock on. | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 10:35 - Dec 15 with 863 views | onehunglow |
What have we won? | |
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| Mark Drakeford on 14:49 - Dec 15 with 811 views | Scotia |
| Mark Drakeford on 08:48 - Dec 15 by felixstowe_jack |
I am sure the Senedd can introduce new legislation to make development of that land legal again.
The vast majority of the Gwent levels was drained and now consists of very poor farm land mostly used for grazing. A tiny fraction on this land was earmarked for the M4 relief road. As part of the M4 relief road money could easily have been put aside to restore the Gwent levels to their former glory to make them a proper wet lands and nature reserve on the lines of the Somerset levels. |
Well they could amend the legislation to make it similar to the English equivalent.
Which would then make the legislative powers of the Senedd useless. It doesn't take a genius to join those dots........
It's still a very environmentally sensitive area and linked to other sensitive areas. The route was wrong in the first place, and should be changed. It has to happen though | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 16:26 - Dec 15 with 783 views | SullutaCreturned |
| Mark Drakeford on 15:42 - Dec 14 by Kilkennyjack |
But Brexit is an important context when judging Drakers.
Drakers had the deal with the inevitable fall out of the biggest act of self harm ever sanctioned by the uk govt in times of peace.
And thats important because it delivered Johnsons Brexidiot government who also could not deliver the lies they had told.
Immigrant numbers at record levels.
GDP -4%.
Goods arriving in UK are still not being checked due to the delays it would cause.
Disfunctional government at No10 describing Devolution as a disaster and taking every opportunity to undermine it …. For example the politically motivated M4 funding offer
This all took funding and focus away from Wales, the HS2 decision to rob Wales also played out with Wales starved of much needed transport investment.
Drakers is a unionist and asked the uk govt to secure the coal tips in south Wales as a visible benefit of the union. The Tory government turned him down flat. |
The UK government didn't sanction Brexit, Cameron (and his team) campaigned against it then resigned when he lost the vote.
Cameron would never had give the vote if they believed we'd choose leave.
We got Johnson because of Corbyn, if Labour had a halfway electable leader back then things may be different.
It's not just the Uk that has immigration troubles, France, Germany and ireland have all had enough, I'm sure there are others across Europe.
Drakers is a Unionist but he does love to take the credit if something doesn't fail, when it does fail he just blames Westminster which has been an ongoing theme for devolution.
Now Drakers should be chasing Sunak for money because Wales doesn't benefit as the leg of HS2 we were supposed to benefit from has been cancelled, hasnt it? | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 13:10 - Dec 17 with 629 views | felixstowe_jack |
Interesting article about the pubs in Wales. One of them in Ceredigion held a happy hour to celebrate his resignation while Drakeford is still barred in 90 pubs on the Conway area.
Seem he is disliked in North Wales as well. | |
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| Mark Drakeford on 13:27 - Dec 17 with 618 views | controversial_jack |
| Mark Drakeford on 13:10 - Dec 17 by felixstowe_jack |
Interesting article about the pubs in Wales. One of them in Ceredigion held a happy hour to celebrate his resignation while Drakeford is still barred in 90 pubs on the Conway area.
Seem he is disliked in North Wales as well. |
He saved many a life with his lockdown, unlike Sunak who encouraged ppl to go out to eat and become spreaders | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 14:33 - Dec 17 with 602 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Mark Drakeford on 13:27 - Dec 17 by controversial_jack |
He saved many a life with his lockdown, unlike Sunak who encouraged ppl to go out to eat and become spreaders |
Yes he did and the was reflected in the Senedd vote that followed.
Integrity and compassion is a good start as a leader.
Whereas in Westmonster …… | |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| Mark Drakeford on 14:48 - Dec 17 with 597 views | Treforys_Jack |
| Mark Drakeford on 14:33 - Dec 17 by Kilkennyjack |
Yes he did and the was reflected in the Senedd vote that followed.
Integrity and compassion is a good start as a leader.
Whereas in Westmonster …… |
Wasn't our infection rate higher than the rest of the UK and went on for longer. Thought I remember our covid death rate v population was higher than the rest of the UK , or maybe I'm making that up. [Post edited 17 Dec 2023 19:43]
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| Mark Drakeford on 16:18 - Dec 17 with 566 views | SullutaCreturned |
| Mark Drakeford on 14:33 - Dec 17 by Kilkennyjack |
Yes he did and the was reflected in the Senedd vote that followed.
Integrity and compassion is a good start as a leader.
Whereas in Westmonster …… |
Yet our death rate was higher than England.
There were 248.1 deaths for every 100,000 people in Wales.
The numbers for England are 229.9 deaths per 100,000 people.
You can have integrity and compassion but still be useless. Mind you, those numbers are from the 5th May 2021, I can't be bothered to look for newer numbers! | | | |
| Mark Drakeford on 16:43 - Dec 17 with 554 views | pencoedjack |
| Mark Drakeford on 14:48 - Dec 17 by Treforys_Jack |
Wasn't our infection rate higher than the rest of the UK and went on for longer. Thought I remember our covid death rate v population was higher than the rest of the UK , or maybe I'm making that up. [Post edited 17 Dec 2023 19:43]
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Yep but the idiots forget this 👍 |  | | |
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