91Èȱ¬

The UK Government's has generated ideas that are unlikely to amuse the Welsh establishment.

Ministers say the idea behind the challenge - "your open invitation to contribute to the government's Spending Review" - is to rethink public services so they can do more for less.

The thrust of almost all the that tag Wales is that too much public money is spent west of Offa's Dyke, that devolution is expensive and free prescriptions are unaffordable.

There may be a consensus among the Welsh political establishment that Wales is under-funded by the Treasury, relative to England, but that view isn't shared by most of those who've registered their views on the website.

Fans of S4C worried by recent developments at the channel won't be amused by ratings given to theof ending all public funding for what is described as "the most expensive channel per viewer".

Contrary views have yet to get much of an airing on a site where visitors can rate ideas before Ministers decide which to adopt. Perhaps the site has yet to register on the radar of Welsh voters - or the crachach are on holiday.

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Alun Cairns, recently-elected MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, has made an early bid for the coveted title of most on-message Tory backbencher.

Answering questions from , Mr Cairns reveals his political influences - and more.

His political hero is, predictably perhaps, Margaret Thatcher, although his hero worship extends to citing The Downing Street Years (author: M Thatcher) as his favourite book.

It may surprise you to learn that his favourite music is Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan rather than an audiobook of Thatcher speeches.

He clearly knows where his bread is buttered when it comes to re-election: his favourite meal would be fish and chips in Barry Island. (Mind you, the last time I ate there, the cafe owner asked me if I was an AM).

His favourite reading matter? Politics91Èȱ¬, Conservative91Èȱ¬, Glamorgan Gem, Barry and District News, Glamorgan Gazette and Harvard Business Review. Perhaps only the Penarth Times, among local titles read by his constituents, could be offended by that inclusive list.

Mr Cairns' parliamentary contributions so far have tended to be rather supportive of the government but constituents may be relieved to discover from his an invitation to join his campaign against the proposed closure of Barry Magistrates Court - a closure proposed by his own government.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson invented "squeaky-bum time"; former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies may now lay claim to "sphincter-twitching time".

The phrase appears in the latest volume of Alastair Campbell's diaries and was used by the then shadow Secretary of State for Wales over the outcry generated by his analysis of Prince Charles's suitability to be king.

Campbell's entry for Friday, March 1, 1996 reads: "Ron Davies' office called to say that in an interview with 91Èȱ¬ Wales he had attacked Prince Charles as immoral, raved on about him talking to trees, and basically said he wasn't fit to be king. Extraordinary stuff."

Campbell drew up a statement from Davies apologising and withdrawing the remarks (made in a pre-recorded interview with me for the long-defunct Welsh Lobby programme). "I said to Ron TB was not at all happy, he would insist on an immediate statement, and here is my draft. 'Oh s***,' he said, 'this is sphincter-twitching time'."

The diaries reveal that although Blair agreed to say the matter was closed, he later that day regretted not sacking him. According to Campbell, the future PM said: "How are we going to get this party elected when we are surrounded by ** imbeciles? We were just about getting back on our feet and along comes Ron to shoot us in them."

Despite the furore over the pre-recorded interview, by the following week Ron Davies "was getting plenty of support from MPs and public and there was a danger that he was becoming a bit of a hero for having launched a debate when in truth he had behaved like an idiot."

Two months later, Campbell complains again that Ron Davies "had stitched us up again.........he was incapable of doing anything undevious".

His alleged deviousness is a recurrent theme. Back in May 1995, Campbell records a journey with Blair: "We headed straight back to Manchester, trying to decide where Ron would feature in a list of all-time most devious politicians."

The Alastair Campbell Diaries. Volume One, Prelude to Power 1994-97, Hutchinson, £25.

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