91Èȱ¬

The new generation get up early. Ed Miliband found time for a radiowith me - at 645am in the conference hall here in Manchester.

The pre-breakfast chat took in Iraq, public spending, and the Barnett formula that effectively decides slightly more than half public spending in Wales. Oh, and his brother got a mention or two.

The new Labour leader says his party "can't be in denial" about the need to cut public spending. He said Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones would have to make some difficult decisions about his priorities. But he said he still disagreed with the UK Government about the scale and pace of the cuts.

In his speech yesterday, Mr Miliband said Labour had to be honest about the need for cuts that would have happened had Labour been in government. Asked whether that meant Carwyn Jones should make cuts, (with Labour in government in Wales), he said:

"No, what it says to Carwyn Jones is, that, and Carwyn is a fantastic first minister, is that he's obviously going to have to make difficult decisions in Wales about his priorities and I think it's a good illustration of the point that I'm making, which is that we can't be in denial about the need to make cuts.

"Now, we have a very different view about the scale and pace of those cuts, and I think what the coalition is proposing is quite damaging to our economy and our communities. But I'm not going to pretend to the British people something that isn't true we had a plan before the election. It would have involved some reductions. I think the way the coalition is going about these reductions is extremely dangerous."

Asked about criticism of his recent defence of the Barnett formula as one that had "served us pretty well", he said: "I don't think I said it served Wales well, I said it served the whole of the UK well and that we need to look at the particular circumstances that Wales faced and this is something that we acknowledged in the manifesto".

Carwyn Jones now says the formula short changes Wales by £300m a year - a point he says he didn't make while Labour was in power at Westminster because he didn't have the evidence. The Miliband response: "We're about to embark on a process of looking at policy across a whole range of areas but obviously this is one of the things that we'll want to look at, the particular circumstances of Wales in relation to the Barnett formula."

He confirmed his brother David would talk about his future plans later today - and I got the impression those plans don't include the shadow cabinet:

"Yes, I think he's a great asset to British politics and a great asset to whatever he does but the most important thing is that he does the right thing for himself that's what he obviously will have been thinking about he'll be talking about his decision today."

The new leader may have declared the era of New Labour over, but some of its vocabulary remains. The phrase "move on" peppered his answers - and, yes, he wants to draw a line under it, as politicians do.

"We are moving on from Iraq and I want to draw a line under it but in order to draw a line under it I have to be honest about my own view and I don't think it will come as any surprise to people that David has a slightly different view on Iraq because at the 40 or 50 hustings we did it came up a lot of times"

I asked whether he could only win by trashing the record of the Labour Government of which he was a member: "I'm a great defender of our record, I think we did great things in government but you don't lose elections because you did everything right: you lose elections because you made mistakes and if we spend our time blaming the electorate
saying it is their fault we are out of power we won't get back into power.

"That's why it is so important that we are humble about the mistakes that we made, we recognise and look into ourselves for the mistakes that were made and recognise our mistakes. That is base camp if you like for moving on"

In case you were wondering, after four days in the job he's "very much enjoying it". He was pleased with the way the speech was received in the hall and by the public: "We must unite and move forward as a team".

But it looks as if that team won't include his brother.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?

There's one thing they don't tell you when you apply to become Labour leader: on your first day in the job you are expected to drop in on 13 social receptions at the party's conference.

The delegates at each one will expect you to know who they are, and to have a reasonable grasp of their local geography; preferably you won't confuse Scotland with Wales, or the East Midlands with the West Midlands.

The imminence of the Welsh elections - and the existence of the only Labour government in Britain in Cardiff Bay - helped concentrate Ed Miliband's mind as he dropped in on Welsh Night here in Manchester.

He brought warm words for First Ministers past and present, a departing general secretary, and his brother.

He asked delegates to unite behind his leadership: "We will have no more factions in this party, no more Blairites or Brownites or anythingites - we are Labour and we will work together as a united team."

Of the coalition at Westminster he said: "The Government only want to talk about cutting the deficit." Reducing the deficit was important, he said, but he reminded delegates that the deficit was bigger after World War Two when Labour still managed to create the welfare state.

He told his audience that "humility" should be their watchword of the week and Labour should face up to its mistakes in government. "We lost that burning sense that we want to change our country and we need to regain it again."

Expect more on this theme when he speaks to the conference on Tuesday. There was a hint of a change of policy on tuition fees at English universities - he favours a graduate tax.

It was a confident enough debut, even if his audience were willing him on. He got a warm reception, as you might expect, although many in the room don't really know their new leader yet. They should know rather more by the end of the week in Manchester.

*One notable absentee from the welcoming party for the new leader was the shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain. His office had apparently been given a later time for Mr Miliband's arrival and Mr Miliband was efficiently punctual.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Newsvine |
• |
• Reddit
• - What's this?

It's been trailed as the largest single public investment Wales has ever seen but will the Defence Training College at St Athan in south Wales ever open its doors?

A question that's asked increasingly often these days - and with good reason.

I've been told by someone who should know that it's unlikely to go ahead on the "gargantuan" scale orginally envisaged.

A senior UK Government source close to the decision-making process said: "The logic for something on that site remains compelling: the model does not."

The model envisages centralising training for the armed forces at St Athan through the private finance initiative or PFI. A private consortium would be given a 30-year contract to run the scheme. Its fate is being decided as part of the UK Government's strategic defence and security review.

"It's not impossible that something will go ahead - but it won't be a gargantuan PFI," said the source.

The final decision is expected to be revealed when the SDSR is published at the end of next month.

Expect frantic lobbying both in Whitehall and on the party conference circuit between now and then. Indeed, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have confirmed that they were entertained by Metrix in Liverpool, and the consortium is expected to sponsor events at both Labour and Conservative conferences too.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Once upon a time the Liberal Democrats would yield to no-one in their determination to celebrate their Welshness while across the border.

Welsh Night at the Liberal Democrat conference would be a celebration of all things Welsh, a chance to kiss away each hour of hiraeth until party activists came home again to Wales (usually within 48 hours).

A male voice choir would be imported for the occasion at some expense. Lord Thomas of Gresford or Lord German of Llanfrechfa (when they were just plain Martin Thomas and Mike German) would tinkle the ivories for a group sing-song to the Welsh Lib Dems' own songbook.

In this age of austerity, conference life has changed. Frivolity is in shorter supply here in Liverpool. Now the Lib Dems find themselves in government they are forced to take themselves more seriously.

So thank you for the music, but a gathering in a Merseyside pub has replaced the sing-song; a gathering followed by an early night as Liberal Democrat AMs and spin doctors head back early for the first sitting of the Welsh assembly since July.

So for many Welsh Lib Dems, the conference is over before it's begun. That should be a relief to two of the party's AMs who found themselves so on message they turned up wearing similar clothes.

at Lib Dem conferences. Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams and Lady (Veronica) German were due to share the conference platform on Sunday afternoon, only to discover they had both opted for floral flocks.

There was only one thing for it. The leader changed outfits. Noblesse oblige, as they say in Llanfrechfa.

Twenty four hours later the two AMs turned up in similar polka dot numbers. Today, before they head for Cardiff Bay, what are the chances of an early morning telephone call having taken place to avoid another fashion faux-pas?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?

It has been said that the Parliamentary Labour Party is "the most sophisticated electorate in the world".

We're about to find out whether this old cliché contains more than a grain of truth.

Never mind the alternative vote used to elect Gordon Brown's successor, and all the permuations offered by the chance to list candidates in order of preference.

The day after Labour elects its new leader - a week this Saturday - nominations open for the first shadow cabinet elections in 14 years.

It will be a crowded field. Welsh Labour MPs, who make up 10 per cent of the PLP, will be well-represented. As many as nine or 10 MPs - one third of the Welsh PLP - are throwing their hats into the ring.

Nineteen posts are up for grabs, six of which have to be filled by women, so the Welsh 9 or 10 men are competing for 13 seats.

Those standing include Peter Hain, the only Welsh member of the current shadow cabinet, Wayne David, David Hanson, Huw Irranca-Davies, Kevin Brennan, Chris Bryant and Alun Michael.

Some don't expect to get elected but hope to put down a marker that will force the new leader to give him a decent job in opposition.

Alun Michael, a former Secretary of State for Wales, has surprised some colleagues by standing but believes he offers the experience - as a former Cabinet Minister - that the new team will need in opposition with the frontbench retirements of, among others, Jack Straw and Alistair Darling.

The elections are important because they limit the freedom of a party leader to choose his or her top team. Tony Blair, it is fair to assume, would not have put Ron Davies in his top team before 1997 but Mr Davies got there through winning the support of fellow Labour MPs.

The elections give Labour MPs a chance to explore their ingenuity when it comes to seeking the approval of their colleagues. In the pre-mobile phone days, one Welsh candidate is said to have tracked down Robert Kilroy-Silk to his holiday poolside to solicit his support.

There were tales of how party whips would take care of ballot papers and even how atheist MPs would seek to pray with colleagues of faith before seeking their vote.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?

believes he may have sacrificed some "independence" for "influence" in his new job as ministerial bag-carrier to the Secretary of State for Wales. But how much?

are usually seen and seldom heard. They are not expected to sign Commons motions and, as part of the "payroll vote" at Westminster, have to resign if they want to vote against their own government.

By convention, , they are not members of select committees.

The Montgomeryshire MP is currently a member of the select committee on Welsh affairs - which monitors the department he has just joined. Will this conflict of interest lead to his early escape? The Tories are not over-burdened with volunteers for the Welsh committee so he may have to stay. A spy in the camp?

The department Glyn Davies has joined is studiously neutral in arguably the biggest issue it faces - a referendum on the Welsh assembly's powers. Neutral is not the word to describe Glyn Davies's position on this issue - he's keen for the assembly to acquire more law-making powers.

He says his new role is "bound to give me a role in delivering the referendum on Assembly law making powers programmed for next March". But will he be able to campaign openly during a campaign which his ministerial bosses intend to avoid?

A question I put to the Secretary of State herself. She has yet to discuss the issue with her new PPS but the Wales Office appears to have a working assumption that Mr Davies will be keeping his well-known views on this subject to himself as Wales goes to the polls next March.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Peter Hain spent a fair part of his early adult life protesting outside South Africa House in London's Trafalgar Square.

Last night the home of the South African High Commission hosted the launch of his of Nelson Mandela.

For Peter Hain it was a chance to reminisce on his anti-apartheid campaigning, which forced his family to leave South Africa in 1966. "We didn't want to come," he said. "We had to come."

His father, Walter, was unable to work as an architect in South Africa because of his political activities - activities that had seen both Walter and his wife Adelaine briefly imprisoned. Both are now in their 80s but made it from their home in South Wales to the book launch.

The former Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland was asked about the implications of what happened in South Africa for conflicts elsewhere. He suggested negotiation was the key to conflict resolution. "It will have to happen in Afghanistan; it will have to happen in the Middle East."

The launch also saw a gathering of some of Peter Hain's old comrades from the Stop the Tour campaign against sporting links with South Africa in 1969-70.

Hain recalled their discovery of a disused Bakerloo line underground tunnel, with an air vent near Lord's cricket ground from which thousands of protesters had planned to emerge had the tour gone ahead.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Newsvine |
• |
• Reddit
• - What's this?

Tony Blair may have been lead singer with a rock band but most politicians should probably think twice before mixing it with the contemporary music scene.

During the 1990s, the former Welsh Secretary John Redwood found himself of appropriating Britpop for the eurosceptic cause after namechecking a couple of bands in a newspaper article.

His successor but several, Peter Hain, has claimed enthusiasm for the Manic Street Preachers and others.

The 60-year-old Neath MP's says: "His other love is music and long before the craze for politicians claiming unlikely ipod shuffles, he's been into the Manic Street Preachers, Coldplay and Snow Patrol - and has got to know the bands through his work in Northern Ireland and Wales."

Now his successor, has been stressing her own commitment to music at the 10th birthday of the Welsh Music Foundation.

She received a warm welcome but her speech has not gone down well with all those who heard it. Music promoter , has posted his own review on his blog.

"Her speech was a shambles, "said Mr Rostron. "She may have been badly briefed, she may have tried to wing it, she may not have given the event proper consideration. Whatever the story behind it, she spoke about WMF with absolutely no understanding of its history or purpose. It was embarrassing."

Mr Rostron says Mrs Gillan namechecked six acts, four of whom were classical or opera stars. Two others were Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey, neither of whom lives in Wales.

Mrs Gillan told Radio Wales listeners she used to work in the music industry. She was employed by the late Mark McCormack's IMG at a time when they signed Def Leppard before the band made it big.

The Welsh Secretary's musical tastes are rather more sedate - she enjoys singing and has been a member of the Parliamentary Choir. Rock 'n roll, heh?!

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Newsvine |
• |
• Reddit
• - What's this?