Council leader shortlisted for Senedd candidacy

Music degree, sorted a few free-bikes, got into a council that fills hotels with druggies. Never worked in the real world, hence the typical character that falls into the senedd. We waited centuries for self governance, then it's hijacked to be a refuge for failures.

The public elected two parties in 2021 that had committed to this, so there was a super majority to expand the Senedd. So it does have a solid mandate. The thing that doesn’t have a mandate is the electoral method Labour insisted upon. Critics of the Senedd winge it doesn’t do a good enough job yet constantly insist it shouldn’t have the resources to do any better. In theory the expansion would result in increased talent pool and scrutiny - that’s the good thing. Our national Parliament needs more lawmakers than the average county council, really don’t see why this is controversial.

As it stands 17 of the Senedd members, called MSs, have Government jobs or serve as the Presiding and Deputy Presiding Officers, that leaves 43 MSs. However, there are six Welsh Government departments, each one has a corresponding select committee, just like the ones on Westminster. Each select committee is meant to have twelve members who hold departmental minister(s), and if they have any deputy minister(s), to account. The committee is also required to scrutinise proposed legislation, as well as existing legislation. Unfortunately anyone with a basic understanding of maths can realise that 6x12 is 60 and 43 isn't 60. Therefore the system doesn't work effectively because some MSs are required to sit on two select committees and the fact is that on occasion a committee has been unable to produce a quorum to operate as intended. The long and short of it is therefore that there needs to be an increase in the number of MSs, so that ALL six select committees can operate effectively with no member required sit on two at any time and that plenary in the chamber can still take place with reasonable of backbench members involved in debates. Increasing specifically to 96 means that the Senedd is fire proofed, so to speak, in the event that there is further devolution of powers sufficient to require the creation of a new Welsh Government department and the corresponding select committee. There is of course another obvious reason for this which one can see if you know the numbers of members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, that being 90 and 129 respectively, for populations of 1.8million and over 5million respectively. Cymru/Wales has a population of 3.1million, more than Northern Ireland, but far fewer than that of Scotland. So, please explain to me why you think Cymru/Wales should have fewer members in it's Legislature than that of Northern Ireland? Also why we should continue to operate a Legislature that doesn't have sufficient members to do the job it's been asked to do?

I'd be fine with that principal, except for the fact that the UK wasn't asked if our membership of the EEA should be ended. Care to comment on that?

God help Wales The bunch of morons we got Now has already ruined Wales add another bunch of morons from Cardiff City Council Who has got the residents into £1-4 billion pounds in debt not on priority public services This will only continue even make worse the position Wales are in

Seriously incompetent but mouthy bloke. Should integrate well into our Senedd community of low calibre noisy folk.