Letting our politicians know who’s in charge

IHAVE lost count of the number of times I’ve heard politicians talk about increasing diversity in the Senedd. How more women, people of colour, people with disabilities, young people and those with children should be elected to it in order to make it a better place, a place more representative of Wales in 2024.

I’ve sat through numerous debates and briefings about the

Senedd reform bill, which comes with a price tag of

£17.8m extra a year, and how it is needed.

I concur. The Senedd needs to be improved.

There needs to be more scrutiny, there needs to be a better quality of debate.

Increasing the pool of people who can contribute could offer that.

The plan is something Mark Drakeford threw a lot at; it was something he wanted. When he spoke in his exit interviews about using up his political capital, this was one of the schemes that he meant.

Trust in politicians is low, and with every scandal, leaked Whatsapp and plot to oust a leader, that trust declines further.

People rightly wonder what other workplace would tolerate questionable donations, racist comments, plots and scheming.

And yet, when there was a chance to do something about it, nothing was done. On March 13, Rhys ab Owen, an elected representative in the Welsh Parliament, received the longest suspension any of its politicians has ever had for his inappropriate, drunken conduct to two women. After a long drawnout process, his Senedd colleagues determined his conduct was so serious he should be suspended for 42 days. He rightly apologised and accepted his punishment, which is currently being served.

In Westminster, hardly a beacon of forward-thinking equality, if an MP commits an offence so serious as to see them suspended for 10 days, they face what is called a recall petition, whereby the people who voted them in can go along to a number of local venues, sign a petition and force a by-election.

In short, voters have a way of telling their politicians they are not happy with them. And it doesn’t just show the MP they aren’t happy – it shows there is some comeback from the people who gave you the honour of representing them.

In Wales? Nothing, nada, nil, dim.

In the same week as Mr ab Owen was suspended, Senedd members debated their reform plans, and the minister in charge of legal matters told the Senedd that there had not been time to consider introducing a recall petition. When a Conservative MS forced a vote on a recall petition, it was voted down by the other parties.

In explaining why they wouldn’t back it, Counsel General Mick Antoniw said: “I think there is probably common agreement on the need to have a policy such as this, but to insert it now at this short notice without the groundwork being done and the consideration being needed, I think is a flaw”.

For an institution that regularly boasts of being kinder, more modern, more forward-thinking, it is a huge omission.

I do not have electoral ambitions, but I know if someone asked me if they should stand I would advise them not to. I would tell them to find another way to make a change in this world. Until someone puts their money where their mouth is and seriously looks at the practical barriers, there will be no change.

There are nights I am the last parent at nursery pick-up before it closes at 6pm, and even that is not late enough to see most Senedd votes happen. If you are a parent whose children’s school finishes at 3.15pm or nursery closes at 6pm, you cannot be sitting in the Senedd at voting time.

If you are a woman, you have the very basic right of working somewhere you can feel safe, somewhere you will not be abused because of a power imbalance. If you report concerns, they should be dealt with appropriately.

I can’t claim to speak for people with a disability or people of colour about the barriers they face, but I have spoken to people from both groups and you will hear similar very practical concerns.

I’m told there is still a way a recall petition can be added in, but not before the next election in 2026, which means we are years from a solution.

If Wales wants to be taken seriously, if we want a serious parliament with the highest quality of politicians in it, then it has to put its money where its mouth is.

There needs to be a recall process, not only so that voters know they have power over their politicians, but for politicians to be given an important reminder about how they ended up in the institution in the first place.

RUTH Mosalski

Ruth is a Yorkshire-born journalist who is proud to have made Wales her home