Mark Drakeford has resigned 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Calistimon, your comment about its going backwards assuming everyone should learn Englush, is that really how you see things.,English is the Global/International language, not Welsh, few outside Wales speak Welsh. Not to have that as priority is letting children down. I quite understand how it could be offered as a second language choice and that Walea is a beautiful country. The Health Service is in a worst state than ours and cannot see how anyone supporting Corbyn shares most people's points of views. He seems a gentle man and has many,good qualities and is no doubt genuine in his beliefs, he does need to go though, he's 70 and has lost his beloved wife this us the right time.

There was quite a long piece about him on R4 the other day. Whatever his suggested leaving date, the tone of the pundits was that he'd have stayed on if things were going well, however his popularity has dropped like an anchor.

And for Quaver, one key part of that popularity drop is due to the extreme displeasure re the 20mph limit thing, castigated by huge numbers of drivers, invariably objected to by bus companies, and regarded as a nonsense (I hear) by the Police, who whatever they say in public have no interest in enforcing it, their already limited resources have far better things to do. And I'm told that anyone who supports that limit should check how many engines have been designed to be efficient at that speed?!

flappergirl

To those posters complaining about the health service in Wales, do you know how bad it is in England under the Tories?

Yes.

My DH has had such fantastic health care since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 2 years ago. We cannot fault the care he has had from the whole team at Glan Clwyd from day one. Mark Drakeford did his absolute best for Wales during the pandemic.

To those posters complaining about the health service in Wales, do you know how bad it is in England under the Tories?

We just need to shout very loudly in English and Johnny Foreigner will understand us.

Actually, there are very many students worldwide who are keen to learn Engish as a second language (or third, fourth etc).

It's really rather embarrassing.

I agree Callistemon, I think it’s a retrograde step that not all children learn a foreign language beyond the age of 14. I’m not a teacher though, therefore I don’t understand why they decided that, perhaps thee was a valid reason.

I didn't realise that learning a second language was not compulsory at GCSE level in England.

We're going backwards! Assuming everyone should learn English.

Yes, I remember the teaching of Welsh being introduced and parents having meetings with the Director of Education.

Compulsory Welsh to GCSE precedes the Welsh Assembly though, it’s been in place since 1999. It’s also the case that a second language is not compulsory at GCSE level in England. I don’t think Welsh children are disadvantaged by learning Welsh in that sense, but I think in the UK as a whole, it’s a huge disadvantage that children are no longer able to access foreign language teaching to GCSE level in all schools.

Racingsparrow

I live in Wales as well and I think that Mark Drakeford and the Welsh Assembly have been a disaster for Wales.
The health service is awful, I needed cataract surgery and after waiting for a year without even an initial appointment I went private and had surgery in both eyes. It was a further year before I was offered an NHS appointment. 3 years ago I was told that I had glaucoma in one eye and was referred to the eye clinic. I was referred again twice the next year, a further two more times the third year and eventually had an appointment with the eye clinic. I have a severely damage eye nerve and now have very little sight in that eye.

The Welsh Assembly has spent large sums of money on Welsh medium schools trying to promote more use of the Welsh language. This has not worked, the children who go to these schools do not use the language outside the classroom. Their whole world is based upon the English language. The result of this policy has left English medium schools in a state of disrepair. The school that I taught at before I retired was riddled with asbestos and now 10 years later it is still the same. There is of course a very expensive state of the art welsh medium school that has been built on the site of an English medium school that was closed because of a drop in the birth rate.

I share your concern about the compulsory teaching of Welsh. Whilst I do believe that learning Welsh should be encouraged and these ancient languages should not be allowed to die out, it should not be at the expense of other languages as this limits the life chances of Welsh school children.

It is a compulsory subject from Early Years to GCSE level and, because pupils have to choose at least one language at GCSE level, compulsory Welsh is counted as that one language.

European languages and Mandarin, taught in English schools, therefore suffer and, ultimately, so do the pupils. It is a very parochial attitude.

That’s an unfair criticism LadyGracie. He is 70 this year, and he announced that he would be retiring in 2024 in December 2022, and gave a very broad hint then as to when exactly he would go. His resignation came as no surprise. Whatever you think of him as a leader you can give him credit for being upfront about that.

His leaving next year has been expected, he said he would stand down during the current Senedd term

I think he's been an atrocious leader and now is abandoning the sinking ship.

Well said Anniebach

I was concerned about his support for Corbyn but I will say as I live in Wales and am Welsh his love and loyalty to Wales cannot be questioned

A decent man. I haven’t always agreed with his policies but have more respect for him than for the shambolic dishonest clowns in Westminster. Here in Wales he tried his best to keep us safe during. Covid and led by example - living and working from his garden shed, isolating himself to keep his vulnerable wife and mother-in-law safe at home.
I hope he has a happy retirement

I was sorry when his wife died and not surprised to see him go now.. He seems a gentle man and I hope he enjoys his retirement.. as I don't live in Wales I can't comment on his competence..

I live in Wales and I am very sorry to see Mark Drakeford go. I think he is a rare politician who answers questions honestly and does what he thinks is best for the Welsh people. He was a good leader during the Covid crisis.
The 20 mph law recently introduced will , in time, become law in the rest of the UK and he will be regarded as a trailblazer!

I live in Wales as well and I think that Mark Drakeford and the Welsh Assembly have been a disaster for Wales.
The health service is awful, I needed cataract surgery and after waiting for a year without even an initial appointment I went private and had surgery in both eyes. It was a further year before I was offered an NHS appointment. 3 years ago I was told that I had glaucoma in one eye and was referred to the eye clinic. I was referred again twice the next year, a further two more times the third year and eventually had an appointment with the eye clinic. I have a severely damage eye nerve and now have very little sight in that eye.

The Welsh Assembly has spent large sums of money on Welsh medium schools trying to promote more use of the Welsh language. This has not worked, the children who go to these schools do not use the language outside the classroom. Their whole world is based upon the English language. The result of this policy has left English medium schools in a state of disrepair. The school that I taught at before I retired was riddled with asbestos and now 10 years later it is still the same. There is of course a very expensive state of the art welsh medium school that has been built on the site of an English medium school that was closed because of a drop in the birth rate.

He would have been bad leading a local council, never mind a country. I loved that he doubled council tax for second home owners but had one himself (albeit he didn't have to pay the tax as it was one of those 11 month occupancy deals). As for crashing the economy with 20mph limits and ruining the health service. Goodness!

What are the voters thinking of?

I live in Wales and I think he is a disaster. He may or may not be a decent human being - but he is definitely not a good leader. The whole Welsh assembly are an expensive waste or space about to get much larger and cost us more.
The health service, education system, transport system etc etc etc are all worse than England. Don't even mention the 20mph fiasco 👿

Unfortunately those who seem to be putting themselves up to replace him are cut from the same cloth. Not good for the future

No great loss given his support for Corbyn, the worst Labout leader ever.

I’ll be sorry to see him go. He hasn’t got everything right but who can. He did a good job through covid

Welsh relatives thought he was dreadful. Glad to see the back of him.

Nor mine. I was impressed with Drakeford lockdown. He was a good leader and honest.