These are a busy times politically and constitutionally, what with local, Scottish and Welsh elections; a referendum on the voting system; and a royal wedding to boot.

While many of the political class around Westminster may be caught up in the debate around the AV referendum in May, there is another - arguably more significant - choice being put before the Welsh people this week.

Today sees health secretary Andrew Lansley present his government's Health and Social Care Bill to the House of Commons - a bill that has the potential to sound the death knell for the NHS as we know it.

The Labour-trade union link should stay not just for its historical significance but because it connects the party to working people. Any changes to the party's electoral system should seek to retain this unique relationship.

As this year's TUC congress in Manchester draws to a close, despite the best attempts of some of the media to focus on old stereotypical notions of union discontent and disruption, the central theme that has come out of the congress itself is the emphasis on unity and a collective, considered response to cuts.

The latest 'consultation' from the ConDem government is likely to scrap employees' right to ask for time for skills training - foolish when we need to upskill our workforce. The axe is also hanging over the agency workers directive.

During this time of change within Labour both the parliamentary party and the unions need to reinvigorate their relationship to show their core values to the general public

Tory talk is of a rise of compensation claims over the last ten years yet successive reports illustrate there is no such thing and that claims have, in fact, been falling over the past decade.