Politicians and business people from Wales (and other remoter parts of the UK) will be shouting their area’s case from the sidelines and warning of the dangers of a two-speed Britain if they are not on the masterplan for a nationwide high speed rail grid.

Yet, in all this the first law of transport infrastructure investment is being forgotten. When two centres are linked more efficiently, wealth drains from the bigger to the smaller. And there is a second law: the bigger the difference in size between the centres, the greater the effect.

We should have learnt this in Wales, having seen the impact big schemes have had in the past. After all, if just building better transport links really worked, Anglesey would have reached new heights of prosperity once the A55 was completed instead of being one of the poorest regions in Europe, now bidding to replace its lost industrial base with a prison. Carmarthenshire was supposed to prosper from the M4, and Merthyr Tydfil from the A470 but it has not happened. High hopes now rest on the dualling of the Heads of the Valleys road being the last piece in the jigsaw that will bring prosperity to the area.

When new infrastructure is put in place – unless accompanied by a strong package of other people-centred measures – businesses that previously found it necessary to maintain a strong presence in both the bigger and smaller centres find it easier to provide the same services from the bigger (and almost never from the smaller) place. Think of Cardiff, which has scooped the pool in south Wales for office, retail, entertainment, accommodation, sporting and professional services.

The same phenomenon will happen if and when the High Speed Rail line reaches Birmingham, though because of its much greater size as a city it will be in a better position to defend itself. The likelihood, however, is that big professional services firms – accountants, solicitors, and consultants – will be able to send executives in not much more than 40 minutes from Euston to Birmingham. Ass a result they will increasingly service the top end of that market from the South East, which Birmingham will effectively be joining. Catching the train in the other direction will be the individuals attracted to live in the Midlands because of lower house prices and a quick commute to the highly-paid jobs in the south east.

None of this, of course, is to suggest we should not invest in transport infrastructure. We should, but in a way that is appropriate for the smallish territory the UK is and which will not further exacerbate the current severe imbalance between London, the South East and the other UK regions and nations.

It is also important that we in Wales do not allow ourselves to be distracted into a vain effort to secure our own bit of the high speed line at the expense of other more important transport priorities. We have been promised by the current Government a modern electrified line between Paddington and Swansea, which should improve both the reliability and speed of journeys. We need to make sure this does not get lost in the excitement over high speed rail. Vast planning and other resources will be needed for a London to Birmingham line and this could present a real threat to other rail projects in Britain for years to come.

There are other rail transport needs that should be addressed in Wales that lie outside the obsession with faster connections to London. The lives of far more people in Wales would benefit if greater levels of investment were made into the stretch of track between Carmarthen and Bristol, with for example new stations at Landore, St. Mellons, Tredegar Park and possibly elsewhere so that people could commute easily for work and pleasure along this stretch.

The Valley Lines, including the routes to Barry and Penarth, need to be electrified with new carriages and turn-up and go 15 minute timetables at peak periods and half hourly services during the day. Cardiff’s retail and entertainment attractions need better services from its wider catchment area as far as Gloucester, Cheltenham, Hereford, and even Shrewsbury.

Developments of this sort would be much more important for the economic health of Wales than a costly high speed link that would benefit comparatively few people and only increase dependence on South East England.

·      Rhys David is a writer and editor on economic and business issues. He is a trustee of the IWA and a former senior editor at the Financial Times.

There is a gap in representation in women over 35 in the media because it is thought that once you take a break to have children it is difficult to make a return.

The IWA’s conference also underlined how rarely women are called upon as experts in the media. It always seems to be male professionals that are quoted rather than females. A better relationship was called for between journalists and non journalists. Women with expertise were urged not just to make themselves known to journalists reporting their field, but to be proactive and listen out for topics of discussion where they may be the right person interview.

Science was highlighted as a topic where women are generally unrepresented. And where they are they are expected to turn something dull into an alluring fact. As Professor Jenny Kitzinger, of Cardiff’s School of Journalism out it, “Women are expected to make science sexy and accessible.” Her research has found that five males get quoted for every one female scientist in the media.

When male scientists are described in the media they tend to be portrayed as ‘stereotypical geeks’, either young whizz kids or eccentric professors. On the other hand women in science tend to be measured against ideals of femininity. Enthusiasm is interpreted as ‘girlish flirtation’.

The way women in politics are treated by the media was explored by four Welsh politicians. Julie Morgan, Labour MP for Cardiff North, referred to Westminster as an “old boys club”. Kirsty Williams, Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnor, said the Welsh media always picked up on the clothes she was wearing rather than her campaigns. One newspaper had described her as being “dressed as an air hostess”.

Leanne Wood, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central, suggested that the bad press they receive as female politicians was “chiefly about attitudes towards gender roles in society.” We still cannot shake off the stereotypes of yesteryear that dictate how women are perceived.

Karen Robson, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Cardiff Central said that in a workshop on how young people could become involved in politics one girl had told her she was put off by “the way women are portrayed.” She added that women “aren’t always as supportive as we could be.” This was a consistent theme of the conference.

The final session of the conference was with working journalists. BBC Wales Political Editor Betsan Powys said experts were picked not because they were male or female but because they were the best for the news story. The Western Mail’s Chief Reporter Martin Shipton observed that had to be a balance of what is published in newspapers and what sells them. Advertising and marketing revenue had fallen so newspapers were coping with less staff.

A widespread feeling at the conference was that whatever their path in the media women need to walk it together. More should be done to put women in contact with others that have experience of working in and with the media.

• Briohny Williams is a student at the Cardiff School of Journalism.

As with a conventional focus groups, participants – usually between 15-20 in number - are selected according to a particular set of  criteria and given a password for accessing the site. Their comments are moderated and where necessary follow-up questions are posed. There are some drawbacks. The fact that the members of the group are not in the same room means non-verbal clues such as facial expressions and body movements will be missed and participants may be less willing to comment on what other people in the group have posted than if they heard the same remarks in conversation. In addition the subject has to be one that is sufficiently challenging to keep people engaged during the two-three day period in which their responses are being gathered.

Balancing this, however, is the ability to gauge the views of individuals who might not otherwise be drawn into focus group discussions, for example people living in rural areas away from the centres of population. As such it offers the prospect of obtaining more representative samples, as well as making it easier to subdivide and analyse the groups by different characteristics, such as rural or urban.

For its first use of the technique in Wales, Beaufort set out to explore Welsh identity among younger people, rural and town dwellers, Welsh-speakers and non-Welsh speakers. Welshness to this group, all aged between 18 and 35, was, as other surveys have shown, bound up with communities and friendship. “We’re like one big family,” said one respondent. “Everyone seems to help each other out”.

Pride in Wales is another strong feeling in this age group, with urban and non-urban alike expressing a strong attachment to the land. “Our countryside and unique views are privileges we have on our doorstep,” comented one respondent. “What is unique about Wales is the heritage,”  said another. “One of the great things about Wales and being Welsh is that we have so many great historical points of interest,” were  among typical comments.

The environment was seen as a great Welsh resource, with wildlife on the doorstep and a general feeling of being safer. Amenities in Wales, the range of activities, architecture and the process of regeneration were all regarded favourably. Some respondents were concerned, however, that parts of Wales were dying, with smaller shops closing, smaller towns losing out, pubs shutting down, housing becoming too expensive, and insufficient attractions for teens and young people generally in rural areas. “The cities in Wales seem to have all the funding and small towns don’t see any of it,” was one view.

When asked to name typical Welsh qualities those brought to mind were positive. Young Welsh people see themselves and others as friendly (but wary of outsiders); passionate, but with a bit of a temper; espousing traditional values; community minded; family focused; hard working; possessing a sense of humour; and proud of the Welsh language. Rugby inevitably was also seen as an important part of Welsh identity.

It was when the questions turned to the the National Assembly that the answers suddenly became more negative. One individual indicated that he was just not interested, the main reason being that he did not fully understand  the Assembly and politics. Others felt the institution had yet to prove itself, was wasting money, was a lame duck or at best needed more power.

 “The new Welsh Assembly building is very lavish and grand – a complete waste of money. The money should have been spent on the NHS and improving schools. I have really lost faith in MPs since the expenses scandal – they should all be sacked,” was the comment of one female respondent, a Welsh speaker from mid Wales.

This group did, however, have their icons. The Welsh people they admired were understandably drawn roughly from within or just beyond their own age group – apart from one notable exception. There was no place for any of Wales’s politicians, businessmen, scientists or other representatives of the great and good. Step forward as the heroes and heroines of the young Welsh: Ryan Giggs, Gareth Thomas, Katherine Jenkins, Shane Williams, Catherine Zeta Jones --- and Tom Jones.

·      Rhys David is a trustee of the IWA.

· To be controversial is not always important or newsworthy.

· Rows and arguments are not always worth reporting.

· There is news to be found in building consensus.

Professor McAllister said appearance and age were endemic in the way the press and media reported the activities of female politicians. “When Kirsty Williams became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Assembly last year she was subjected to a hideous campaign of trivialisation, including remarks that she dressed like an air hostess,” she said.

“During the coalition negotiations in the wake of the 2007 Assembly election, four female members of the Plaid Group who indicated their strong preference for a deal with Labour were subjected to a host of derogatory remarks in the blogosphere, being referred to as lesbians and witches.”

Professor McAllister, who has recently been appointed Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, said sexist attitudes were also rife in the sporting world where women were routinely objectified, trivialised and sexualised. “In media reporting of sport women are three times more likely than men to be referred to by their first names,” she said. In Beach Volley Ball the official Olympic dress code for men was T-shirts, but bikini tops for women.

· John Osmond is Chair of the IWA.

These new advantages pose hidden dangers for individuals and organisations alike. Barely a week goes past without some form of white paper warning landing electronically on my desk. The tools appear to split the HR world. For every cry of ‘use them to your advantage’ there will be a counter claim about their production sapping abilities such as rogue employees fuelling a Facebook addiction with hot news about their latest cup of tea and forthcoming plans for ‘must attend’ parties.

All this feeds the neurosis that many management figures - including me I might add – suffer from. We like nothing better to worry about than some insidious way that a freeloading employee may obtain a free ride at our expense.

Whether these concerns are real or just unnecessary management paranoia is a debatable point. However, what is to my mind not debatable, is the great danger posed by social networking tools if their use is not very carefully considered. A terrible and recent example is that of Emma Jones a teacher from Caerphilly based in Abu Dhabi. The 24 year old drank a corrosive substance after a colleague viewed naked images of her uploaded to her Facebook pages. It is believed that she took her own life out of fear of imprisonment.

This is not an isolated incident. In 2008, senior police officer Chris Dreyfus was reprimanded by British transport police and lost the opportunity of a more senior post after background checks revealed gay lifestyle details through his Facebook pages. Early last month, controls over Facebook use by HM prisoners was tightened up after some profiles were used to issue threats and taunts to former - and potentially future - victims of crime.

This weekend Wales online reported a Twitter breach that affected AMs Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North) and Alun Davies (Mid and West Wales) on Thursday 25th February. A hacker managed to embed a virus within their profiles that broadcast a message to their subscribing public that they were in fact female, 24 and…well, you can guess the rest.

For some truly interesting and less juvenile political material, have a look at the canvassing claims and occasional scandals precipitated through social media tools during the 2008 American presidential campaign. This was the first political campaign partly orchestrated electronically and dubbed ‘Facebook politics’. It makes for fascinating reading.

According to US social media academic Clay Shirky, Facebook effectively “lowers the hurdles” for any type of individual or collective social action, turning normally apathetic individuals into rebels, leaders, voyeurs or antagonists from the comfort of their own armchair. Granted, it’s not all bad news and we should be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. A 2007 Facebook campaign coalesced students into a force to be reckoned with when HSBC decided at short notice to revoke student accounts with penalty free overdrafts. In the face of a growing campaign and dreadful publicity, HSBC were forced into an embarrassing climb-down. Social media therefore, can also result in successful collective action. Personally, I think Twitter is particularly good for broadcasting frequent brief messages to a wide audience without the need to subscribe and the commons offered by Wikipedia and other open source projects has improved easy access to knowledge immeasurably.

Any organisation wishing to commit to the use of social media to disseminate a message or to permit its use on company machines, needs to seriously consider the ramifications of doing so. Multiple web identities can confuse. Some sites may not pass through aggressive firewall settings and social media can expose an organisation to unnecessary risk. These tools mesh the individual’s private and professional lives seamlessly together, potentially laying personal and professional details bare and open to scrutiny, exposing the frailties of both the individual and the tool.

Dragons Den regular Theo Paphitis recently described Facebook as “an orgy of self-indulgence and exhibitionism”, banning it’s use on company machines and likening its negative effects to smoking. Whilst I wouldn’t quite go that far, one would be very wise to remember a piece of advice issued by Barak Obama at the opening of a school in Virginia, “Be careful what you post on Facebook”.