Did we see the future party leaders on Dragon’s Eye last night? Labour’s Carwyn Jones and Conservative’s Jonathan Morgan were reflecting on the European Elections and their impact on their respective parties, Plaid Cymu and the Lib Dems were reduced to bit part players along with the new UKIP MEP that wont please Ieuan or Kirsty I’m sure.
On the Labour side it’s a step forward that both of the main contenders for Labour leadership Carwyn Jones and Huw Lewis now recognize the need for a positive message to sell to the electorate as well as the inevitable Tory bashing as well as understanding that the decline was not just caused recently by the expenses row and the recession but has been ongoing for at least 5 years , it remains to be see if any of the those in the ‘non’ leadership contest have an answers that will appeal to those disillusioned Labour voters.
On the Conservative side Jonathan Morgan, fresh from his speech at Cardiff Uni was upbeat in his response to topping the poll on the weekend by not jubilant and expressed the need for David Cameron, Cheryl Gillan and their team to realise that there is something called Welsh Conservatism and it needs to be recognised in the Conservative General Election Manifesto, again it remains to be seen if Welsh Tory AM’s can win those battles before their voices get drowned out by anti devolution Welsh Tory MP’s if the weekend election results were repeated.
Over on Sharp End, how bored did Mai Davies look when she was interviewing Rhodri Morgan. Rhodri was talking about how low the Tory vote was in 1981 and the Tory comeback in 1983 to win the General Election (while failing to mention the Falklands War which swung it back the Tories way) and that Labour could do the same but it needed things to come right like the recession ending, he really doesn’t get the depth of the hole that Labour is in, never mind taking any responsibility for Labour’s decline in Wales on his watch and to think Welsh Labour want to keep him in place, scary stuff.
Finally to Welsh Secretary Peter Hain or the Minister for Media as he should be called in less than a week since his comeback he has appeared on Newsnight, the Politics Show and Question Time as well as numerous other interviews, will he pop up on the QVC Shopping Channel next and how long before he gets his orange Ministerial tan back that he lost when he quit the Cabinet?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A different set of challenges
It hasn’t taken the Conservatives long to feel comfortable in the top dog role they now occupy in Welsh politics and you can’t blame them after all the flack they have taken over the years from other political parties in Wales, their new MEP Kay Swinburne is now talking in terms of ‘we expect to win seats’ rather than the ‘we hope we will win seats’ we heard just before the European Elections from Nick Bourne and his colleagues and with Labour’s implosion and Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems vote plateauing they have every right to feel confident of big success.
But could there be clouds on the horizon for the Conservative in the form of UKIP whose success may have been a surprise to some but they did contest the last two National Assembly for Wales elections which is strange for a party whose policy is to abolish the Assembly they want to get elected too.
In this new political environment the issue that now faces the Conservatives is that an anti devolution party with elected representation has a wider platform for its anti Assembly stance so what effect will it have on the Conservative vote in any future welsh elections because despite the spin there are a large number of Conservatives who don’t support the Assembly including Tory MP’s who are openly hostile. UKIP 87,585 votes (although down on 2004) in the European Elections would probably be enough for a Regional Assembly Member could they build on this and get support from disaffected Tories or will the Conservative Party in Wales move further to the right along with a Tory Government when its elected next year to counter the threat and slow down even further its support for full law making powers.
But could there be clouds on the horizon for the Conservative in the form of UKIP whose success may have been a surprise to some but they did contest the last two National Assembly for Wales elections which is strange for a party whose policy is to abolish the Assembly they want to get elected too.
In this new political environment the issue that now faces the Conservatives is that an anti devolution party with elected representation has a wider platform for its anti Assembly stance so what effect will it have on the Conservative vote in any future welsh elections because despite the spin there are a large number of Conservatives who don’t support the Assembly including Tory MP’s who are openly hostile. UKIP 87,585 votes (although down on 2004) in the European Elections would probably be enough for a Regional Assembly Member could they build on this and get support from disaffected Tories or will the Conservative Party in Wales move further to the right along with a Tory Government when its elected next year to counter the threat and slow down even further its support for full law making powers.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
‘Welsh Bloggers need to step up to the plate’ – after you Matt
Quite ironic that Matt Withers in the latest welsh bloggers contribution lambasts welsh bloggers for not scrutinising WAG policy or holding the Government to account or exposing the flaws in the LCO process, because neither does he or his colleagues, if you read Matt’s blog he finds National Assembly Business tedious as we have seen in his many reports on First Minister’s Questions (FMQ’s) and in his weekly gossip filled Spin Doctor newspaper column, no wonder he wants a welsh Guido Fawkes blog.
Unlike the majority of bloggers Matt is paid to cover welsh politics for the Wales on Sunday and like the Western Mail neither reports on the Assembly Committee’s when they take evidence or cover questions to Assembly Ministers, other than Rhodri Morgan or Opposition debates in the Chamber, all part of the democratic process and as much a part of what the National Assembly does as FMQ’s, something that both BBC Wales AM.PM and ITV Wales Sharp End programmes do cover so it’s not an impossible task.
It’s easy to take pot shots at the welsh media as he says and im guilty of it, but why should welsh bloggers make up for the holes in political reporting that journalists and researchers are paid to do and often don't. They are as guilty of quoting from AM’s blogs and Twitters for easy stories like bloggers with the comment instead of reporting the political news that only those in Cardiff Bay have access to and are often not published for fear of reprisals such as the Welsh Labour’s financial troubles.
Its seems the cosy world between welsh politicians and the welsh media needs to be challenged and opened up to some wider scrutiny itself,so that welsh bloggers could get their hands on some of the political stories and start making names for themselves like Iain Dale and Guido Fawkes as Matt seems to want.
Unlike the majority of bloggers Matt is paid to cover welsh politics for the Wales on Sunday and like the Western Mail neither reports on the Assembly Committee’s when they take evidence or cover questions to Assembly Ministers, other than Rhodri Morgan or Opposition debates in the Chamber, all part of the democratic process and as much a part of what the National Assembly does as FMQ’s, something that both BBC Wales AM.PM and ITV Wales Sharp End programmes do cover so it’s not an impossible task.
It’s easy to take pot shots at the welsh media as he says and im guilty of it, but why should welsh bloggers make up for the holes in political reporting that journalists and researchers are paid to do and often don't. They are as guilty of quoting from AM’s blogs and Twitters for easy stories like bloggers with the comment instead of reporting the political news that only those in Cardiff Bay have access to and are often not published for fear of reprisals such as the Welsh Labour’s financial troubles.
Its seems the cosy world between welsh politicians and the welsh media needs to be challenged and opened up to some wider scrutiny itself,so that welsh bloggers could get their hands on some of the political stories and start making names for themselves like Iain Dale and Guido Fawkes as Matt seems to want.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Labour hasn’t moved with the times
Its 2009, not 1989 I say this because if you listened too much of the debate that goes on in the National Assembly in Cardiff Bay you might think that Wales is still in those dark days of the 1980’s and hasn’t moved on and modernised in many areas. In political terms our politicians especially Labour haven’t and are still fighting old battles, ones that scarred Wales deeply but ones as a Nation we are very capable of overcoming and giving the current t and next generation a viable future.
The vast majority of welsh people still believe in strong communities, looking out for each other and helping those least well of in our society issues that have been at Labour core and connected it to voters, but in 2009 they also want good education for themselves and their children, good jobs opportunities and decent prospects to progress and improve their families lives and the ability to own their own home.
They expect decent roads and transport links, access to Broadband and not just in the Cities and big town but in rural areas the sort of stuff that makes life easier and the Country function. These are hardly earth shattering things being asked for by the electorate and none of it will come as a surprise to our politicians but what’s frustrating is that it’s all very achievable with the right political focus.
Whether any of this happens it’s up to politicians and maybe Sunday’s earthquake which changed Welsh politics will be shot in the arm our body politic needs because the sky didn’t fall in and the four horseman of the apocalypse didn’t arrive in Wales when the Tories topped the poll, the electorate has moved on, can Labour and the other parties catch up and deliver what we are asking for?
The vast majority of welsh people still believe in strong communities, looking out for each other and helping those least well of in our society issues that have been at Labour core and connected it to voters, but in 2009 they also want good education for themselves and their children, good jobs opportunities and decent prospects to progress and improve their families lives and the ability to own their own home.
They expect decent roads and transport links, access to Broadband and not just in the Cities and big town but in rural areas the sort of stuff that makes life easier and the Country function. These are hardly earth shattering things being asked for by the electorate and none of it will come as a surprise to our politicians but what’s frustrating is that it’s all very achievable with the right political focus.
Whether any of this happens it’s up to politicians and maybe Sunday’s earthquake which changed Welsh politics will be shot in the arm our body politic needs because the sky didn’t fall in and the four horseman of the apocalypse didn’t arrive in Wales when the Tories topped the poll, the electorate has moved on, can Labour and the other parties catch up and deliver what we are asking for?
Monday, June 8, 2009
A missed opportunity for Plaid Cymru
The European Elections have been good for nationalists in the UK, Alex Salmond's SNP’ trounced Scottish Labour and topped the poll by almost 10% and Sinn Fein was the first nationalist party in Northern Ireland to top an election poll although the Unionist vote was split.
Here in Wales Plaid Cymru came third albeit less than 3% behind the Conservatives and did top the poll in seven seats, but is there a reason why they couldn’t make it three nationalist victories in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which would have been as seismic for British Politics as the Tory topping the vote in Wales this time around.
Like Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru also has questions to answer about the election?
Here in Wales Plaid Cymru came third albeit less than 3% behind the Conservatives and did top the poll in seven seats, but is there a reason why they couldn’t make it three nationalist victories in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which would have been as seismic for British Politics as the Tory topping the vote in Wales this time around.
Like Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru also has questions to answer about the election?
A Swing to the Right in Wales
The Conservatives have topped the election poll in Wales first time since 1918 Labour has been beaten in the popular vote, but is this such a shock Tory AM David Melding on ITV Wales Sharp End on Thursday night said that up until the MP expense scandal hit the Tories in Wales were in line to top the poll, even he seem to think they would lose out to UKIP who must be over the moon with their new MEP John Bufton.
On a wider point is this win a vindication of Nick Bourne and Cheryl Gillan leadership in Wales, what happens to Jonathan Morgan and Co from here on in?
Labour have 1 MEP and its vote share was down nearly 13% plus they only topped the vote in Glamorgan and Gwent incredible. However I expect them to remain in denial about the scale of the task facing them, why, the statement put out be Rhodri Morgan and Peter Hain talks about listening to the voters and responding to their needs, we heard exactly the same in 2007 after the Welsh Assembly Elections and 2008 in the welsh local elections and nothing changed. Rhodri Morgan is still in place preventing the clear out Labour obviously need. Are the Labour Cabinet AM’s braver than Labour MP’s in the Cabinet to get the First Minister to resign.
Plaid Cymru who have 1 MEP despite the belief of topping the poll and possibly taking the second seat will be disappointed despite only being 1% behind Labour given how well the SNP is doing Scotland and the Tories here in Wales, is it time for a new leader or to rethink the One Wales Coalition?
Most disappointed of all will be the Liberal Democrats who even with a new leader and the best elections campaign they have fought in a while coupled with Labour’s woes and Plaid Cymru only making modest gains could only come 5th in the popular vote, where do they go from here?
All in all quite a night, who says Welsh Politics in boring and predictable?
On a wider point is this win a vindication of Nick Bourne and Cheryl Gillan leadership in Wales, what happens to Jonathan Morgan and Co from here on in?
Labour have 1 MEP and its vote share was down nearly 13% plus they only topped the vote in Glamorgan and Gwent incredible. However I expect them to remain in denial about the scale of the task facing them, why, the statement put out be Rhodri Morgan and Peter Hain talks about listening to the voters and responding to their needs, we heard exactly the same in 2007 after the Welsh Assembly Elections and 2008 in the welsh local elections and nothing changed. Rhodri Morgan is still in place preventing the clear out Labour obviously need. Are the Labour Cabinet AM’s braver than Labour MP’s in the Cabinet to get the First Minister to resign.
Plaid Cymru who have 1 MEP despite the belief of topping the poll and possibly taking the second seat will be disappointed despite only being 1% behind Labour given how well the SNP is doing Scotland and the Tories here in Wales, is it time for a new leader or to rethink the One Wales Coalition?
Most disappointed of all will be the Liberal Democrats who even with a new leader and the best elections campaign they have fought in a while coupled with Labour’s woes and Plaid Cymru only making modest gains could only come 5th in the popular vote, where do they go from here?
All in all quite a night, who says Welsh Politics in boring and predictable?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Peter’s new job
To say that Peter Hain’s appointed as Secretary of State for Wales was a surprise was an understatement, it certainly hasn’t taken him long to get back in the saddle and raise his profile with appearances on Newsnight and the Politics Show Wales and getting Labour's excuses in ready in case they are in big trouble.
What seems different from the Assembly and Local Council Elections is that Labour may actually realise the hole they are in by later on tonight, so yesterday’s Western Mail headline caught my eye ‘Hain sets out his plan for Labour in Wales’ all very interesting but call me old fashioned in the midst of the worst recession for decades where people are losing their jobs and homes the Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s priority is appointing Peter Hain to save the Welsh Labour Party, it speaks volumes about the two men’s priorities and doesn’t bode well for Wales over the next few months.
What seems different from the Assembly and Local Council Elections is that Labour may actually realise the hole they are in by later on tonight, so yesterday’s Western Mail headline caught my eye ‘Hain sets out his plan for Labour in Wales’ all very interesting but call me old fashioned in the midst of the worst recession for decades where people are losing their jobs and homes the Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s priority is appointing Peter Hain to save the Welsh Labour Party, it speaks volumes about the two men’s priorities and doesn’t bode well for Wales over the next few months.
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