Today’s letter from the First & Deputy Minister from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland stating that the rate of spending cuts proposed by the UK government will have a detrimental effect on the local economies comes hot on the heels of an interview that First Minister Carwyn Jones gave to the Western Mail’s Business supplement in which he painted a very gloomy picture of prospects for jobs, investment and Welsh business in the years ahead for Wales. (Some things never change)
So after all the talk about devolution protecting Wales are Carwyn and Ieuan raising the white flag already over protecting Wales or is this mere political maneuvering from Labour and Plaid Cymru to make sure that all of the blame for Wales coming woes lies with the 'evil Conservatives and their Lib Dem helpers?'
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Does it matter what message the Welsh Conservative’s are selling?
I bet Conservative AM Jonathan Morgan has raised more than a few hackles among his party colleagues and members this week by stating in several articles that if the gains the Conservatives in Wales have made in detoxifying their image over the past decade are not to be reversed in the coming months, then the party has to continue being Welsh and sticking up for Welsh interests especially now that the Tories are in Government in London and not in Jonathan’s word ‘be seen to be doing David Cameron’s bidding’.
I would tend to agree with Jonathan’s analysis, but there is also a strong possibility that even if the Welsh Conservatives accept his analysis and do as he says they could still end up losing ground and being painted as anti Welsh again.
The reason I say this is that Wales has a strong tradition of support for Labour and a Labour Party that’s more than willing to raise the record of the Thatcher and Major Government’s of the 1980’s and 1990’s when many Welsh communities suffered hardships as they did so well during the General Election campaign.
Add that to an electorate that still remembers Conservative cuts and is open to Labour’s message of Tories not understanding or caring about Wales, plus the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on all spending in Wales and the Coalition Government’s preoccupation with keeping Scotland in the Union while being indifferent to Wales and the Tories could be heading for a perfect storm leading up to the Welsh Assembly Elections next year.
I said the day after the General Election that I expected Labour in Wales to benefit most from this new political arrangements in Westminster and so its proved in the monthly YouGov polls since May, the Tories have flat lined in the same polls at around 20%, but if they are not to lose ground they will have to work out a way of countering Labour’s rhetoric and connect with Welsh voters who didn’t warm to their message in good times and will Jonathan’s message be part of that effort?
I would tend to agree with Jonathan’s analysis, but there is also a strong possibility that even if the Welsh Conservatives accept his analysis and do as he says they could still end up losing ground and being painted as anti Welsh again.
The reason I say this is that Wales has a strong tradition of support for Labour and a Labour Party that’s more than willing to raise the record of the Thatcher and Major Government’s of the 1980’s and 1990’s when many Welsh communities suffered hardships as they did so well during the General Election campaign.
Add that to an electorate that still remembers Conservative cuts and is open to Labour’s message of Tories not understanding or caring about Wales, plus the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on all spending in Wales and the Coalition Government’s preoccupation with keeping Scotland in the Union while being indifferent to Wales and the Tories could be heading for a perfect storm leading up to the Welsh Assembly Elections next year.
I said the day after the General Election that I expected Labour in Wales to benefit most from this new political arrangements in Westminster and so its proved in the monthly YouGov polls since May, the Tories have flat lined in the same polls at around 20%, but if they are not to lose ground they will have to work out a way of countering Labour’s rhetoric and connect with Welsh voters who didn’t warm to their message in good times and will Jonathan’s message be part of that effort?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Why didn’t Rhodri do these things when he was in Office?
It’s incredibly irritating to read Rhodri Morgan’s ‘insight’ in his weekly columns for the Western Mail on a range of important matters that are affecting Wales, such as making the most of medium and long term economic benefits to Wales of hosting of the Ryder Cup, electrification of the London to Swansea rail line, improving Wales GVA and laying the foundations for next year’s Welsh Assembly referendum, because until last December he was still Wales First Minister and has been for a decade and should have making sure that these things were being looked at, at the very least.
The fact that he is now free (as a backbencher) to say these things and is not being challenged by the other parties or the media to account for his obvious inaction at First Minister on all these matters and worse still in some cases being applauded for raising the issues, speaks volumes about the unhealthy political culture we have here in Wales and the rose tinted ‘legacy’ that Rhodri Morgan continues to enjoy among the great and the good and the wider Welsh public as the ‘most popular politician in Wales’
The fact that he is now free (as a backbencher) to say these things and is not being challenged by the other parties or the media to account for his obvious inaction at First Minister on all these matters and worse still in some cases being applauded for raising the issues, speaks volumes about the unhealthy political culture we have here in Wales and the rose tinted ‘legacy’ that Rhodri Morgan continues to enjoy among the great and the good and the wider Welsh public as the ‘most popular politician in Wales’
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