Musings on the Welsh Labour Party
Just when politics is beginning to get interesting again I am suddenly struck by a feeling of apathy.
Just when politics is beginning to get interesting again I am suddenly struck by a feeling of apathy. Now the Conservative party is back on its feet with a charismatic and shiny new leader, the Labour party now have to work harder to achieve every vote at the ballot box. The Liberal Democrats, the main beneficiaries from protests against the government have now lost that edge to Mr Cameron and company. Meanwhile, in Scotland and Wales, the nationalist parties are gaining more popular support, while stints as governing parties in the devolved nations will only build trust and confidence in them.
I believe passionately that the core values of the Labour party give members the best platform in which to improve the wealth and welfare of the people of Wales and the United Kingdom. It is a shame that many of the core principles have been lost ever since the election of Tony Blair as Labour Leader in 1994. That’s not to say Tony Blair was a bad leader, making the party electable and pushing reforms like the National Minimum Wage.
The problem was Blair’s New Labour. It committed the government to being a slave to the private sector, especially Murdoch et al. Obsessed with privatising state run services and companies, allowing the rich to get richer and doing little overall to lift children out of poverty, the Labour party had been infected by social conservatism. Add to this Blair’s ‘poodle-like’ loyalty to George Bush Jr.’s America, it signalled the party’s change from one built on the grass-roots working class to one that consisted of its own political class, seen most visually by the ejection of Walter Wolfgang from the 2005 Labour party conference. The former PM’s presidential style detached voters and party members from the government.
But in 2007, Blair stepped down and a long expected Brown stepped up. Gordon Brown was transformed to Flash Gordon in light of his safe and strong leadership during destructive flooding, terrorist attacks and a bluetongue outbreak. His leadership was rewarded by high poll results for him and his party, but suffered criticism for the now infamous non-election. But, likening Superman’s vulnerability to Kryptonite, economic turbulence came like a kick in the bollocks for Premier Brown. Vince Cable didn’t help either.
One of the first acts of the Blair government was to establish a National Assembly for Wales. Up until today, it has been dominated by Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, two parties that practice an old Labourite socialist agenda while in government, rejecting PFIs and renationalising wherever they can. As a result, Wales is quickly becoming a fortress for socialism, ready to defend it with vigour. The issue I take is the current inability of the Labour party, Wales’ true party, to be able to adapt and rejuvenate into a party that is made up of the Welsh for Wales. For most members, it is far too easy to blame Plaid for lying and trickery to make electoral gains. There is a shameful element of truth in such an argument that Plaid Cymru will have to face one day, but the Labour party has to ignore this for a few years when it decides how it will move forward.
There is no doubt in my mind that Labour is the party of Wales, regardless of Plaid Cymru’s name. Labour has lost the plot. Upon the resignation of Rhodri Morgan next year, the Welsh party need to elect a true Socialist and a true patriot, who will defend the party and our Nation. I guess what I am trying to say is that the Welsh Labour Party should put Wales first, Britain second. As soon as Welsh Labour is seen to stick up for Welsh interests, things will get very difficult for Plaid quickly.
At the party conference in Llandudno there was a discussion held through Welsh (the first of many I hope), about how Labour can fight back against Plaid in West Wales. The most important made in my view was that the Party does not seem Welsh enough. There was no sign of ‘Y Ddraig Goch’ anywhere near the conference floor. Plaid Cymru ditched their ‘triban’ for a brand that you couldn’t differentiate from the Lib Dems. It’s time for Welsh Labour to be Llafur Cymraeg and to breathe fire back into Welsh public life.