Aneurin Glyndwr

Labour in action

In Swansea over the weekend, Paul Murphy told Labour delegates it was time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Describing Plaid’s plans for an independent Wales as “dreams” that would end up as an “isolated nightmare for Wales”, he took a pop at the Tories as well saying:“Treat people as people and not statistics, and do everything in our power to help those who lose their jobs get back on their feet as soon as possible.“That is Labour in action – as opposed to Tory inaction.”

Wales is Labour

When Paul Murphy talked of Welsh values being Labour values in his fiery speech to the Labour party conference on Sunday, he reminded us that community and solidarity are still what it’s all about. As he put it: “Just think of the Labour values that were born in Wales.”

A cause for pride – and a cause for hope.

Provide For Today; Prepare for Tomorrow

Its the old Socialist recipe for government, you provide for people when they need it, especially at times like these but you also prepare for tomorrow. At Welsh Labour Conference Rhodri Morgan outlined how Labour in Cardiff is doing that:
 
"Our ProAct redundancy avoidance scheme, unique to Wales, is based exactly on the recipe I just outlined.
 
It provides for today, because our wages subsidy of £2000 allows firms a breathing space, in which workers who would otherwise have been made redundant can be kept in employment even when order books are well down.
 
But you don't get paid government money to sit at home and paint the bathroom. Instead, you get paid to train, and to upgrade your skills.
 
That is why it prepares for tomorrow, because ProAct contains a further £2000 to ensure that workers can use the time when order books are slack to improve their skills, and invest in training.
 
The ProAct scheme, a £48 million investment, unique to Wales, for which we've already had 135 applications, new inquiries coming in at 30 a week, 2,400 jobs saved in 31 approved schemes to date.
 
Provide for today; prepare for tomorrow."
 
The Tories think that "unemployment is a price worth paying" - Labour doesn't.

Why I'm Labour

On the eve of Welsh Labour Conference First Minister Rhodri Morgan has outlined why he still beleives in Labour:

"In these difficult economic times Labour does not give up on people. We are keeping Welsh people as close to the job market as possible, with training and investment in skills for those who need it.  

"Now, as we go to Swansea for our annual conference I am reaching out beyond our existing party membership. Labour has done the heavy-lifting,with the Health Service, the minimum wage and devolution, but the work is not done."

Dale: Plaid not so great after all

WELL well – it seems Plaid's guest gamble at party conference didn't quite work as the nats would've liked.

Welsh Ramblings, the Plaid staff blog, has spent the weekend telling us how impressed celeb-blogger Iain Dale was with their professional "Conf".

Credit where it's due - we might not like his politics but at least Mr Dale can be relied upon to speak his mind. The Tory archblogger wrote on his blog:

"The Plaid Cymru conference, which I attended over that last two days was interesting for a number of reasons, not least that you got the feeling it was a conference of a party in opposition rather than government...

"The party members seemed to be far more interested in slagging off Labour, who are their partners in government in Wales, than critiquing the Tories or LibDems.

"Perhaps it is because Plaid regards itself as a rival socialist party to Labour. And therein lies its main electoral problem.

"Plaid has made no move in this direction at all. Maybe it never can, but if it ever aspires to lead a Welsh government it will certainly need, not only to widen its electoral appeal towards the centre and to the right, but also to break out of its northern and western heartlands."

Ouch

His comments have clearly upset the Plaid Cymru applecart.

Welsh Ramblings replied:

"You clearly know little or nothing about the electoral politics of Wales.

"Plaid Cymru runs Caerphilly council - it's bar far the largest party on that local authority.

"Perhaps you should study Welsh political history and come back after you've studied a bit harder."

Morus from PoliticalBetting.com deserves praise for his brilliant riposte:

"You're entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.

"Plaid Cymru doesn't run Caerphilly Council - of the 22 councils in Wales, Labour have a majority on two (Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taff) and the Tories control two (Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan). 18 are under No Overall Control.

"Caerphilly has 31 Plaid Cymru councillors, whereas there are 32 Labour councillors and 9 Independents. Not only does it not have a majority, it is not even the largest party.

"Plaid doesn't 'run' Caerphilly council - it doesn't run any councils at all."

Oh dear... not quite so "professional" after all...

Plaid Parliamentary candidate admits her willingness to deceive

Heledd Fychan (Montgomeryshire PPC) on her blog:

"...even if the conference hadn't have been that great, the truth is that I would have been spinning it in a positive way..."

Think that tells us all we need to know.

Time for Ieuan to show leadership

DAY two of Plaid's "Conf" (as they insist on calling it) and the delegates are still fighting in fringes and rowing in receptions. The student finance issue just won't go away. Even a usually on-message parliamentary candidate is now sticking the boot in. Wonder if they'll expel her too?

But the big story that the BBC are continuing to ignore is the chaos that is Plaid's policy on economic development. We are in the middle of a financial crisis; just about the one thing that politicians of almost every other party can agree on is the need to bring new jobs into Wales.

With unemployment rising, and everyone else tightening their belts, it is simply a disgrace that senior Plaid politicians are allowed to get away with continually campaigning against LNG jobs in Milford Haven, and the new Defence Training Academy in St Athan.

Plaid Deputy President and MEP Jill Evans has a well-paid job in Brussels (for now) so these new jobs might not mean much to her, but they are so important to our communities. Her behaviour is deeply irresponsible.

We at Aneurin Glyndwr certainly have our differences with Ieuan Wyn Jones, but ultimately we believe him to be an honourable man who wants the best for his country. Now the time has come for him to show leadership, as Deputy First Minister of Wales, he should publicly denounce Jill Evans and other senior party figures, before they put more Welsh jobs at risk.

What Conference?

LOOKS like the Nat conference is destined to be as succesful in terms of media coverage as the Tory one was.

The two-day gathering, which they are billing as the launch of their European election campaign, didn't even make the top story on the BBC Wales politics page today.

Over a week since our launch and Aneurin Glyndwr continues to dominate the news agenda.

Graveyard politics

SO the Welsh Tory conference begins tomorrow in Cardiff and surprise surprise their Assembly Members have been left out in the cold.

Why hasn't that elegant orator RT Davies (Assembly Shadow Health Minister) been given a prime time spot?

Where is Alun Cairns' (Shadow Heritage & Economy Minister) opportunity to drop another cringeworthy faux paux?

And why on earth isn't that shameless Thatcherite Darran Millar (Shadow Local Government Minister) giving his vision for the future?

Aneurin Glyndwr will tell you why... because the Assembly Conservative Group are an embarrassment to Toff Dave and his Eton-educated cronies.

At least Nick Bourne has been  given a chance to make a fool of himself... that's if anyone bothers to stay to watch the ill-fated graveyard spot on Sunday lunchtime.

Anyway - for anyone interested see below the fold for their conference agenda, leaked to Aneurin Glyndwr.