So Nick Clegg is a regeneration expert on Valleys life he - what a cheek dear.I wonder why he kept mentioning Merthyr so much,does he see it as an easy target,how little he knows.
Responding to Claggy Cleggs disjointed speech a row blew up last night over his claims that a century of Labour dominance in South Wales had achieved little more than high poverty rates. Clegg said from the platform, “What has 100 years of Labour dominance in Wales delivered? Families are trapped in poverty. A boy born in Merthyr will die five years before a boy born in Ceredigion.” Liberals were the original champions of devolution and the Welsh language and had succeeded in disestablishing the Church in Wales.,were his claims
Huw Lewis said the claims were “genuinely the best example of weasel-worded hot air I've ever heard”“He can reinterpret history as he likes but why have the Liberals been in hibernation for decades? Where have they been that it’s taken them 100 years to notice Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney?”, Dai Havard, MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, dismissed Mr Clegg as a “public school toff”.
Mr Clegg this weekend set the party the goal of winning Cardiff South, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport East and Swansea West at the next general election, and claimed that the Lib-Dems and not Labour were the true inheritors of the Welsh radical political tradition. Labour, meanwhile, has announced it is aiming to end Lib-Dem domination of Bridgend, Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham councils in this May’s elections.
However there was a 15.8% swing to the Lib-Dems in Huw's constituency Huw's view-, “I think one of the reasons Liberals tend to look good, although they don’t ever win, is the general state of opposition parties is appalling. They are good at attracting attention but they have no strength or depth.” our upper valleys but rejected it for their obsession with PR.“Merthyr needs no pedestrian commentary from afar about our relative and real problems; what we need is the sustained investment in Wales we are getting from Labour.“He is correct that the people of Merthyr and the Valleys have returned Labour representatives for the last 100 years, but for most of that time Labour was not in power in Westminster and that investment was denied us. Instead we had decades of Tory damage that will not be reversed quickly.“We are making huge strides in Merthyr and the people of the Valleys know the Liberals and separatist nationalists offer nothing to that investment and their long-term benefit.”
No change there then, it looks as if things could hot up in Merthyr which can only be good for the decline in politics in a once really politically aware town. The other point to note is that Dai Havard spoke, yes he is the MP although most people wouldn't know him in Merthyr, which is not true of Huw-brownie point to Huw.
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Clearly Nick Clegg has rattled Huw Lewis which is more than can be said for almost everyone in Plaid Cymru :)
Lets hope with all this focus on Huw Lewis that journalists outside Merthyr & Rhymney start looking at Huw's track record with an objective eye.
not a Lib Dem supporter and Clegg needs to work on his delivery and comes accross as a bit 'rabbit caught in the headlights' but he made some interesting points on the weekend, its just a shame the Western Mail chose this angle to run with the story on. Haven't we had enough of the non-Labour leaderhsip contest yet.
I watched Clegg and was unimpressed.
Why focus on parts of Wales he knows nothing about, Was he aware that Huw Lewis would bite back hard.
Anon, what has this to do with the Labour leadership.
It was a direct hit at Labour in certain Valleys areas, more to do with the upcoming Local elections I would have thought. I see this post as focusing on Merthyr not leadership.
milli, tell me your not putting forward the notion that Labour might loose Merthyr Council to the Lib Dems, my aunt and uncle live in Treharris and they tell me even the Independents are ex labour people.
My point on Huw Lewis's bite back as you called it its raising his profile and views further, after all he is a contender to take over form Rhodri Morgan.
my final point why shouldn't Nick Clegg raise these issues you are sounding like many in the Labour Party who refuse to acknowledge that there are other political points of view in the Valleys not just Labour ones.
Fair point Clegg makes i think, Labour have dominated in merthyr since labour started, arguably the home of labour, but what has it done for the town with these decades of dominance?
I am not a member of the Labour Party -God forbid.I also didnt say anything about Lib Dems taking Merthyr Council. You need to read what people write matie.Labour have done nothing for Merthyr of any consequence.Still no jobs , still no swimming pool,still crap shops. But they still get voted in.
May be some competition would be good.
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