Yes its that man again,Huw Lewis,challenging Carwyn J and Eluned M on their assertion that the anti Welsh factor is the cause of Labour's decline in Wales.Huw says its far more generic.
Huw's View
BLAMING “phantom” opponents of the Welsh language for Labour’s disappointing election results risks splitting the party, Huw warns.He claims he has never encountered Labour opposition to Welsh language rights and believes it is “bonkers” to blame election losses in West Wales on such antagonism.He said, “To say the reason why Labour did badly last May was this spectral anti-Welsh Labour party member who’s floating around upsetting everyone is self-delusion.” I don’t know who these people are in the Welsh Labour party who go around attacking the Welsh language. I’ve never met them...
“It’s not rocket science in my opinion. What people expect from Labour is first of all that they are a unifying force across Wales, [and] any party that sets out to pit one part of Wales against another is doing a bad thing.”Furthermore, he insists the debate is preventing the party from learning why it was “hammered” in the Valleys and lost votes in every constituency except Cardiff Central.In his own constituency the Labour share of the vote fell 23.5%.
Mr Lewis said, “I defy anyone to look at those figures and say there’s a Welsh-speaking community effect.“There’s an all-Wales effect which is remarkably consistent across Wales – we were doing something wrong.”
He continued, “You break into West of the Loughor in the same way that Labour should break into anywhere which is to say we will supply the best public services, we will ensure no child is left behind, we will not launch ourselves into the monumental mess-up of health service reorganisation we got ourselves into last year – we’ll learn lessons from that – and we’ll listen to people.”
It’s not too difficult to drive wedges between political people if they perceive a slight. I can tell you there will be members of the Valleys Labour parties for instance who would feel very slighted by what’s being said.
He added, “This is just bonkers, absolutely bonkers.
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In all fairness, apart from the usual Plaid activists who come out in hives whenever Lewis's name is mentioned, who could disagree with most of this?
He's right. Look at the work undertaken by both Labour controlled Glamorgan CC and Mid Glamorgan CC to promote Welsh medium education in the valleys. In September Bridgend will open its first Welsh medium Comprehensive because of the decision of the then Labour led council and particularly its leader to use PFI money for a new comp to allow a Welsh school to be developed. The back tracking since the fringe meeting by both Eluned Morgan and Carwyn Jones shows that they realise that they have stirred up a hornet's nest within the ranks of the Labour Party. As Huw Lewis points out Labour did badly last year in all parts of WAles. They could easily have lost the Vale and Newport East. Without the UKIP vote there is a real possibility that Labour could have been in trouble even in the Gower. In North East Wales the Tories not Plaid are also in a strong position to make real gains next time. The comments regarding anti Welshness are a clear illustration of sloppy thinking and reflects an attitude of failing to face up to the real issues facing the Labour party.
Quite right.Labour are in decline in Wales because of questions of relevence(in a post industrial economy) and competence.I do not care for New Labour but it does,at least,realise that the world has moved on.Welsh old Labour is not going to disappear but it is not going to dominate either.It is likely to remain the largest single party but it seems to have a difficulty in not having absolute power.
Labour will always have absolute power in the Valleys and despite Huw Lewis's charm and good PR (most of its on the blogs) he is a very divisive man.
Im not party political and have no axe to grind but from a resident of Merthyr point of view if you are not a Labour person you are dismissed as a NAT or Hue Hater, he refuses to see constituents because a member of their family stood against him as an independent candidates and continually tows the party line when it comes to implementing real regeneration in the most deprived part of Wales, in short he doesn't stand up for his constituents, now from a leaders perspective they are not good qualities in my view.
I dont know anything about Carwyn Jones but i wonder if he like Huw Lewis he is as ambitious and allegedly self important.
I think Labour needs to be realistic about why it is loosing voters.I also think that there may be a different mix of reasons for every constituency.
In Merthyr for example as another blogger has said failure to spend time listening to people has been a major factor.The open cast, the proposed health service changes, still no more jobs in the borough despite allegedly money being available to create more jobs.
This relates to the AM ,the MP and the Council.
I agree that it is almost impossible to see HL.
Sorry to the last 2 people who left comments, but it's just not true that it's impossible to see Huw Lewis. I've voted Jock Greer for the last two am elections and will kost likely do so next time. But Hue Lews was very helpful with my housing case and also helped with getting tax crddits issues sorted for my daughter. hIS suregry times are on his internet site and in the windows of shops arounf here. cREDIT where credit is due.
jso thanks for the party political broadcast from Huw Lewis's office made me smile :)
Valleysmam, wish I could keep up with all these political opinions! I often read your sites but don't always feel worthy enough to leave an opinion. Sometimes I don't even have one! What I do admire is that you state what you fervently believe in! hope I haven't lowered the tone of the discussion!
JSO .clever use of spelling there - Maggie I am delighted that you call bye and comment I love your blog and so enjoy your style
Please feel free to pop in and have a cuppa and comment anytime please
Carwyn was talking about the perception that Labour are anti-Welsh language. This perception has been fed by elements of Labour who are indeed fundamentally anti-language (such as Labour Councillors in Swansea who recently campaigned aginst a new Welsh school). Other examples have also been the First Minister refusing to meet with Cymdeithas; describing their calls for a new Language Act as 'boring' (at least in his hand actions). This was then topped by a Labour Council candidate in Grangetown, Cardiff (Dave Collins) describing the Welsh language as 'brain dead' last year.
There are pro and anti language elements in Labour and for Huw to deny this is either him trying to hide the fact, or an AM hopelessly out of touch with his own party. For his sake, I hope that he is being devious.
The Tories and Lib Dems are no better on this issue but as they are not in power get less coverage for their many frequent language 'faux pas's' (naff French-sorry).
I think that Labour did badly last year because their manifesto was uninspiring. They were short of new ideas and it showed. They need to inspire but are held back be significant divisions in their party, both over the language, public services and devolution in general.
The leader who can unite and not feed the divisions will be their best choice. Above all, I think that Rhodri has made a fundamental mistake by naming the day when he leaves and his decision may well damage further a party he has gone some way to keep together.
Although Carwyn Jones and Eluned Morgan are right in the analysis that the perception of Valleys Labour is anti welsh they are playing into Huw Lewis's hands with those comments as most of Welsh Labour's support and election strength is still in the Valleys.
By the number of posters for Huw Lewis he is obviously speaking for a lot of Labour members and supporters. Carwyn needs to avoid Huw's bear traps if he is going to succeed as leader.
Well, I live in Merthyr and don't speak welsh. Im a proud welshman and mostly vote for Plaid. To suggest that people vote on the issue of the language is just silly.
I vote for Plaid because I think they'll do good for Wales. I've got nothing against Huw Lewis (infact he helped my mother a few months back when no one else would). Still my vote is going to Plaid!
Carry on Labourites, your party's on its last legs.
huw buying a house in penarth for him and his torfaen representing wife can't have won many votes. not much of a commute fro erthyr really is it. A lot of the labour vote in the valleys is disapparing because they offer up rubbish candidates, irene james, and even lynne neagle herself, really? and across south wales a lot of people are sick of being taken for granted by labour and the whole peter / trish law debacle remains.
Also i went and heard chris brynat talk at an event, he surprised me by how good he was, and he saw things like i do, he had a lot of answers - the problem is, he has them as a representative of the party in power for over ten years and have done little of what he was suggesting.
Labour might like us to forget that they were the government that spewed out lie after lie about Iraq.
Lies and more lies, and now a million Iraquis have perished, millions more driven from their homes in what was once a most cultured and educated nation. There is poverty, disease and corruption which has come about because the labour party wanted it.
They wanted power, even at the expense of the lives of Iraqui children.
How did those labour M.P.s feel, those nights when british bombs and missiles tore through the homes and bodies of the innocents.
Did their dreams include the pools of blood along the pavements of Fallujah?
The pictures of dead and mutilated children may be one reason why for many people, labour is no longer within the human race, let alone a political one.
Click my signature if you are over 18, and see what your labour party has done to the people of Iraq.
Fatima - think you've missed the pojnt here, love.
Anonymous, Darling,
You may think I have missed the point, but your thoughts are yours alone.
A million Iraqui people no longer have thoughts.
They are dead, dead, after the invasion voted for by labour politicians.
If those poor souls were here, alive today, they would vote for labour, do you think?
Just because they died out of sight, just because their screams of pain did not reach the shadows around them, it does not exclude the labour party from blame.
I say that the blood and broken lives of the innocents will taint the labour in Wales.
You think not? Ok, "cariad", you think your thoughts, I will think mine.
Adieu.
Do we have a welsh fatima here
I think with the general voters, they will remember things closer to home. My view ,labour needs better candidates that when they are elected listen to voters needs, not thier own ambition and who realise that they have a job to do,not a holiday fill in.
I think is true of all parties and especially list candidates who are never around.
When did we last see the plaid,tory and lib dems in Merthyr.
Huw Lewis is playing a very clever strategic game here.
But do we really want such a devisive politician. He uses very cleverly street language,another man of the people; however his lifestyle does not reflect this.
left leaning - sure that this doesn't chime with your world view, but ever considered that far from "playing a very clever game", Lewis might be saying what he thinks?
"ever considered that far from "playing a very clever game", Lewis might be saying what he thinks?"
This never entered my mind for a second.
Huw lewis of course says what he wants the world to hear.But If he was true to his word ,then why the middle class life and trappings that go with it,Come off it man of the people,yeh people of Penarth and surrounding district.Merthyr schools not good enough for his son.He taught in one for long enough, but was crap at that too.
Does it matter whether its Huw, Carwyn or Andrew none of them can be any worse than Rhodri Morgan surely?
Clearly Huw is saying what he thinks, he always has, and its rarely got him anywhere inside the Welsh Labour machine. Resigned over the dumping of F&M carcasses in his constituency (ironically by Carwyn's dept.), didn't do "a Leighton" to try keep his job over the coalition. Balanced a difficulut decision (jobs v vocal minority opposition) over opencast (ironically also greenlighted by Carwyn!). It really riles the nats that their most effective opponent is probably the most honest politician in Cardiff Bay, I'm sure. The fact that he uses a pad near Cardiff during the week, the same way Helen Mary Jones and countless other AMs do, is besides the point and only shows up Andrew Thomas Nutter and his friends as the bile spreading crazies that they are.
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