Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Never mind the quality....
Meanwhile, Wales Labour has its own problems. A paper written by two activists from the left-wing Welsh Labour Grassroots group has concluded that Labour failed to win a majority in May’s election partly because of the poor quality of candidates.
Obviously, one has to be wary of the Hayzell David controversy in discussing such press reports, but assuming that the paper is genuine it cannot be very welcome reading in the Labour Assembly Group. The authors state that the party’s selection procedures need to be revamped to make it easier to get rid of AMs and MPs who are not up to the job. And it suggests there are those within the party who would prefer going into opposition if that meant hastening Rhodri Morgan’s departure:
“Many of Welsh Labour’s candidates were not the best advocates for the party’s progressive programme: Our chances were limited by politicians who are either ideologically closer to Blairism, or just too politically unsophisticated to have a real understanding of our party’s policies, let alone convey them to the public.
“Opposition to any deal with Plaid reflects some of the sectarian old-Labour hostility towards Plaid, yoked together with a New Labour suspicion of the independent course pursued by Rhodri and his allies.
“There are even suggestions that some of Rhodri’s critics were deliberately seeking to block a Labour-led coalition in the hope that this would prompt an early leadership election, from which they could benefit.”
The document concludes, “We also need to settle accounts with those in our party who are holding us back. This means recognising that the party in Wales is not simply one big happy family, whose members are all comrades in a common cause, and challenging those who would like to redirect Welsh Labour onto the New Labour path."
On the election result, Nick Davies and Darren Williams – respectively chairman and secretary of Welsh Labour Grassroots – say that although UK issues like the unpopularity of the war in Iraq and Tony Blair were big factors, the Assembly Government had to take some of the blame.
“This election result surely calls into question the ‘softly softly’ strategy of implementing decidedly un-Blairite policies – many of which are, in themselves, electorally popular – but maintaining a diplomatic deference towards Westminster.
“It also means using the selection and re-selection procedures to remove ineffectual representatives and secure the election of AMs, MPs and councillors who would be principled, articulate and hard-working advocates for socialist policies.”
“The end result of this strategy was Rhodri’s refusal to condemn the Iraq war (until very late in the day when he said he would ‘probably’ have voted against it had he been in Parliament) and the refusal by most AMs to back Jane Davidson’s opposition to Trident in public – even though most of them agreed with her in private – on the grounds that they were not devolved issues.
“Had the Government been prepared to shout its differences with New Labour from the rooftops, it might have offended half a dozen of Blair’s Welsh outriders, such as Chris Bryant, but attracted back thousands of lost voters.
“It might have broken Wales from the UK electoral cycle, something which clearly has not yet happened.”
Inflammatory stuff indeed.
Obviously, one has to be wary of the Hayzell David controversy in discussing such press reports, but assuming that the paper is genuine it cannot be very welcome reading in the Labour Assembly Group. The authors state that the party’s selection procedures need to be revamped to make it easier to get rid of AMs and MPs who are not up to the job. And it suggests there are those within the party who would prefer going into opposition if that meant hastening Rhodri Morgan’s departure:
“Many of Welsh Labour’s candidates were not the best advocates for the party’s progressive programme: Our chances were limited by politicians who are either ideologically closer to Blairism, or just too politically unsophisticated to have a real understanding of our party’s policies, let alone convey them to the public.
“Opposition to any deal with Plaid reflects some of the sectarian old-Labour hostility towards Plaid, yoked together with a New Labour suspicion of the independent course pursued by Rhodri and his allies.
“There are even suggestions that some of Rhodri’s critics were deliberately seeking to block a Labour-led coalition in the hope that this would prompt an early leadership election, from which they could benefit.”
The document concludes, “We also need to settle accounts with those in our party who are holding us back. This means recognising that the party in Wales is not simply one big happy family, whose members are all comrades in a common cause, and challenging those who would like to redirect Welsh Labour onto the New Labour path."
On the election result, Nick Davies and Darren Williams – respectively chairman and secretary of Welsh Labour Grassroots – say that although UK issues like the unpopularity of the war in Iraq and Tony Blair were big factors, the Assembly Government had to take some of the blame.
“This election result surely calls into question the ‘softly softly’ strategy of implementing decidedly un-Blairite policies – many of which are, in themselves, electorally popular – but maintaining a diplomatic deference towards Westminster.
“It also means using the selection and re-selection procedures to remove ineffectual representatives and secure the election of AMs, MPs and councillors who would be principled, articulate and hard-working advocates for socialist policies.”
“The end result of this strategy was Rhodri’s refusal to condemn the Iraq war (until very late in the day when he said he would ‘probably’ have voted against it had he been in Parliament) and the refusal by most AMs to back Jane Davidson’s opposition to Trident in public – even though most of them agreed with her in private – on the grounds that they were not devolved issues.
“Had the Government been prepared to shout its differences with New Labour from the rooftops, it might have offended half a dozen of Blair’s Welsh outriders, such as Chris Bryant, but attracted back thousands of lost voters.
“It might have broken Wales from the UK electoral cycle, something which clearly has not yet happened.”
Inflammatory stuff indeed.
Comments:
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So what does this really say Peter:
1. Welsh Labour is distinctive from London Labour - we just need to emphasise it more.
2. Those opposing a deal with Plaid are backward looking and have now lost the argument in the Party.
3. There is much we can achieve with the progressive wing of Plaid.
4. The Lib Dems cannot be trusted and we were foolish to believe they would act with integrity in the coalition discussions and therefore should not have been our only option.
5. Quality of AM is a problem for all parties. The television debates I attended/saw were of lamentable quality across the political spectrum.
6. Welsh Labour has a vibrant Left of Centre grouping which are not mindlessly tribal but driven by the need to work with other socialists to deliver a just society for the people of Wales.
7. This grouping has had the vision to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the red/green coalition.
Interesting reading indeed. Wonder if it will be as interesting as the accounts of the Lib Dem blood letting on Saturday.......
1. Welsh Labour is distinctive from London Labour - we just need to emphasise it more.
2. Those opposing a deal with Plaid are backward looking and have now lost the argument in the Party.
3. There is much we can achieve with the progressive wing of Plaid.
4. The Lib Dems cannot be trusted and we were foolish to believe they would act with integrity in the coalition discussions and therefore should not have been our only option.
5. Quality of AM is a problem for all parties. The television debates I attended/saw were of lamentable quality across the political spectrum.
6. Welsh Labour has a vibrant Left of Centre grouping which are not mindlessly tribal but driven by the need to work with other socialists to deliver a just society for the people of Wales.
7. This grouping has had the vision to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the red/green coalition.
Interesting reading indeed. Wonder if it will be as interesting as the accounts of the Lib Dem blood letting on Saturday.......
# posted by 
: 8:29 PM
: 8:29 PM
... and of course the Lib-Dems swept the board with "simply the best" candidates.
# posted by : 10:34 PM
: 10:34 PM
Oh they're waking up?
Next we'll hear they're looking for a way to get out of the deal.
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Next we'll hear they're looking for a way to get out of the deal.
# posted by : 12:27 AM
: 12:27 AM<< Home
