Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The real Welsh Tory agenda
This morning's Western Mail lifts the curtain on what the Conservatives really think about devolution after a decade of posturing. It seems that the prospect of power has brought back those centralising tendencies we all knew were there really but which had been suppressed so that they could campaign for Assembly seats with some credibility.
The paper tells us that the Conservative Party is plotting to take powers over Welsh universities away from the National Assembly and send them back to Westminster. They say that Shadow Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan astonished vice-chancellors at a private breakfast by asking them: “Would Welsh universities be better off if higher education was not devolved?” She then asked them to write to her with their views before leaving the room and letting her deputy David Jones field questions from the academics.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Kirsty Williams is particularly damning: “This is just incredible. At the Assembly we have been talking about the tools we need for economic recovery, and one of those tools is using universities to drive economic development. The Tories are considering taking that power away from us.
“It shows that despite all the talk from pro-devolution Tories like Nick Bourne and David Melding, the party is still basically against devolution.
“Its instinct is to think in London terms. I wonder whether Nick Bourne even knew his masters in London were taking this initiative.
“Of course, there are problems with the funding gap, but instead of trying to get a ‘Made in Wales’ solution at the Assembly, the Tory instinct is to take powers back to London.
“This shows us just what we can expect if the Tories win the next general election.”
The paper's editorial is equally as harsh: This is a major revelation and we can only speculate whether the Conservatives intended to let the people of Wales know of their plans before the general election.
We have a right to ask whether the Conservatives are considering withdrawing any other powers from the Assembly.
Will they propose taking back control of the NHS, so they can bring in foundation hospitals and the restoration of prescription charges?
How about schools? Would a new Tory Government at Westminster force the reintroduction of Sats tests for children or allow businesses to take over the running of secondary education, as has happened in parts of England?
Mrs Gillan has indeed taken us into new territory and invited us to speculate about the relationship between the Assembly Government and Westminster under a future David Cameron administration.
Nick Bourne and his fellow converts to devolution within the Welsh Conservative Party have led us to believe that a new dawn has broken and that there is no going back to the old days before the Assembly when Wales was run like a colony by Tory Secretaries of State who didn’t represent Welsh constituencies and who had a retinue of quango appointees to do their undemocratic bidding.
Unfortunately we cannot take Mr Bourne at his word any longer.
They conclude: If, for whatever reason, a referendum on primary lawmaking powers for the Assembly is postponed indefinitely, there can be little doubt that a dark new era of constitutional conflict will ensue. That, surely, would be in no-one’s best interest.
There is no doubt that there are Welsh Conservative Assembly Members who will disagree with this agenda. One twittered this morning for example as follows:
JonMorganAM Off to Legislation Committee to discuss devolving powers to Wales which makes a nice change from the Western Mail story this morning!
However, the AMs are in a minority within their party and those who are really commited to devolution in a minority within their group. The real Welsh Tory agenda has started to emerge. Would it not now be an open and honest approach if they set it out in full so we can judge it on its merits rather than keeping much of it hidden from public view?
If they are hiding their real policies then they can only be doing so for two reasons: either they are ashamed of it and worried it might lose them votes; or they are trying to deceive the electorate as to what they will really do once they win power.
The paper tells us that the Conservative Party is plotting to take powers over Welsh universities away from the National Assembly and send them back to Westminster. They say that Shadow Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan astonished vice-chancellors at a private breakfast by asking them: “Would Welsh universities be better off if higher education was not devolved?” She then asked them to write to her with their views before leaving the room and letting her deputy David Jones field questions from the academics.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Kirsty Williams is particularly damning: “This is just incredible. At the Assembly we have been talking about the tools we need for economic recovery, and one of those tools is using universities to drive economic development. The Tories are considering taking that power away from us.
“It shows that despite all the talk from pro-devolution Tories like Nick Bourne and David Melding, the party is still basically against devolution.
“Its instinct is to think in London terms. I wonder whether Nick Bourne even knew his masters in London were taking this initiative.
“Of course, there are problems with the funding gap, but instead of trying to get a ‘Made in Wales’ solution at the Assembly, the Tory instinct is to take powers back to London.
“This shows us just what we can expect if the Tories win the next general election.”
The paper's editorial is equally as harsh: This is a major revelation and we can only speculate whether the Conservatives intended to let the people of Wales know of their plans before the general election.
We have a right to ask whether the Conservatives are considering withdrawing any other powers from the Assembly.
Will they propose taking back control of the NHS, so they can bring in foundation hospitals and the restoration of prescription charges?
How about schools? Would a new Tory Government at Westminster force the reintroduction of Sats tests for children or allow businesses to take over the running of secondary education, as has happened in parts of England?
Mrs Gillan has indeed taken us into new territory and invited us to speculate about the relationship between the Assembly Government and Westminster under a future David Cameron administration.
Nick Bourne and his fellow converts to devolution within the Welsh Conservative Party have led us to believe that a new dawn has broken and that there is no going back to the old days before the Assembly when Wales was run like a colony by Tory Secretaries of State who didn’t represent Welsh constituencies and who had a retinue of quango appointees to do their undemocratic bidding.
Unfortunately we cannot take Mr Bourne at his word any longer.
They conclude: If, for whatever reason, a referendum on primary lawmaking powers for the Assembly is postponed indefinitely, there can be little doubt that a dark new era of constitutional conflict will ensue. That, surely, would be in no-one’s best interest.
There is no doubt that there are Welsh Conservative Assembly Members who will disagree with this agenda. One twittered this morning for example as follows:
JonMorganAM Off to Legislation Committee to discuss devolving powers to Wales which makes a nice change from the Western Mail story this morning!
However, the AMs are in a minority within their party and those who are really commited to devolution in a minority within their group. The real Welsh Tory agenda has started to emerge. Would it not now be an open and honest approach if they set it out in full so we can judge it on its merits rather than keeping much of it hidden from public view?
If they are hiding their real policies then they can only be doing so for two reasons: either they are ashamed of it and worried it might lose them votes; or they are trying to deceive the electorate as to what they will really do once they win power.
Comments:
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both, obviously. If they tell people that is their intention, no-one would vote for them. If they keep it quiet, they get votes, then hit us with the whammy.
All the parties in the Assembly, and the Welsh MPs in London, need to fight this before it starts. Like now. Today. Don't let the people of Wales vote Tory under false pretences (although I suspect Tory voters don't really care either way)
All the parties in the Assembly, and the Welsh MPs in London, need to fight this before it starts. Like now. Today. Don't let the people of Wales vote Tory under false pretences (although I suspect Tory voters don't really care either way)
Is the Western Mail story true? This is what the Tories say: "Party policy towards higher education has not changed. The idea of returning powers to Westminster is neither being discussed nor considered. There is no plot, there are no talks, there are no proposals."
# posted by 
: 12:26 PM
: 12:26 PM
"The idea of returning powers to Westminster is neither being discussed nor considered. There is no plot, there are no talks, there are no proposals."??????
# posted by : 1:32 PM
: 1:32 PM
all the more reason why the coalition govt must press ahead on the proposed referendum giving further powers to the assembly!
With the tories set to win the next general election and some odious 'welsh' tory like nigel evans - or worse still the loony right winger david davies - appointed as welsh secretary there will be no prospect whatever of a right wing tory govt in london agreeing to the referendum going ahead! In fact the next tory govt will probably do all it can to undermine the welsh assembly, as many tories in their hearts still loathe the devolution process!
It means there is an ever narrowing window of opportunity available to the coalition govt if it intends to fulfill its committment to stage a referendum. In effect it will very soon be a case of now or never, otherwise we could be waiting 20 years for another chance to extend devolution for wales! Not to take this chance would be a literal betrayal of wales and its people!
Leigh richards
swansea.
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With the tories set to win the next general election and some odious 'welsh' tory like nigel evans - or worse still the loony right winger david davies - appointed as welsh secretary there will be no prospect whatever of a right wing tory govt in london agreeing to the referendum going ahead! In fact the next tory govt will probably do all it can to undermine the welsh assembly, as many tories in their hearts still loathe the devolution process!
It means there is an ever narrowing window of opportunity available to the coalition govt if it intends to fulfill its committment to stage a referendum. In effect it will very soon be a case of now or never, otherwise we could be waiting 20 years for another chance to extend devolution for wales! Not to take this chance would be a literal betrayal of wales and its people!
Leigh richards
swansea.
# posted by : 4:27 PM
: 4:27 PM<< Home
