Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Labour lose the plot in Swansea West
The battle for Swansea West at the next General Election ia really hotting up as the possible 6th May date approaches. The contest is very much between the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Labour with Plaid Cymru and the Tories as also-rans.
A particular area of controversy is the record of Labour candidate Geraint Davies who lost his Croydon Central seat in 2005 and has now been parachuted into Swansea in an attempt at succeeding highly respected local MP, Alan Williams.
Mr. Davies, was the most expensive MP in his last year in Parliament, claiming £176,026 in expenses and costs, and sending £38,750 worth of mail and 130,000 first-class stamps. Funnily enough that was a massive increase on his previous expense claims but was still not good enough to help him hold his seat.
In his latest leaflet Mr. Davies seeks to answer some of the concerns expressed about him through a mixture of offensive and self-justification. He includes two articles on community safety but rather spoils the impression of being a Swansea-based candidate by including a photograph of himself with two community support officers wearing South London uniforms. Why is he reinforcing the impression of a parachutist by using this photograph? Could he not find any local Swansea PCSOs to be photographed with?
Mr. Davies goes on to try to justify his expense claims by stating that he had a busy constituency with a third more people than Swansea West. He was investing to serve. This is a catchy phrase but it does not explain why his expenditure was much lower in previous years.
He says that he had a flat near Parliament to attend late night votes and early morning meetings. Apparently, this is because the tube stops at midnight meaning that after that time the round trip to his home took over 2 hours per day after walking to and from stations, waiting and travelling by train.
Putting aside the fact that the tube does not run to Croydon Central I actually have no problem with this, but why then go on to attack Kirsty Williams and me for renting a flat in Cardiff? In actual fact the distance between both our homes and Cardiff Bay is considerably more than that between Geraint Davies' Croydon home and Westminster.
We also rent so that we gain nothing from using our flats. At the end my tenancy I will walk away without any benefit at all. Even the furniture belongs to the landlord. In contrast as far as I am aware Geraint Davies still owns the flat he bought with the help of public subsidy and for a time at least, if not still, was renting it out.
His claim that the job of an Assembly Member is a part time Monday to Wednesday, 9am to 6pm job is also wrong as he would discover if he asked his Labour Assembly colleagues. It is in fact a full time job and many of us work more than 70 hours a week, seven days a week.
The last faux pas though underlines Mr. Davies' lack of familiarity with the area he seeks to represent after landing here once he lost Croydon. He claims that Kirsty Williams lives in the Swansea Valley. That is untrue. As is well-known she lives in Brecon. Surely, Mr. Davies has discovered by now that the Swansea valley does not stretch that far, not unless he wishes to redraw the map of Wales that is.
A particular area of controversy is the record of Labour candidate Geraint Davies who lost his Croydon Central seat in 2005 and has now been parachuted into Swansea in an attempt at succeeding highly respected local MP, Alan Williams.
Mr. Davies, was the most expensive MP in his last year in Parliament, claiming £176,026 in expenses and costs, and sending £38,750 worth of mail and 130,000 first-class stamps. Funnily enough that was a massive increase on his previous expense claims but was still not good enough to help him hold his seat.
In his latest leaflet Mr. Davies seeks to answer some of the concerns expressed about him through a mixture of offensive and self-justification. He includes two articles on community safety but rather spoils the impression of being a Swansea-based candidate by including a photograph of himself with two community support officers wearing South London uniforms. Why is he reinforcing the impression of a parachutist by using this photograph? Could he not find any local Swansea PCSOs to be photographed with?
Mr. Davies goes on to try to justify his expense claims by stating that he had a busy constituency with a third more people than Swansea West. He was investing to serve. This is a catchy phrase but it does not explain why his expenditure was much lower in previous years.
He says that he had a flat near Parliament to attend late night votes and early morning meetings. Apparently, this is because the tube stops at midnight meaning that after that time the round trip to his home took over 2 hours per day after walking to and from stations, waiting and travelling by train.
Putting aside the fact that the tube does not run to Croydon Central I actually have no problem with this, but why then go on to attack Kirsty Williams and me for renting a flat in Cardiff? In actual fact the distance between both our homes and Cardiff Bay is considerably more than that between Geraint Davies' Croydon home and Westminster.
We also rent so that we gain nothing from using our flats. At the end my tenancy I will walk away without any benefit at all. Even the furniture belongs to the landlord. In contrast as far as I am aware Geraint Davies still owns the flat he bought with the help of public subsidy and for a time at least, if not still, was renting it out.
His claim that the job of an Assembly Member is a part time Monday to Wednesday, 9am to 6pm job is also wrong as he would discover if he asked his Labour Assembly colleagues. It is in fact a full time job and many of us work more than 70 hours a week, seven days a week.
The last faux pas though underlines Mr. Davies' lack of familiarity with the area he seeks to represent after landing here once he lost Croydon. He claims that Kirsty Williams lives in the Swansea Valley. That is untrue. As is well-known she lives in Brecon. Surely, Mr. Davies has discovered by now that the Swansea valley does not stretch that far, not unless he wishes to redraw the map of Wales that is.
Comments:
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"In actual fact the distance between both our homes and Cardiff Bay is considerably less than that between Geraint Davies' Croydon home and Westminster."
You meant "considerably more", surely?
You meant "considerably more", surely?
# posted by 
: 8:20 AM
: 8:20 AM
"His claim that the job of an Assembly Member is a part time Monday to Wednesday, 9am to 6pm job is also wrong as he would discover if he asked his Labour Assembly colleagues. It is in fact a full time job and many of us work more than 70 hours a week, seven days a week."
This comment is outrageous and shows contempt for devolution - he should be made to withdraw it.
This comment is outrageous and shows contempt for devolution - he should be made to withdraw it.
# posted by : 9:36 AM
: 9:36 AM
If only political messages were as clear and unambiguous as the video of ‘ordinary people’ supporting Peter May as Lib Dem candidate for Swansea West.
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# posted by : 11:43 AM
: 11:43 AM<< Home
