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Opinion

Wales must stop asking for help and demand the tools to help ourselves

21 Nov 2017 5 minute read
Jonathan Edwards MP

Jonathan Edwards MP, Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesperson

Tomorrow the Westminster Chancellor will hold up his empty red box to the cameras again before he makes his way to the House of Commons to read out a statement full of very carefully picked statistics and policies.

It’s the British Government’s set-piece performance of the year, showcasing their ability to misdirect, mislead and misinform.

It’s the Chancellor’s chance to convince the public that he has a grip on the economy by finding specific statistics and comparing them with a select group of other countries.

No doubt we’ll hear that “growth is up” and that “debt is down”- up and down, that is, in relation to a very carefully picked, but arbitrary moment in time that will paint a positive picture for the Chancellor.

We’ll then hear the opposite side of the story from the Shadow Chancellor – “growth is down” and “debt is up”, he’ll shout – again, compared to a very carefully picked but arbitrary moment in time that will paint the UK Government in a bad light.

The reality of course is we already know in what the state the economy is, thanks to ongoing analysis by independent experts such as the Governor of the Bank of England.

He has already said that the UK has gone from being the fastest growing economy in the G7 to one of the slowest, since Brexit.

Once the statistical circus is over however, the Chancellor will unveil his new spending priorities and it is this section of his statement that I, as Plaid Cymru’s Treasury spokesperson, will be paying close attention to.

What will the Chancellor do, for example to deal with the 35% gulf between what workers are paid in Wales and what they are paid in London?

What will he do to make sure businesses are attracted to Wales so that not only are there more jobs created, but better paid jobs are created?

And what will he do to honour those promises made to the people of Wales during the Brexit campaign – that we would continue to receive every penny of existing EU funding after we leave?

Oppressive

Plaid Cymru has already published its alternative budget with a list of solutions to these problems and more.

At the core of our proposals is the principle that we should no longer have to come to Westminster at every budget and ask them if we could have some of our money back.

We shouldn’t have to ask Westminster to modernise our railways, upgrade our roads and build our tidal lagoons – we should be allowed to do it all ourselves.

For how much longer will we put up with being told there’s no money to invest in Welsh railways when our own taxes are being used to fund the most expensive railway in the world, linking London with other parts of England?

The Chancellor must use his budget tomorrow to commit to investing in Welsh infrastructure, or better still, let us do it ourselves.

The same principle applies to taxation. For how long must we keep arguing for fair funding from Westminster before we realise, we shouldn’t have to ask Westminster in the first place.

Every penny of VAT paid in Wales goes to Westminster for them to “redistribute”. Why not keep some of that in Wales for the Welsh Government to redistribute as is the case in Scotland?

Analysis from the Wales Governance Centre has shown that Wales would be better off if we kept this money in Wales.

We could also then finally implement Plaid Cymru’s policy of cutting VAT for the tourism sector, boosting the economy and boosting jobs across all parts of Wales.

The same applies to Income Tax and Corporation Tax as well as Air Passenger Duty.

We shouldn’t accept a situation whereby the British Government prevents the Welsh Government from making our country competitive because it would damage England’s interests.

That’s not how a mature, union of countries works – that is how an oppressive, rejected system of Westminster-rule works.

Change

It’s not just Plaid Cymru making these calls. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said in September this year that the only way to fix the geographical inequality across the UK is through a major package of financial devolution, empowering the member countries of the UK.

Plaid Cymru’s alternative budget calls for these tools so that we can stop asking for help and instead start helping ourselves.

Our proposals also focus on UK-wide measures that the British Government could easily adopt themselves such as:

  • Committing to including with every new policy announcement an impact assessment on how the policy will affect women
  • A fuel duty regulator to ensure fuel prices remain stable and affordable in urban and rural areas
  • The publication of Brexit impact assessments, allowing the public and businesses to understand exactly how the British Government’s proposals will affect them
  • And abandoning the indefensible cut to Corporation Tax which will cost the public £2.6 billion a year by 2020/21.

The Chancellor has an opportunity tomorrow to change course, away from the failed agenda of cutting spending, towards a programme of investment, focussed on those areas that need it most.

He must remember that his job is to deliver for all four countries in the UK, not just his own.

Unless we see a dramatic change of tact from the Chancellor tomorrow, with major investment in all UK countries, with a clear intention of spreading economic growth, we in Wales must begin to change our tact instead and stop asking for help, and demand the tools to help ourselves instead.


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20 Comments
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Can you spell pragmatic?
Can you spell pragmatic?
6 years ago

It wont make any difference come march 2019. Rural wales will be more stuffed than any other part of the uk.

Gareth Tuen
Gareth Tuen
6 years ago

Pam nag ydyn yn codi tâl am ein dwr? Gallwn fod yn cenedl annibynol sofren eithaf cyfoethog yn y pen draw…

Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards
6 years ago

Bron a bod ‘na. At last, some tan yn y bol! Llongyfarchiadau oddi wrth y Jonathan Edwards arall, gynt o Gaerfyrddin a Chaerdydd. It should be much better understood that Wales can be self-sufficient if we keep some or all of our own taxes, At last a politician is saying this. We just need more. (That I should have to prod the other Plaid Cymru MPs and AMs in this way shows part of the problem.) We ask, they will not give. So Namesake MP says we must “demand”. Yes indeed. This is the other part of the problem. We… Read more »

diwc69
diwc69
6 years ago

Yup! Compulsory ‘banging the table’ training called for, backed up with logic and argument, of course. Pretty-please does not seem to be yielding dividends.

Coch-y-bonddu
Coch-y-bonddu
6 years ago

A good article. I guess it’s in the interests of British unionists (and others) to keep Wales relatively poor lest we get ideas above our station. Scotland has been able to demand a better devolution settlement and until we organise similarly ,and with an independence agenda at the forefront, then we will continue to be ignored (or at best thrown a few crumbs). I don’t agree with cutting vat on tourism (although we should be able to keep any revenue arising in Wales). A separate (additional?) Wales tourism tax would perhaps be a good with all revenues used in the… Read more »

Dafis
Dafis
6 years ago

At last a leading Plaid representative shows a willingness to shed the old begging bowl posture and sow some seeds of financial independence. Da iawn. I sincerely hope that this is catching among other leading Plaid representatives who have struck a pretty persistent bleating note for too long about not enough in the handout envelopes. Financial independence will put a stop eventually to the flow of revenues out of Wales. Not just the assorted taxes but the “free issue” water and energy services that leave here at cost and get sold back to us at full whack – nice work… Read more »

Tellyesin
Tellyesin
6 years ago

“What will the Chancellor do, for example to deal with the 35% gulf between what workers are paid in Wales and what they are paid in London? What will he do to make sure businesses are attracted to Wales so that not only are there more jobs created, but better paid jobs are created? And what will he do to honour those promises made to the people of Wales during the Brexit campaign – that we would continue to receive every penny of existing EU funding after we leave?” Well, the short answer is nothing and the long answer is… Read more »

sianiflewog
sianiflewog
6 years ago

Erthygl gweddol:

the thing is how to get the buggers to listen to us.

J Edwards, just a touch of proofreading required; a change of tack perhaps . . .!

Leia
6 years ago

Can anyone justify historically just WHY we have such a rubbishy half hearted devo settlement compared to Scotland in the first place?

Benjiman L. Angwin
Benjiman L. Angwin
6 years ago
Reply to  Leia

Encyclopaedia Britannica 1888. For Wales see England. Also, compare the Welsh humanism of William Morgan from Oxbridge with the Scottish Enlightenment built upon the foundations of having in independent political state during the Renaissance, and native classical universities. Sibbald’s medical school in Edinburgh and Hume’s ideas which leading onto Adam Smith. You could also juxtapose a map of Welsh and English railways lines between Bath and Sheffield with a map showing concentrations wealth. But my guess would be 100 years of Labourite ideologies and a Liberal minded contingency accepting Britishness at the expense of their own admirable rebellious non-conformity, and… Read more »

Gwyn
Gwyn
6 years ago
Reply to  Leia

I think it’s due to the fact Scotland have always has their own legal jurisdiction, i.e. ‘The Laws of Scotland’ vs ‘The Laws of England and Wales’. Further devolution will be difficult and messy unless Wales and England get their separate legal jurisdictions. We need to sort this our asap, because it will really stifle devolution in the future. Plaid Cymru have been trying to sort this, fair play, Liz Saville especially, but it always gets voted down in the UK Parliament, by some quisling Welsh MPs, and by English MPs who holiday in Wales and can’t stand the idea… Read more »

A Gog
A Gog
6 years ago

I know why – Welsh Labour.

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
6 years ago

Tax raising powers would be a good start. As mentioned that tax should stay in Wales. Wales badly needs investment, especially now EU funding is due to stop.

Jonathan Edwards Sir Benfro
Jonathan Edwards Sir Benfro
6 years ago

Striking isn’t it. Two things stand out from this discussion. Hard power not soft power. Welsh legal jurisdiction. And a Welsh Treasury keeping Welsh taxes. Neither of these are a stretch because the bureaucracies are there. These are not pipe-dreams. But we all hold back. Because Labour says “No”? As I said “How (exactly) will Wales DEMAND?”

Trailorboy
Trailorboy
6 years ago

All fine except the proposed VAT reduction on tourism. We need cleverer taxation to benefit businesses which ate registered locally and where the majority of shareholders live within a reasonable distance of the trading address and registered office.

Deliberately disadvantage the likes of Tesco, large accountancy firms and large holiday enterprises like Haven holiday parks, where the profits and tax receipts go elsewhere over businesses that actually benefit the local area and the owners have a real stake in the local area.

glasiad
glasiad
6 years ago

To really prosper, Wales needs its own national bank and money supply. That would really cut the purse strings that bind us to London. We already have the powers. The only thing holding us back is our lack of vision and courage. Plaid Cymru included.

Royston Jones
6 years ago

“We could also then finally implement Plaid Cymru’s policy of cutting VAT for the tourism sector, boosting the economy and boosting jobs across all parts of Wales.”

If Jonathan Edwards, or his party, believe that a successful economy can be built on low skill, low pay, often seasonal, tourism, then anything else they say can be disregarded. If he, or his party, are blind to the damage caused by tourism, then they do not have the best interests of Wales at heart.

Edeyrn
Edeyrn
6 years ago
Reply to  Royston Jones

Agreed….we need high tech business pumping out high value products and digital services.

John Davies
John Davies
6 years ago

I don’t think Jonathan is suggesting that our whole economy will be built on tourism, only that the tourism sector should be supported (I presume he highlights tourism because of the recent tourism tax attacks from the Tories). This article is just about taking our own future into our own hands, to outline Plaid’s route towards prosperity would require another article (or 50).

T
T
6 years ago

The most pertinent and pressing question is made not by the author of this article but rather by his namesake. It is impossible to answer the question without coming to the conclusion that our political institutions and our political representation is deficient in demanding anything. In fact if anything the vast majority of mp’s voted in by the people of Wales are not voting in the interest of the Welsh people, economy, and democracy. The Wales bill which limited the powers of the devolved Senedd in many respects meaning we need permission for power projects such as the tidal lagoon,… Read more »

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