Conservative leader: ‘Devolution is not the problem, the Labour Welsh Government is’
The Labour Welsh Government rather than devolution is the problem facing Wales, according to the Conservative leader Paul Davies.
His comments came after a UK Labour leader hopeful, Lisa Nandy, questioned whether devolution was working for the north of Wales, and a poll suggested that 33% would vote to scrap the Senedd.
“We know it’s not devolution that’s the problem: it’s the party running the Welsh Government that’s the real problem, and that’s why we need change,” Paul Davies said.
He signalled out the Welsh Government’s handling of the Welsh NHS for particular criticism. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in the north of Wales, which has been under direct control of the Government for nearly five years, is set to post a deficit of £35 million in this financial year.
“Unsurprisingly – but nonetheless regrettably for the long-suffering people of North Wales – the First Minister could not answer and would not take responsibility for this scandal in the Welsh NHS that is blighting so many lives,” he said.
He went on to say that “the people of Wales want change. Change in the way the Welsh NHS is managed and run. Change – for the better, not for the worse – in A & E waiting times”.
“They have waited long enough, and deserve better. A Welsh Conservative Government would bring about the change our people so desperately deserve,” he said.
‘Challenge’
This wek the Welsh Government Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething announced an extra £5.5m to back plans to halt obesity in Wales.
The money will be used to support the Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales Delivery Plan 2020-22, which the Minister launched this week during a visit to see a healthy eating project at a playgroup in Cardiff.
Vaughan Gething said: “Obesity ranks among the biggest public health challenge we face and I want Wales to be one of the first countries in the world to see a decline in obesity rates.
“To achieve this we need to see change in every part of our society and I want us to shape an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice. We will work with people across Wales to enable positive change, starting with support in the crucial early years of life.
“I am visiting Tiny Tigers Play Group today to hear about the great work taking place with families and children to encourage positive food choices.
“This first delivery plan for our strategy, sets out what we are doing to support people of all ages across every part of Wales to make healthier lifestyle choices. Small changes in our everyday habits can bring significant, lasting health benefits for us all.”
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‘The Labour Welsh Government rather than devolution is the problem facing Wales, according to the Conservative leader Paul Davies.’ Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?! He’s made his career in devolved Welsh politics, so it’s not unnatural for a turkey to decline to vote for Christmas. But the fact remains that the Conservative party, admittedly with a few bold dissentients, consistently opposed devolution until it was fait accompli. And I suspect that whatever Tory AMs may say, there are Conservatives at Westminster who’d be very happy to see the end of the sort of devolved government which we’ve had… Read more »
You can’t blame Tories for opposing the Assembly when we have an electoral system designed to keep Labour in power for ever.
The electoral system in Wales, while certainly not the best that might be had, is at least preferable to ‘first past the post’ in Westminster elections, which effectively disenfranchises large swathes of the electorate in ‘safe’ seats, regardless of the party allegiance of the incumbent MP.
Why would the NHS in Wales be safe in Conservative hands? It certainly isn’t safe in England where the Tories have been in charge since Thatcher (yes I do include Blair/Brown). The NHS Heist film lays out in extraordinary details the problems, and the issues raised need to be part of the discussion on how to improve the situation. Rather than the ‘bidding war’ which no-one believes anyway. It is, for all this, a really good question why the NHS in Wales, under a Labour administration, isn’t faring much (any?) better than England. Can The Nation get an NHS campaigner… Read more »
I worked in the NHS for almost 30 years and I really couldn’t feel much, if any, difference between Labour and Conservative governments. I always felt they were trying to screw as much work out of us for as little expenditure as possible and pretending to the public that everything was great! In the 1980s the NHS was propped up by the good will of most employees who thought they were doing something worthwhile. Job satisfaction made a difference. Then everyone got tired of being micromanaged to produce a more efficient/cheaper service, which co-incidentally secured lucrative wages for higher management… Read more »
What on Earth does Lisa Nandy know about Cymru? This Labour Leadership hopeful seems to believe that ‘North Wales’ is of one mind whether one lives or works in the North West or the North East but, the truth is, that these two regions of Cymru enjoy very different relationships with the Caerdydd based SENEDD an institution of government that has been under Labour control since its inception and that fact alone has succeeded in making it the most boring and ineffective chamber of change one could imagine. Besides which the LABOUR Leader, Blair and his bunch in government in… Read more »
Well said Mr.Coslett, spot on from start to finish
I’d have given you multiple upticks but only one is allowed. As for Lisa Nandy well I completely misjudged her probably because I’d only heard her talk about left behind communities. Now that she’s had to broaden her range to cover a wider scope she is turning out to be a right dim wit when it comes to opinions about anything outside the mainstream English regional agenda. No better or wiser than most of Bunter’s cabinet colleagues so doesn’t offer much hope for any of us other than those blindly loyal to any old crap that gets turned out frequently… Read more »
I should add that in my earlier response I concentrated on Lisa Nandy because Labour is the single most important factor contributing to the derision in which Senned is held by a minority of Welsh people. I have virtually ignored the Tory simply because his response to Nandy is simply to be expected as he wants control of the Senedd. However, his party would provide an even worse administration if it should ever come to that and Labour would still be around so that, between them, they would reduce the Welsh Parliament to a debating chamber between two imperialist and… Read more »
We joined the struggles of York and Lancashire rather than rise up for we ourselves, in rebellion and open revolution. That is our history, and that is our future.
Lest we abandon self-righteousness of struggles not ours, and raise our inner bridge to Efnysien, and we embrace our own wickedness equally with our good.
Absolutely, Agencourt, Roukes Drift, Bluff Cove to name but a few.
33% would vote to get rid of the Senedd? in other words, a very healthy 67% would vote to keep the Senedd
Of course and it’s nice to see someone with the numerical dexterity to see the “up-side” rather than focus on the downside !