Gething snubs ex miner after being challenged over mental health scandal
Emily Price
The First Minister has been caught on camera storming off after being challenged by an ex miner over failings in mental health care in north Wales.
The confrontation took place in Llandudno where Vaughan Gething kicked off the General Election campaign with a speech to the Trade Union Congress at Venue Cymru on Thursday (May 23).
Video footage shows mental health campaigner John Stewart approaching the First Minister outside the Cottage Loaf pub to hand him a copy of a key report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The report, which has not yet been made public, looked into the failings of mental health services at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).
Controversial
Mr Stewart is a member of the Tawel Fan Families group which campaigns for justice for the elderly patients who were treated at the controversial dementia ward in north Wales.
The ward in the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd was closed in 2013 amid concerns about the “quality and safety of patient care”.
Mr Stewart’s father in law died as a result of the care he received there.
In the video footage, the First Minister can be seen standing with his hands in his pockets saying “I don’t think that’s fair” when criticised for his work as Wales’ Health Minister between 2018 and 2021.
Mr Stewart then goes on to accuse Mr Gething of “glorifying” miners strikes in a political speech he gave to Welsh Labour members in March.
Speaking to Mr Gething he said: “I’m an ex miner – to hear you going on about miners makes me sick. There was nothing glorious about the miners strike, it was brutal.”
The First Minister responds saying, “It’s simply not true”.
Miners strike
He then can be seen walking away whilst the campaigner follows him in a bid to continue the exchange and hand him the report.
Mr Stewart was a Lancashire miner in the 1980’s and 1990’s before he moved to north Wales.
He said comments made by Mr Gething in a speech shortly after he had won the Welsh Labour leadership race were “inconsiderate” to miners.
It’s no coincidence the NHS has its roots in Wales.
No coincidence, the heroism shown through the miners’ strike.
No coincidence that Welsh people are working around the world to build peace and heal division.
In times of strife, we unite. We organise. We succeed. pic.twitter.com/HbElG3lIWQ
— Vaughan Gething (@vaughangething) March 27, 2024
Condescending
In the speech, which was shared on Mr Gething’s social media on March 27, he said: “When your backs against the wall, you want Welsh people by your side and we’ll be there.
“It’s no coincidence that the NHS has its roots here in Wales. No coincidence, the heroism and the solidarity shown through the miners strike.
“No coincidence that Welsh people are working around the world to build peace and heal division. In times of strife we unite, we organise, we succeed.”
In an interview with Nation.Cymru, Mr Stewart said that Mr Gething shouldn’t have politicised “such a terrible time”.
He said: “I remember turning up to work in the Lancashire Coalfield to thousands of pickets.
“Families were against families. Friends were against friends and neighbours were against neighbours.
“He [Mr Gething] was talking about something he has no idea about.
“I find it deeply offensive that someone would make a political play out of something that we should be healing from because nobody won in the end – everyone lost their jobs.”
‘Passive aggressive’
Mr Stewart told Nation.Cymru that yesterday wasn’t the first time he had tried to have a conversation with the the former Health Minister about mental health care at the troubled north Wales health board.
He said: “I had a meeting with him in 2018 when he was Health Minister and he was very condescending and passive aggressive.
“The man doesn’t do scrutiny – I found that out a long time ago about him. He doesn’t behave how a First Minister should behave.
“I’m upset that he said he hadn’t even read the report into mental health services which I was trying to hand to him – my father in law died on that ward so this is something that’s very important to me.”
‘Historic failure’
Plaid Cymru spokesperson for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor says it’s only fair loved ones of those who have suffered get a hearing with the First Minister.
He said: “The failing in the mental health care in north Wales are well documented by now. Numerous reports have been written with dozens of recommendations for improvement following the suffering and passing of too many patients.
“While some of those reports were looking back at historic failures the fact remains that Vaughan Gething was Minister for health when many of those reports were published and therefore had responsibility to ensure hat the recommendations were implemented.
“The health board was put into special measures in large part because of failing in mental health and then taken out of special measures by Vaughan Gething just before the last elections, only then to be placed back into special measures again.
“We are now at least nine years on from the last report into mental health care in north Wales and it is only fair that the loved ones of those families that suffered get a hearing from the current First Minister.
“Responding as he did by walking away and questioning this gentleman’s integrity is no way to deal with people who want answers. This Labour government have a habit of walking away when challenged and have an aversion to scrutiny.
“We need to know if those reports have been acted upon. That’s all this man wanted and he and everybody else deserves an answer.”
We approached the Welsh Government with the video footage but a spokesperson said they did not wish to comment.
We also approached a Welsh Labour staffer who works for Mr Gething but they did not respond.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
The guy admits to being a strike breaker in Lancashire. I have no respect for him.
Not that I need to defend myself but at the time of the strikes I was a young mining craft apprentice.As I’m sure you know the agreement at the time between the NUM and the NCB was that all apprentices should continue to go into work. And for the record pickets turned up at the Lancashire collieries before they were even out on strike.
Other industries made apprentices work through strikes completing their training. This happened to all apprentices in the port Talbot steel works in the 1960’s
Phew. That’s convinced me that Vaughan Gething doesn’t dodge scrutiny. Cheers!
What a strange comment. I’m guessing you’re another Gething stooge with a false name that pops up on NationCymru to try and defend the indefensible. He’s on his way out make no mistake about that.
I feel that this report is unfair. ‘Stormed off’ is an exaggeration, and what we see in the clip is not a debate about mental health care but an attack, as John Brooks points out, by a strikebreaker on remarks by VG about the miners’ strike that most would regard as perfectly acceptable. I have little respect for Vaughan Gething, but continuing strident attacks on him on every front can only undermine the credibility of the admirable Nation.Cymru.
Rather making the point he was making.
What’s her name you know the Baroness of Ineffectuality…’the health minister’…
have a word with her. Better still replace her…
The Ablett ward at Bodelwyddan was a total disgrace and I am saying that as someone who regularly visited a relative there. These reports and investigations rarely get to the bottom of what was taking place.
OK, you want him gone, and I think it would be for the best, but you need to pick your attack-pieces with a bit more judgement. This is just scraping the barrel.
Gething, as far as I’m concerned, is a midwit ‘equity’ hire and the sooner he’s gone the better, but this headline is overblown.
Invoking the miners strike is shameful, the labour party of that era and of todays are barely recognisable, Michael Foot would not have recognised that todays Labour party shared the aims of his party if he was alive today, and the first minister by his own actions inc the suspect donations highlight how far the Labour party in Wales has fallen in it’s standards.
The longer He remains as first minister the worse it will become for Welsh Labours credability as the party of the people.
When will VG address anything properly he just keeps on and on with answers to questions that have very little or no response to the actual question put to him. Is he AI generated?
No, should be AS artificial stupidity!
I can’t really see what VG has done wrong here to be honest.
I agree with scrutiny of all politicians but this is going way too far. Whatever we think of him he is a human being, please let’s be kind here , this is way OTT…
Looks like Vaughan Gething doesn’t like scrutiny. He must accept that the role of First Minister means there’s going to be tough questions thrown at him because of his previous role as Health Minister. It’s part & parcel of the job. And like it or not Vaughan that ex-miner from Lancashire has every right to confront you seeing his late father suffered with dementia under your watch. I’d do the same if it were my father. And although I disagree with anyone crossing picket lines as a miner, when it comes to a family member who didn’t receive the care… Read more »
I think he has run away from confrontation a few times recently.
How dare you snub anyone, you are a public servant emphasis on service.
How dare you snub a person who worked for a living paying taxes to support non productive civil servants. Time you were gone