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Independence nor trickle-down the answer to Wales’ economic growth problems says Vaughan Gething

12 Oct 2022 2 minute read
Vaughan Gething. Picture by the Welsh Government.

Wales’ Economy Minister has said that neither independence nor attempting trickle-down growth are the answers to Wales’ economic issues.

Vaughan Gathing said that he did not put any faith in “one bound and we can be free” solutions to growing Wales’ businesses.

Writing in the Times newspaper, he said the answer was to spread out power rather than centralise it in one location, in contrast with the UK Government’s economic model.

“There is no path to prosperity that fits with a ‘one bound and we can be free’ mantra,” he said.

“From trickle-down to independence, it simply cannot secure the fairer, greener economy the people of Wales deserve.”

He took aim in particular at Kwasi Kwarteng’s “trickle-down” economic policies saying that they would “level down” Wales by dealing a “body blow to prospects for regional growth”.

“Before the chancellor confirms a penny in cuts to fill the £43 billion hole of his making, the Welsh government budget is already worth £4 billion less over this three-year spending round,” he wrote.

“This amounts to more than the entire annual education budget in Wales, closing off many options to support businesses and protect jobs.”

‘Purity’

Vaughan Gething added that “in my discussions with business, I have not been pressed to pursue the Minford model for Wales – far from it,” a reference to Cardiff University Economics Professor Patrick Minford who is Liz Truss’ economics guru.

The UK Government’s economic plan will “reinforce the bottleneck effect caused by an overheated handful of regions — thus baking in a deeper housing crisis in London — while holding down investment in sectors and places outside the spotlight,” he said.

“This will entrench a form of economic centralism that is both alien to our competitors and corrosive to public trust.

“The purity of the project also locks in a way of working that wishes away the complexity of the modern economy and treats devolved government as a rival at all costs.

“In stark contrast, we are legislating to strengthen the social partnership model we have developed with business and trades unions. We are also working with local government to build new, powerful regions with greater economic influence across Wales.

“This will look a lot more like the stable economies of our stronger competitors and much less like the Truss experiment.”


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George Atkinson
George Atkinson
1 year ago

So what does the little fart-hole suggest seeing as we have had 800 years of occupation and very little happening economically for us? More of the same sh1t from those Labour rats.All they can come up with is treading water in the Westminster cesspool. How will this status quo EVER benefit our country? He may have a Welsh name and Welsh dad but he was born in Zambia and brought up in England. What the hell does he know about growing up here and who is he to tell us independence from the country HE WAS BROUGHT UP IN is… Read more »

hazelmere41
hazelmere41
1 year ago

How can you have 800 years of occupation when Wales was never a unified state.

Owain
Owain
1 year ago

Yet during his tenure as Health minister, the centralisation of power and services kept betsi cadwaldr health board in an horrendous period of special measures and failed to address the systemic failures which have resulted on lost lives and limbs.
As one of the two heir apparents for when Mark Drakeford steps down neither Mr Geithing or Ms Morgan are inspiring enough to lead Cymru, hopefully Plaid Cymru will make sufficent gains to curb the excesses of Welsh Labour.

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago
Reply to  Owain

Your initial comments are spot. But don’t hold your breath on Plaid Cymru. Price enjoys being deputy first minister and his group of Senedd members make Rip Van Winkle look like a gogo dancer.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

No, Plaid Cymru is not in coalition.
Plaid Cymru is the main effective opposition party here in Wales representing the people of Wales.
If PC were in charge then we would be changing the electoral system to the Single Transferable Vote.

Wales need a effective voice and that can only come through its Plaid Cymru elected members in the Senedd.

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago

Really? I must be reading the wrong news. There may be no formal coalition, but almost every time Drakeford stands at the lectern to make an announcement, his little helper Price is there.
And where pray has any serious opposition questioning taken place? And thought through policies?
Interesting that the one “policy” you mention is STV. This suits P C because, ever since 1999 the party has been concerned only with list candidates, frankly an easy way to winning without doing too much work.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

John,

Justification and fact in what you say but I detect PC are at last understanding that WWW ( What Wales Wants ) is not a more Welsh Labour Party with great ideas 💡- but a pro active community focused alternative …just hope it’s not too late ⏰

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

Actually it’s being the most marginalised part of the UK that’s consistently been the root cause of Wales’ economic woes – and the very occasional labour govt at Westminster has done nothing to change this.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago

What is that saying, ah yes, the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. This is as good as it gets for us in this union, after 8oo years it’s time to change, because if we stay it will be another 800 years, and we will still be bottom of the pile.

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago
Reply to  Gareth

There won’t be a Wales in 800 years time if this charade continues.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

Actually it’s being the most marginalised part of the UK that’s consistently been the root cause of Wales’ economic woes – and the very occasional labour govt at Westminster has done nothing to change this.

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago

The positive economic argument for independence has been put time and time again. But this is not the issue here.
Vaughan Gethin refers to the “UK’s economic plan.” He is astonishingly ignorant that the woes of the Welsh economy can be laid firmly at his party’s door.
Economic development was, and remains the one, clear statutory responsibility laid on (then) Assembly from day one by the Government of Wales Act.
So minister, after almost a quarter of a century, where is your economic plan?

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

John You know damn well that Labour’s economic plan, now aided by Plaid, is about converting the entire country to some kind of green haven where money trees will flourish. Even this lopsided green thrust undermines businesses based here in Wales as our Bay regime prefers to play with the big boys from the international corporate fraternity. Big government likes big business, it is the foundation or cornerstone of the new globalist corporate state. Drakeford and Co have had ample opportunity to use their green policies to far greater good by supporting community initiatives and native businesses to build a… Read more »

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

A Plaid Cymru majority government is the only option.

Onwards to gaining independence.

UK is a failure.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

It’s not a majority gvt that’s needed but a government for the majority

Last edited 1 year ago by Richard
Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago

You won’t find me quarrelling with independence, I have believed all my life.
You do realise that PC’s official policy is federalism, if of course two separate pre-ceding referenda are positive. Hopefully for PC of course the referenda will be lost and the party can return to its principal policy; the Rip Van Winkle of welsh politics.

David Harking
David Harking
1 year ago

Does VG believe that power is going to be spread from Westminster? We all know that it is going to be the reverse. This is NEVER going to happen. He’s so used to constantly weaving lies in his own head that he actually believes them – such a shame for Cymru.

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago
Reply to  David Harking

Indeed. He and his superior have been told by the Westminster cabal over and over that this is not going to happen.

Even UK Labour are unlikely to grant this.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago

Mr Gething, you can see the problem is we do not have complete control our own taxation system because we do not have control of our own laws and justice system. A good union is the European Union, a union of states each with their own economic, taxation, legal and law systems with the advantage of the single market and a unified currency should they vote for entry. The UK is a centralised system, that is why they cut our income, they collect our taxation and decide most of our expenditure (there is no article 50, to enable us to… Read more »

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
1 year ago

If he is still hoping for a better deal from Westminster – he’ll have a long long wait as it’s never going to happen. There is no ‘in between trickle down and independence’, even if Labour win the next GE Wales will still have to rely on Westminster left-overs. No, we’ve had enough, it’s time for independence.

adopted cardi
adopted cardi
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

well, Steve, Independence is the best answer – but not if you replace right wing governments with more right wing stuff. We’ve had 43 years of the same old. Creating Poverty and Fighting Wars. I vote Plaid but I sometimes question a good bit of their outlook – nit picking, and dare I say it – Racism. I am not a competitor, don’t want to be first, or best. And am not keen on the vitriole flying about, although I dislike intensely 95% of the Westminster self serving establishment pricks. Glad I don’t have to be in their company !… Read more »

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago
Reply to  adopted cardi

Wales has not voted for a Conservative government since 1859. The party of choice in Wales is overwhelmingly Labour. In an independent Wales, I still suspect the party of choice will be Labour.

In what world do you see an even more right-wing government in Wales, than the current incumbents in Westminster, if you don’t mind me asking?

Genuine question. Because based on our current trajectory, we seem to be diverging even further from English politics.

adopted cardi
adopted cardi
1 year ago
Reply to  SundanceKid

Was really not so much telling as asking.
Agree with what you say about Labour being slightly less far right than Tory !
But Wales is being tainted, more and more, with right wing thinking – eg brexit, which basically was a tory side show English racist anti foreigner thing, which a majority in Wales endorsed – wouldn’t you say?

Y Tywysog Lloegr a Moscow
Y Tywysog Lloegr a Moscow
1 year ago

Well he’s HALF right. Trickle down economics is not the answer. Thatcher tried it and it failed spectacularly. And Lizard Truss is no Thatcher!.

Independence IS the answer, but I am becoming increasingly convinced that it must be without THIS party and THIS crop of MSes in charge.

Arwyn
Arwyn
1 year ago

Welsh Labour are yet to cross the Rubicon on independence. They cannot acknowledge the positive economic case for indy as it undermines their Unionism. I have two thoughts on this. Their Unionism means that the Tories can claim legitimacy in imposing their damaging governance on Wales despite having no electoral mandate here. Surely Welsh Labour can see the incoherence of supporting a Union that delivers a Tory Govt 75% of the time when in Wales, Labour have had the majority of MP’s in a 100% of GE’s since 1922. Secondly, do they not realise that being in possession of the… Read more »

hazelmere41
hazelmere41
1 year ago
Reply to  Arwyn

Arwyn,Labour like many of us does not recognise that there is a positive economic side to independence.The economic statements from separatists are breathtakingly naive and most of us do not wish to live in a high tax socialist nanny state.

David Zenati-Parsons
David Zenati-Parsons
1 year ago

I like Vaughn he is a good lad, he knows what the problem is, just read between the lines, this article is really a threat to the Unionists, decentralise or #IndyWales is the result.
Let’s not forget that Blair gave us devolution and Ron Davies constructed it. Ron is now Plaid, and he was and is not the only Welsh MP/MS who believes in #IndyWales.
Furthermore, a reality check for people, #IndyWales does not happen without Labour voters and members getting onside, pointless attacks will get us nowhere.

Marc
Marc
1 year ago

Independence NOT trickle-down the answer to Wales’ economic growth problems says Vaughan Gething
(It must have been a typo)

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago

What a load of baloney.

He – and we – will NEVER get the decentralised power he craves.

What is it that he misunderstands about that?

adopted cardi
adopted cardi
1 year ago
Reply to  SundanceKid

hello again SK, Bore da.
Never say Never – is what i’d be saying, but could be wrong.

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