Jeremy Miles pledges to end ‘cycle of Tory crises’ in campaign video
Emily Price
Welsh Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Miles has pledged to “end the cycle of Tory crises that has worn down so many” in a new campaign video.
The message was released to supporters as local Labou parties begin their nomination meeting this weekend.
In the video he thanks members for the support so far, which includes a clear majority of Labour members of the Senedd, and a clear majority of Welsh Labour council leaders and deputy leaders.
Ambition
In the video released on X, formerly Twitter, the education minister said: “When I was growing up, a young man, in a working class family, just realising that I was gay. I used to wonder if there was a place in the world for someone like me. I could never have imagined that one day I would be putting myself forward to lead our great party and our nation.
“I was raised with that special type of Welsh working class aspiration which isn’t about personal advancement but a collective ambition that means that we want for each other what we want for ourselves.”In recent weeks, party members, from all parts of Wales, in Parliament, councillors, trade unionists, and a majority of Labour members of the Senedd have expressed their support for me to lead our party. I am hugely grateful.
“As we look forward to the next quarter century in the journey of devolution. We must be ambitious for Wales’ future. The Tories’ ferocious attacks on public services, austerity and their mismanagement of our economy, means that things have been incredibly difficult for people across our country.”
The video follows the official launch of the campaign this past week where he unveiled six key pledges on education spending, cutting waiting lists, new cooperative housing, green jobs, fairer bus fares and a commitment to devolve more power within Wales to communities.
Challenges
Mr Miles, who has represented Neath in the Senedd since 2016, added: “Many people have lost hope, they have lost the belief that things can change for the better. It’s true that we face many challenges ahead – but I am hopeful for the future. I’m hopeful because our party has risen to the challenge before.
“We have accomplished things that people told us couldn’t be done. The NHS, the minimum wage, even the act of founding this party in the first place to give a voice to working people in a system that had tried to shut them out.
“Here in Wales we have consistently shown that there is another way, a better way, a Labour way of doing things. As a Minister I have increased Educational Maintenance Allowance when others have scrapped it. I have delivered the policy of free school meals in primary schools together with councils, And I have led the biggest reform of post-16 education in decades.
“We know a Labour victory at the next general election is crucial for that more positive future. A UK Labour Government led by Keir Starmer, working with our Welsh Labour Government, can achieve so much more for Wales.
“Together, we will end the cycle of Tory crises that has worn down so many.
“And be in no doubt – a Welsh Labour Government which I lead, will always stand up for Wales. And so I hope that you will join me in the coming weeks as we embark on a bold, ambitious and exciting vision for Wales’ future”
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FPTP and yoyo governments means he wont reach that goal. With the best intentions, we need reasonable funding but the Cons will get in again at some point and the wreck and ruin continues. Labour HQ need to bin FPTP and accept that devolution and indy are things to deal with fairly and put in cast iron policies to support funding here.
How many times have we heard pledges on good things before.
Time will tell.
No doubt Miles believes these lines he’s now trotting out. He needs look no further than Starmer to see why his laudable ambitions will come to not a lot. Starmer is now ducking any involvement in the sub-postie scandal despite CPS having dealt with some of those cases. As with the Savile case Bruvver Starmer has little or no recall of having been involved. Jeremy, you are up against a flexible wall of fibs that yields a bit but never gives ground on anything of real importance .
What I hear from Labour friends is that whilst he is clearly the preferable candidate for the First Minister role, Jeremy Miles still has to win over many undecided or disillusioned Labour members. Setting out a clear and bold vision, which he must implement, should be the way to do that.
How about ending the crisis in the schools in Conwy, Mr Miles?
There is only one real way of ending cycles of Tory crises and that is Welsh independence. For 70% of my adult life (44 years) the Tories have governed us from Westminster. Their marketisation and financialisaton experiment has failed. Can Jeremy Miles and others in the Labour Party get up off their knees and realise the union has very rarely prioritised Cymru. As the saying goes ‘It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees’.
Just laughable. Same old, same old. Ask a Labour bod how you stop the Tories governing Wales and they always say vote Labour. When you point out that it makes not a jot of difference and Wales always gets what England votes for they have no answers. We’ve had, almost exclusively, Tory or Labour governments for OVER A HUNDRED YEARS!!! And in all that time have they done a damn thing to improve our lot? Not a jot. Our economy has fallen behind the UK, decade on decade, widening the gap and plunging us into a capitalist poverty crisis with… Read more »
What would labour do if they won every seat in the sennedd, would they raise us out of poverty, free school meals, fully funded health service, fund NHS dentists. fully funded social services, fully funded police force, increase Oap pensions to the same level as the sennedd, stop the pollution in our rivers with sewerage, help home grown companies to erect solar farms and wind turbines for the people of Wales, start to make Global economy companies pay the correct amount of tax on the sale of goods and products in Wales, Stop the utility providers from forcing pre payment… Read more »