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Welsh Secretary accuses Drakeford of trying to ‘out-nationalist the nationalists’

27 Aug 2021 3 minute read
Simon Hart (left) by Chris McAndrew (CC BY 3.0). Mark Drakeford AM (right), picture by the National Assembly (CC BY 2.0)

The Welsh Secretary has accused Mark Drakeford of trying to “out nationalist the nationalists”.

Simon Hart, the Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire suggested that the First Minister sees everything through the lens of a “Plaid Cymru threat”.

He criticised Drakeford for arguing that Wales should have more control of its own laws, describing further devolution as “academic claptrap” during a discussion on the BBC politics podcast, Walescast.

When asked for his view on the First Minister’s argument for further devolution, Hart said: “I think the First Minister’s possibly being, and actually funnily enough one of his colleagues told me this rather mischievously that he tends to see everything through a sort of you know through a Plaid Cymru threat, and so I think some of his thinking is around to try and out-nationalist the nationalists,

“And by talking up further devolution endlessly, that sort of pacifies the moderate wing of those who want further devolution but to stop short of independence, and that he’s constantly considering their views in talking about all this sort of constitutional sort of academic stuff, which I actually think is lost on most voters frankly.

“It’s lost on me a lot of the time when he talks about that because as I say I think people want outcomes.”

‘Comparable with the rest of the UK’

He added: “They want us, the two governments to do as best as we can, working together and independently to create job opportunities and life opportunities in Wales and they want us to have a health service and an education system which is as good as it can be and certainly comparable with the rest of the UK.

“That’s the nub of it and I think talk of constitutional conventions and sort of academic claptrap is frankly to me just doesn’t seem to me to be in tune with the guys trying to run this camp.

“I think he knows my view and I’d like to think I have a reasonable relationship.

“I mean he’s got a house in the constituency. I run past it every weekend.

He was asked: “Do you see him here?”

Hart replied: “I do see him a bit from time to time. I mean but he’s on holiday so I don’t feel it’s my place to pester him, and I wouldn’t want to anyway.”


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Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

“My name’s Hart and I speak for the silent majority”. Yeh, right.

Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
2 years ago

English Colonialist, and Fox Murderer, complains about the right of Self Determination. Well, these Landed Gentry types and their hangers on really don’t like it when the Natives tell them the truth do they 🙄

Ed Jones
Ed Jones
2 years ago

Is it just Wales, or do other countries have such pathetic politicians who actively seek to lessen the powers of their country? Shocking. We deserve so much better.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  Ed Jones

Yes unbelievable really, they undermine Wales at every opportunity.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago

“Simon loves Boris” True!

John
John
2 years ago

What does a man who was too thick to go to University and ended up in a ‘farm school’ know about academic claptrap anyway?

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago
Reply to  John

Not relevant or fair. Cirencester has had university status since 40 years before Bangor and despite being a nest of Tory privilege and inequality is not a “farm school”.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Mr Hart needs to stop sniping and get on with his job, a core part of which should be enabling the devolved government to deploy those resources to which it is entitled by the Barnett formula and other promises made by his master. Of course it is those promises that lie at the root of much of the problem. Boris now wants to reel in the funds so that he can splash them on his own pet projects. A clear indication that Wales doesn’t matter in his opinion, and Scotland and N.Ireland are seen now as bigger threats as they… Read more »

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

This puppet of Westminster needs to remember, that he can give as many interviews as he likes, to friendly media, but until his party wins power at the Senedd, his views count for nothing. He is a figurehead, with no power, unless his masters decide to overrule the democratic will of the voters of our country, and bypass the Senedd.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago
Reply to  Gareth

The English Conservatives have never had legitimacy in Wales, so favour one way of rule. Proxy- rule. They prefer interventionism.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

Simon Hart says Welsh Labour are out-nationalist the nationalists , lol. What, Mark Drakeford & Welsh Labour nationalists, lol? Do me a favour. Recently we had Mark Drakeford state to Politico online magazine during the recent Senedd election how nationalists couldn’t have their cake and eat it, who stated Wales couldn’t survive on its own if independent. Hart omits. Drakeford has continually refused the devolution of income tax & benefits powers, who rejected Plaid Cymru calls for a independence debate & vote, so if you, Paul Hart, thinks Mark Drakeford & Welsh Labour are nationalists , is like me proclaiming… Read more »

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago

A case of the pot calling the kettle black from the Viceroy of Wales whose government supported Brexit. He thinks British nationalism is a good thing while Welsh nationalism is bad, hypocritical and not intellectually sound.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago
Reply to  Stephen Owen

Hart forgets. Whitehall-led British Nationalism was responsible for the suffering & deaths of millions during its bloody resource-rape colonialism reign of terror with Wales sadly its blueprint and first trophy nation.

Welsh Nationalism on the other hand, is a force for good, a protectorate, and our beautiful flag Y Ddraig Goch remains untainted.

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Nationalism in a smaller entity dominated by a larger one is freedom fighting. Nationalism in the dominant entity as we see today in Brexit England is Fascism.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Cymru am byth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Dafydd Evans
Dafydd Evans
2 years ago

You’re also a nationalist….but then its fine to beieve in your vision of a Wales come West of England. Why cant you get it into your thick skull that we dont want that – that we want to see Cymru survive and prosper on its own terms?

You have no mandate here but Drakeford does…Morph off Hart!

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

In other news a Quisling tries to out Quisling the Quislings.

Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

Bradwr

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

Hart is totally clueless – Drakeford has been the one trying to save the crumbling Union ! He’s realised that unless Westminster relinquishes power – the Union is dead. Hart doesn’t see this, he’s been completely hoodwinked by the English nationalism of his boss!

Alex Bruce
Alex Bruce
2 years ago

A resounding thumbs down from contributors thus far. Welsh education and Welsh healthcare should be top of the agenda and the target should be to have the best of both for everyone in Wales. After years of Labour led politics – Wales underperforms in every area – our politicians should focus on the issues – indepence or more powers for Wales should be bottom of the list. .

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