Labour in the dock
Ben Wildsmith
Keir Starmer expended 17 lines marking the departure of Gareth Southgate from the England kickball job today, and only 11 on Vaughan Gething’s resignation.
Having backed the First Minister during the recent election, characterising his loss in a vote of confidence as ‘a stunt’, the Prime Minister could find no defining achievement around which to frame his tribute, other than Gething’s success in achieving office.
The lack of original policies attached to Gething’s name has worked against him in two ways. Firstly, it left him nothing substantive to point to when his position came under scrutiny. Secondly, there was no compelling reason for his colleagues to stand by him when the pressure came on.
Politicians can survive scandals if their agenda is worth fighting for. Starmer’s lukewarm statement unwittingly captured the suspicion that Gething’s election as First Minister had been his primary, and perhaps sole, objective in politics.
We were, of course, facing a situation in which the government was unable to pass a budget. This would have marked a subtle transition from doing virtually nothing to absolutely nothing.
Pop refills
If I were writing about its substantive work, then yesterday’s stand-out announcement would have been consideration of banning pop refills at Harvester.
This sort of social tinkering has been a hallmark of recent Welsh governance. We are offered a Christmas dinner with elaborate trimmings but no turkey, as innovative projects on the fringes of life crowd out the urgent concerns of the electorate.
I can put up with driving at 20mph to A&E but find my goodwill tested if I must then wait 18 hours to be seen. I’ll never understand why I hear more about the former than the latter.
In some areas of Wales, Labour is so embedded into the national consciousness that it is difficult to see where its interests end and the nation’s begin. The party’s perception of itself as the inheritors of Nye, and the wider social struggles of the 20th century, belies the 21st century reality of a party that is an agreeable career move for the professional and managerial classes.
It is against this backdrop of top-down, unchallenged complacency that Mr. Gething rose to prominence.
Having dropped £170 000 on his side of the scales in the leadership election, he assumed a position so remote from the lives of voters as to be unquestionable.
Ethereal
The inner workings of the Labour Party in Cardiff seem to proceed on an ethereal plane, only to be revealed in the form of appointments and occasional legislation.
So, it’s unsurprising that this quasi-religious organisation reacted so ineptly to the novelty of press scrutiny.
Ironically, only Gething himself was genuinely revealing. His refusal to engage with any of the questions put to him, beyond impugning the motives of those asking, showed him in a clear, unforgiving light.
What about the rest of them, though? Do all those anonymous briefings and questionable sick notes put as much ethical distance between them and their boss as they’ll soon be claiming?
I doubt that Keir Starmer’s Westminster party, Jo Stevens included, could care less whether devolution continues in a meaningful fashion.
As soon as the election was over, Gething went under the bus, and it was on with their day.
Contemplation
So, it’s time for the Labour Group in the Senedd to engage with some existential contemplation.
Devolution can only thrive with the enthusiasm of the population. If that is seen to wane, then it will be chiselled away to puppetry by the UK government.
If their careers mean more to them than an agreeable lifestyle, Labour representatives need to put forward leadership candidates with robust and meaningful policy objectives that acknowledge the urgency of problems in people’s lives.
They should be shaking the Westminster tree for funding and doing so publicly; they should be engaging all over Wales to determine voters’ priorities. The noise they make should be audible across the border, and inescapable here.
Wales is not a laboratory for insipid, progressive notions. Nor is it a rotten borough over which privilege can be projected without accountability.
Its governance is a mighty privilege, and, in its current embarrassment, Labour must find a purpose worthy of that.
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Ethygyl gwych
A great article reflecting what many of us feel about Welsh labour’s unhealthy hold on power. Mr Gething’s supporters must not be let off the hook as they should have acted much sooner to bring this sorry episode to its inevitable conclusion. A new First minister must not come from their ranks. Da iawn Nation. Cymru for relentlessly following this story. Just the balance we needed.
Absolutely in agreement once more Ben. I’d just like to tweak one part: “Wales SHOULD not BE a laboratory for insipid, progressive notions. Nor SHOULD it BE a rotten borough over which privilege can be projected without accountability.” Speaking as an old Leftie (Bleedin heart liberal, looney left, wokist or whatever new perjorative the Right wants to fling my way), I think the Left in Britain (and indeed Wales) has lost its way. That it continues to put its hope in a Labour Party that rebuilt its social democratic offering on a British Nationalist Neoliberal foundation demonstrates a manifest failure.… Read more »
It’s too late now, our political system is unrestrained capitalism, every party is full of Thatcher’s children and the people get high on McDonald’s and Love Island, the new religion. Only revolution will change anything but I suspect we will destroy the planet before that happens
Have you ever wondered why it’s called Populism? The clue is in the name – people find that populist ideas are – well – popular.
That’s a difficult argument to counter without implying that humans maybe prone to a level of stupidity (sometimes self inflicted). Populism relies on strong characters using slogans, conspiracy theories, stoking fear, proposing simple solutions to complex problems etc). We have become disillusioned (unsurprisingly) with traditional politics, disengaged and therefore open to the manipulation of ‘populists’. Our capacity to think things through is much diminished thanks now in part to social media.
Shall we not fall foul of over simplification?
Populism might be better described at “superficialism” as it relies on glib sound bites, short sharp sentences that don’t withstand deeper analysis. A more deeply defined account of the strange axis between globalist capitalist corporates on the one hand and highly interventionist bureaucratic governments on the other would reveal that such a relationship only serves the interests of those at the apex of the axis. The rest of us are there to do as we are told. Politicians like it even though they spend a lot of time pretending to oppose it.
Even though PM Keir Starmer knew that FM Vaughan Gething had received money from a very dodgy source by he still gave him his blessing and full support. And today the same stated that Vaughan Gething’s was right to resign? To me this is the mark of a man who like the wind changes direction. Just look at his promises & pledges made to become Labour leader only to renege later. He cannot be trusted. Just look at the Labour files on YouTube to see he is a power hungry political chameleon, effectively a puppet on a string controlled by… Read more »
I don’t think it would have been a good idea for Keir Starmer to start interfering in Welsh politics, if he were to have stepped in after VG had been elected then he would effectively be choosing the next Welsh PM. This wouldn’t go down well and so all he can do (to respect Welsh democracy/political system) is to sit on the fence and let it pan out.
If he did interfere/influence more then it would likely add fuel the fire of pro-independence campaigners etc.
“start interfering” !
It was interference from Stramerlabour that secured Gething’s election as Labour in Wales’ leader and so First Minister in the frist place..
Starmer did in effect chose Cymru’s First Minister just as Blair did with Alun Michael. Based on the principle that -we must have the natives under our control even if they are Labour.
Labour respects “Welsh democracy/political system” like the Tories respected Greater London Council’s democracy/politics.
Basically if they can’t run it they’ll castrate it.
He’s an English prime minister! Oh wait, was someone under the impression that he’s the UK PM?! Camouflage so they can squeeze everything they can out of Scotland and Wales. Wake up! They act like this because our population allows them to.
Well said Nation.Cymru. How refreshing to hear it like it is, compared to the servile platitudes dished out by the likes of the BBC. Long may you continue to operate.
Well said. ‘Social tinkering’ is very much a public perception of Welsh labour. Look at all the time spent on the proposed gender quota legislation. They’ve been warned it is legally shaky – gender self ID isn’t devolved, it’s not in Welsh government’s power to deliver it, but on they plough. Addressing gender inequality in politics is fair enough, but they should be listening to grass roots campaigners (and strengthening procedures around sexual harassment in the Senedd). Not tinkering fruitlessly with a policy that can’t be enacted anyway. Wales doesn’t need to be ‘the most progressive nation in Europe’ or… Read more »
Well said. I despair when I read some politician drone on that his or her ‘new way’ will “put Wales on the world map.”
Why do we want to be?
All I hear is a politician grandstanding, and wanting big CV points. And Wales is already on the world map.
Spot on article. However I do think the Labour Party in power in Wales has had its day. Its out of ideas and out of talent. The Welsh government is stuffed full of incompetents spending so much time on petty side issues but clueless on solving the problems that matter to the people of Wales. I hope they lose control in 2026 to the much more clued up Plaid Cymru. Rhun ap Iorwerth would make an excellent First Minister. We need a government with the well being of Welsh people at its heart.
Reading an interview with Alun Michael this morning on the national broadcaster it is easy to see why Labour in Wales is at the position it is.
Whichever faction triumphs in the impending election within Labour it will not be the choice of the vast majority in Wales.
When will the Welsh finally pull their heads out from within the sand and realise 25 years of Welsh Labour rule has meant pottering around the edges with very little done where other similar sized nations have moved on leaps & bounds compared to Wales. Today it will be revealed during the King’s speech 35 draft laws where again very little if anything will be on offer for Wales regarding devolution of powers requested by Welsh Labour. I can predict that champagne socialist Keir Starmer will copy & pasting English legislation to Wales and again we will be patronised by… Read more »