This morning's Western Mail reports on Rhodri Morgan's acceptance that many of his party's politicians are anti-Welsh. More here from Peter Black. While he doesn't mention them by name, he is no doubt referring to Don Touhig, Alun Michael and Kim Howells:
Stop being anti-Welsh, Rhodri urges his party
LABOUR will never win a majority in Wales again unless the party reverses the public’s perception that it is anti-Welsh, Rhodri Morgan has warned.
In a hard-hitting assessment of the party’s future prospects in this country, the First Minister calls for an overhaul of the party’s approach to areas away from its traditional Valleys heartlands.
Writing in the forthcoming book Politics in 21st Century Wales, Mr Morgan claims:
The party has been punished at the ballot box in recent elections because it is seen as not Welsh enough;
it is too easy for the public to view the party as obsessed with the South Wales Valleys;
Labour has been outmanoeuvred by its rivals – notably Plaid Cymru – over its policies on the Welsh language;
“Amongst young and politically interested voters, in particular, we cannot afford to allow the idea to take root that to be positive about Welshness means not voting Labour.
“The charge is of course false, but it would be foolish to deny that, from time to time, strands in the party have acted in ways which have given it credibility.”
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4 comments:
There seems to be a tacit assumption by many that this is some high watermark in the onward march towards a more ‘Welsh’ Labour party, however there are a number of flawed assumptions with your post;
Firstly, Rhodri clearly divides the reality from the perception – which is totally different. He never once says Labour politician’s are anti-welsh, he says that is perhaps the perception.
Secondly, in no part of your post do you qualify why exactly people are anti welsh, unless I am mistaken, there is either in the flaw that the welsh language is a huge voter issue, or that by being anti further powers, you are automatically ‘anti welsh’. Why are those politicians mentioned anti welsh? Do you mean anti welsh language? Or anti Wales? Either/or you have hardly shown a rigorous proof of that accusation.
Personally I think that there decline Labour in Wales has coincided with a number of different factors, far wider than any perceived language issues. I also think that coalition governments are the reality, and that Labour rather than trying to win back some unattainable ‘majority’, should seek to solidify relationships with other parties. Is it so wrong for voters to begin thinking about using the two votes they have the assembly for two parties – therefore trying to promote preferred coalition partners?
Please don’t see this an attack on you, or indeed trying to disagree with what Rhodri Morgan is saying, but trying to stick the boot into ‘Those Welsh Labour MPs’ like they are the devils spawn is exactly the sort of dogmatic criticism they are being accused of.
:)
This is a classic example of the politics of identity being confused with the traditional socio-political economic narrative normally referred to as left versus right or perhaps authoritarian versus libertarian.
We all need to accept that in post-devolution Wales the nationalistas would continue to agitate along the axis of identity deficit and perceived historic nation victimhood, attempting to absorb the left-right dichotomy into a cultural identity debate.
The danger for Labour in Wales is to think that the way of combating this narrative is by trying to “out-Welsh” Plaid Cymru.
It is simply not possible for Labour to try this approach, moreover, it is utterly doomed to failure.
Put it another way, by trying to push further along this “Welshness” line Labour is allowing Plaid Cymru to dictate the terms of the debate both strategically and tactically.
To that extent I have to take my hat off to the nationalistas, for their fleet footedness.
They have implanted in key areas their Trojan Horse cadres who perpetuate this supposedly “cool” image of Cymru, where it is considered “cool” to do something because it is Welsh, not necessarily because it is desirable or intrinsically good for its own sake.
If something has great merit, every effort will be made to say that it is so because it is Welsh, not for its intrinsic goodness and value.
This thinking has even driven nationalistas policy thinking in the National Assembly.
So when the time comes to discuss the new legislation in the pipeline a big “hullabaloo” is made about the forthcoming Legislative Competence Order (LCO) on the Welsh Language.
This is such a travesty, it beggars belief. At a time when the world economy is facing a serious threat of a deflationary slump, with monumental implications for the lives of people up and down the breadth of Wales, what exercises the nationalistas ensconced in Cardiff and their friends in Higher Education and various quangos?
You guessed it. The Welsh Language.
Frankly, if this was not a serious matter it would be funny. But instead of tackling child poverty and the need to bring new clinical interventions to our health service and win more export markets for our companies in difficult times, what are they worrying about?
You guessed it. The Welsh Language.
Let me tell you this truth. Nobody owns the Welsh language, for that matter nobody owns any language on this earth.
Language is there to facilitate communication between peoples all over the world in every aspect of our lives.
If the amount of agonising and energy and financial resources put into the language issue was instead channelled into boosting the Welsh economy, we would have one of the highest economic growth rates in the Western world!
Let’s focus on bread and butter issues. People in Aberdyfi have worries about gas and electricity and food prices just as much as those in Shotton, Bethesda and Ebbw Vale.
All politicians in Wales want to do the best for their constituents, whether they speak Welsh, English, Hindustani, Farsi or Turkish.
Being Welsh is not a political fact. Living in Wales is.
So Welsh Labour needs to be bold and focus on issues that are at the sharp end of people’s lives every hour of every day.
Secure jobs, safe schools , efficient council services, clean environments, investment in new industries, opportunities for retraining, healthy eating, good care in the community etc.
anon, you say that welsh labour needs to focus on real issues. what have they been doing for the last 10 years? failing. Th eidea that you either worlk on hospitals and the economy OR give welsh equality is bollocks. False choice. Why haven't Labour done all those good things while theyy were busy ignoring welsh language rigts, and often attacking it.
Rhordi is right: being anti-welsh has been an alibi for some welsh labour politicians. An alibi for not actually doing the real work of improving people's lot.
False choices, false choices...
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