Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Looking ahead to a Blue and Golden Future for Wales

I've decided to join in the current speculation about the political complexion of Wales in 20 years time. I'm setting a target of an overall majority of Conservative Assembly Members, and winning 30 of the Welsh Parliamentary seats. I'm considering establishing a Web site named 'Yes Wales Can'.

Here follows my preferred quotes; "We believe that the best way we can respond to the world's challenges, and also achieve our potential as a nation is to be a Conservative country"...."The truth is that people's heads say yes, but their hearts have doubts. They have some serious questions we have to address, and we need to address as a country and as a nation."....."Over the next decade, our aim is to increase the level of support for Welsh Conservatism to over 40%, and within 20 years to get a majority to support Welsh Conservatism as a policy."...."We have a long term goal as a party, and what we are going to be doing is creating a route map for the nation, and also create a space for the nation to have that necessary debate about where we see Wales as a nation in the world in the 21st century."....."We have always believed that Welsh Conservatism is the answer - its the only way we can ensure for Wales what we've always wanted, which is a future better than the past."Although it is vital that we concentrate on the problems facing Wales at the moment, it is also our responsibility to discuss our longer term vision for Wales".

Seems to me that there is absolutiely no reason why other political parties shouldn't join me in this sort of speculation, especially if they are facing serious splits about policy, and want to divert attention away from their internal difficulties.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go for it Glyn,but first get a decent leader in Wales who people can relate to.
In this day and age, its a must.
Jonathan looks far more media savvy and approchable

Anonymous said...

Glyn I've just read Helen Mary Jones's article in the Western Mail. As a former college lecturer I'm used to reading waffle but today's article really took the biscuit.I'm not surprised when you consider that her last article praised the success of the Icelandic economy just before everything went pear shaped. Life at the moment might be tough in the UK but nationalists should take off the rose tinted glasses and start to look carefully at the position in some of the countries they once pointed out as examples for Wales to follow. They could start by ordering Irish newspapers to see the real state of the Irish economy and how the prospertity was built on an unsustainable construction boom. They could then move on to the Economist for a quick review of the Baltic states. It is obvious that the Nationalists are preparing the ground for a post 2010 political world where they might be a Tory government in Westminster. Then they will have the fantastic excuse will be they that the Assembly can't do anything because of the reductions in public expenditure.The scales will then fall from the eyes of the Weslh people. False consciousness as the Marxists would argue would then be dispelled and the people of Wales will vote for the paradise of independence. It seems the gap between Real Wales and Political Wales as students of pre 1914 Italian History would put it, gets wider very day. Beam me up Scottie.

Anonymous said...

And lets face it Glyn the Tories are facing huge splits on policy, especially devolution! Maybe you should start the website!

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans said...

couldn't agree more

Anonymous said...

Old style head-in-the-clouds socialist ideology is cruising through the veins of the WAG as evidenced by the overall tone of Rhodri Morgan’s speech that he gave last week in a promote Wales event in Washington, DC.

My business guest was/is a Republican; he turned to me after the speech and asked me if he (Rhodri Morgan) is an “old style socialist” that he had heard about?

Rhodri Morgan managed in a few minutes to rub Republicans up the wrong way. Rhodri’s voice carried well during his praising of ‘all things Obama’.

Maybe I’ve been out of the country too long, but it struck me that Welsh Labour rhetoric and ideology is out of kilter with the goal of improving the Welsh economy.

One saving grace: the Deputy First Minister wasn’t there to add his hero worship of Obama.

Anonymous said...

The nature of Welsh Politics is going to change considerably after 2013. That is when the EU redraws its grant blanket map. I understand that very little of Wales will be covered by the new one.

The Tories will get the blame. Until you can teach the Welsh some basic mathematics and some concept of Economics outside the nonsense they picked up from Marx, things will not change from today.

People need to understand that to have the ability to live in this rose tinted country with its mythical dragons and English castles, it needs to actually do something useful and create an economy.

Wales needs to look to the likes of the Isle of Man and see what they did to get an economy out of nothing. The answer is a very low tax system and a very low rules financial sector. Do we have the skills to do this?

If you want the Tories in power in Wales in 30 years time (LMAO) you are going to have to do a lot of teaching and remove a lot of glasses!

Best of luck

Glyn Davies said...

Anon - Different people - different opinions.

Jeff - I do not think that there is much support for 'independence'. I do think that support will grow for clarifying what I will call the division of power between Westminster and Cardiff Bay. Since the 97 referendum result, I've favoured full law making power in devolved policy areas as a strengthening of the British constitution - which quite often leads to condemnation as a 'nationalist'!

Swansea voter - I know our opponents try to make an issue of this, but its only a way of diverting attention from their own problems. Labour and Plaid are in Government, and are perpetrating a huge con on the people of Wales by pretending there is going to be a referendum on a law making Assembly before 2011. Now that's what I call a split.

Decangli - I'm not at all sure that the peolpe of Wales are as 'socialist' as is sometimes thought. The best result that the Conservatives had in Wales was in 1983, when the choice was Margaret Thatcher in her pomp, and their own Michael Foot. We respond to reality as well as anyone else. And its far too early to know what will emanate from the next EU round of regional assistance. The way things are going at the moment, we could well still qualify for the highest level of support.

Anonymous said...

May be you need to get some good women on your side Glyn.50%plus of the population,you have one AM Hmmmm need some gender balancing there.

Anonymous said...

"Swansea voter - I know our opponents try to make an issue of this, but its only a way of diverting attention from their own problems. Labour and Plaid are in Government, and are perpetrating a huge con on the people of Wales by pretending there is going to be a referendum on a law making Assembly before 2011. Now that's what I call a split."

So just to confirm you think putting a referndum on the agenda, getting party backing and signing a binding agreement is more of a split on devolution than your leader in wales calling for more powers whilst your UK leader says he is against it and one of your welsh MP's sets up a campaign against it!!!

Glyn Davies said...

ATOR - An interesting point - particularly since (in my opinion)there is no intention to hold the referendum!!

I suspect most people will see the split on top-up fees, which is in the here and now as much more significant than long acknowledged differing opinions on an issue that is unlikely to be real for another five years.

Glyn Davies said...

VM - Agreed. Any ideas about how to tackle the problem. Seriosly.

Anonymous said...

Well Glyn ...old Jeffs at it again..can't seem to stop commenting on your blog..well there is always room for an extra sinner repenting! Might even be room for him as a Tory AM now that he is out in the cold.

Jeff might be better comenting on range of the issues you raise with your readers or perhaps his Labour Assembly and UK Governments activities rather than bashing poor old " Top up Mary" and her merry gang..who are well on the way to facing all ways on that issue ... just like "Montgomeryshire Mick" and his wind farms..whether they are all at sea or on our fine mid wales hills.

Anonymous said...

Can we have a photo of Jeff Jones as he is on your blogs so often now Glyn? Perhaps Bridgend Council can send you one of the many he had on Council literature durring his reign as our Leader.

Anonymous said...

With Labour looking likely to fail to win a parliamentary majority in Wales for the first time since the 1930's I don't think it's unreasonable for any party to set out a "long-term stall".
I'm sure you're right that the Plaid effort is partly a diversionary tactic but actually the website is rather good and one can imagine it engaging people in their teens or early twenties who are naturaly drawn towards idealistic visions of the future.

Anonymous said...

The reason I comment on Glyn's blog because I respect people who have an opinion whatever their political persuasion and who obviously are afraid ot encourage debate. We often clashed but as an opponent I had the utmost respect for the late Peter Hubbard Miles who was prepared to defend the Tory cause even if he was the only Tory in the room with 50 Labour councillors. I alos have a lot of time for Dylan Jones Evans whose ideas are interesting and Jonathan Morgan. You also have to respect Alun Cairns for his real ability as I know to get under the skin of his polical opponents. I might agree with their politics but I respect their undoubted ability. What worries me with the Helen Mary Jones article is that it is such a distraction from the real issues. Frankly I don't think that it is an attempt to deflect criticism from splits in Plaid. It seems to reflect more an almost Marxist belief amongst some Palid members in the inevitability of independence for Wales. In the context of trying to get a 'yes' vote in future referendum it is tactically naive in my opinion.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Jeff Jones> and long may you continue to contribute to the debate! Especially liked your comments about Alun Cairns!

Anyways/Milliways; Glyn often reminds folks that they have free use of the scrawl key.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Jeff may be angling for the Tory nomination to stand against Huw Irranca in Ogmore. I think he'd be great. About time the people of the valleys had a real Conservative to vote for.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if Alun Cairns reads your blog Glyn but I think he might think that this was another kinder Jeff Jones from Bridgend to the one whom he had such a hard time from when JJ was the Citizen Kane of Ogwr! How time a change - must agree with your other readers in seeing him as another catch for our Party.

Like the idea of him getting a photo though...for his regular contributions...and revision of history lessons.

Anonymous said...

One of the problems with my typing is that whilst it is getting better it still isn't perfect. It takes me an age to write out reports for clients! My comment should have read 'disagree' not 'agree' with their politics. It seems from a number of the anon comments that I'm probably annoying quite a few Plaid supporters. I find being described as a Conservative highly amusing. I've found throughout my political career that the real Conservatives are often those who claim to be socialist but in fact refuse to accept any new idea even if that idea will clearly improve the lives of their fellow citizens.

Glyn Davies said...

All - Regular commenters are welcome. I particularly like those from someone we all know. So I think its great to have Jeff sharing his thoughts. Anyway, I've been playing second fiddle to Dr Christopher Wood for years, so I'm used to being upstaged!

Jeff - I think we had worked out that it was a typo.

Anon - Alun Cairns is perfectly capable of looking after himself. He gets into all sorts of scrapes and scraps - and usually comes up smiling.

Anonymous said...

Welsh Conservatives are the future... makes me almost tempted to join myself... almost....

Anonymous said...

Jeff> you might want to do what I did – attend typing classes at a local college. I did a few at the Friary in Cardiff, about 30 yards or so from where my Welsh mother worked (Principality Building Society). There’s a typing exercise text book, very useful for training fingers for specific keys – after a while one doesn’t even look at the keyboard, just the computer screen.

Glyn> I’m wonder if Rhodri Morgan thinks I upstaged him – I understand that there’s an evens chance of an article in a Welsh newspaper about his silly speech in Washington. Will be interesting to see if the First Minister responds, and if he does, whether he does so on matters of substance or form. Anyway, he can take me to task next week – I understand he’s opening BioWales 2009.