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Andrew RT Davies calls on Musk to intervene in Welsh politics

By Emily Price
Elon Musk. Photo Toby Melville/PA Wire

Emily Price 

Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has pleaded with Elon Musk to intervene in Welsh politics.

His call came after chaotic scenes in the Senedd which saw Welsh Tory leader Darren Millar demand a Wales specific inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

The UK Government has faced a slew of attacks in recent weeks over the handling of child sex grooming cases that took place in the north of England in the 2010s.

The row was reignited when tech billionaire Musk labelled Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and said she should be jailed.

His intervention came in response to Phillips rejecting a request for a new public inquiry into child sexual abuse.

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Victims

The UK Government minister said Musk had endangered her life but that it was "nothing" compared to the experiences of victims of abuse.

A wide-ranging independent probe the scandal concluded its work in 2022 - but concerns have been raised that the recommendations in the report were not implemented under the Tories.

The row spilled over into the Senedd on Tuesday (January 15) when Tory leader Darren Millar called for the First Minister to support a national or Wales-wide inquiry.

The tense exchange saw the Senedd's Llywydd block the leader of the opposition from reading out the graphic details of one victim's experience of gang-rape.

Recently ousted leader Andrew RT Davies also raised the grooming gangs scandal during his time on the floor.

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'Propaganda'

The South Wales Central MS is currently facing criticism for his use of social media to politicise the issue after he shared a misleading video of school girls he said were being used as "propaganda".

Responding to claims on X that Labour and Plaid Cymru were trying to brush the matter "under the carpet", Mr Davies called on Musk to turn his agitation towards Welsh Ministers.

Tagging the adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, Mr Davies wrote: "It won’t work this time. @elonmusk has done great work exposing failing institutions.

"Would be great for him to look at ministers in Wales."

Data from a new YouGov / The Times survey show that Musk’s interventions on the grooming gangs scandal have damaged his already poor reputation in the UK.

71% of those polled said they have an unfavourable view of Musk whilst 20% of the public say they have a favourable view of the X CEO.

The only group of the public polled who had a favourable view of Musk are Reform UK voters, with 51% holding a positive opinion.

But there has also been a significant increase in the number of Reform voters who have a negative opinion of Musk - rising from 24% to 41%.

Mr Davies has tagged Musk in several online posts since the grooming gangs issue became prominent again.

A Tory source said Davies was "desperate for a retweet".

The Welsh Government was invited to comment.

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41 comments

CommonSense

RT is a fruitcake.

Reply
hdavies15

That's a bit rough on fruitcake. After all I'm rather partial to a slice with a cup of tea.

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Drew Anderson

I'm sure all that dried fruit must contribute to your "5 a month"! ;-)

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Llyn

So let me get this straight, Andrew RT "Stop the Boats" Davies wants an African economic migrant to the US to intervene in Welsh politics?

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Jeff

He also wants a bloke that is protecting an abuser (trump), enables abuse (twitter)and directly creates abuse (riots and attacks on MP's) to try to influence a government over abuse.

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Fi yn unig

A GBeebies presenter has floated the idea that Trump should take over and run the UK while we all surrender without a fuss and now our resident traitor, who cannot even command the support of half his minuscule, non governing, permanently rejected crew, thinks he can simply hand our country over to a bloke across the Atlantic who doesn’t even know his name. What are the security services doing about these people?

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Rob

There is a word to describe such behaviour, its treason. Yet I thought it was the 'remoaners' who were the traitors.

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Ernie The Smallholder

GB News must be taken off the airwaves just as RT (Putin's propaganda machine) was removed. Both are a threat to democracy in Wales and everywhere in Europe, spreading bigotry and misinformation. .

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Steve. Thomas

It’s time he went-an utter embarrassment hell bent on overturning democracy

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TheOtherJones

What an embarrassment to Wales that man is. Wish he’d just retire so he can bore and pester people down the pub rather than troll the nation via the media.

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Steve. Thomas

He shouldn’t be allowed out on his own-

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Nobby Tart

He's finally proved to us that he's lost the plot.

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Fanny Hill

I truly am beginning to think this man needs help.

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Fanny Hill

Not from Musk, obviously.

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Erisian

What a shame there is no myxomatosis at the bottom their rabbit holes. A clap trap for clap-trap?

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Ap Kenneth

Andrew RT Davies "Brexit means Breakfast" now believes in foreign interference, probably believes Wales should be run by the space fruitcase.

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Y Cymro

So let me get this right in my head. We have Tory turnip Andrew RT Davies ,who I might add, once stated that "Wales needed a bit of Dom" in reference to Dominic Cummings, who in 2016 argued how the EU was full of unelected faceless bureaucrats, now wants to see an unelected South African multibillionaire in America with fascist tendencies in Elon Musk interfere in Welsh politics? He's totally lost it. 🤪 🇬🇧

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Touchfinder

RT tw@t is unelected too. got his seat fro the "List"

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Ernie The Smallholder

The Welsh Conservatives (if it still exists) must expel RTD from their ranks. Otherwise, they will be seen to complacent with these fascists.

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Dai Ponty

Just had my Afternoon nap woke up put my laptop on and read this is is APRIL !st APRIL FOOLS DAY or is it just Davies the village idiot

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Gwyn Hopkins

It's absolutely beyond belief that Andrew R T Davies is inviting a South African fascist with an ego bigger than his bank balance to interfere in Welsh politics. The only sensible way for Welsh politicians to deal with Elon Musk is to totally ignore him apart from telling him to mind his own business.

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Val Matthews

Does this idiotic man ever shut up and keep his lunatic opinions to himself?

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Stephen John Owen

What a stupid idea

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Jeff

Oh look. Started by the cons for foriegn interference. This on the statute books yet (Farage as well needs to take note) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-bill-factsheets/foreign-interference-national-security-bill-factsheet

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Rob

Its funny how right wing populists harp on about the world being run by the 'globalists', bankers, George Soros etc yet met than happy to embrace the likes of Elon Musk, Trump or Putin etc

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TheWoodForTheTrees

I wonder if Musk could point to Wales on a map? He'll probably Google Wales, get Jimmy and make up something offensive about him. Because he can.

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Bob

Astonishing he gets a salary for this.

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Glyn Roberts

Another meltdown on the way for farty rt.

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Paul

Have I got this correct. A Welsh Conservative MS has so little faith in his own party’s ability that he is asking a Foreign business man for help. What a pathetic useless politician this man is. And we are paying him how much??

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Jeff

musk is effectively now in a foreign government, now that Trump is about to get to power and musk has an official role. This what spies get done for. This is why there are scandals with Chinese spies and Russian interference. But this is doing all that and asking an incoming hostile government to interfere in a UK democratically elected government but asking out in the open. You want to see what trumps picks are like (the confirmation hearings are now and they are awful), more abusers and incompetents, and this absolute turnip of a Welsh turncoat politician is trying to get into bed with them. On a related note, what is the difference between traitorous and treasonous? Never sure.

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Steffi

seems Andrew RT Davies has entered into a black mirror of the twilight zone of desperation for social media retweets or is he hoping that Elon Musk would bestow his patronage upon Andrew RT and spare some loose change for a leadership campaign ?

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Charles Coombes

No! No! And No!

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John Ellis

It's now really looking as if ARTD is indulging in a major serial hissy fit tantrum - maybe in order to embarrass his colleagues in the Senedd who were insufficiently loyal to their erstwhile 'great leader'?!

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Fanny Hill

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but there has been a dearth of posts in support of ARTD, the Tories and Refuk in recent weeks. Have the usual suspects finally seen the light?

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Les Cargot

How do you defend the indefensible?

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Garycymru

Surprisingly, very very few people have actually made written complaints to either the Senedd or the tory party. And that's downright worrying.

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Jeff

Get them in. https://standardscommissionerwales.org/

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Garycymru

Thank you for the link. Done.

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Ben Davies

Arty wants the DeformUK supporting madman to support him in taking over Senedd? A coup? Maybe he'll ask Putin for an old tank.

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Edward Jones

Imagine if Elon Musk was a Muslim, would his ‘interest’ in the politics of (a growing number of) nations be quite so slavishly desired and indeed accepted by the rightward leaning politicians therein?! (As to ART Davies, adroitly covered by others above, ⬆️)

Reply

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Replying to CommonSense Cancel

RT is a fruitcake.

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