Audio: Wales' economy 'coming to a point of crisis'

Is Mark proposing that Wales leads in a race to the bottom without competitors by changing Priorities? Wales cannot be less ambitious than under the labour government. At the same time he is saying that the "economics of Wales are going to deliver us 40% of our children living in poverty". Well let's face it we are importing poverty and child poverty from England where hundreds of thousands of poor and sick people are being pushed out by English labour and English Tory local authorities, with large numbers arriving here in Wales. This is funded by the Welsh Government with their housing policies. Funds that are needed to implement projects for infrastructure for example. After all it was the Welsh labour MPs who did not support the devolving of rail transport. labour showed that we don't need the funds so billions went to The north of Ireland And to Scotland and the Englandandwales funds went to England. The Welsh Labour MPs also instrumental in opposing devolution of Justice to Wales so that we cant have a competent Government here in Wales. Tory MPs opposing another competence for Wales, namely the Airport Duty tax which would give us us an independent measure to do things,with a Welsh Tory MP leading the charge against Wales. The sooner that the number of MPs in Wales is reduced the better. Better still have none, after all they effectively represent England in Wales. Better to have the Welsh Government dealing directly with Westminster and we can hold them to account.

Look at the fiasco's of WG and WDA strategies. Making out we can lead in aerospace (while we quietly become a military supplier and re-fitting provider). Ignoring the renewables industry (compare Scottish success). Now proposing to throw £100 million or more into the hopelessly uneconomic Swansea lagoon - a private development when joint public-private initiatives are needed. Handing over South Wales metro planning to franchiser bidding, instead of a public body that can transparently plan an consult. Still stuck with the English (Blair + Redwood) hands-off approach, despite Rhodri espousing 'clear red water' over public services provision.

It's interesting to see the topic of a Universal Basic Income coming up yet again here, after Ben Gwalchmai mentioned it in his article just a few days ago. I strongly support it, for many reasons, but one reason is that I think it's the best way to tackle the endemic poverty that exists in some areas of Wales (including ones where I have family) arising from generations having been actively discouraged from seeking work by our current benefits system that pulls the rug from under you as soon as you start getting on your feet. In the Welsh context I believe it could unlock a lot of economic value, but it has to be done the right way - ideally combined with a flat rate income tax and the reduction or even elimination of corporation tax. What is clear is that we're never going to develop prosperity by subsidising large projects from elsewhere to come in, provide some low-to-medium skill employment for a few years, then go away again. That's been the policy for decades, and although it hasn't been entirely without fruit (in the semiconductor industry, for example, Wales has actually been far more successful than Scotland in developing an indigenous technology industry around the major inward investment projects of the 1980s), I believe our model should be much closer to that of Switzerland or Singapore in nurturing home-grown skills and talents and removing every impediment from small companies with ambitions to grow.

We have massive problems in Wales, and the recent decision to savagely cut infrastructure funding west of Cardiff and north of Pontypridd is very damaging. Unfortunately the majority of our politicians belong to London based parties and to progress their careers, the have to tow the party line. Although I favour a Federal setup for the UK, I will only support a political party based in Wales.

I do believe the approaching social upheavals, the riots, and the European and American wars of our very young century, I do believe they can be prevented. We need ideas such as this. What Mr. Hooper is proposing is mostly good. It would also break the unions’ grip upon Wales by giving individuals power, which is good. But if we are going to prevent this dark future, our constant interaction with technology in place of other human beings also needs to be addressed, and the deep resentment, apathy, frustration and anger it is brewing in our society.

Most interesting. Is this medieval to Victiorian life in Wales. The time when, in Wales were known by only the first name, and progressed to surname that reflected your occupation. Butcher, Baker, Plumber, Tailor. And many derivatives. Myself I would prefer the ap, or ab as recognising lineage. My goodness how things have changed. A forgotten fact is that work as we know it today is only 300 years old, or a little more. If you include the smelting and extractive work. Wales was rural, forest and farms. I understand that previously we had Mediterranean weather that fostered the great coal and iron eras of deposited timbers and the like. Yet here lies the future for Wales. In these very same deposites called natural resources. I fear the paucity of invention and enterprise is palpable. We have been fed on consumerism and centralisation. Of politics, social norms and expectations of what is a desirable family life. I fully subscribe to the notion of Mark's belief, I hope I've categorised it properly, where ' it takes a community to raise a child' or that solutions to modern life isn't in the thickness of the wallet, but in the thickness of the local support mechanisms. In this regard I include education, health, leisure, the economy and all resources. ( finance and goods). Where local policies relate to local needs and where self sustaining practices are developed from within. The appretice, the artisan, the professional, the grocer, the farmer, the cooperatives, the benevolent societies. A Bank of Wales, a friendly society, a community fund that supports energy renewal, voluntary agencies, medical aid, ( it's going to be needed) , community transport, local economy board to develop small enterprises and investment. Can it be that we turn inwards to satisfy our basic needs at a community level, where are politics are driven by care and compassion, all inclusive, to attention to local solutions that put at its heart the needs of the arts, leisure and growth of family life as well as economic security. We have the resources, do we have the confidence and passion to invest in ourselves. I wonder. To do the same and continue to fail is the first sign of madness. I support this piece of thinking and wish it success. Vote change to self help and greater scope of independence.

Mark Hooper ducks out of the need for rational and responsible Welsh Government budgeting - a government that currently proposes to spend practically the whole project funding In S-E Wales on a £1.5billion duplicate M4 road. And proposes to abolish airport passenger tax in a competitive race to the bottom, whatever the cuts implied for other services. Citizens income is another issue and no answer to the popularist and unjustified spending under Carwyn.

Only Independence within our borders, and NO foreign entanglements whatsoever, will enable us to make our own choices for good or ill.

I do feel the expenditure on a false premise of improving the problems of road congestion on the Newport M4, area by a son of M4 and hugely expensive, is as outrageous as the antics of King Canute. Please stop this madness of destruction, first on the treasured environment of the most unique kind in Wales, and the stupidly as the London centric class to see it grip the Cardiff centric class. No independent report will raise the issues of spreading key resources to the forgotten areas outside the M4 corridor, and their infrastructure requirements, the critical need to invest in public transport throughout Wales, and the changes in modes of transport and communications in the longer future. As for independence, then if this decision of the M4 investment is an example of the worth of the Assembly led by Labour then there needs to be a pause and reflection on just what replacing a Westminster mind set for a Cardiff centric mind set, will change nothing. Only with a complete rethink and change of politics will persuade most who live outside the Cardiff area of voting for such change. Will you please stop thinking about trickle down effect and such like. It doesn't work. Come and look for yourself at the s Wales valleys and feel the pain. Stop thinking we are going to put up with this ignorance and feelings of forgotten. There's a dereliction of responsibility to the wider areas of Wales and stoney responses to our investment needs and productivity. The idea of no foreign entanglements is apt, I would suggest no entanglements of a Cardiff mind set would also be apt. Should we wish to to make choices that reflect the whole of Wales. There's an agenda at the Bay that appears as corrupt or bankrupt of ideas as ' old mother Hubbards cupboard' . So disappointing . Count me out.

Having worked for three companies that made big investments based on the perceived(based on reality or not) communication issues along the area of the M4 in question, it is clear to me that the road is needed. Access to Southern Wales all but shuts down twice a day, with far worse unfortunately after accidents. Access along this road is so important for more than 75% of the population, if also for a far smaller geographical area. This point should not be confused with other investment seemingly so dominated by areas south of the M4 and especially so in Cardiff. That North and South Wales are not only economically independent of each other but dependent on an English hinterland supporting it means that Wales is almost 3 countries! North, South and the rest. This makes coherent all Wales economic policies almost impossible. I would certainly hate to see the North and South Being absorbed into an area of England, but the reality is the Mayors of Manchester and Bristol have much more influence than most care to acknowledge. Cairns can see this, but his efforts have been ridiculed, especially so on here. The world is what it is, not what you want.it to be. Work to change it by all means, but Nation Building by The Assembly has proved to been a drag on economic development, more of the same or further moves in that direction are not going to succeed.