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Opinion

God Save The Labour Party

By Mark Mansfield
Health Minister Eluned Morgan. Photo Welsh Government

Ben Wildsmith

With Baroness Morgan of Ely seemingly set to join Sir Keir Starmer at the top table of the Labour party, it would seem a fitting moment for the sans-culottes to respectfully enquire as to their intentions for our nation.

Certainly, the coordinated statements of support from the Senedd Labour group suggest a preference for the abstract over anything as vulgar as a slate of policies.

Jeremy Miles, having relinquished his putative role as Labour’s Robespierre, set the tone for the upcoming coronation.

“The values she champions – of fairness, prosperity for all, a greener future and a strong devolution settlement – are ones which I passionately share. Welsh Labour under Eluned would reach out and represent all parts of our nation.”

That would be nice, wouldn’t it? It would make a welcome change from Welsh Labour reaching out and trying to throttle each other or reaching out for several hundred thousand pounds in questionable readies, for that matter.

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Midas touch

Prosperity for all! Huzzah! It’s time to break out the travel brochures and get on down to the Tesla dealership as the team that made our NHS the envy of the world bring their Midas touch to our bank balances

Who knew it was this simple? The Labour Party should have been run by knights and baronesses all along.

Dr. Hefin David, who is ‘proud to call Jeremy Miles a friend’, welcomed the proposed appointment of the ‘brilliant’ Baroness.

We move forward together to serve the people of Wales. I’m proud to call @Jeremy_Miles a friend and he has shown courage and vision today. I too will be nominating the brilliant @Eluned_Morgan for leader of @WelshLabour 🌹 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 https://t.co/wZXYIGz3kc

— Dr Hefin David MS/AS (@hef4caerphilly) July 21, 2024

Some voters responded to this splendid news by making tawdry demands for evidence of the Baroness’s policy successes in her previous roles.

Please name one success you can attribute to Eluned Morgan in any Ministerial position she has held?

— Nick 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@NickTFish3) July 21, 2024

If Welsh democracy has a flaw, it is tolerance for this sort of lowering discourse. Jack Sargeant reminded us all of the higher calling that resounds for our ruling class.

I’m proud to support @Eluned_Morgan for leader of @WelshLabour and Prif Weinidog.

Her skills and experience at the head of a Welsh Labour team can unite our Party and ensure we continue to deliver for Cymru.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🌹

— Jack Sargeant MS (@JackSargeantAM) July 21, 2024

Echoing the Baroness’s own statement, ‘There’ll be one of us and one of their mob, so it’ll be fine,’ Sargeant emphasised the need for unity.

Because, aside from effecting a green future and universal prosperity, the Baroness’s primary purpose is to stop her Senedd colleagues from fighting like stoats in a sack and prevent Labour from sliding further into public derision.

Implicit in this is the notion that a healthy Labour Party means a healthy Wales. It needn’t stand for anything in particular so long as it looks credible and keeps its internecine treachery out of sight. It is less a political movement than a royal court, within which legislation occasionally emerges having been ‘championed’ by one of the participating aristocrats.

Amongst responses to today’s news were reminders of the remoteness that many in Wales feel from their government.

We have lot of @WelshGovernment docs to show @Eluned_Morgan’s contempt of @swanseabaynhs maternity scandal.

This shows her character in one paragraph.

We were told by her top officials it ‘would not be appropriate’ for Eluned to meet public about her NHS.

This is her culture… pic.twitter.com/32poSvNQjf

— Robert Channon (@ChannonRobert) July 21, 2024

If it follows the UK Conservative Party in appointing a leader in office without so much as an internal contest, that remoteness will be felt all the keener.

In the imagination of its politicians, the electorate is anxiously waiting for good news about the health of the party. Certainly, any sustained criticism of it is treated as treasonous and grounds for accusations ranging from dishonesty to racism.

If the gleam of the Senedd building reflects the mood of Labour within its walls as this is stitched up to save its embarrassment, the rest of us can look to the crumbling, derelict edifices a few yards away on Bute Street for our architectural metaphor.

The Internationale is seldom sung at party events these days, still less The Red Flag. God Save The King seems more in tune.

 

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30 comments

Mawddwy

Time for a big change in Wales. Labour can’t govern their own Senedd group and continue to let the country down. Twenty-four years of decline is enough.

Reply
Frank

How about asking the tea lady if she would like a go at being First Minister or, even better, why don’t they ask the Welsh people to vote on it instead of it being an inside “fixed” job.

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Alwyn

Ben Wildsmith is more in tune with my cynical view of the Labour hegemony than any surface unity that their remix will ever accomplish. Eluned Morgan may put a more Welsh face on English Labour but ahe’s a follower of Starmer above any alleigance to Wales

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Dafydd Williams

Will the new Labour Welsh Government be able to get a fair deal on funding from Sir Keir Starmer? Or devolution of justice? Or anything in particular of value? The omens are not good.

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Mab Meirion

Dreaming of an Indian Summer... they're all going on a Welsh Labour Colony Club holiday to Kerala before term starts, you watch and Smiles gets Vaughan's seat on the Magic Bus, magic bus... Won't Get Fooled Again...Doh !

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Mab Meirion

So this is all a fever dream until Wednesday then the Crypt opens and all the skeletons come out to play... Anyone seen Lee and Mick ? What a shower of chancers out of one nest...nepotism! What does one call a collection of Solicitor Politicians...? Tin Tin is great in translation too...

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westisbest

Good move for Welsh Labour Party, but time for change in 2026. 27 years is too long for power

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Ernie The Smallholder

Can't wait for a Plaid Cymru government to stand up for the people of Cymru and to reverse this record of decline. We need a better economy and public services, we need our own assets to benefit Cymru which is held as the crown estates to benefit UK. We need to use our assets to benefit the people of Cymru. We need a new start with a democratic electoral system such as STV which will allow people to choose their representative at the Senedd. We need to be in EEA and EFTA to give us the best opportunity to build our economy. I trust you will support the election of Plaid Cymru at the next Senedd election.

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Clive

Well Plaid couldn't even be bothered to vote to remain in EFTA/EEA when they had the chance in 2019. https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/657#notrecorded

Reply

In reply to Clive

Paul Symons

Welsh politics seems to have changed a bit since 2019.

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SundanceKid

Good move for the "Welsh" Labour party? I think you mean that this will be a good move for Plaid and the "Welsh" Conservatives.

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Swn Y Mor

'If it follows the UK Conservative Party in appointing a leader in office without so much as an internal contest, that remoteness will be felt all the keener'. I fear this will be the norm going forward. Power taken away from the membership and into the hands of party operatives leading to people being appointed unopposed. Nation Cymru did a fine job in reporting the almost daily revelations concerning Gething. Now I hope that this scrutiny will continue with the Baroness.

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Welshman28

I’m sorry to harp on but as what is called I’m a “man in the street” I’m a hard working taxpayer that has lost ever a government should be giving it’s people , this now seals EVERYTHING you want to see we are now run by a dictatorship in Wales . This dictatorship is doing what ever it can either in the public realm or under the carpet out of public gaze to ensure it will never NEVER die out and lock people views/ choices out. In other words shut up and lie down we know better . This has in the public domain proved completely wrong punishing people for the ideas/ideals of personal views of these politicians.

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Ernie The Smallholder

Then you should vote for Plaid Cymru. Because: Only independence will work for Cymru Wales.

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Linda Jones

Too true, Wales is run by an elected dictatorship, a Labour party that will do anything to cling onto power regardless of the impact on the country or the people.

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Nia James

The only solution - the Starmer solution - would be to have Alex Barros-Curtis or Torsten Bell parachuted into the Senedd to take control of the Welshies. That's the New Labour 2.0 dream.

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SundanceKid

Don't encourage them.

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Beau Brummie

Peasants, revolt!

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Rob Pountney

Lee Waters has published this blog, well worth the read... https://amanwy.blogspot.com/2024/07/dygsu-gwersi.html

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includemeout

You're behind the times, Ben. Political parties don't need policies any more; they have "values" now. The great thing about values is that no one expects you to live by them. Instead of trying to solve problems, we can just talk about how unacceptable they are and how angry they make us feel. Values mean that the biggest problem in the world is no longer poverty, war or injustice: it's people thinking the wrong things. We just need to persuade them to think the right things. I think I read on Twitter that an expert with a name like Pshaw has done a study into how to do this. And if we ever do need policies, we can always buy some from lobbyists.

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Stevie

Am I the only one that thinks having a Baroness as the Welsh First Minister absurd?

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Mab Meirion

It trumps a Knight ! 'We' do love our betters, it helps them 'us' being compliant and 'respectful'...

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T3DSK1

Could have been a Bishop

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Linda Jones

The Welsh NHS, run by Morgan, is failing and is the worst in the UK. Why then is she seen as fit to run the country? Clearly its a stitch up and more to do with looking after the Welsh branch of the Labour Party than Welsh people. The sooner this party loses power the better.

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Geraint Hopkins

There seems to be a clamour amongst journalists to draw from the very particular difficulties with Vaughan Gething's situation, to generalise that there is somehow a deepr split in Welsh Labour. There is no such split. The problem has been a relatively simple one, between people willing to give Gething the benefit of the doubt, and those who could see the issue causing longer-term damage. There will be no such issue with Eluned and Huw.

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SundanceKid

I wouldn't bank on that. Eluned Morgan is not popular in Wales and if her party are concerned about the safety of their seats, it won't take long for them to turn on her.

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Linda Jones

The Labour party in Wales have screwed up big time. Worst NHS worst education outcomes and so on. They have to go

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Mab Meirion

The expression 'One door closes and another traps your fingers'* sums this up... Baroness Bumble will be the end of us... *Jim Eldon...

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Andy Williams

The one in five of the people of Wales are on a NHS waiting list, under Eluned Morgan's watch, and all she's concerned with is the unity of the Welsh Labour Party. Words fail me. .She does realise Reform UK, finished second, in 13 constituencies.

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PeterC

In a nation of about 3.5 million, is this failure the best we can do?

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Leave a reply

Replying to Frank Cancel

How about asking the tea lady if she would like a go at being First Minister or, even better, why don’t they ask the Welsh people to vote on it instead of it being an inside “fixed” job.

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