The Soul of Labour

Very perceptive piece. Unfortunately, when Labour lose their seats, they will not recognise that it is the result of decades of complacency at home and lack of interest in London. For Labour in Wales this may well be an existential issue.

There are decent people in Welsh Labour whose values are compatible with Plaid Cymru. The only significant difference in a great many cases is the constitutional position. Those folk should understand that support for the UK State is to perpetuate an imperial construct whose constitutional and economic model is detrimental to Wales. The progressive position is to replace the UK with a confederal union fit for purpose. Welsh Labour members should ask themselves if their party delivers the democracy and economy Wales needs. If not, should they not join Plaid Cymru?

Welsh Labour's only hope is to break away from London and hold the 'user-friendly-focus-driven-travesty-of-a-sham' to account, and start acting like a coalition partner rather than a doormat. Stand not upon the order of your going... Leave now and make Welsh Labour proper Welsh. Right now they are WINOs : Welsh In Name Only. People want change for the better. They elected Labour and got Starmer's Tory Light. Either Welsh Labour make a stance or it's game over for them here. Just what people like Nigel-Cosplay-Farago want.

Currently being in power is the kiss of death in the UK. If you look at all governments for the past 10 years,their popularity plummets within a few months of coming to power. In my view, the UK is slowly becoming ungovernable. The current situation in the UK is you can't invest in public services, keep taxes low, keep migration low and grow the economy at the same time. I would take issue with the comment about torsten bell. In my view he is just the sort of person you want in parliament - and far more active as a local MP than many of the Welsh born and bred ones! And it's not like there hasn't been many Welsh born-MPs representing English constituencies. We just need talented people in parliament.

Welsh Labour badly needs an injection of new talent. Perhaps the enlargement of the Senedd will bring some more energetic voices to the fore.

'Whilst Mark Drakeford garnered some coverage during the pandemic ...' In fairness to him, I think he garnered a fair amount: more than his predecessors, it seemed to me, and largely favourable. I recall him being interviewed, in pretty much the same week, on the BBC's 'Good Morning, Britain' and by James O'Brien on LBC - both UK-wide news and current affairs programmes. And being lauded by both interviewers for being that rare phenomenon, a politician who actually answered the questions posed by the interviewer rather than veering into re-parroting whatever the government's 'key message of the week' happened to be.

UK Labour have completely failed Wales and treats it as little more than a dumping ground for English careerist MPs seeking safe seats. Just look at how they have disregarded local opinion and installed Tristan Bell in a Swansea seat, as well as others who have no connection whatsoever with Wales and show no inclination to embrace Welsh culture. We have Stephen Kinnock, who speaks five languages but is not interested in even trying to learn Welsh. The only time that this man seems to mention Wales is when he condemns those who support independence. With few exceptions, most Welsh Labour MPs show no interest in Wales and seem to regard it as just another region of the UK. They would never try to get away with such apathy in Scotland because they would have the SNP to deal with. This is partly why believing that two Labour governments on both sides of the border help Wales is entirely false. Despite the spin, we have seen no difference in anything from when the Tories were in charge in Westminster, whether it be, for example, improvements to the Barnet formula, a fair HS2 rail settlement for Wales, or parity with Scotland on the Royal Estates. In many ways, we have lost out, such as, according to Drakeford, the shortfall in the NI changes in the UK Budget in November.

Labour lost its soul many moons ago. Quisling Neil Kinnock started the rot when he became Labour leader in 1983. Who can forget his act of treachery when in 1979 he persuaded Wales reject devolution promising investment and a land of milk and honey only to facilitate 18 years of Thatcherism that devastated the mining communities and later was rewarded with a peerage by the English establishment. And less we forget. The very same Neil Kinnock that accepted a peerage in the 1970s perched on his soap box calling for the House of Lords to be abolished. Hypocrisy personified. I'm alright Jack, I've just boarded the gravy train with my family. So FM Eluned Morgan can try all she likes to put clear red water between her party and the more alt-right UK Labour in London, but it won't work I'm afraid. Keir Starmer cares more about his ego than he does righting any wrongs or listening to his branch office junior in Cardiff Bay. See, Eluned you are not Keir Starmer's equal. To him you are merely a secretary there to type and to serve him coffee. Either separate from English Labour, lead an independent party like Rhun ap Iorwerth does Plaid Cymru , or remain as you are. A soon-to-be unemployed Welsh Labour puppet on Whitehall's string.