Wales is going backwards under Labour - I want to put our country's future first

Welcome to this forum, Mr. Davies; a welcome voice of calm and reason alongside some of the left-wing anti-Brexit bluster we see on these pages a lot of the time. I believe that the Conservatives have a key role to play in the future of Welsh politics, but they are not the answer to our problems. The fact that you are shackled to the UK Conservative Party which has been hopelessly compromised since David Cameron's tenure, and the party's long legacy of opposition to any sort of self-determination for Wales - I can't see that ever being overcome. Nevertheless there is a clear need for someone to speak out clearly and strongly against the excesses, incompetencies and general economic folly of Welsh Labour: and while that ought to be Plaid Cymru's job, they have signally and catastrophically failed. Until something better comes along (which I believe it will), the Welsh Conservatives are very much a welcome voice of sanity in Welsh politics.

So will you/the Conservatives be supporting the devolution of e.g. welfare and further powers over tax - given that the biggest correlation for both educational and health out comes is poverty? You can't fix either of those without control of ALL the "economic levers"

I’m sure many in Wales would be tempted to voting for your party if it wasn’t an English nationalist party. It’s should be a natural position for a Country to want to be responsible for itself and its people, but this is Wales. If unionist parties are not open to every single option to improve Wales, then we know where your priority lies. If the whole ‘cost’ of wales to the treasury in the 60’s was £59m, and wales was providing that very treasury with £65m in tobacco tax revenue alone, I’d say we’ve been had for a very long time.

When you look over the border and see the utter contempt shown by the Tories in Westminster to Wales, be it an absolute refusal to scrap the Barnet formula and move to a fairer needs based funding system or the treatment of Wales throughout the Brexit negotiations where the uncertainty is already hurting our core industries and leaving thousands working for industries like Airbus in limbo. The favouritism shown to the DWP and potential disaster of a pro Irish settlement on Wales and the dithering and incompetence on major issues like electrification of rail and hydro power. People are suffering in Wales, our local government and its services are being underfunded into extinction by the Tories in a calculated attempt to undermine local democracy. We don't want Tories in Wales because we have experienced their version of compassion and it's not very nice. We haven't forgotten Thatcher and if anything the present Tory party is far more right wing and much nastier. What Wales wants is fairness and proper funding from Westminster, so we can plan properly for the future. However sincere Mr a Davies may be, never forget he represents a party that treats Wales with hatred and always has. Blue lepoards never change their spots.

There is much in what RT says as Labour has undoubtedly failed in the areas that is has total control. The Conservatives, however, have done themselves no favors with their funding of Welsh needs(as indeed did Labour nationally who took our votes and MP's for granted). Rail investment is an all to visible reminder of what appears to be purposeful contempt for our development needs under a "forever" Labour administration. Turning this on its head, however, suggests that if there was a Conservative majority in The Assembly, funding might increase to make that administration a success! Now that is an interesting thought!

"first and foremost I’m a proud Welshman" "First"? - OK, I will set aside my doubts because we do need a fresh start. "I’m willing to work with those across Wales who share the desire to improve our country for the better." Again, I will take you at your word. Lets see what we can find as common ground. 1. Disappointment that Plaid, which ought to be putting Wales first, has boxed itself into a soft-left and introverted state. Posturing, it will not work with Cons in Wales. But this could change because there is a new Party coming and Leanne Wood is running out of road. 2. As a principle, Wales should raise its own taxes and set its own budget in the Assembly. Hypothecated to Wales, a self-sufficient Wales. Yes, I recognise that there will be a UK/London component to this so that Wales will have to pool taxes eg for some functions for the moment: defence, the £, the Monarchy. But a big step towards Wales keeping its own Income Tax and Vat, a step not the whole leap, would be a very good start. I wonder where'd we'd get on Welfare. Why does that have to be UK wide? Just because Labour likes it? 3. Your colleague Andrew Melding AM has actually seen how devolution can look in Virginia. I know about it in North Carolina. Let's call it Statehood or Dominion Status. Essentially, this is a deal whereby Wales would run its own Budget, legal system, police, courts, NHS, education, and have many of the economic levers. And Wales would leave the £ and the Monarchy and most of foreign affairs to London. And Defence, although Wales could copy N.Zealand and fund its own cruiser in the Royal Navy. Is this so bad, RT? Doesn't ruin your world view, does it? It comes down to this. I think Wales should legislate for a Wales Constitutional Convention, directly elected not appointed, to have a shot at the above. And come up with a Written Constitution providing for Statehood/Dominion Status. This would be a genuine big cross-party gain for Wales. It would release all the talent you mention. I will devise the first outline with your/my colleague David Hughes, because he gets Devolution (Gibraltar etc ) as well Will you do this RT?

Another quote attributed to Einstein (also unverified): You can't solve problems by using the same people who created them". So yes, Mr Davies, it IS time for a change of government. What do you intend to do with the conservatives? The difficulty most people in Wales tend to have is the availability of a viable alternative. Yes the conservatives are the official opposition, but what have you ACTUALLY achieved? Do you really hold the governing party to account? Do you really make Mr Jones feel uncomfortable during his question time? Yes, we should prove that we can use the powers devolved to maximum benefit. So why isn't your party showing how it can be done? Posturing helps nobody. The Assembly or Parliament or whatever the new title assigned is, the matter is, Wales has a weak government - both in power and in opposition. The party who proves its value to me will get my vote. Simple as that.

I don’t interpret this as pro-Tory, I interpret it this as a plea to do what’s right for the country. There is no Good and Evil. There is no Few and Many. There is no original sin in capitalism which darkens your soul. These are Labour concepts used to manipulate people and to make people fight one another and identify as differing and hostile economic classes. Long-term Labour rule in Wales isn’t actually about politics. Actually, it’s symptom of our own prejudices and our inability to move beyond 20th century traumas. For the sake of the country we need to heal those traumas, and that means having the courage to defy the church which Labour has built in this country, by building a cross party understanding to remove Labour from power. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus

"it’s time we saw vast improvement in our country’s fortunes.In our democracy. In our country. In our very own Wales". I'm sure no one here would disagree with those sentiments Andrew but given your party at westminster are presently seemingly using brexit to claw powers back from wales i feel bound to ask how rolling back welsh devolution will help us to bring about an improvement in Wales fortunes? :(

Mr Davies, time waits for no party. Cut the westminster cord, roll your sleaves up. Croeso!

Get stuffed and take your English Colonialism with you!!

A good thought-provoking article. Thank you.

Eos Pengwern, JD “There are so many of us here in Wales who would vote for a centre-right party but can’t vote for a unionist one" So many? It would appear at most 7% minus those from the currently South Wales dominated Plaid fan base which leaves a lot less! The jump from Labour to UKIP was a lot easier to manufacture to a nationalist party. Good luck on that one!

Good to see this. While most of Wales aren't Tories and while historically the Conservatives could hardly be considered pro-Wales, this is a welcome contribution. He's right too in much of what he's written.

The consensus of opinion, then, is that Andrew RT is spot on in his condemnation of Welsh Labour's disastrous rule in this country, and that his wish to make a better job of it within the confines of the current devolution settlement is highly laudable. Ond. Now we come to the point. 1/ Mr. Davies, are you in a position to reign in the Third Sector and to dismantle its symbiotic relationship with Welsh Labour? 2/ Will you find a way of ending the colonial power of the Planning Inspectorate which imposes population transfer into Wales through the building of vast numbers of unaffordable houses in North Wales that are out of proportion to the needs of a relatively small population, and which are bought by English commuters? Scotland has it, why not Wales? 3/ Will you promote, and entrench by law, the teaching of Welsh history in Welsh schools, not least as a means of strengthening their identity as Welsh citizens? Scotland does it, why can't Wales? 4/ Will you address the problem of why so few Welsh businesses are started/owned by Welsh entrepreneurs? 5/ Will you give urgent attention to the Greek tragedy that is the Welsh tourist industry (mostly English-owned, with its profits invested not in Wales but elsewhere; and causing environmental degradation as well as encouraging external population movement into Welsh-speaking areas)? 6/ Can you promise a residency qualification for property-buying, and a Channel Islands-style cheaper price for local house-hunters, as well as guaranteeing them priority in house-buying? 7/ Will you in particular challenge the process whereby English local authorities are able to rehouse high-maintenance English tenants and homeless people in Welsh towns? If the Welsh Conservatives have a solution to these and other specifically Welsh problems, then you will find yourself to be the new First Minister after the next national elections. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus.

My first thought was - how nice to read an article by a politician that doesn't read like he has learned to write from reading committee reports. As for the claim "I believe we can deliver an exciting programme for government which puts the people of Wales first", perhaps you could unpack that programme in a follow up article? Simply replacing the Labour administration with a different one is not enough. One change much needed is a more open, transparent and inclusive democracy where we Y Werin can have our concerns and aspirations heard (see the comment above). You guys need to stop focussing on scoring points against each other and spend more energy working together to score points with us. Another change needed in politics in general is opening up dialogue about values, not just policies. If we can get our values right, the best policies will emanate from a clearer vision and more solid ground - so lacking on modern politics, from Brussels, through London, right on down to Cardiff. As they say, if you don't know where you are going, chances are you won't get there. (By the way, this is the coldest St David's Day I can remember, blydi eira a phopeth!)

You say you can do better, but not once have you said how. All this talk of fresh ideas, where are yours beyond "vote for me"? Carwyn Jones is a neoliberal, the conservatives have decided the solution to neoliberalism is neoliberalism with extra nationalism. Conservative means more of the same, as opposed to progressive. Cut regulation, lower taxes, expect the free market to save the day. We've done that. Time for real change.

Good. Let's start by getting Theresa May to permit Wales to have the same powers that N Ireland and Scotland have.

After such a well thought through and presented article with a majority of comments generally agreeing and posing appropriate questions to Mr Davies, I find it a shame that he has not bothered to respond and address the points raised.