By stewartb
The BBC News website’s Wales section has this headline today: ‘Wales held back by UK Tory rule – Labour’s Rayner’. The article reports on Labour’s deputy leader launching the party’e GE campaign in Llandudno.
We learn that she stated the following (with my emphasis and comment):
‘Addressing the launch, Ms Rayner praised the Welsh party’s achievements in government in Cardiff, despite what she labelled “14 years chaos” under the Conservatives at Westminster”. Has Scotland (miraculously) been immune to these 14 years of Westminster-induced chaos?
She then listed Labour’s key achievements as she saw them: “You see what Welsh Labour has done, whether that’s free school meals for primary school children, whether that’s more consultants and nurses in the NHS, free prescriptions here in Wales”.
If that’s the Labour benchmark for praiseworthy achievement during 14 years of Westminster chaos, then the Scottish government’s achievements have been remarkably positive. It just highlights once again the hypocrisy of the Labour Party in Scotland – gaslighting for the Union!
Speaking afterwards, Ms Rayner said “Wales has been held back by the Conservatives in government in the UK.” Is that another way of saying ‘all roads lead back to Westminster’?
Any Union flags on display in Wales?
The Mail Online tells us that ‘Ms Rayner travelled to Llandudno for an event alongside the new First Minister (of Wales), just a week after his Senedd power-sharing agreement with Plaid Cymru collapsed.’ Gosh – power sharing deals end in other parliaments too?
This was under the following long headline: ‘Sharing tips on avoiding a scandal? Angela Rayner backs under-pressure First Minister Vaughan Gething – who faces questions over campaign donations from a convicted criminal -as she launches Welsh Labour election campaign’.
Which party and which part of the UK has a government in ‘crisis’?
There has long been blame laid at Westminster’s door by senior Labour politicians in Wales – and often. Their colleagues in Scotland operate as if similar claims have no justification when made in Scotland: they are able to sustain this and thereby deceive too many in Scotland’s electorate by being shielded by Unionist allies in Scotland’s news media. Below are some illustrative examples (with my emphasis):
- BBC News website (12 December, 2022): ‘Welsh budget: The bleak backdrop to this year’s spending plans’.
On public sector pay in Wales, the BBC reports that: ‘The Welsh government blames Westminster for failing to provide the cash needed to pay people more.’
2) BBC News website (26 September 2023): ‘Drakeford defends child poverty approach after criticism’
‘During Tuesday’s First Minister’s Questions, Mr Drakeford said there was “nothing that has motivated me more” than the issue.’
And ‘He accused Conservative UK ministers of being “determined to do the opposite”, creating “additional headwinds for the things that we want to do”.
3) A view from Carolyn Thomas – Welsh Labour’s North Wales Member of the Senedd (3 February 2024)
‘14 years of austerity politics from Westminster means that public services and local authorities are on their knees. Councils across Wales are facing a funding deficit of £421mn, whilst the Welsh Government’s budget is worth £1.3bn less than it was in 2021, which results in having to constantly do more with less.
‘Couple this with massive inflationary pressures caused by the short-lived but disastrous Truss-Kwarteng premiership, any additional funding is just falling into the black hole of inflation.
‘For local authorities, Council Tax used to contribute 24% of the local authority budget, with the rest made up of grants from central government.
‘Now, 30% of local authority budgets are made up from Council Tax – cuts to government funding have simply resulted in the burden being passed onto households through increased Council Tax bills.
‘Things are made even more difficult in Wales, as the UK Government imposes draconian restrictions on the Welsh Government’s ability to use cheap borrowing to fund capital programmes; whether that be building schools and hospitals, or procuring buses and trains.’
4) The Guardian (26 May 2023): ‘UK government created conditions that led to Cardiff riots, says Mark Drakeford’
‘Exclusive: Welsh first minister points to ‘13 years of erosion’ under Conservatives after unrest that followed deaths of two boys.’
‘The Welsh first minister has accused the UK government of creating the poor social conditions that formed the backdrop to the Cardiff riots by systematically eroding community life, public services and citizens’ incomes.’
5) BBC News website (18 October 2022): ‘Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford loses temper with Tories in Senedd’.
‘Mark Drakeford erupted in anger as he accused (Tory leader in Senedd) Andrew RT Davies’ party of making a mess of the UK’s budget and reputation.’
It’s been going on for some time:
6) BBC News website (18 August 2019:) ‘Morgan blames UK woes for losses
‘Labour has lost control of six councils in Wales in its worst UK electoral performance in 40 years. First Minister Rhodri Morgan said the party was being blamed for economic problems over which it had no control.’
‘Mr Morgan told the BBC Labour’s poor performance was due to UK factors, with unrelenting bad news headlines. “There has been a huge amount of bad news on the economy since the credit crunch and Northern Rock,” he said. “Food and fuel price rises were blamed by many people on the (Welsh) government despite the fact that it had no influence over them,” he said.’
I suspect more digging would reveal more of the same!
Aggregating these statements from leading Labour politicians – and don’t forget Angela Rayner’s statement that “Wales has been held back by the Conservatives in government in the UK” made at a campaign launch event in Llandudno today (24 May) – makes plain the nature and extent of the hypocrisy that underpins Labour’s conduct of politics in the Scottish Parliament.
Labour is not the change Scotland needs. Let’s hope its not the change Scotland wants!
Talking-up Scotland / Facts on NHS, Crime, ferries and everything else you can think of 
But it’s different for Wales. They are held back by a TORY Westminster government. In Scotland, the SNP Government is to blame for everything according to British Labour’s nodding dog Anas Sarwar and his sidekick Dame. I think they just might have nailed their coffin in Scotland with this one. Both Streeting and now Raynor walking a thin line. No wonder Starmer doesn’t want to face the SNP on TV debates. Stephen Flynn would run rings round him and Sunak and how boring would it be with only those two to watch.
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