Friday 5 August 2016

Labour Leadership Debate in Cardiff : Wales offered nothing.

Was there any specific question about  Labour's attitude to devolution in lat night  Labour leadership Debate in Cardiff last night?

Owen Smith did mention Ukip winning seven seats in the Welsh Assembly elections but he appears to have tried to blame Mr Corbyn for this rather than the Liassez Faire attitude of colleagues in the Assembly.

If there was any mention of strengthening the Devolution package  then I would expect the Wasting Mule to report it ,

But there seems to have been little mention of Wales from both sides.

In a separate article  Wales Online a issue that does not seem to have been discussed was highlighted 


"However, Mr Smith can expect questions about whether a non-English MP can be Prime Minister at a time when health and education are devolved.
Huw Lewis, an expert in Welsh politics at Aberystwyth University, said: “
"At the moment, particularly London coverage hasn’t really picked up on the fact that he is a Welsh MP representing a Welsh constituency... It will be interesting to see if it comes up as an issue during the debate over the summer...
“One would expect if he does win that it would be something that would become a contentious issue.”
When Stephen Crabb made his  futile attempt to lead the Conservatives amd replace Davis Cameron in number 10 


Tom Newton Dunn, political editor of the Sun said a “senior Tory source” had pointed out a “constitutional problem” with the leadership bid: “As a Welsh MP, he can’t vote for English-only laws”.

Senior Tory source points out a constitutional problem with Crabb's leadership bid: "As a Welsh MP, he can't vote for English-only laws".
So far this has not seemed to be mentioned  in Labour contest but if Mr Owen were to win I bet his current friends in the Unionist Media will be rasing this at the bnext General Election.


I imagine that the devolution question  will be raised with both contenders in Scotland  and it will be interesting to see what they have to offer Wales .

It could well be that we may see both offering concessions to Scotland and England whilst Wales is ignored.

Neither Mr Corbyn or Owen Smith  seem to have come up with any new policy facing the future of the devolved powers and the English Question"?

I suggest that those in Wales and Scotland who have flocked to Mr Corbyn Banner  ask him  where he stands.

We already know where Own Smith stands he clearly would oppose any attempt for Wales to have parity  with Scotland.

At least it saves him from the dilemma  of being the leader of a Party and even Prime Minister and  finding that he has to sit on the government benches when his English MPs vote extended further when Welsh MPs are excluded under even more EVEL.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Corbyn’s welsh lines had to be read from notes and Owen ‘ill say anything to elected’ Smith trotted out the tired old, I’m the heir of Bevan trope, that’s what Wales means to both of them and its times like this when I think us welsh get what we deserve, at least the Scots tried voting for another party and its worked out pretty well for them.

Will Wales ever get there?