| “An Ongoing Sense of Insurgency” |
A Political Diary |
| Five Interesting Things In First Quarter of 2025 , Political Life of Wales , March 31, 2025 |
The downside to fixed-term elections is that they loom too large too soon. That of 7th May 2026 looks set to be one of significance. It dominates discussion. 6th January: Lee Waters opened the new year with a pertinent question. “How do you respond to populism? How can a Government of the left combine an ongoing sense of insurgency with the reality of making the compromises necessary with being in power? “Eluned Morgan’s analysis is that removing the drag of unpopular policies that do not align with the people’s priorities should be combined with a sharper focus on better communication of a smaller number of simple messages. “I do think we've got a challenge in terms of how we communicate and how we reach into people's lives” Eluned Morgan said. “A range of measures that had been developed under Mark Drakeford’s Government were quickly jettisoned - proposals to alter the school year to help reduce the disruption to disadvantaged pupils from having to catch-up after school holidays; measures to legislate for positive gender discrimination in the electoral system; conditions to require farmers to plant trees in exchange for public funding; investment in cycling infrastructure was scaled back in favour of filling potholes. “The risk with this approach is that it does nothing to challenge the perception that after over a Century as the dominant party in Wales the Labour Party is seen as the establishment and simply seeks to manage the status quo. It does not pass Torsten Bell’s insurgents test.” https://amanwy.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-to-be-popular-wicked-welsh-issue.html * * * * 29th January: The Senedd debated the cuts and closures proposed for Cardiff University. Vikki Howells: “I'd like to stress that, at challenging times such as this, I would expect institutions to adhere to the principles of social partnership, and that the trade unions and the affected workforce are involved and engaged in the proposed restructuring process, and that students affected by the proposed changes are fully supported.” “I do recognise that the uncertainty is going to cause anxiety for many staff and students. It's essential that proper support for mental health and well-being is available to all those affected, and I know that trade unions and student unions will be making every effort to put that support in place. “The most important point, Llywydd, that I'd like to place on record in this Chamber this afternoon is that we need to see a review of how the HE sector is funded across the UK as a whole. That needs to take into account factors such as the impact of Brexit, changes to visa requirements, the importance of international partnerships and those UK Treasury rules that govern the student finance system, all of which are not in our hands in Wales. “I understand that some work is ongoing in the UK Government, and I expect the Welsh Government to have the opportunity to contribute to this review so that any findings are relevant to the needs of Wales, which will of course always be my primary concern. In fact, I spoke with the UK Government Minister for higher education earlier today to make these points, and we have further meetings arranged early next week to discuss this in more detail. “I do recognise, of course, the financial pressures that HEIs in Wales are under. Welsh Ministers, officials and Medr will continue regular constructive engagement with sector leaders on this. “So, we must work closely with the UK Government on developing a funding system for higher education that's sustainable, and works for universities, for students and for staff. “And finally you asked about the wider impact of the proposals on Cardiff and the region. I've no doubt that responses to the consultation will focus on seeing these changes in terms of their impact on Cardiff and on Wales as a whole, which will of course then be for the university to take into account in their final decisions. “But I bring you back to what I’ve already said is the most important point that I want to make in the Chamber today, that the answers to these problems, which are significant problems—these answers are found in a review of the higher education sector across the UK. And I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to discuss that with my UK counterpart, Jacqui Smith, this morning, and that she has agreed that the Welsh Government can work with the UK Government on that review, so that any findings are relevant to the needs of Wales, which will always be my primary concern. “I am sure that I have placed on record as well how important the sector is to us here in Wales, and my intention to work as closely with them as possible to support them. And I'm confident that we are doing all we can as a Welsh Government here to support that sector. “I am open to any and all discussions on the wider context of higher education, how the sector is funded and how we can ensure that there is a sustainable system moving forward. So, I am really keen, anxious and looking forward to those discussions that myself and my officials will be having with the UK Labour Government.” https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/14809#C649210 Comment: The Vice-chancellor within days of her arrival in Wales declared that the financing system was unsustainable. As an executive body they are instigating changes which, to their view, look to the institution's solvency and future thriving. The Minister produces standard phrasing “support”, “partnership”, “do all we can”. There is no action, beyond, three times repeated, meetings to be held in Whitehall. * * * * 3rd February: Welsh Parliament Finance CommitteeScrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 “Our task as a Committee was to consider whether the Welsh Government’s funding proposals matches that rhetoric. However, in a number of areas, we found them to be empty words. “All too often, we found that the Welsh Government’s plans lacked focus and clarity and our report identifies a number of key areas where improvements are required. “We are also disappointed with the insufficient focus given by the Welsh Government to tackle issues around performance and productivity across public services, and agree with stakeholders that there is a need for radical honesty within government to grapple with these issues.” https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-government-budget-promises-are-empty-words-senedd-committee/ * * * * 2nd March: Simon Hart “Sunday Supplement” “Happy to accept the outcome of the referendum. If you devolve power without responsibility. Welsh government has significant power over some key public services. What it doesn't do though is have responsibility to raise the money from tax-payers in Wales to pay for that. Granting decisions with none of the responsibility of having to explain to businesses and families of how this is going to be paid for gives rise to being able to make promises that they know they are not going to be able to keep. I'm not sure the architects of devolution had that necessarily in mind.” * * * * 25th March: Welsh Government “This guidance is for registered political parties and is voluntary. We hope however that parties standing candidates at Welsh elections will take the suggested actions as part of their commitment to achieving our shared aim of creating a more diverse Senedd.” https://www.gov.wales/diversity-and-inclusion-guidance-registered-political-parties-html A guide to the sequence "A Political Diary" can be seen in the first link below. |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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