Following my question yesterday on when exactly the Lord Roberts report was going to be published, if ever, the arch villain of devolution David Davies has once again demonstrated the huge splits that are evident in the Tory party when it comes to further powers.
It must be very frustrating for Nick Bourne, who has actively tried courting Plaid Cymru supporters, to read that one of his parties Welsh MP’s has vowed to lead the No Campaign. Surely there is a need for Cheryl Gillan and David Cameron to act once and for all to give a definitive position for the party in Wales.
The confusion voters will have, not to mention party members, when they see Nick Bourne campaigning for further powers whilst David Davies and his fellow MP’s take the opposite stance only tarnishes the Conservative position in a future Parliament for Wales.
I believe a referendum for further powers will be successful with or without the Tories. Certainly it was in creating the Assembly. However I think it would fair better and would have a greater platform if all political parties in Wales were to stand united. I think it is vital for the Tories also to have a legitimate mandate to serve in any future parliament that they did not oppose it. Either way whatever their stance they should make it clear. Playing both sides of the divide will do nothing for public confidence in their position.
When all is said and done David Cameron must decide who runs the party in Wales. Is it Nick Bourne and the Assembly group or the Welsh MP’s bitterly opposed to devolution?
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11 comments:
What a mess - apart from Glyn Davies, I'm not convinced there's anyone in the Tory Party that wants more Welsh democracy.
Listening to David Davies at the moment on the Richard Evans show and he is throwing around some bizare claims. Helen Mary Jones has just given him a bit of a dressing down for his claims the One Wales Convention is a publicly funded yes campaign. He also claims most people are against further powers, yet opinion polls consistently show increased support for it. It is marginal but that support also is in the majority.
Indeed ardibeltza Glyn is valiant in his position but he really is only kidding himself these days if he believes there is a consensus amongst the Tory party in support of further powers. Its time they started being honest with the electorate and stopped trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
It must be frustrating to Plaid, what with Adam Price propositioning the Tories that Plaid would prop them up in the event of a hanged parliament, in exchange for greater devolution.
Hatred for the Tories runs deep in the welsh working class, and rightly so. Forming alliances with the Tories can only be branded as scabbing.
I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that I "hate" the Tories. I disagree with their position on most things. However, I don't think you can be a responsible politician in today's political climate in Wales without entertaining the idea of working with other parties. I would think slightly less of Plaid members if they were not open to working with other parties if there was an opportunity to create a better Wales. That’s why Plaid is in Government with Labour at the moment.
All I am saying here is that the Tories real position on devolution is still to be decided and they are fast approaching the point were neutral statements will not suffice, especially when they have prominent MP's making their anti devolution statements clear.
Why has Glyn Davies not made any comments on this issue?
I would not expect Glyn to have to justify David Davies comments. Certainly with the prominence of his blog and as a Conservative member with very altering views I would expect Glyn to air his views. I would find it disappointing if he didn’t. Having said that it is not Glyn’s place to always be the lone defender of devolution for the Tories. Glyn after all (until the next election at least) is no more than a rank and file party activist. He has his voice but it is not an elected member to counter act David Davies.
The role of putting forward the voice of devolution in the Tory party should be that of Nick Bourne’s. I find it very puzzling that in the past when David Davies and the other Welsh Tory MP’s have made such anti-devolution statements the parties “so-called” leader in Wales has always remained silent. If he is committed to the devolution of further powers and has the backing of his bosses then I can’t see why he wouldn’t produce an alternate view and state that Davies does not officially speak for the Tories.
Ardibeltza - that's where you are totally wrong! Welsh Conservatives are pro-devolution. We want to make devolution work for Wales. In the Assembly and in local government.
We were only a whisker from going into government with Plaid Cymru and we work in coalition with Plaid in councils all over Wales. We are trusted by Plaid otherwise they would not work with us, now would they?
You say that Cerys yet your party MP's are starting a No campaign to further devolution, your party has no policy on the issue and your leader Nick Bourne is totally isolated on the issue. The only person backing him is Glyn Davies who currently has no clout as an elected member.
We have an MP (singular) and a pretty well know sceptic on lots of things. David will be David! We all know his views and we are a very broad church!
Nick has made his position on devolution very clear indeed. He told the Tory Party Conference, Bournemouth, October 2006 that he would "push the boundaries of devolution as far as they will go".
No one can dispute he hasn't!
i think the fact he has not condemned David davies, the fact there remains no policy on devolution, the fact that there is no publication of the Lord roberts report would all suggest otherwise
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