Issue 17—May 2009 Assembly Bwletin Cynulliad On the agenda this month: Welsh Labour Party Conference: “We will grow not cut our way out of recession” ‐ Gordon Brown Plaid Cymru Party Conference: Prime Minister “Did nothing” to prevent the coun‐ try’s current financial woes—Elfyn Llwyd Welsh Conservative Party Conference: Increased Devolution? “Let’s make what we have now actually work” ‐ David Cameron Welsh Liberal Democrat Party Conference: “Wales deserves better leadership” ‐ Kirsty Williams The Assembly Government will have to come to terms with a £416m hole in its funds over the coming years, following the UK Budget on April 22. The cuts, at UK Government level, will mean the Assembly Government has to make savings and bring to end the boom in public spending since the Welsh Assembly was founded in 1999. Shadow Welsh Secretary, Cheryl Gillan MP, argued that the Budget ought to bring “a shift away from expensive gimmicks and giveawaysʺ. The As‐ sembly Government has already promised to “stretch the Welsh pound”. It will have to make difficult decisions in its spending priorities over the next few years. Assembly Bwletin Cynulliad is a joint initiative between Grayling Political Strategy and the Institute of Welsh Affairs, bringing you the ABC of Welsh politics every month. Institute of Welsh Affairs Grayling Political Strategy 4 Cathedral Road 2 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Cardiff, CF11 9LJ Cardiff Bay, CF10 4DQ Tel: 029 2066 0820 Tel: 029 2046 2507 Welsh Labour Party Conference Grayling Political Strategy best party to lead the country out of recession. The Welsh Labour Spring Party Conference had a great deal of importance attached to it this year, with This strategy was also re‐iterated in speeches by speeches from Gordon Brown and John Prescott, and Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Paul Murphy. a rallying cry to party activists from Harriet Harman, Gordon Brown on the eve of Conference noted “we aiming to lift the party after recent reports of floun‐ will grow not cut our way out of recession” in con‐ dering popular support. With the backdrop of pre‐ trast to the supposed Conservative approach of “cut, dicted Labour losses on the UK level in upcoming cut and cut”, and Harriet Harman charted Labour’s European Union elections, and new figures showing economic achievements in defence of Labour’s ability that the UK’s economy has suffered its worst six to manage the economy in the future. Against the im‐ months on record, the mood of the conference was age of what Paul Murphy called a “do‐nothing” Tory appropriately sombre. party, Harriet Harman ar‐ In what was possibly Rhodri Morgan’s last speech as gued that “the Welsh leader before he is expected to step down this divide be‐ Autumn, he portrayed Labour as the party of invest‐ tween Labour ment and “efficiency savings” (not cuts). The main and the Tories thrust of his attack was against the Conservatives he has never also spoke on Welsh Labour’s investment in ProAct been starker and ReAct schemes for redundancy avoidance and and clearer”. training subsidies for the unemployed, arguing that Labour had a strong investment record and were the Plaid Cymru Party Conference Grayling Political Strategy ing on the ‘bread and butter’ issues rather than talk of Plaid Cymru stressed their ‘Vision’ for the future of increasing powers in Wales. The party hit back at Wales at their spring party conference, held at the these claims, arguing that the recession only increases University of Wales Institute Cardiff during April. the necessity for further devolution in Wales. The Recent internal disagreements over University top‐up Leader of Plaid Cymru, Ieuan Wyn Jones attacked fees were brushed to one side, as the party presented Gordon Brown and “Westminster’s obsession with a united front. Over the course of the weekend, the the city” and declared that the proposed stimulus by party continued to assert that the way forward was Plaid is “targeted at real jobs in the real economy not an independent Wales, with Adam Price, the party’s at banks”. There was further criticism of Brown from Director of Elections, noting that “there is nothing Westminster group leader Elfyn Llwyd who claimed more empowering than being the author of your own that the Prime Minister “did nothing” to prevent the destiny and that is where we want this nation to be”. country’s current financial woes. Members of the opposition parties have however Welsh Assembly Government Legislation Update criticised the Proposed Education (Wales) Measure focus on Welsh Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Children, Education, Life‐ independence at long Learning and Skills introduced the proposed meas‐ the conference. ure on the 27 April 2009. Many suggested The purpose of the measure is to extend children’s enti‐ tlement by providing them with rights to make special that due to the educational needs appeals and claims of disability dis‐ crimination to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal present financial for Wales. crisis politicians The proposed measure has been referred to Legislation should be focus‐ Committee No. 3 for consideration. Welsh Conservative Party Conference Grayling Political Strategy Cardiff Bay. However he dismissed calls for increased During the last weekend of March, the Swalec Sta‐ devolution in Wales, saying instead that it was impor‐ dium in Cardiff hosted the tant to “make what we have now actually work”. Welsh Conservative Spring Conference. If anything can The current global economic crisis was also a topic of be read into the presence of great discussion at the Welsh Conservative Conference David Cameron and many this year. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne MP la‐ of his Shadow Cabinet at mented the state of the UK’s public finances, an inheri‐ the Conference, it’s that the tance that a possible future Conservative government party are clearly not under‐ could surely do without. estimating the importance of Wales if they are to be Closing the Conference, Welsh party leader Nick successful in the UK Gen‐ Bourne announced party proposals for a £53m rate eral Election. Speaking at the conference, David Cam‐ plan to aid struggling Welsh businesses, claiming eron put forward plans to increase ties between West‐ the proposal could help as many as 90,000 firms across minster and the National Assembly with the sugges‐ Wales. He assured that small businesses would be a tion of holding an annual UK Prime Minister’s ques‐ priority if the Welsh Conservatives win the next As‐ tion time with Assembly Members to take place in sembly elections. Welsh Liberal Democrat Party Conference Institute of Welsh Affairs A Welsh Liberal Democrat government in Wales Elsewhere the Liberal Democrats’ Shadow Secretary of would offer ‘liberal values’ of liberty, democracy and State for Wales, Roger Williams, attacked Plaid Cymru fairness, said Kirsty Williams, the party’s Welsh for being “gutless” on devolution in Wales. This criti‐ leader. Speaking in Cardiff at the climax of the party’s cism caused Adam Price, to respond on his blog by Spring conference in mid‐April, she said: ”Wales de‐ saying that “the thought of Roger as the new Lib Dem serves better leadership. Leadership that in power attack dog fills me more with a sense of disbelief than never forgets the people who put them there. Leader‐ fear I have to admit.” ship that doesn’t just talk about ‘being on your side’ but demonstrates this through all that it does.” Motions passed during the conference proposed meas‐ ures to keep Welsh families in their homes by support‐ The weekend was one spent on the offensive, portray‐ ing mortgage holders in arrears and calls for the devo‐ ing the Welsh Liberal Democrats as a credible alterna‐ lution of powers over policing and prisons as soon as tive to either a Conservative, Labour or Plaid Cymru possible. administration. Kirsty Williams drew applause from the conference audience when she called for an end to the “tired old politics of spin, sleaze and smear”. She also criticised the Plaid Cymru and Labour coalition government’s priorities, saying that the Assembly Government used public money to plant a tree for every newborn or adopted child while not funding more specially‐trained nurses to care for those chil‐ dren. European Parliament Elections Factoid On the 4 June votes will be gathered from 7am to 10pm in the UK for the European Parliament elections . Results will be announced on 7 June. Next month Bwletin will report on Wales’ newly elected MEP’s, who they are and what they say will they do for the country! IWA and Grayling’s recent activity The Institute of Welsh Affairs publications…. Keep your ear to the ground with Grayling Political Strategy…… English is a Welsh Language: Television’s Crisis in Wales Located in the heart of Cardiff Bay, Grayling Political Strategy is one of Wales’ leading public affairs consul‐ As technology and market forces radically change the tancies offering: world of television, regional broadcasting has been the biggest casualty. This collection of articles ‐ edited by Strategic political support – senior counsel, sub‐ Geraint Talfan Davies ‐ reminds us that TVʹs mirror to missions to consultations, stakeholder manage‐ the Welsh nation must not be further clouded, let alone ment discarded. £9.99 (discount to IWA members) Monitoring and analysis of the Welsh political environment Putting Wales in the Driving Seat Organisation and delivery of campaigns This report, commissioned by the All‐Wales Convention, Media relations support and media training explores what legislative opportunities would accrue to Wales as a result of moving to Part 4 of the 2006 Wales Crisis management and events Act, following a yes vote in a referendum. The report argues that more strategic and holistic legislation could Connections with colleagues in London, Brussels result.