Friday 26 September 2008

Friday Quiz

Which Welsh politician said this week:

that the National Assembly should have "more powers to keep money in Wales for Wales"?

that the National Assembly should have a "strong and equal relationship with Westminster"?

that the National Assembly should "demand our fair share"?

that the National Assembly should be able "to levy a small charge on some of the companies that use us as a gateway"? (Tax-raising powers, by another name, although I'm not entirely sure that I understand what the sentence means).

that the National Assembly should be able to "give the less well off the opportunity to get help and money without being made to feel that they have to beg for it"? (Control over Social Security and Benefits?)

Other than the bit about increasing business taxes (Plaid policy is to decrease them), these statements could easily have been made by a Plaid politician – but they weren't. No, this is none of the usual suspects. These are all statements made by the Tory Shadow Finance spokesperson in the National Assembly, in an interview with a Liberal Democrat blogger.

Could this be an advance preview of the content of the Lord Roberts' report which has been sitting on Cameron's desk for months? Or perhaps an attempt to bounce the Conservative Party into a more radical stance which goes way beyond anything included in the Government of Wales Act 2006?

Somehow, I doubt it. But I look forward to hearing the response of Conservative Central Office.

11 comments:

Rhetoric Innes said...

Crumbs John I've got a name. You and me get on alright.

John Dixon said...

Bob,

No slight intended. Oversight more than conspiracy!

Anonymous said...

What makes you think Conservative Central Office could give a flying f***?

Anonymous said...

Someone gives a flying f*** - she's had to retract her statement because she was, er, um, obviously not expecting it to be taken seriously.

John Dixon said...

Tom Benyon,

Given the low level of Tory interest in Wales in general, perhaps you're right to ask that question.

There is no coherent Tory policy on Wales, and no sign of any urgent desire to develop one, so I suppose their spokespeople have little guidance to follow. Even so, allowing them to just make it up as they go would seem to me to be a strange way to proceed.

Anonymous said...

But isn't she a rather low-level representative? Can't expect a party to agonise over something said by a person just above county councillor status.

John Dixon said...

You're right, of course. That's a fair description of the status that Assembly Members have within the English Conservative Party.

Doesn't sit well, though, with their attempts to tell us that they really do take Wales seriously.

Anonymous said...

Oh, sorry. Are they more important than that?

John Dixon said...

Who - AM's or the English Conservative Party? My answer is yes to the first, and no to the second.

Anonymous said...

Got a bit of a fixation with the Tories, haven't you? Inferiority complex, is it? Do try to get over it.

John Dixon said...

Anon,

Thanks for a positive contribution to discussion.