Caerphilly’s Labour Party candidate for the Welsh Assembly Election today launched his campaign with the backing of First Minister Carwyn Jones.
St Cattwg councillor Hefin David was flanked by Wayne David MP and departing AM Jeff Cuthbert as he spoke to party activists at the Twyn in Caerphilly town.
Before canvassing in the town, Hefin David said: “I was born in Caerphilly Miners’ Hospital and went to school in Bargoed, at Heolddu. I’m really pleased to say I did my education here, I did my degree in Cardiff, and I’ve stayed here.
“If people want to stay in Caerphilly they should be able to find meaningful work and we will help them find meaningful work.”
Labour launched the campaign after a dismal General Election result across the UK, with the Welsh Assembly Election in May the next test for the party.
First Minister Carwyn Jones admitted the General Election was “difficult” but said the Welsh Government is performing well.
He said: “Education figures are improving rapidly and we’ve seen the best investment figures that we’ve had for 13 years.”
Mr Jones promised a “new and refreshing manifesto in May” and said Hefin David will “make a strong mark on the Assembly for years to come”.
Labour lost votes to UKIP in the General Election in May, with the Eurosceptic party coming second to Wayne David in Caerphilly and third overall in Wales.
Mr Jones said: “People have to realise that UKIP is a party controlled completely outside of Wales.
“Their leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, was appointed by Nigel Farage, not elected.”
He added that they are standing failed General Election candidates for the Assembly and said the people of Wales don’t want “has-beens”.
Mr David said he would win voters back from UKIP “by meeting with them and talking to them and hearing their concerns”.
He said: “Without the EU diverting money from Kent to Wales, we wouldn’t have Jobs Growth Wales and other projects that Wales relies upon.”
Mr Jones also stressed that the Assembly Election campaign is being led by Welsh Labour.
He said Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader created a “large amount of enthusiasm in the party that needs to be translated to the wider public”.
Mr David said: “The Welsh focus is enormously important to me, that’s why Carwyn is here at the launch, not Jeremy Corbyn.”
He said his campaign will focus on the future of the NHS, education standards and a fighting cuts, while also supporting the South Wales Metro that will “help with developing home building” and the local economy.
Mr Cuthbert, who announced he was standing down as AM for Caerphilly last year, thanked party members for their support through his time as AM.
He said: “It is absolutely crucial, not just for Caerphilly but for the whole of Wales, that we secure another Labour Government in Cardiff Bay.
“I’ve known Hefin for many, many, years and Hefin will be an enthusiastic and eager candidate and would represent the people of this constituency with enthusiasm and integrity.”
Asked to respond to the claims some UKIP candidates are “has -beens”, Sam Gould, UKIP’s 2016 Assembly Election campaign chief, who is seeking candidacy in Caerphilly and on the regional list, said: “The largest swing in any constituency in the General Election was to UKIP in Caerphilly and we’ve seen a surge in membership in Caerphilly.
“I’m confident we will do extremely well in Caerphilly and throughout Wales in May.”
It sounds to me as if Sam Gould, probable UKIP candidate for the Assembly elections, has scared the Labour Party to death. He was supported by the biggest voting swing of any constuency outside Scotland in the general election and I back him to win the Assembly Seat if the party selects him.
It is too late for Labour to now say they are willing to listen to concerns of voters over Europe, jobs, immigration levels and many other matters. I have tried to engage in discussion, one to one, with many Labour politicians and their attitude has been one of “we are right, you are wrong”. It is wonderful the effect fear of losing has had upon them, too little, too late perhaps?
Quite right!
I do not buy this at all. It was only a few months ago they were spouting out the line about taking the fight to UKIP, and standing up to UKIP’s argument. Have Labour finally given u trying to persuade people who support what UKIP stands for that only Labour is right?
This attempt will be a disaster. UKIP mainly wants to control Europe and immigration: both at odds with Labour. Then there is UKIP’s support for grammar schools, lower taxes, rolling back the state, and increased defence spending – again, all the opposite of what Labour promoted.
That’s a bit of a cheek! Labour throwing stones at UKIP for “appointments ” when at least UKIP are appointing their own people and not having them appointed by the unions.
They will in no way listen to the electorate as they are convinced they know better than the plebeians that vote for them. Communists rarely listen to the proletariat and prefer to sneer at them instead. This is nothing more than lip service from worried Blairites that are desperate to fiddle whilst Rome burns because actually doing something would lose them their comfy lifestyle.
Well I’ve got news for the new old guard of labour, either you get rid of Corbyn or swim along with him. The mans views are total anathema to the general public but he is just as oblivious to this as you are to your own disconnect.
There is no way on the good lords green earth that you will ever listen and bend your ear to the UKIP supporters of Caerphilly as they are socially conservative blue collar working class voters. To do this would be totally contradictory to both Blarite and Corbynite values regardless of the fact that these are the views of the majority of British people let alone the voting public of a small Welsh town called Caerphilly.
Sometimes I wonder if these people have been replaced by automatons or even aliens as in the 80’s movie “They live”.
For fear of entering combat, and I have no intention of doing so with you on your views, you are wrong, IN FACT at least on one point in respect to Hefin David, the rest of the comment is simply `opinion`.
The fact you have completely wrong, (in respect to Hefin David) is that you say, “Labour throwing stones at UKIP for “appointments ” when at least UKIP
are appointing their own people and not having them appointed by the
unions”, .This Candidate was NOT appointed by the Unions, he was, IN FACT `elected` to the prospective candidature role by a hustings meeting of all Labour Members in the Islwyn and Caerphilly Constituencies, he stood with five other people and won on the first round of votes of ordinary labour members from Streets, Roads, and Avenues up and down the valley. He is an `elected ` candidate, not `appointed` by any body, least of all the Trade Unions. However there is course a perfectly legitimate role for Trade Unions, Trade Unions are simply a representative organised body working on behalf of their members, no more no less. The fact that some `fear` them is amusing. I happen to think that UKIP has done the Labour movement a favour at least in Wales, it has woken them up, it has energised labour party members, the fact UKIP is there has also galvinised and electrified grass roots members and has ignited many `dormant` members into activity, and, together with the Election of Jeremy Corbyn (soon to be a Privy Counsellor) as the leader of the Queens Official Opposition in the UK Parliament all contribute to a new refreshed Welsh Labour Party, not to mention the thousands of new labour members who will all support Candidates Like Hefin David came next May`s election,.
You are right in certain respects I will admit. I did write an opinion, which I am entitled to and it is an opinion borne out of perception as all opinions are. Doesn’t make a difference but I can give you hard facts if you like.
Ref: Tony Blair. That should be enough for you.
That’s great to hear that Hef has been chosen in this way but that doesn’t mean that labour have always appointed their people in this manner does it? They do have a bit of form on this don’t they? So my point stands.
I myself am a union member, always have and always will be. I was unite for many years but since that meddling, power hungry, indignant, self righteous, corrupt, election rigging(his own and Labours) megalomaniac really got into his stride I jumped ship.
Unions should not be so influential in party politics as it undermines that party which already has a leadership which is responsible for its own actions not dictates that come from another source.
The stuff about some sort of renascence is just wishful thinking.
This is a perfect demonstration of the issue of Trade Union paranoia which is alive and kicking, as I said. probably fed by fear. Trade Unions of course should be influential in politics, they represent millions of workers and therefore speak for them, if a time does come when they no longer do that then you would be correct in banishing them from the political scenary, until then like it or lump it they are there and they will play a proper and active role in the Labour movement representing thier members.
I agree Tref that the unions should be influential in politics, at least in Labour politics, as it is them who set up and pay for the Labour party.
Having said that it is a dishonest fabrication for Labour party representatives to say that UKIP is “controlled completely outside of Wales” as whoever stands for election fo UKIP will have been elected at a hustings meeting of the relevant local branch party members, not appointed by Nigel Farage, or even Nathan Gill.
I expect many more slurs like this from the Labour party in the coming months as they are losing the battle and I look forward to a very different make at the Welsh Assembly come next May. With a healthy influx of UKIP AMs we can look forward to seeing improvement in the Welsh NHS and education rather than a bunch of Labour and Plaid AMs congratulating eachother on how well they are performing.
I’m afraid you are confusing the position of representing their members and interfering in the dynamics of a particular political party. Trade unions represent their members and the Labour Party represent the wishes of their members and voters. These two groups of people are not synonymous with each other. Of course there are plenty of people in both camps but that is not the case with the majority. As such one or all trade unions have no right to force an agenda on a political party as that party has many more people to consider as well.
It would be like suggesting that the Labour Party should dictate the actions of any or all trade unions, how would that fly with you?
Trade union paranoia? Are you accusing me of some sort of pathology because I question the influence of trade unions in the political sphere? Echoes of the Soviet Union methinks.
Again, in fear of you and I entering into combat, again you fail to
recognise that trade unions founded The Labour Party, why on earth
should The Labour Party, and I don’t know if you are suggesting this, not
allow them, collectively, to play a proportionate role in the
organisation of the movement they established on behalf of those members
it represents?.
There was a time, I agree, when it appeared
that the Trade Unions usurped a hugely disproportionate influence on
the Party, its organisation and its policies. That imbalanced influence
has been removed, the fact is that their members, one by one, hold the
power of votes within the Labour Party. If they are not members or
affiliated members of the Labour Party they cannot have a vote in the
Labour Party registered in their name.
The influence of the
collective ( Trade Union) can of course encourage those of its members
who do not pay the political levy, or, decide to become an affiliate, to
become members and support labour. The choice remains with the
individual, the old argument about the Block Vote is gone. The fear of
the disproportionate influences of Trade Unions is no longer there in
the Labour Party, in fact, the appeal of support for Jeremy Corbyn was
nothing at all to do with the Unions, it was down to the support of
Labour Supporters who have nothing to do with Trade Unions at all.
The
fear of the Trade Unions by those who oppose them is fuelled by the
fact that they help finance the Labour Party by the collection of
political levies from its members, they act as efficient recruiters for
membership of the party, and they are a very efficient collective of
organised, and influential cooperatives who effectively opposes the
political ideological dismantling of many of good things which effect their
members, their members families, and the communities in which their
members live, by other political parties and governments. Those who oppose them are on a looser, get over it, but,
certainly expound the lot of the politics you support, but I don’t
recognise much of that from you. If you did that of course it would then
invite the opposing political groups to be properly judged, and invite comment on your brand of party politics, and against what Labour stands for, much better than the
distorted uninformed attack you made on the way you (thought) Hefin
David was `appointed` to the role he has taken on. If I remember the
facts correctly, Dr Hefin David BScEcon in Economics and Politics. MSc
Econ European Policy.GPCE University of Wales. PhD University Of
Gloucestershire.Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. CIPD Academic
Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development was
elected on the first ballot of members by 56/57% of all labour members
in the Islwyn and Caerphilly Constituencies, and not a union block vote
in sight.
I am perfectly aware of how the Labour Party was formed thank you.
You talk of the influence of the unions on labour as if it were a thing of the past, again I accuse you of wishful thinking. Union selection of candidates is rife among the Labour Party which is what I was referring to in my original post if you care to re-read it carefully. I mentioned nothing of hefins selection just a generalisation of labours past and present form. You do not need to list Hefins accomplishments, I’m sure they are great, greater than mine and not yours to bandy about to add sophistic padding to your argument.
Please stop accusing me of having a pathology because I question union influence on party politics, it shows moral vanity and I have nothing to get over I just have a different viewpoint to you.
There are two more points in your post I would like to pick up on if you don’t mind?
Firstly you now mention a proportional influence from the unions, does this include the forced selection of union approved candidates and consequences if they are not selected? The very people who are supposed to represent all the voters and not just the paymasters from the unions, not even the union members but the union hierarchy itself?
Secondly could you expand on what politics you think I support. I’ll give you a clue, it isn’t communism.
Lastly, what are you talking about “combat”? This is a discussion if you want to engage then keep typing if you don’t then step away from the keyboard. You don’t need to suffix your comments with this.
Here we go again, time to back away I think before you get that `snide` gun out again.
You’re a curious one Trev.
Sounds like the typical presumptive cheek of the has-been Labour Party. They are definitely running scared of UKIP in Caerphilly and have changed their constituency candidate to try and stabilise their vote here. People are waking up to the fact that Labour is 100% responsible for the problems we face here in Wales and that UKIP is the only option if things are to change.
Labour keeps its supporters poor and dependent on the state, so they will keep voting Labour. UKIP will give people a chance to build a better future for themselves, free from the nanny state.
Spot on Ian, Welsh Labour want to keep it’s people in the lifestyle they have become accustomed to under them – downtrodden and be thankful for it! Welsh Labour are proud of the fact that Wales is one of the most deprived countries in the western world, but unless UKIP and the Tories pull their finger out and get campaigning it’s going to be the same old normal slow decline of the country as the hereditary Welsh vote will put Labour back in again.
Your second paragraph is very true and it’s true of labour nationally and of parties of a similar hue around the world. Hollandes lot in France and obamas democrats in the U.S. They offer subsidies in the form of benefits like a drug dealer peddles his wares. We will see more of this from the “IN” campaign in the referendum should it ever come.