I had a very interesting phone call this morning from a reader pointing out our ‘bias’ in last week’s print edition.
The gentleman didn’t give me his name, but he did give me his views on the double-page spread. On the left was an article I wrote about immigration, on the right were stories concerning Reform’s ex Welsh leader Nathan Gill admitting bribery charges, Labour’s candidate Richard Tunnicliffe calling for UK Government money to be spent on saving our libraries, and a bit about Plaid Cymru campaigning and the First Minister’s recent criticism of the party.
This is all relevant stuff, in my opinion, for the upcoming by-election. However, the caller was very angry about how the paper was laid out.
He felt the bias “hits you in the face” – despite admitting he hadn’t read the articles.
During the discussion, he asked what my politics were, and I admitted I was slightly left-leaning and that didn’t go down too well.
And that got me thinking…
Maybe it’s time we all readjusted this terminology as it has become so conflated with the politics of extreme division.
In the eyes of the reader who called me, they probably thought I was akin to a Marxist. I’ve also had the term “left-wing agitator” thrown at me in the past.
The truth is, my politics are all a bit of a mishmash – like everyone else’s I suspect – and the broad terms I remember from my political science classes at university are probably unfit for purpose.
For example, I’m a firm believer in the NHS, but not for any socialist principles. In my view part of the NHS’ role is to support the economy by keeping workers healthy.
On public transport, in certain parts of the country private operators do a fantastic job – in other areas, not so much.
The Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary programme – which I wrote about last week – is being attacked by Reform UK and the Conservatives as some kind of lefty, woke, liberal, free-for-all, “let’s open the borders and let everyone in” policy.
But it isn’t. While obviously rooted in the idea of treating people who flee to this country kindly, the policy is a pragmatic one. Critics of immigration and multiculturalism often point to the idea that “others” don’t integrate, yet the purpose of the Nation of Sanctuary is one of integration and giving people the support they need so they don’t have to rely so heavily on other services and benefits.
You only have to look at Coffi Kava at Caerphilly railway station to see its results. A Ukrainian family set-up their own business and are now paying UK taxes.
What interests me as editor of Caerphilly Observer are the great ideas and the people who contribute to our communities, so we can all benefit from them.
I was lucky enough to be invited on to Walescast last week – the excellent BBC Wales podcast. During the discussion, I asked where are the big radical ideas – like the NHS – that could improve Wales?
For me, the real measure isn’t left or right but whether policies and people make our communities stronger – and if that’s bias, it’s one I’ll proudly admit to.
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