Will Gower stick with Labour?
GOWER has always been represented by Labour in the Senedd, first by Edwina Hart and then, since 2016, by Rebecca Evans.
Five years ago Mrs Evans was elected with 39.7% of the vote over the Conservative candidate who had 33.6%; Ukip came third with 10.9%, Plaid had a 9.9% share, with 5.9% going to Lib Dems and other parties.
Gower’s MP is also a Labour politician, Tonia Antoniazzi.
Here are the candidates in Gower for 2021.
JOHN DAVIES - PLAID CYMRU
I was born and raised in central Swansea and live in Penclawdd, Gower, and am married with four children. I’ve operated two businesses for 32 years, creating more than 4,500 jobs in Wales, and I’m the founder of the party’s soup run for the homeless in Swansea city.
What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?
Wales has suffered from decades of under-investment from Westminster and a total lack of good governance from Labour administrations in Cardiff.
Despite having similar GDP per head as Spain and Portugal we are the poorest nation in northern Europe. We now only earn £1 in Wales whereas our counterparts in Eire earn £2.75. There is something really wrong.
Our children’s futures are stunted, their dreams unfulfilled. Real poverty exists – communities suffer.
Brexit and the failing UK response to Covid-19, coupled with climate change, make Wales’s future precarious, both economically and socially.
But it does not need to be like this. I want to be at the forefront of a progressive government that will lead Wales forward to be an equal partner with all our north European counterparts, such as Eire, Denmark, or even Finland (all of which are wealthier than the UK per person).
A green, successful economy will create vibrant, healthy communities. This is within our grasp, when the private and public sector work together for the benefit of all.
What will you do for your constituency if elected?
The gradual economic decline of Swansea/ Gower has led to deep social and economic harm, but it can be reversed if we just have a different politics, a Welsh government that can instigate the ‘real change’ to transform Gower/swansea.
We will campaign for Swansea Council to support local businesses. As local businesses benefit, we will campaign for the living wage. Together we will turn the tide on the desperate poverty that exists here.
I will also campaign to make Gower/swansea the centre for the ‘New Green Revolution’ in Wales, the hub for the design, development, building and running of the tidal lagoon, owned by Wales, providing us and local business with 100% clean energy.
REBECCA EVANS - LABOUR
I am Rebecca Evans, I’m 44 and since 2016 it has been my privilege to be the Member of the Senedd for the constituency of Gower, the place where I live and which I love. I currently serve as Finance Minister in Mark Drakeford’s cabinet, and I am proud to have been part of a team which has worked to protect lives and livelihoods here in Wales.
What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?
Our focus must be on delivering a fair and green recovery, which leaves no one behind. We must see a huge recovery effort for the NHS, to ensure that people get the treatment and service they need, and we must have a
renewed focus on supporting mental health.
Children and young people have paid a terrible price for the pandemic, so we must ensure that they are supported to catch up with their learning, and we must invest to create jobs and opportunities for them.
What will you do for your constituency if elected?
I will work to support and improve our high streets in Clydach, Bont, Gorseinon, Gowerton, Mumbles and everywhere in between, so that they can have a vibrant future.
Having been part of a team which put in place the most generous package of support for businesses anywhere in the UK – and being the Minister who gave retail, hospitality and leisure 100% rate relief for another year – I will continue to back our small and medium-size enterprises across Gower.
MYLES LANGSTONE - CONSERVATIVES
I am from Gower and I live in Mumbles where I serve as a local councillor, representing Oystermouth ward on Swansea Council. I am also the deputy leader of the Conservative group on Swansea Council.
Before being elected I graduated from Swansea University with a degree in history and politics and a master’s in international relations and worked for Byron Davies MP for two years based in Gowerton.
I got involved in politics because I love our area, I am keen to make a difference and I want Gower to reach its full potential.
That’s why I became a councillor and in this role I have been working hard on a range of different issues and projects. This includes building a brandnew children’s play area for Underhill Park and helping local businesses, which didn’t have the space to operate under the coronavirus regulations, through establishing the independent food and drinks area at Southend Gardens which saved businesses and created jobs.
Away from politics, I try to stay fit by running and I am also a keen supporter of our local pubs!
What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?
Clearly, there needs to be greater support for our NHS and in particular local health services in Gower and Swansea. In recent years we have seen the closure of the minor injuries unit at Singleton Hospital, which has put increased pressure on Morriston Hospital. There was also a debate around the location of a new major trauma unit, which Labour want to go to Cardiff over Swansea. Labour have let us down, Gower and Swansea need stronger representation on these issues and someone who fight for our area in the Senedd. That is a key priority for me.
My priorities also will include education and supporting the local economy. I want to secure more money for local schools, support the growth of local businesses, job creation and prevent any increases in income tax by Welsh Government.
What will you do for your constituency if elected?
I am standing because I want to make sure that Gower and Swansea is seen as a priority in the Senedd. The decision to locate the new major trauma unit in Cardiff rather than Swansea is one in a long list of examples of where our area has been let down by the Welsh Labour Government. As our MS I would be determined to put Gower first.
One initiative that I have been pushing as a councillor is forming relationships between schools/ colleges and local businesses, in particular those businesses involved in the Swansea Bay City Deal.
This is because over the coming years these businesses will be creating new, well-paid jobs and I want to see local people given the best opportunity to take advantage of these.
Through these relationships, pupils can learn about the skills and qualifications that these roles require and will then be best placed to access these new local jobs. It would be a huge shame if local people were to miss out. We need this kind of initiative and change so that Gower can reach its full potential.
ANNA PIGGOTT - GREEN PARTY
I live with my partner and young daughter in West Cross. I was brought up in Milton Keynes, and after moving around a bit for study and work, settled in
Swansea 10 years ago and haven’t looked back!
I work at Swansea University as a lecturer in human geography, where my research and teaching is concerned with society and environment, particularly the climate crisis. In my spare time I try to make the most of living on the wonderful Gower peninsula by getting outdoors and walking, biking, climbing, or getting in the sea!
What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?
The first Citizen’s Assembly in Wales was a great success, and participants overwhelmingly agreed that such assemblies should be developed as a key way of engaging and informing the National Assembly. As well as adopting Citizen’s Assemblies, the Senedd should also trial Universal Basic Income (UBI).
UBI is a non-means tested regular payment to all adult citizens to ensure that everyone can meet their basic needs. It has the potential to address the extreme poverty that is now, sadly, prevalent in the UK, and to protect living standards, meaning that our communities and economy are better able to adapt and respond to the climate crisis.
Sorry, that’s two things, but I think they are equally important!
What will you do for your constituency if elected?
First and foremost I will listen! I will encourage and support Citizen’s Assemblies for Gower constituents in order to understand the issues that matter most to people, and what their own suggestions are for how to respond.
In my experience the best solutions usually already exist in our communities – they just need a voice, space, and the means to flourish. This is what I would defend and champion as a Member of the Senedd.
I grew up in London, where my dad moved from Merthyr. I studied international politics at Aberystwyth University before moving to work in Scotland. I returned to Wales in 2004 to become professor of international relations at Swansea University.
I am the author of 11 books on international security. I recently retired and live with my wife Cath, (who is a Gower girl born and bred) in Crofty. I am a former governor of Llanridian Primary School. I love walking in Gower and playing electric guitar.
What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?
As the country tries to recover from the impact of Covid we are burdened with the most incompetent and heartless government in centuries.
Their plans to introduce a new wave of austerity on the country will have catastrophic consequences for businesses and ordinary people.
Instead we should be focused on building back a better economy and overcoming the bitter divisions in society that the Tories have created.
What will you do for your constituency if elected?
As a professor I have seen the work that Kirsty Williams has done as the Welsh Lib Dem Education Minister over the past five years. She has shown the real difference that Liberal Democrats can make in the Senedd.
If elected I will work tirelessly to fight the impact of Tory austerity policies and address the real concerns of people in Gower. I will encourage the creation of more affordable housing and support local industries such as farming, tourism and the cockle industry, hit hard by Covid and the Westminster government’s inept trade policies.
Also standing are Wayne Erasmus for Gwlad – The Welsh Independence Party, and John Byron for Reform UK.
■ Tomorrow we continue our election coverage with a detailed look at the candidates for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr. ■ Candidates who haven’t already done so are welcome to submit their biographies to ruth.mosalski@walesonline. co.uk.