Let’s hope ‘modest man’ has oomph
CONGRATULATIONS to Mr Mark Drakeford on his election as leader of the Labour Party in Wales.
He will in the next few days slide seamlessly into the office of First Minister in the Senedd at this crucial time in our country’s history. I wish him well in his biggest political challenge to date. He strikes me as a gentle, kind, considerate and wellliked politician.
However, what Wales desperately needs at this time as First Minister is someone with charisma, leadership and dynamism. Unfortunately for Wales, they are not the qualities that have been associated with Mark Drakeford during his long time as a minister in the Senedd.
They are, however, the very qualities possessed by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, and she has used those qualities to elevate Scotland and Scottish affairs to the forefront of British politics. What a contrast we have in Wales. Our influence and standing in Westminster have never been weaker, and we have been sidelined completely by Scotland and Northern Ireland. At the same time the Assembly, under the dead hand of Labour, has proved such a disappointment – toothless, timid and too afraid to tackle contentious but important issues such as local government re-organisation and the M4 relief road.
I have to smile when I read that one well-known political pundit has described Mark Drakeford as a “super-sharp socialist”. To me, what comes to mind is that delightful quote attributed to Voltaire, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and others: – “He is a modest man, who has much to be modest about.”
I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.