Time to ditch largely ineffective cabinet post

SO OUT of the governmental revolving doors tumbled Richy Rishi, former investment banker and hedge fund manager who allegedly is twice as rich as the King.

As someone who could relate to the ordinary person struggling with the cost of living, he was chosen by the Tories to be PM for at least another week when someone else will then have a go.

It now seems one of the longest-serving occupants of Downing Street is Larry the Cat, chief mouser to the cabinet, who makes a significant contribution to the work there by ratting and often making a kill.

With so many different cabinets it must be like working for Ikea, and with them has come a special offer for us all in Wales in the form of a Welsh Secretary.

The latest is London-born David TC Davies, who follows, in quick succession and indecent haste, Llanelli-born Robert Buckland and Simon Hart. Absurdly for a devolved nation, the Welsh Secretary is “responsible for the overall strategic direction of the UK Government in Wales” and those responsibilities include a long list of specific areas.

Previous secretaries have had colourful moments, including John Redwood’s classic comical act of miming unsuccessfully the national anthem (watch on ‘MeTube’) – pure John Cleese.

Despite many thinking that the post is necessary to ensure a Welsh voice at a crowded cabinet table, Dafydd Elis Thomas from the beginning called for it to be scrapped in the light of Wales’ devolved powers and even Stephen Crabb had described in 2007 the job he later took as “emptied and somewhat meaningless under devolution”.

It became untenable during the tidal lagoon farce when Alun Cairns was denounced as the “grim reaper of Welsh politics”.

WalesOnline journalist Will Hayward has recently highlighted the previous controversial opinions of David TC Davies on climate change and devolution and his appearances on Russia Today. Perhaps it’s time to ditch what itself is an anachronistic and largely ineffective post and pursue proper unified advocacy of the four nations in a radical, inclusive federalism.

It needs to be done soon before the chief mouser is replaced.