Carwyn urges Labour to unite for election win
FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones has urged the different wings of the Labour party to unite and pursue a general election victory.
The Welsh Labour leader used his moment on the UK party conference stage to remind delegates of his predecessor Rhodri Morgan’s advice to “mix together the mushy peas of old Labour with the guacamole of New Labour”.
With potentially controversial changes to the party rule book on the way, Mr Jones warned “there can be no question of Welsh Labour’s long fought for and hard won voice being diluted”.
Differences in the party on Brexit were exposed as leading Welsh figures joined counterparts across the Labour movement to call for a commitment to work to keep the UK in the single market and the customs union.
However, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said it was “difficult to see” how the UK could stay in the single market if present rules on freedom of movement continued.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn pledged a future Labour Government would invest in former mining communities, saying: “If you take the post-mining areas of the country, [there has been] precious little investment in 20 or 30 years, low-quality jobs, low pay, real poverty there.”
FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones took to the conference stage in Brighton and made a passionate appeal for the party to remain united and focused on winning the next general election.
He warned that Welsh Labour would not accept any weakening in its voice and urged delegates in a packed auditorium to ensure people from all wings of the UK and parts of the country are represented.
UK Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn faced a leadership challenge last year but his supporters enjoy new clout in the party following the party’s much-better-than predicted performance in the June snap election.
Mr Jones pointed to his predecessor as First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, for an example of the unity he said Labour should pursue at this time.
The Bridgend AM said: “Rhodri always said that Labour did best when it managed to mix together the mushy peas of old Labour with the guacamole of New Labour. Now, I’ve seen what Rhodri brought in for lunch and I can tell you that when it came to culinary combinations, he wasn’t always the person you would go to – but on the politics, as so often, was absolutely right.
“He was absolutely right about the need for our party to reflect all sections of our membership, and all parts of this country. That was the key to our success in Wales in the last three elections.”
Labour’s internal workings will be the focus of a policy review and Mr Jones used his speech to caution against any weakening of the Welsh party.
He said: “Our identity as a party is robust, authentic and complementary to the UK party as a whole. And, just as a country we wouldn’t countenance a roll-back of our devolution settlement, there can be no question of Welsh Labour’s long fought-for and hard-won voice being diluted as we look to the future of our party.
“I know that both Jeremy and [deputy leader Tom Watson] understand this, and I do welcome their unwavering support for Wales.”
The First Minister had warm words for the Leader of the Opposition, thanking him “for his continuing friendship and leadership”.
He said: “Thank you, Jeremy, for the dignity you showed in a tough general election campaign. The Tories came after you in a personal and offensive manner, and you stood up to that onslaught and led the party with great determination and defied the odds.”
Mr Jones argues that Welsh Labour’s distinct identity helped it in Wales in the last election, in which it won three seats from the Conservatives. Polls had earlier suggested Labour could be heading for a disaster.
He said: “When the party at UK level was under serious pressure, our unique and united Welsh Labour identity meant we remained relevant and competitive in the Assembly and local elections, when others struggled. It was the unity that gave us success against the odds.
“And when in the last days of the general election the whole party surged, it meant we, in Wales, were starting from a higher base-line and, as a result, achieved 50% of the vote for the first time in 16 years.”
Mr Jones also used his time on the stage to launch a scathing attack on the UK Government’s handling of Brexit so far, saying the country was now in the “first circle of hell”.
He told delegates: “Conference, when I heard Theresa May was giving a speech in Florence, I thought how apt. Not so much in relation to the Renaissance, but more with a thought to the works of that great medieval poet, Dante – stay with me here.
“It has been clear to me for some time that the Department for Exiting the European Union regard the Divine Comedy as some sort of instruction manual.
“That masterpiece imagines in glorious detail the dark and terrifying journey through the nine circles of hell.
Well, we’ve been going on our own journey for 15 months and still remain in the first circle of hell – limbo. It’s a remarkable achievement. But, then Dante did have Virgil as his spiritual guide – David Davis has got Nigel Farage.”
He added: “At one point, at the close of chapter 21, Dante witnesses a demon mobilising his troops by using ‘an ass as a trumpet’, which goes to show that every century has its own Boris.”