Skip to main content

THE WELSH LABOUR LEADERSHIP CONTEST

On Monday, the final leadership campaign for the three main parties in Wales will be complete. This, in many ways is the most important as the next leader of the Welsh labour Party will also, unless there is political earthquake, become First Minister on the 12th of December.

And the campaigns for the Labour leadership by Mark Drakeford, Vaughan Gething and Eluned Morgan have generated many new policies that hopefully will not just be left on the campaign trail but will be considered for potential implementation during the remainder of this Assembly term.

Unfortunately, this column will not do justice to all of the ideas that have emanated from all three campaigns so I will instead try to examine succinctly some of the big ideas from each of the candidates.

The Finance Minister Mark Drakeford passionately believes that the creation of worthwhile, properly rewarded employment is the most effective way out of poverty, the best route to fulfilled lives, and has a positive impact on health and well-being.

Not surprisingly, he thinks that government should only step in to create prosperity where markets have failed, especially in providing digital and physical infrastructure as well as skills and training.
In his view, if business is to be supported, then then it must be done on the basis of a something-for-something relationship in which direct financial support is predicated on a wider societal return on that investment such as health in the workplace, investment in skills, progress in reducing carbon footprints and promotion of fair work.

But perhaps the most radical element of his manifesto is how he places the fourth industrial revolution, most notably automation and artificial intelligence, at the very heart of his policies for both the public and private sector. In doing so, he is recognising that Wales must have a digital strategy that is not only fit for purpose now but for the economic future of the nation.

For Vaughan Gethin, ensuring that Wales has good work, fair work for a strong economy is at the heart of his campaign. The Health Secretary wants to be radical and ambitious about the future of work, believing that one of the key reasons that so many people in Wales wanted to leave the EU was that they didn’t have a stake in their country because of the quality of jobs on offer.

Another major pledge is a commitment to make significant progress on the living wage and ensure that not only is it progressively implemented across the public sector in Wales but there will also be focus to deliver the living wage in the private sector, especially with those firms who bid Welsh Government public sector procurement contracts.

Given that a lack of skills is constantly noted by industry as being one of their key priorities, his pledge to deliver apprenticeships to all that want them will be welcomed by the business community.
Not only is he promising more financial support but, more critically, he wanta to review the provision to ensure that it is easier for businesses to get involved and that the skills acquired meet the actual needs of employers.

Finally, Eluned Morgan has stated from the beginning of her campaign that her number one priority as First Minister would be to drive a radical new approach to the economy in Wales to provide not just good quality jobs, but also to ensure the sustainability of Welsh public services.

There are certaiNly some quite ambitious and radical ideas within her manifesto, including the World’s first upscale fund to support the top fifty firms in Wales that have the potential to grow and become world leaders.

Many Welsh firms will also welcome the fact that she wants to reform public procurement processes to ensure that smaller firms win more public-sector contracts and that more public funding stays here to benefit the Welsh economy.

Her promise to make Wales the best place in the UK to be self-employed is something that would normally appear on many labour manifestos but given that this group now accounts for 14 per cent of the workforce in Wales, it is time for the Welsh Government, as this column has pointed out on several occasions to deliver a series of specific policies on this issue.

Finally, her pledge to appoint a productivity and skills minister will be welcomed by many given that an article in last week’s Sunday Times reiterated the statistic that Wales has the worst productivity record of any part of the UK. Certainly, a focus on this issue must be at the core of any industrial policy to be pursued by the next First Minister and his or her government.

Therefore, as with the other leadership campaigns for the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru, this contest has created a renaissance in policy development that many will have welcomed, with ideas being put forward that, frankly, have been largely missing from the day to day debates within the National Assembly for Wales

Certainly, with so many ideas being put forward, one can only hope that our democratic representatives will become more radical and relevant than many would suggest it has been over the last few years.

Popular posts from this blog

THE CRACHACH

Unlike me, do you consider yourself part of 'the establishment' here in Wales?  As thousands gather for the Eisteddfod in Mold this morning, they will, according to some social commentators, not be participating in the greatest cultural festivals of Europe. Instead, they will merely be bit-part players in one of the annual gatherings of the great and good of Wales.  Unkindly, this set of the movers and shakers in Welsh society is known as 'the crachach' , and constitute a social class all of their own, dominating the educational, cultural and media sectors of Wales and allegedly looking down upon any outsider with new ideas, reinforcing mediocrity and failing to see beyond the limits of their own narrow experience.  They are said to live in a comfort zone that awaits the expected invitation to the next glass of chilled chardonnay and canapés, forgetting that due to their lack of leadership and drive, Wales remains firmly rooted to the bottom of the UK prosperity league ...

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CREATIVE CLASSES

One of my favourite academic books of the last two decades must be the “Rise of the Creative Classes” by Professor Richard Florida.  This was one of the first detailed studies of the growing group of individuals who use their creativity and mental labour to earn a living and not only included those in arts and entertainment, but also people working in science and technology as well as knowledge-based professions such as healthcare, law, business, and finance.  Fast forward to 2022 and Professor Florida has written an updated report on the creative classes although he and his team now identify a different type of individual who is taking full advantage of the growth in digital platforms, social media, and online marketplaces.  Such ‘creators’ are defined as those who use digital technology to make and publish unique creative content, whether in the form of video, film, art, music, design, text, games, or any other media that audiences can access and respond to.  They ...

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRANCHISING

When we talk about start-ups and entrepreneurship, rarely do we discuss the potential of franchising not only as a way of establishing new ventures in the economy but also as a method of growing existing businesses. According to the British Franchising Association, franchising is the granting of a licence by one person (the franchisor) to another (the franchisee), which entitles the franchisee to own and operate their own business under the brand, systems and proven business model of the franchisor. The franchisee also receives initial training and ongoing support, comprising all the elements necessary to establish a previously untrained person in the business. This enables individuals to start their own businesses without having to develop their own ideas and utilising an existing brand and established market. Of course, whilst each franchise business is owned and operated by the franchisee, the franchisor controls the quality and standards of the way in which the business is...