Expansion of the Senedd has dominated the Welsh political scene this past week or so. The Senedd will now expand from 60 members to 96. While the clear consensus is that expansion is much needed, despite predictable faux outrage from the Conservatives, the method has nonetheless come under fire.
Members of the Senedd will all now be elected via a constituency vote; the regional top-up lists are gone. The constituency model will follow the new Westminster boundaries, with a 20% reduction from 40 to 32. However, each constituency will elect three members on a ‘proportional’ basis.
Proportional-ish representation
Plaid Cymru in particular has made a big point of calling it ‘proportional representation,’ which I feel is a bit disingenuous. It kind of is and kind of isn’t. This system will benefit the parties with fairly consistent national support combined with heavily concentrated support in what we once called ‘safe seats.’ Essentially, this new electoral system disproportionally benefits Labour, and Plaid to a lesser degree.
Another reason why labelling this system ‘proportional’ is disingenuous is that it will effectively lock out the smaller parties. The whole point of proportional representation should be that parties get seats reflective of the votes, i.e. the smaller parties get seats and more of the electorate feel represented. This system does not come close to achieving that.
The closed lists aspect has also been a major bone of contention. An amendment passed meaning that candidates, not just parties, will be named on the ballot papers. But there are concerns that this system places far too much power in the hands of party bods rather than the electorate.
In one sense it’s a step forward, in that our Senedd will be better equipped to create and scrutinise legislation, which is to all our benefit. On the other hand, it feels like two steps back in terms of disproportionately benefitting the party that has dominated the Senedd for its entire existence. In short, it’s good to see the Senedd grow, but the unpopular new electoral methods leave a very bitter taste.
Covid Inquiry
The UK Covid Inquiry rolled into Cardiff for its brief focus on the Welsh Government’s actions during the pandemic. I think it’s clear to pretty much everyone now that Wales does need its own specific inquiry as opposed to being a footnote in the UK-wide report.
Continuing to block a Welsh Covid inquiry will not be judged well by history. Especially as more and more controversy seeps through the veil that the Labour Welsh Government has tried to shroud the evidence in. This will be what Mark Drakeford in particular is most remembered for.
Vaughan Gething, likely our next First Minister, has had a torrid time in the limited spotlight the UK Covid Inquiry has shone his way. This has included Gething admitting he hadn’t read key documents and had deleted WhatsApp messages (accidentally, it is claimed).
Drakeford’s sneering remarks in response to a reasonable question from Plaid Cymru’s leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, have been a talking point for all the wrong reasons from a Labour perspective. Drakeford haughtily said he would not offer a preview of what he’d say to the Inquiry. Only days later he did just that on Times Radio.
The Conservative Party in Wales, Plaid Cymru, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats all continue to call for a Wales-specific Covid Inquiry. And so does the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru. The Labour Welsh Government’s stance on this matter is, frankly, disgraceful. It should be a simple principle that decisions made in Wales should be scrutinised in Wales.
Another Plaid scandal
News broke that Rhys ab Owen, the MS suspended from the Plaid Cymru group in November 2022, was found guilty of multiple counts of inappropriate behaviour. The committee concluded he had inappropriately touched two female colleagues on a boozy night out in Cardiff. He has been banned from the Senedd for six weeks, the longest ban ever issued.
Rhun ap Iorwerth condemned Rhys ab Owen’s behaviour and said Mr ab Owen is suspended from the party while an internal investigation takes place. Mr ap Iorwerth conceded that Plaid’s handling of the initial complaint fell short of the standards he’d like to see.
Jonathan Edwards, a former Plaid Cymru MP, has accused the party of attempting a cover up of the incident. Edwards was suspended from the party in July 2020 after receiving a caution for domestic violence and now sits as an independent MP. He accused Plaid Cymru’s former leader, Adam Price, and the Chief Whip, Sian Gwenllian, of having sat on the ab Owen allegations for a year.
Mr ab Owen does contest some of the committee’s findings. And that, combined with the allegations made by Edwards, implies that this issue is far from concluded.
Nothing to see here, guv …
Turning to the Labour Party in Wales leadership race, Gething is up to his eyeballs in accusations of sleaze. One of these claims of wrongdoing relates to a £200,000 donation his leadership campaign accepted from a company whose director was prosecuted for breaking the Welsh Government’s own environmental laws.
The Senedd Standards Commissioner has concluded that no rules were broken and the accusations do not pass the threshold for an inquiry. Despite technically being acceptable, the situation finds Gething’s moral compass being called into question.
You may recall Sir Keir Starmer’s article in which he compared himself, positively, to former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This was followed up last week by the Labour Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, declaring herself to be the ‘Iron Chancellor’, having been inspired by Thatcher’s supposed financial competency. Off the back of this, pardon my shock at multiple Welsh Labour politicians condemning Tory MS Darren Millar this week for his praise of Thatcher; baffling behaviour in the Labour Party ranks.
With the Labour leadership comparing themselves to Margaret Thatcher and Rishi Sunak being a self-confessed Thatcherite, what kind of change are the Labour Party offering?
GB News controversy
Last year the Senedd announced it would no longer allow GB News to continue to be screened on its internal TV network. This was due to misogynistic remarks made live by then-presenter Laurence Fox. Predictably, this sent Andrew RT Davies and his merry band into a fit of rage.
The opposition to this decision by the Conservative leader in Wales has not abated, and he raised the issue again this week. Davies claimed the ‘ban’ has cost the taxpayer £233,000. Unsurprisingly to anyone familiar with his social media feeds, this claim was immediately fact-checked and proved wrong. The figure of £233,000 is the cost of a software contract that’s been in place since February 2020.
Tory MS and failed London mayoral candidate Natasha Asghar won an award for campaigning against road safety measures. Asghar has been one of the lead voices against the Labour Welsh Government’s default 20mph policy. She was declared the Devolved Politician of the Year, no less. I’m baffled.
One bright light in the Welsh Conservative ranks has been the conduct of Samuel Kurtz MS throughout the farming protests. Kurtz has consistently spoken on the topic in a clear and concise manner, providing accurate updates on events and relating Senedd processes in an engaging way. Perhaps his colleagues can learn from his example.
Question Time
The England-based BBC made one of its compulsory visits to Wales and was as facile about it as usual. The Question Time panel, barely relevant to the recent big topics in Welsh politics, mainly debated Westminster goings-on. Rhun ap Iorwerth was the only Senedd member on the panel and, in my view, came out of it very well.
Mr ap Iorwerth came out on top against the Conservative Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies MP and Boris Johnson fan Guto Harri. The Labour MP for Torfaen, whom most people probably needed to Google, parroted the party line unconvincingly. In short, there was only one panellist putting forward a positive alternative for Wales: Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Heledd Fychan has led Plaid Cymru’s campaign against the Welsh Government’s proposed cuts aimed at museums, heritage, and culture. Clearly passionate about the issue at hand, Fychan has done a good job raising awareness and speaking on the issue. This should continue to be a priority for Plaid.
The Lib Dems had a conference
The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the bigger of the ‘other’ parties in Wales and held a Conference last weekend. The resulting review by Gwern Gwynfil caused quite a stir. I can’t remember the last time the Welsh Lib Dems had so many mentions across social media. It was a call to step back and assess whether their views, values, and beliefs are now inconsistent with their policy choices, which seemed common sense to me given the party’s rapid decline.
Turning to the Wales Green Party, Philip Davies became Deputy Leader and will help drive forward its progressive agenda for Wales. The Greens are optimistic about the chances of having members elected in 2026. Anthony Slaughter’s leadership and increased focus on a green vision for an independent Wales saw the party’s vote share increase by 43% at the last Senedd election. It’ll be interesting to see how things go for the Greens from here on.
All in all, it was an eventful fortnight in Welsh politics, and there’ll be plenty to review in our next instalment in two weeks. The Covid Inquiry continues into this week. The Rhys ab Owen scandal still looms over Plaid. And the Senedd expansion bill looks like it may be headed towards a legal challenge – stay tuned!
