Edwina and Huw spotlight the economy
Labour leadership race — By Daran Hill on November 2, 2009 7:01 am
Edwina Hart speaks on the economy today - and from Bridgend
Edwina Hart is in Bridgend today – the constituency of rival for leadership Carwyn Jones. She will visit the Ford factory and set out her view of how the economy should be supported in Wales: “For too long we have depended heavily on grant culture. There’s nothing wrong with grants under the right circumstances. And we will continue to offer grants. But in the new global economy, attracting sustainable jobs and industries is more complex than just putting a sum of Welsh tax payers money on the table.
“There has to be give and take between government and industry. When we as a government can assist either an indigenous or an international company to bring and maintain quality jobs in Wales, our door will always be open. But I am not interested in a revolving door policy where a company takes the best we have to offer only to move on, taking high quality jobs with them. We can attract and keep quality jobs in Wales because we’re a small clever country ready to do business”
Edwina Hart also stressed: “If I become the First Minister for Wales there will always be a warm welcome for forward thinking companies who want to join ‘Team Wales’. Firms who wish to do business with Wales will have to sign up as full members of the Welsh social partnership approach for the long term – committing themselves to good employment practices, ensuring that staff have opportunities to keep skills up-to-date and meeting our principles of environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility. I don’t think that is too much to ask progressive companies.
“Let me be clear on this, Wales is open for business.”
Huw Lewis visits the Margam steelworks today
Speaking about his priorities for the Welsh economy, Huw will say: “There is no greater priority for Wales right now than securing jobs and getting the economy back on track. As First Minister I want to change the way Wales works – from government down to the shop floor – to ensure we improve competitiveness and grow the private sector whilst addressing work-life balance. Making bedfellows of equality and efficiency is the holy grail of Welsh politics in the 21st Century – these should not, cannot be competing aims if we want to make Wales an exciting place to live and work. Right now thousands of skilled and able people are locked out of the work place, because we haven’t developed flexible enough working patterns. That is a huge waste of talent and ability.
“One of my key pledges in this campaign is to create a Social Partnership in Wales. A new relationship encompassing business, trade unions and education leaders. A new relationship that does not just consult on, but constructs new policy which and will utilise all of Wales’s talents and experience. Building on successful social democratic models from across Europe and beyond, this kind of partnership offers leaders in civic society a role in genuinely transforming the way day-to-day politics is run, giving politics in Wales a new unity of purpose.”
The economic development policies for all candidates were covered in an earlier post on the Hearth.
Tags: business support, Economy, Edwina Hart, Huw Lewis, Labour leadership race
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4 Comments
Another week of policy announcements. It’s like watching Bolsheviks on speed as the policy announcements come thick and fast. Fascinating stuff for political anoraks even if much of it probably isn’t reaching many of those who will have a vote in the contest.
What is worrying about all of this in my opinion seems to be lack of concern regarding the financial position the Assembly will find itself in during the next decade. The pre Budget report should give some clue as to the direction a Labour government in Westminster would take public services. For the reality of the Tory spending cuts we will have to have wait for Osbourne’s first budget. What the future holds, however, can be seen from the fact that many Chief Finance Officers in English local authorities are already making plans on the assumption that there will be reductions in the region of between 10 and 15 % of expenditure in the next decade. Tories will argue that if Hammersmith and Fulham can cut expenditure, so can the Welsh Assembly. No one can disagree with any of the policy announcements of the past fortnight. But they all seem to have wish list quality about them.
Take the example today of Carwyn Jones arguing that his government would increase education spending by 1% above the block grant. His aim is the laudable one of reducing child poverty by equipping people in Wales with the skills necessary to obtain well paid employment. No one can possibly disagree with this. The only problem is how to do you do this when your have a budget fixed by Westminster and which in real terms is shrinking .
If you haven’t been able to achieve something in the years of plenty then the key question is how can you achieve it in the lean years?. Which services are you going to cut in other areas to pay for this increase? There is also the issue of how to ensure that this money reaches education without ring fencing education expenditure. Policy announcements and speeches are the easy part of politics.
The hard bit for whoever wins this contest is deciding what will be the priorities in the new Age of Austerity for the public sector after 2011.
It’s becoming a bit stale. Edwina’s paragraph has basically been lifted from Ieuan Wyn Jones’ publicity last month when he talked about shifting away from the big grants culture. Similarly Huw Lewis’ ‘new relationship’ is what Ieuan is already doing with the Economic Summits.
Not knocking what Edwina and Huw are advocating, they just are already being delivered by the Plaid leader.
We’re still waiting for a genuinely new and fresh ideas. One area where Huw Lewis could steal a march would be in talking about what he would do about welfare reform, an issue that will have a massive effect on areas like his own constituency.
It’s becoming a bit stale. Edwina’s paragraph has basically been lifted from Ieuan Wyn Jones’ publicity last month when he talked about shifting away from the big grants culture. Similarly Huw Lewis’ ‘new relationship’ is what Ieuan is already doing with the Economic Summits.
Not knocking what Edwina and Huw are advocating, they just are already being delivered by the Plaid leader.
We’re still waiting for a genuinely new and fresh ideas. One area where Huw Lewis could steal a march would be in talking about what he would do about welfare reform, an issue that will have a massive effect on areas like his own constituency.
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
It’s becoming a bit stale. Edwina’s paragraph has basically been lifted from Ieuan Wyn Jones’ publicity last month when he talked about shifting away from the big grants culture. Similarly Huw Lewis’ ‘new relationship’ is what Ieuan is already doing with the Economic Summits.
Not knocking what Edwina and Huw are advocating, they just are already being delivered by the Plaid leader.
We’re still waiting for a genuinely new and fresh ideas. One area where Huw Lewis could steal a march would be in talking about what he would do about welfare reform, an issue that will have a massive effect on areas like his own constituency.
Sorry… forgot to say great post. Looking forward to your next one.