If you watch First Minister’s Questions, you’ve probably noticed a recent pattern. I guess that would be in between the attempts to remove your own kneecaps with a fork. Let’s face it, you have to be pretty bored and sadomasochistic to voluntarily watch FMQs these days. It’s now television only for those who’ve found that self-mutilation ‘gets a bit samey after a while’.
The pattern, is that Labour members seem to have no actual interest in talking about anything that is actually occurring within Wales at the moment. The person leading this new tactic of avoidance appears to be the First Minister himself.
To highlight this, I decided to read the transcript from Tuesdays First Ministers Question session. Don’t worry, I took medical advice before doing so and had trained professionals on standby. And a coffee.
What I found, was that the Labour AMs did not attempt to question the Government on one single issue. With the exception of one, all just pointlessly attacked the Tories.
The only one who said anything different was Brian Gibbons, who only wanted to reply to Bethan Jenkin’s criticism of Labour run Neath Port Talbot Council. I guess that at least related to his constituency, but I’d hardly say FMQs is a time for the Neath Labour party to defend it’s local government record.
Apparently, Labour do not think that there is a single issue that their constituents are concerned enough about to bring to the First Minister’s attention. Is the only concern of everyone who lives in their area ‘what will happen in the Tories get in?’ Are they not interested in ambulance waiting times? Cancer treatments? Affordable Housing? The overuse of ring-fencing within local government finance? Actually, they probably aren’t interested in local government funding but that doesn’t mean it can’t be raised anyway!
Just because you are in government, does not mean you cannot raise issues and stick up for your constituents. Plaid Cymru did just that. They managed the difficult balance of not criticising a government they are a part of whilst still highlighting the real concerns of those they represent. I’m not here to defend Plaid, their government record leaves a lot to be desired. But at least where there are issues, they don’t avoid them.
Obviously, both the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives were critical of the government in the way you would expect opposition parties to be and attempted to hold them to account. That’s the purpose of opposition.
Labour did not even try.
It is just as much a government backbencher’s job to attempt to hold government to account as it is the opposition. If we’re realistic, we don’t expect them to damn the governments progress on a particular scheme and call for resignations, but that doesn’t mean they can’t question the progress and try to get answers. Plaid Cymru prove that it’s possible, why won’t Labour even try?
The media frequently tells us that the public don’t want party politics of simply criticising the other party and not offering solutions. But what the media fails to point out is that there is only one party guilty of doing this in the Assembly. Labour.
I don’t agree with much of what either Conservative or Plaid AMs raise or what they are trying to achieve. But I understand why they are doing this and they are trying to be constructive and represent those in their constituencies. At least most Plaid and Tory AMs at least try to raise questions as well. There are many Labour backbenchers who don’t make a sound in the chamber. That might not be such a bad thing seeing as most are about as effective in holding the government to account as a small sachet of salad cream (own brand, not Heinz).
Carwyn Jones is also so guilty of pointless Tory attacks, not in questions but in answers.
Only a few weeks ago Kirsty Williams attempted to ask about the funding gap between education in England and Wales, as Welsh pupils are funded to the tune of £500 less compared to English pupils.
The answer, repeated several times by the First Minister was that Labour provides free school meals, and the party opposite would cut them. He refused to answer why pupils in Wales are worse off than those in England and refused to say what he plans to do about it. But he made it very clear, the Tories would cut free school breakfasts while Labour will continue to support them. Fair enough, except that WAS NOT THE BASTARD QUESTION.
We are all used to seeing politicians deflect difficult questions, but most at least bother with a vaguely related answer.
And the more you watch Plenary, the more this continues. It didn’t matter what the debate was, all Labour wanted to talk about was Tory non-dom donations. Obviously they did not mention their own non-domiciled donors as that would present some form of balance to the debate. They’re not too keen on that.
Labour need to learn that criticising the Tories is neither an answer, nor a question. Their actions give all politicians, as well as the concept of political debate, a bad name. There are constructive steps that can be taken by any backbencher to raise the constituents problems. And no, the possibility of Tory representation doesn’t bloody count.
Forget Prime Minister’s Questions. If you want to look at the pointless party politicisation of scrutiny, look at Cardiff Bay.
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