Every now and then, a flippant remark produces much more of the truth than its author ever intended.
The context was a routine meeting of the Wales UNISON Labour Link committee.
UNISON is the largest public sector trade union and Labour Link is the body that deals with all matters that arise from UNISON’s affiliation to the Labour Party.
At the meeting in question, a number of members expressed their growing alarm at the rapid rise in support for Reform UK in their workplaces and local communities. There was also concern, in particular, at the ‘Closed lists’ variety of Proportional Representation that has been adopted for the Senedd Election due in May next year.
Joe Lock, the Welsh Labour General Secretary remarked that ‘You can’t blame us for this, it was the politicians who decided on it.’
Well, thanks, Joe !
Can anyone with an average grasp of the English language and the contents of the Labour Party rule book come to any conclusion other than this:
It was not the Annual Conference of the UK Labour Party or its National Executive Committee. It was not the Wales Labour Party conference nor the Wales Executive Committee.
No, it was Members of the Westminster Parliament, or members of the Welsh Senedd.
But which ones? It is absolutely clear that there has never been discussion within the Senedd Labour group leading to this proposal.
Clearly, it was proposed to the Senedd by the Leaders of the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru, (at the time Mark Drakeford and Adam Price.) But it was also clear that neither of them had any enthusiasm for the ‘Closed Lists’ variety of the D’Hondt electoral system. So …. at this point, confronted by a degree of opacity that bluntly does your head in and keeping in mind that this is about no less than how all the devolved aspects of Welsh governance will be conducted, would it not be an urgent matter for members of both Plaid and Labour to demand a succinct explanation of how we arrived at a situation that totally subordinates the role of elected members to the control of the parties?
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