I bet Conservative AM Jonathan Morgan has raised more than a few hackles among his party colleagues and members this week by stating in several articles that if the gains the Conservatives in Wales have made in detoxifying their image over the past decade are not to be reversed in the coming months, then the party has to continue being Welsh and sticking up for Welsh interests especially now that the Tories are in Government in London and not in Jonathan’s word ‘be seen to be doing David Cameron’s bidding’.
I would tend to agree with Jonathan’s analysis, but there is also a strong possibility that even if the Welsh Conservatives accept his analysis and do as he says they could still end up losing ground and being painted as anti Welsh again.
The reason I say this is that Wales has a strong tradition of support for Labour and a Labour Party that’s more than willing to raise the record of the Thatcher and Major Government’s of the 1980’s and 1990’s when many Welsh communities suffered hardships as they did so well during the General Election campaign.
Add that to an electorate that still remembers Conservative cuts and is open to Labour’s message of Tories not understanding or caring about Wales, plus the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on all spending in Wales and the Coalition Government’s preoccupation with keeping Scotland in the Union while being indifferent to Wales and the Tories could be heading for a perfect storm leading up to the Welsh Assembly Elections next year.
I said the day after the General Election that I expected Labour in Wales to benefit most from this new political arrangements in Westminster and so its proved in the monthly YouGov polls since May, the Tories have flat lined in the same polls at around 20%, but if they are not to lose ground they will have to work out a way of countering Labour’s rhetoric and connect with Welsh voters who didn’t warm to their message in good times and will Jonathan’s message be part of that effort?Any source
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