Welfare changes debate show Labour’s strengths and weakness

Only a numpty would think the UK Government’s welfare changes weren’t ideologically driven and designed to hurt the worst off in society, but a lack of truth and sincerity over the changes to welfare isn’t only a Tory and Lib Dem trait as this BBC Wales interview yesterday with Welsh Labour Minister Huw Lewis shows.

Huw is the Minister whose brief contains tackling poverty and it’s no surprise he talks in apocalyptic language of the impact and the vast majority in Wales will find it music to their ears, but he offers no solutions knowing full well he won’t be challenged in any meaningful way over his fanciful claims of the end of the world as we know it in Wales.

But perhaps instead of spreading fear and whipping up hysteria Huw Lewis and his Ministerial colleagues should be trying to address the issue of the 1 in 5 people in Wales who according to his government are in receipt of some type of benefit such as tax credits, housing benefit and child benefit  to top up their household incomes.  

After all mitigating the impact of policies like these introduced by a Tory UK Government’s that will have a detrimental impact on communities across Wales was the reason most voted for devolution back in 1999 in case the Welsh Government needed reminding.

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