Labour party future uncertain says Smith – but should we care?
Pontypridd MP Owen Smith is currently still on his travels around Britain in his quest to become leader of the Labour party but the residents he supposedly represents can still keep in touch with his thoughts via the media.
Wales Online carries an article in which he sets out his fears that the Labour party will be finished unless the members see sense and vote for its only possible saviour – Mr Smith.
He trots out yet again the line that we need a Labour government in order to provide for us poor unfortunates living in deprived areas who have to rely so much on public services. What he conveniently forgets to mention is that in all the years of Labour control we have not seen any benefit at all. He mentions the Royal Mint being moved to Llantrisant to create jobs in 1967 but what else has there been? Much is made of the closure if the mine sin the 80s but what did Labour do after that?
As usual he conveniently forgets that Labour are in government in Wales and how little progress we have made under them. The health srevice he complains about in relation to his brother is not run by the Tories in Westminster but by his Labour colleagues here in Wales.
It is a myth that Labour are the party of the working class – they may originally have been a grass roots, community based party who actually cared for the people they represented but that has long ceased to be the case. It seems that there is about as much chance of Mr Smith winning the leadership contest as there is of Pontypridd rugby fans embracing the Blues , so where does that leave him?
How can he ask the people of Pontypridd to vote for him again knowing that the Labour banner he would be standing under is one he does not believe in? Interesting times ahead.
