Welsh Labour: Franchising It's Duties To Yorkshire

Hello there. hope you're feeling well today,

Well I'm back in Wales. At time of writing it's just gone eleven in the evening and outside the weather is pouring down with rain. But despite it I've missed in the past two weeks wife/daughter (joint first obviously) and then Wales. Aside from any family event or as in this case here my mother being unwell there is no reason for me to visit England again. And you know what? I don't want to.

But whilst as I think I've shown commitment to Wales yet again Welsh Labour seems to willingly bite the hands of the people who voted for them. Yet again have taken Welsh voters for granted.

This concerns the Welsh Select Committee in the House of Commons. Now Stephen Kinnock who was on this committee decided to step down from it and concentrate work on other committees. We'll park that decision for a moment. The point here is that it left a vacancy for Labour to fill.

And fill it they have.....with an MP with a Yorkshire constituency

Now this has normally happened on a ministerial level with the Conservatives. If they haven't enough Scottish/Welsh MPs they'd fill any vacancy with Scots/Welsh MPs who had English constituencies.

Here though is different (though some of them might be on the Labour shadow cabinet) Labour have twenty eight MPs to chose from. And yet the vacancy has been filled by an English Labour MP with a Yorkshire constituency.

Why? Because no Welsh Labour MP wanted to fill it.

Apparently Stephen Kinnock did not appear in any Welsh committee meeting in this parliament anyway. Such was his commitment to Welsh affairs.

Thelma Walker the MP who has stepped into the breach has said that Wales and Yorkshire have similar issues such as farming or Brexit for example.

Trouble with that statement is that whilst Wales and Yorkshire may be "similar", it does not mean they are the same. It betrays an ignorance of Welsh issues. But to Welsh Labour "What's the problem? She wants to do it." As if that's somehow alright.

Again the essential niceness of the Welsh people is being taken advantage of here. After all can you imagine the Scots putting up with this? What other nation has to put up with it's elected representatives not willing to represent it on a Parliamentary Committee?

Leaving aside their front bench spokespeople and opposition whips as well as four who are on the committee. The remaining eligible Welsh Labour MPs are apparently too busy on other committees to attend the Welsh one. Well somebody should get one of these Welsh Labour MPs and make him/her go on the Welsh committee instead.

It's a matter of principle. Difficult for Welsh Labour I know.

Until the next time.