Saturday 22 April 2017

Wise words from a Liberal party historian

William Wallace (Baron Wallace of Saltaire) writes on Liberal Democrat Voice:

Theresa May has defined this seven-week election campaign as all about Brexit. But it won’t be, and it can’t be, however hard she and her party, and the partisan right-wing media, try to hold attention to that. (Did you see the Daily Mail font-page headline on Wednesday, ‘Crush the Saboteurs’?) The condition of our schools, the tightening squeeze on their budgets while Mrs. May wants to spend money on grammar schools, the continuing cuts in grants to poorer local authorities, the deepening crisis in the health service, will all attract public attention – because they are closer to most people’s immediate interests than the long-term future of Britain and our place in the world.

As a son of England he naturally concentrates on the way the Tories have impacted on the NHS and education there. However, whatever happens to spending by those English departments is reflected in the settlement for Wales. Affecting Wales directly are cuts to social spending, the privatisation of the parole and probation services, the withdrawal of legal aid from those who most need it and attacks on civil liberties. I would expect the LD candidates for Aberavon and Neath to speak to these and more in the coming general election campaign, and to the Labour so-called opposition's failure to halt them.

No comments: