The Western Mail has really excelled itself in its campaign to rid the Welsh Tory party of its leader who has done so much to turn the party into an organisation which supports the nation instead of looking solely towards England and copying what happens across the border.
The basis of the campaign was revealed when the paper gave an entire page to the two most anti-Assembly members who are – or have ever been – in its ranks.
One of these enemies of the Assembly – some would say, enemies of Wales – was named. The Mail - some would say Llais y Sais after reading former Mail editor John Humphries’s Freedom Fighters (from University of Wales Press) – repeated an interview with the notorious former AM for Clwyd West.
As expected, Rod Richards spat vitriol. He additionally ridiculed Nick Bourne’s attempts to learn Welsh – which was the reason for buying on expenses the iPod which the Western Mail has waxed so eloquently about.
I don’t like to say it, but Mr Richards’s comparison of Mr Bourne with the admitted spoken successes of David Davies smack of the perhaps-unwitted arrogance of a person who learnt Welsh from both parents without effort.
Nothing, by the way in the Llais, about the house in Penarth which turns up in TWO AMs’ expenses payments. Huw Lewis, Merthyr, and Lynne Neagle, Torfaen both make claims for the house they share in the town. I am sure, however, although I haven’t checked, that there is no double-claiming.
But both Huw and Lynne are Labour, part of the Established Order in Wales. It’s much more dangerous when a Tory starts criticising the Established Order.
The second story which filled the page came from an interview with Peter Davies. He wasn’t named, but what other Tory councillor in Newport speaks in the sort of words used ? Scrap all allowances for AMs’ second-homes, Mr Davies was reported as saying.
But of course Mr Davies is a successful businessman (he ran a tea-importing company), so he should have a bit of cash to spare, while his son David, the MP and former AM for Monmouth, boasted separately about subsidising his work as an MP from his own pocket. Just as Tories used to, in the days before MPs were paid !
What an evil anti-Welsh duo to base your campaign on !
But it fits entirely with the long-term agenda of the Western Mail. Lecturer Aled Jones in his Press, Politics and Society tells of the yell of triumph when the Mail took over and closed at once the Cardiff morning paper which was far closer to the beliefs of Wales, the South Wales Daily News.
The immediate reason for the take-over of the Liberal-supporting paper by the Tory rag was financial. But the London owners of the Llais knew precisely the blow they were striking at advanced politics in Wales by closing the News and keeping the reactionary Mail going.
As it was then, so it is now. The situation has changed only a little. Advanced politics are now appearing within the ranks of the Tory party. The Llais makes its move to kill off the Tories’ forward-thinkers by going overboard to back the reactionaries.
The whole thing stinks.
Just one point to the Mail on Sunday reporter in his comments about the attitudes of the Tory MPs – who apparently were in no hurry to support Mr Bourne. He seems to have failed to get a response from David Jones, Clwyd West [I can't find the exact words, because the Media Wales site at present is in a bit of a mess over its Politics stories].
The WoS reporter – one of the best in Cardiff on politics, because of his independence from party factions – seems to put that down to his total opposition to the Assembly.
Unfortunately the reporter in question was not present at the Forum conference in Cardiff when Mr Jones declared his total support for Mr Bourne, and stated that he should continue in his job until the election in 2011. I would guess Mr Jones has the good of the Welsh Tory Party more at heart than the entire, brainless, anti-Assembly clique in Cardiff. Whether that comment applies to Tory party members or also includes the Western Mail, I leave it to you to judge.
