Why Labour’s still on the way out in the Valleys

It looked like a political trap. But Valleys Labour are so stupid and arrogant that they blundered straight in.

It’s a real pity there are hardly any local elections in Wales next month – we’d then see the so-called People’s Party (the position of the apostrophe indicates there is only one person, and you can guess which party he is a member of !!) entering yet another cycle of decline.

The sad saga is printed in the pages of this week’s Pontypridd Observer. I know, there are probably other sides to the tale. But …

The issue is all to do with elected members’ allowances. All right, RCT councillors all live near enough the council offices, so there is no need for second homes, moat-cleaning, and so on.

Due to the economic climate (and no doubt the goings-on in Westminster), the opposition parties put together a motion to make a little hay. Special responsibility allowances for committee chairs should be cut (if not axed).

If Labour had more sense, and were not so arrogant, they would have spotted the elephant trap miles away.

But no. Labour leader Russell Roberts gave, in one sentence, the reason why Labour are best out of power so they learn a little humility. “We as the largest group chose the largest number [of  vice-chairs] and that’s not the position your’re in and not one you’re likely ever to be in.”

He then rattled on about Taff Ely council, of which he was once a member - as if that council had been Labour-controlled since eternity. Perhaps Mr Roberts had never heard of Janet Davies, the Plaid leader of that council ….

And what of Pauline Jarman, when she was Plaid leader of RCT.

Has anyone ever heard of Clayton Willis, RCT’s current cabinet member for human resources. Cabinet member for strikes, would be a better title. Give him an industrial dispute to settle, and you’d hear shop steward whistles all a’blast.

I’ve never heard before of Mr Willis (although I know of a far better known Clayton, who used to run buses, he was certainly no supporter of Labour).

But I’d heard of the Tory councillor Mr Willis insulted. Joel James, at 24, “is so young and inexperienced he wouldn’t understand” how to chair a committee.

As I said, it’s a great pity that there are hardly any council elections next month. For it it would be nice to see the back of arrogant Willis, and watch him making way for the political future in these valleys.

I can understand that Very Old Labour still believe Mrs Thatcher is PM, and that only Labour councillors have brains.

But not everyone in RCT Labour is Very Old Labour. The MP’s got some sense (even if should avoid pictures which might make him look like a male Adonis).

And of course the AM is a former Lib Dem and would therefore never fall into the sin of arrogance.