There was never a doubt that the Tories’ performance in Wales was clearly the best of any party in Britain, Clive Betts writes from the National Assembly press gallery.
The swing in votes from Labour was 7 per cent, compared with 5.2 in the north-east of England, and 4.2 in England’s north-west, the nearest challenging regions.
Of course, the use of such “swing” figures is a bit misleading as the concept dates from the days when only two significant parties exist. Now there are seven in Wales, and six in England.
But it still justified Tory leader David Cameron hopping on a train in Paddington to serenade his party leader in Wales on the steps of the National Assembly.
The location for him to meet Nick Bourne was significant. As was Mr Bourne’s robust answer to a journalist’s question about Cheryl Gillan’s alleged faux pas to Welsh university vice-chancellors when she raised the point about whether control of universities should be transferred back to London.
Ms Gillan’s meeting was private, under Chatham House rules – which means even the unmentionable can be discussed, on the strict understanding that even the walls have no ears.
In this case, one of the chancellors didn’t only have ears; he also had a memory, and the story leaked.
Mr Bourne rapidly shot it down. The story was old; the shadow Secretary of State did not believe that power should be sent back to London – “She said there is no question of this going back to Westminster,” said Mr Bourne.
Casually, at the start of the press gallery briefing, Mr Bourne mentioned he had had a word on some issue of other with the main would-be rival for his leadership, Jonathan Morgan.
Asked about this, he replied that of course he had had a word with Mr Morgan, as would be expected. And that was the end of the matter.
Curiously, a notice board in the Assembly carries a poster advertising a speech by Mr Morgan on “how the Tories WON the 2015 election”.
Clearly, the Welsh Tory Party is hardly a top-down organisation, as are both Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, where everything comes from the top, and the underlings promptly jump to attention.
Of course, Mr Morgan might be about to tell us in alternative location in Cardiff what he will have achieved after four years as leader …
We were told later in the morning by the Lib Dems about how they were delighted when UKIP stood in an election – because that party took almost all its votes from the Tories. At the right-hand extremity of the political scale, UKIP is almost interchangeable with right-wing Tories..
Was Mr Bourne therefore concerned that the Assembly’s group of AMs had opted for a strongly pro-Assembly line, when it was clear that a strong element of conservatives were anti-Assembly and anti-EU, and when that group had managed to win a seat in Wales ?
The answer was simple – party policy is pro-Assembly, and even David Davies, the MP and former AM for Monmouth, was in agreement.
At least to Mr Bourne’s face.
Mr Bourne pointed out how little support exists anywhere for abolition of the Assembly – “The support for abolition is only 9pc,” in a recent opinion poll.
He could also have pointed out how weak the UKIP is in Wales. Historically, the party has been based upon those who fought during the last war – and therefore dislike the Germans – and on those who dislike Europe because they remember the glories of the empire.
Thus, it is based largely in southern England.
As to its weakness in Wales … John Bufton, the successful candidate, exists in my list as the party’s Wales organiser.
Well, the party is so well organised that none of the journalists in this section of the Assembly press gallery had heard a word from it for some time. As far as the press is concerned, the party doesn’t seem to exist.
The party has already said that it will now contest Assembly seats.
That is a bit of a surprise, but perhaps inevitable after their Euro-wins. But when they fought the 2007 election, they came below even the National Front, scoring less than four per cent of the poll.
Mr Bourne plainly believes they will be wasting their time as “they will not get far with that message” of abolition. But then he mused, that perhaps they would change their stance.
After all, it happened with his own party. Even if Rod Richards, the former AM for North, is unrepentant in his opposition.
