"Nye Bevan would spin in his grave" - Prime Minister Cameron, 05.04.2012

Under the damning strap-line, 'Prime MInister criticises Labour-run Government's record on the NHS and education as he visits Echo office', David Cameron said, I think Nye Bevan would be pretty upset if he saw what was happening right now where the U.K. Government specifically singled out the National Health Service and said, "We are not going to cut the NHS; we are going to increase investment in our NHS" but the Labour government decided to cut the NHS.  "So, Wales gets the extra money through the Barnet formula because we are investing in the NHS in England, but it chooses to single out health and cut it by half a Billion pounds over the coming years. I think that Nye Bevan would spin in his grave  if he could see that today". The Conservative leader defended his right to intervene on subjects for which the Welsh Government was responsible and said it was part of the "Respect Agenda" between the two administration.  He said, "As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom I have a perfect right to look at what's happening in terms of healthcare and education and pose some difficult questions."

Insisting he had "no reservations" about criticising the record of another government, he said, "when you see standards slipping in education and healthcare - where since the last election  the number of people waiting for their operation in Wales has almost trebled, whereas in England it's actually gone down by a third - these are real problems."

In my opinion, it's about time someone in Westminster spoke out about the neglect and mismanagement of the budgets for Health and Education. The poor patients in Wales have had to bear the consequences of the savage cuts to their health service for the past twelve years.  Now we all know that inadequate, inaccessible services are the result of deliberate policy made by the incompetent members of our elected government. Criminal ? - maybe ; Fraudulent ? - almost certainly ; Deliberate misrepresentation to the electorate in their manifesto ? - Absolutely 'bang to rights' - and we are the stupid berks who elected, and re-elected, the self-serving, dishonest swine !

So, how does it feel to be conned by people you trusted ? Pretty galling, isn't it ? And we are expected to suffer these poorer standards of living in order to help cover-up the incompetence of our Welsh Government.  So, how does this reflect on the consequences of Devolution  I'd say that the devolving of powers over health and education to Wales has been an unmitigated failure - wouldn't you ?  So, let's demand a referendum on the subject, in order put the government of our mismanaged country back to Parliament where it should have stayed. And what do we have to say in reply to the protestations of Assembly Members Jenny Rathbone and Lynne Neagle who claim that 'last May, the Welsh people backed Labour's vision for the NHS.........?  "Cobblers !" - We haven't been consulted on anything - fairly and properly - ever since the start of the Welsh Assembly, and the promised 'Openness and Transparency' is still a pipedream of the deluders of the Welsh people. In response to my question about their duty to represent the interests of their constituents, my Labour representative said "Our first loyalty is to the Labour Party - we owe the Party everything.".

So, there we are - living proof of the old adage "politicians will say anything to achieve power - that is their one and only prioroty". But let me reassure politically minded  devotees that - while we are having to pay at least 20% more for our essential supplies, and even more for fuel, fares and utilities - your elected representatives are still living 'high on the hog' and putting two fingers up to us at the same time !    Happy Easter, all.    R.W.