Nick Breakfast

In the last week or so the re-branded, caring and sharing Tories seem to have reverted to type. As the Tory party spin machine in Westminster recovers from sleepless nights over these comments, the Welsh Conservatives have now shown their mean streak by setting their sights on the popular free school breakfast scheme. Welcomed by parents and teachers alike, this initiative ensures children get the best possible start to the day by providing a decent meal. A nutritious breakfast has been shown to enhance concentration levels and improve social skills for those pupils taking part.

The Tories are now saying this money would be better spent elsewhere and that it should be the role of parents to provide breakfast. In an ideal world there is a possibility this argument could have merit but, as David Cameron likes to keep reminding us, we don’t live in an ideal world. The reality is that some children, for whatever reason, are not given breakfast at home before being sent to school and would therefore have to make it through to lunch time without having eaten any food. This not only impacts on the child’s health but also has long-term consequences for his or her education.

Of course the Tories have form for abolishing such schemes so it is not entirely unexpected that they are finally showing their true colours. However, have the Tories really looked at the benefits of this free breakfast initiative in close enough detail? Being able to leave the house that little bit earlier and drop your child at school for breakfast can, in many cases, be the crucial difference between a parent deciding whether it is worth going to work or not. Putting aside the advantages it holds for children, there are clear economic benefits to the free breakfast scheme. In their haste to slash public expenditure, the Tories seem to have overlooked this. Or is it Nick Bourne simply wants be known now as Nick Breakfast?

Tory hypocrisy?

I don't often read Nick Bourne's blog, but my attention has been drawn to a recent post. Among countless empty aspirations, the Tory leader in the Assembly talks of “the need to invest in new rail lines and to enhance the existing rail services that we have.”

History has shown that when the Tories are in power, public services are cut dramatically in order to try to reduce the size of the state. Of course, its the poorest who are made to bear the brunt. Putting aside the cold hearted policies of the various Tory governments pre-1997, we don’t have to look too far to see how hollow Bourne’s words are.

At the Tory party conference in October of last year, Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers cast doubts on plans to electrify the main line between London and Swansea, stating it was not possible to give a “cast iron guarantee”. More generally, the Tories have also stated their intention to slash and burn the public purse to quickly reduce the borrowing deficit caused by the banking crisis.

Only 33% of the UK's rail network is electrified compared to 100% in Switzerland, 73% in the Netherlands and 57% in Germany. Wales is a select member of an unenviable club of European nations, along with Albania and Moldova, not to possess a single mile of electrified railway. This was why Plaid Cymru, and Ieuan Wyn Jones specifically pressed hard when we found out that a draft of the scheme proposed leaving out the Wales section of the network by terminating the electrification at Bristol.

Our efforts may come to nothing if, as expected, the Tories win power in London power in May. Wales is crying out for a modern rail service, and government wants people to reduce car usage. We can't let the Tories block Wales' rail electrification.

Tories show their true colours

The Tories' long-awaited report on devolution has been published today. I'm sure they hope it will be buried- why else would they release it when everyone's attention is on America? In recent years, the Tories in Wales have gone out of their way to cultivate a Wales-friendly image. We've seen a new branding, Wales mentioned alot in their rhetoric, and plenty of sympathetic noises towards the Welsh language. They know that they can't make it in Wales without being a pro-Welsh party.

The report by Wyn Roberts on devolution shows that they're the same old Tories: anti-Welsh and out of touch. Wyn Roberts states that it is "generally believed" a referendum on further powers would not be won. Isn't the whole point of a referendum to measure public opinion?

It's also obvious that Wyn Roberts is out of touch with politics in Wales and also refers to us as a Principality (a term that is thankfully little-used in Welsh politics these days). Couldn't the Welsh Tories find someone who was a little more in touch to write this report?

Despite the fact that during the 2007 coalition negotiations the Tories were prepared to sign up to campaigning for a 'yes' vote in a future referendum, this report fails to commit to such a position. They have not even ruled out abolishing the Assembly altogether. As they come closer to gaining power in Westminster they are reverting to their true colours. Nick Bourne should come out and distance himself from this report. Otherwise, we can only conclude that previously warm words from the Tories on devolution were nothing more than hot air.