Peter Hain, Albert Owen, and Reality versus Fantasy

The Druid has no particular political allegiance - as per his oath set out to the left of this post, he merely wants the best for Anglesey. Accordingly he evaluates all parties on what they say and what they do. If they propose or implement policy which is sensible and benefits this island he will praise it - if on the other hand, politicians say or do something stupid then he will condemn it.

What the Druid particularly dislikes however is when politicians invite us to believe something which is directly contrary to what we know to be true. And when it comes to this particular 'crime' one party stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Here are two examples from the past two weeks alone:

FANTASY

Last week Albert Owen sent a letter to the local press congratulating himself and Labour for "political leadership and vision on energy projects". I blogged about it here.

REALITY

This week the energy regulator Ofgem released a report warning us that there will be power shortages in the years ahead and that the average household electricity and gas bills could rise by 25% to £2000 or more by 2020. The cause being that this Labour government, despite prancing around on the world stage calling for ever more shrill carbon targets, has for too long avoided making any preparations to replace the multitude of nuclear and coal-fired power plants which are due to be closed down this decade. The result is that we will all end up paying more for an unstable supply - certainly not an example of "political leadership or vision" as Albert Owen would have us believe.

FANTASY

Peter Hain, the Secretary for State for Wales is a serial offender. Fresh from claiming a few weeks ago that mass job losses in Wales were mere 'tales', he has this week told a Westminster briefing that Wales is "a wealthy country".

REALITY

This is the reality in Anglesey:

• A GDP per head of only half of the UK average thus making it officially the poorest county in the UK according to the Office of National Statistics;
• Equivalent to some of the poorest parts of Poland in a recent OECD report;
• The lowest GVA per head in Wales at just 53% of the UK’s average; 
• A dwindling private sector following the closures of Anglesey Aluminium, Octel, MEM/Eaton, Peboc and many others;
• A rising unemployment rate currently standing at 5.8%; 
• An economic inactivity rate of 25.1%; 
• A changing population profile with a net outflow of 16-24 year olds; 

The problem with this kind of fantasy politics is not only is it deceptive towards voters, it also prevents the formulation of good policy. If you are so invested in your fantasy and refuse to accept the reality, then it follows that you cannot make policy to solve real problems. And that is a tragedy not only for the Labour Party but for us all.