GREEN JOBS FOR NEWPORT

Tories and Labour dragging their feet over renewable developments

Plaid Cymru’s Newport West by-election candidate, Jonathan Clark has said Newport must make use of its natural advantages if it is to compete with neighbouring cities.

It’s now over 20 years years since former Tory leader and then Welsh Secretary, William Hague scrapped potentially transformational plans for an Usk barrage. The South Wales Argus, in 2016, reported that “It was hoped the barrage would transform the waterfront of Newport, create more than 5,000 jobs and 2,300 new homes as part of a £400 million waterfront park alongside the river.”

According to Jonathan Clark, “Our city needs a second chance by making good use of its natural position.

“The river Usk has one of the highest rise and fall of tides in Wales, and with its history of manufacturing and heavy industry, should be well placed to benefit from the development of tidal lagoons to the west and the east of the city and the harnessing of some of the tidal energy potential of the Severn estuary - with a combination of tidal turbines, wave power, off shore wind and solar.”

Arguing that the two main Westminster parties weren’t taking climate change seriously enough, Jonathan Clark added “Children are going out on strike because of climate change, the UN is warning of impending disaster, and we are already seeing the effects of global warming.

“While Labour and the Tories compete for who can be Newport’s biggest polluters with their backing for the wasteful M4 black route, Plaid Cymru is the only party that is planning a Green Jobs Revolution for Newport.

“We are committed to utilising Wales’ most untapped resource, our maritime energy potential. We will build tidal lagoons, harness offshore wind, and capture the power of our waves to create a Green Jobs Revolution for Newport.

“While Labour and the Tories drag their feet on renewables projects and plan to decimate the Gwent levels, Plaid Cymru is offering a prosperous and sustainable future to our city.”

A TIDAL LETDOWN

Westminster’s decision to reject the Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon (and the broken promise over electrification of the min line to Swansea from Cardiff amongst others) is to say the least disappointing. That said it is simply a very visible symptom of the Westminster Parliament and most Westminster parliamentarians (with a few honourable exceptions) lack of any real concern for Wales and our national interests. 

Let’s be honest with ourselves for once, Westminster is quite simply not interested in making Wales thrive, or allowing Wales to become a world-beater in the development of renewable energy technologies and to generate the technologies and jobs that go with it. As I have said previously I have long believed that Westminster government’s regardless of their political hue, before and after devolution, and before and no doubt after BREXIT, remains fundamentally indifferent to our needs, our aspirations and our national interests.  

Nothing to see here - move alone! 

It is worth remembering that every single party represented in the National Assembly backed the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and yet, Westminster has told us it’s not going to happen. In the 1980’s and 1990’s decisions made in Westminster, were largely made by Governments that the people of Wales did not vote for or endorse yet were imposed on our country. Now, even with devolution, things should be different, yet now decisions made by our embryonic national parliament can be so easily wilfully overruled by a Westminster government over the border, for whom the people of Wales did not vote for.

Our coastline and our maritime and energy resources will remain a largely untapped resource for the foreseeable future. The prototype tidal lagoon would have been a first step towards making Wales a world leader in a new and innovative technology with the potential to power our future. Not to mention the potential to create renewable and sustainable non nuclear energy supply that would not be deponent on imported oil and gas from the unstable Middle East and the Persian gulf. 

Westminster is consistently refusing to invest to create well-paid jobs in Wales, while at the same time threatening the ones which already exist, through its irresponsible stance on Brexit. The decision to pull the plug on the Tidal lagoon is a perfect demonstration of why Wales needs to gain greater control over its own future. We can no longer not afford the luxury of Westminster continuing to hold back our country’s potential for developing sustainable energy sector and the related skills that could make our country a world leader. 

The years of foot-dragging over the fate of the Swansea Tidal lagoon should not have been unexpected, particularly from a Westminster system that remains hooked on expensive subsidies to foreign owned and foreign constructed Nuclear power stations. One reason for this is that it is perhaps easier for former energy minsters to get better paid jobs post their involvement in politics, with subsidy rich energy companies.

Interest in developing Tidal lagoons is not new; the concept has been floated around in Wales since the late 1990’s. It is worth remembering that Labour were in power from 1997 until 2010 and did nothing. The problem was that successive private companies when faced with sluggish perhaps finely calculated indifference from both government (at all levels) and the civil service have moved on or lost interest. 

Post BREXIT Wales needs the Tidal lagoons more than ever, if Westminster is serious about reducing the UK’s dependence on imported energy supplies from unstable regions, run by brutal repressive regimes – then developing Tidal lagoons could be a step towards real energy independence. So rather than watching the Westminster politicians marshal their lame tired old excuses as to why they cold not or would not buy in to the project, we need to devolve the powers related to energy generation from Westminster to Wales.

The full devolution of powers relating to energy resource development to Wales and also a Welsh government that is not sleeping walking on the job are an absolute necessity. Post BREXIT we need to step away from our low wage culture and to develop a much more economically dynamic and sustainable Welsh economy.  We are not going to get anything done with a Labour in Wales government in Cardiff Bay that’s too busy looking after its own personal and party political interests rather than our national interests.

A MATTER OF PRIORITIES

At the turn of the year, barely noticed by most people, Westminster politicians voted to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on redecorating their own offices. A Plaid Cymru/SNP amendment to allow Parliament to be relocated outside London was defeated, and the Tory Government’s preferred option for renovation was defeated. 

Westminster MPs supported an alternative proposal from a group of Labour, Tory and DUP backbench politicians to spend up to £4 billion pounds of public money temporarily moving MPs to an alternative location in London while work is carried out on the Palace of Westminster. Plaid Cymru had called for MPs to be given a further option – to leave the Palace of Westminster permanently and move Parliament outside London, arguing that it would not only save money for taxpayers but also contribute towards rebalancing the UK economy. 

It is worth noting that in the six months since the Westminster election and the refurbishment vote, the Westminster Government has scrapped electrification of the railway line to Swansea; they have pretty much kicked the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon into the long grass; and slashed funding for the NHS, local government and schools. Yet Westminster MP’s managed to vote to spend up to £4 billion pounds of taxpayers money redecorating their own offices. 

And this is during a time of rising inequality, and public faith in democracy shaken, it’s typical that the Westminster establishment has mobilised ultra-efficiently to protect its own interests. So rather than redecorating a dilapidated building centred in a city that is infamous for being part of the problem, rather than the solution, to the widening geographic inequality across the UK, MP’s should have taken the opportunity to move the Parliament outside London, saving public money and taking a major step towards rebalancing the economy. 

If Westminster politicians seriously think that spending £4 billion on their own place of work is going to re-build the peoples trust in the political process, then they need to think again, perhaps they should visit visit communities across Wales who have been completely let down by successive Westminster governments. A £4 billion renovation might fix a crumbling Palace of Westminster but it certainly will not fix a crumbling and increasingly out of touch Westminster establishment.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE

Why are we are still waiting...

Westminster’s failure to commit to the Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon and the broken promise over electrification of the min line to Swansea from Cardiff, while being disappointing are simply very visible symptoms of the Westminster Parliament and most Westminster parliamentarians (with some honorable exceptions) lack of concern for Wales and our national interests. Westminster is simply not interested in making Wales thrive, or allowing Wales to become a world-beater in the development of renewable energy technologies and to generate the technologies and jobs that go with it.

As I have said previously I have long believed that Westminster government’s regardless of their political hue, before and after devolution, and before and after BREXIT, remain fundamentally indifferent to our needs, our aspirations and our national interests.  The cancelation of the electrification of the Great Western line, from Cardiff to Swansea should have come as no real surprise. I had long advocated beginning the electrification process at the Swansea end of the line, something that may well have made the cancellation more difficult.

The foot-dragging over the fate of the Swansea Tidal lagoon remains ominous, but sadly it is to be expected from a Westminster system that remains hooked on expensive subsidies to foreign owned and foreign constructed Nuclear power stations. One reason for this is that it is perhaps easier for former energy minsters to get better paid jobs post their involvement in politics, with subsidy rich energy companies.

Interest in developing Tidal lagoons is not new; the concept has been floated around in Wales since the late 1990’s. The problem that successive private companies when faced with sluggish perhaps finely calculated indifference from both government (at all levels) and the civil service have moved on or lost interest. 

Post BREXIT we need the Tidal lagoons more than ever, if Westminster is serious about reducing the UK’s dependence on imported energy supplies from unstable regions, run by brutal repressive regimes – then developing Tidal lagoons could be a step towards real energy independence. Rather than marshaling their lame tired old excuses as to why they cannot or won’t buy in to the project, we need a commitment to secure power generation.

The devolution of powers relating to energy resource development to Wales and a Welsh government that is not sleeping walking on the job is necessity. Post BREXIT we need to step away from our low wage culture and to develop a much more economically dynamic and sustainable Welsh economy.  We are not going to get anything done with a Labour in Wales government in Cardiff Bay that’s too busy looking after its own personal and party political interests rather than our national interests.

SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

I have long believed (and remain yet to be convinced otherwise) that Westminster government’s regardless of their political hue, before and after devolution, and before and after BREXIT, remain fundamentally indifferent to our needs, our aspirations and our national interests.  The cancelation of the electrification of the Great Western line, from Cardiff to Swansea (something that had been quietly anticipated for sometime by more than a few people) came as no real surprise. I had long advocated beginning the electrification process at the Swansea end of the line, something that may well have made the cancellation more difficult.

Swansea Tidal still waiting for a decision...

The foot-dragging over the fate of the Swansea Tidal lagoon is ominous, but sadly to be expected from a Westminster system that remains hooked on expensive subsidies to foreign owned and foreign constructed Nuclear power stations. One reason for this is that it is perhaps easier for former energy minsters to get better paid jobs post their involvement in politics, with subsidy rich energy companies. 

Interest in developing Tidal lagoons is not new; the idea has been floated around in Wales since the late 1990’s. The problem is that successive private companies have moved on or lost interest when faced with sluggish perhaps finely calculated indifference from both government (at all levels) and the civil service.  

Post BREXIT we need the Tidal lagoons more than ever, if Westminster is serious about reducing the UK’s dependence on imported energy supplies from unstable regions, run by brutal repressive regimes – then developing Tidal lagoons could be a step towards real energy independence. Rather than marshaling their lame tired old excuses as to why they cannot or won’t buy in to the project, we need a commitment to secure power generation. 

We also need the devolution of powers relating to energy resource development to Wales and a Welsh government that is not sleeping on the job. Post BREXIT we need to step away from our low wage culture and to develop a much more economically dynamic and sustainable Welsh economy.  We are not going to get any o these things with a Labour in Wales government in Cardiff Bay that’s too busy looking after its own personal and party political interests rather than our national interests.

Back in January 2017, a former energy minster, Charles Hendry, after looking at the latest proposals, came up with a positive endorsement.  It’s now nearly October, and despite the distractions of the Westminster general election and the shambolic post BREXIT negotiations (and associated faffing about) we find that Westminster has gone all Simon and Garfunkel on us here in Wales – all we are getting is the sound of silence.