Conservative Policy Forum – Gwbert on Sea
This Sunday we had a very successful policy conference at Gwbert on Sea, and many members from West Wales were able to attend. Last week we had an equally successful conference for North Wales in Llandudno. Our South Wales conference follows later in the autumn.
It was a good opportunity for our new Assembly Members to speak. I was able to listen to Angela Burns who spoke very effectively and movingly about the alienation of many young people in our society and how we must ensure that this doesn’t happen. Angela brings a very fresh approach to her politics and it was a speech delivered from the heart.
It is also interesting to observe our members thinking about how we can develop our policies in the Assembly and, indeed, nationally to ensure that we inhabit the centre ground of politics which is the place clearly from which elections are won. Jonathan Evans, Andrew RT Davies and Paul Davies also spoke at the conference, and although I wasn’t present for their contributions, from speaking to member afterwards I know how well received their contributions were.
There was clearly much talk about the possibility of an early election as well. Whether or not an early election happens, I do think that the constant “will he or won’t he”, which is obviously being fed by Gordon Brown and those around him, is wearing thin with the electorate. I don’t think the British people will tolerate this for long. Either he is going to call an election, which he should do forthwith, or he is not going to call an early election, and he should say so. In any event we will be ready in Wales, but the uncertainty is not something which people welcome. I begin to see the merit of the fixed term elections that we have in the National Assembly.
