Paul Davies speech to Welsh Conservative Conference

Dwi’n hynod o falch i gael y cyfle i fod gyda chi yma heddiw a mae’n bleser I gael agor y sesiwn yma.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to be with you here this morning and I’m proud to open the third Wales Fit for the Future session, alongside our brilliant party Chairman Byron Davies and our excellent Secretary of State, Alun Cairns – what a great job they’re doing!

 

Byron is reenergising the Party and Alun is giving us a strong voice around the Cabinet table.

 

I know from personal experience how dedicated and committed both are to the Welsh Conservative cause and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

 

It’s also great to be here in Carmarthenshire, out of the Cardiff Bay bubble, to talk to you about creating a strong Wales where all parts of the country are recognised.

 

Conference, now I joined the Conservative Party back in the early 1980s during Margaret Thatcher’s heyday and I joined because I share the same values as you do…

 

Friends, we are Conservatives because we believe in our country.

 

We are Conservatives because we believe in law and order.

 

We are Conservatives because we believe in freedom of the individual.

We are Conservatives because we believe in opportunity.

 

We are Conservatives because we believe in choice.

 

We are Conservatives because we believe in personal responsibility.

 

And we are Conservatives because we believe in a strong Wales in a strong United Kingdom – those are the values that make us Conservatives.

 

Of course, when I joined the Conservative Party we were cleaning up the mess left behind by another disastrous Labour Government, who had decimated the British economy and shaken the country to its very core.

 

A Labour party wedded to nationalisation and state ownership – a Party who believed that the public sector was always good and the private sector was always bad.

 

Well friends, fast forward 30 years and the Labour Party under Comrade Corbyn are still promoting that same tired Marxist ideology and calling for the renationalisation of our services.

 

If their leader genuinely believes that politicians can run services better than the industries themselves, then Jeremy is certainly on Planet Corbyn!

 

Friends this dangerous ideology will not create a Britain or a Wales that’s fit for the future – in fact it will turn back the clock and take us all back to the dark days of the 1970s.

Of course, a Wales that’s fit for the future and works for everyone must harness the power and opportunities that are offered not just in our towns and cities, but our rural communities too.

 

As someone who represents a rural constituency, I know only too well the impact that’s felt when Welsh Labour chooses to ignore the challenges facing some parts of Wales.

 

Conference, when it comes to rural Wales, Welsh Labour has simply run out of ideas.

 

So it now wants to transform Wales into giant super councils, in order to avoid any direct local accountability and in order to make sure that decision-making is once again further away from the people – we’ve been here before with previous Ministers.

 

That’s not a Wales that’s fit for the future – Friends, it’s more like Back to the Future!

 

Whilst Labour Ministers continue to rehash old models and ideas, Welsh Conservatives believe passionately in real devolution – handing more power and autonomy to our local communities, empowering communities and trusting people.

 

Conference, that is creating a Wales that’s fit for the future and works for everyone – a Wales where the state empowers its communities, not overpowers it.

 

Friends a strong Wales relies on a strong economy and across the border we’re already beginning to see the benefits of the UK Government in action.

Unemployment continues to fall, earnings continue to grow and our labour market continues to be strong – all thanks to the hard work of our colleagues at Westminster.

 

However, here in Wales, the stale socialist dogma of the Welsh Government continues to see Wales underperform against key indicators and starved of much-needed infrastructure investment.

 

Wales’ unemployment rate remains higher than the UK average and wages in Wales are now lower than in any other part of the UK.

 

And when it comes to investment… well, we know that the Welsh Government can’t even get their act together and deliver a solution to the M4 in South East Wales – so I’m not holding my breath in west Wales for investment to dual the A40 in Pembrokeshire!

 

We, as Welsh Conservatives, have innovative plans to empower and boost support for our rural areas after almost two decades of Labour neglect.

 

That’s why it’s crucial to remind people time and time again that there is an alternative here in Wales.

 

Conference, the socialists show no interest or understanding of rural Wales and they cannot be allowed to continue to hold their hands on the levers of power.

 

A Wales that’s fit for the future and works for everyone needs all areas of the country to realise its potential – and that my friends, is real devolution in action.

Only a tired socialist government like the one we have here in Wales would even consider downgrading and removing vital health services from one of Wales’ most significant tourist hotspots.

 

Sadly, the Welsh Government refuse to intervene and stop the downgrading of Withybush hospital in Pembrokeshire, despite its importance to local people and to visitors in the area.

 

Friends, this once again shows the contempt that Labour has for anything outside of their valleys heartlands.

 

People living in my constituency already have to travel further afield for specialist treatment – but to force those people to travel further afield for life saving services is totally unacceptable and would put people’s lives at risk.

 

It would be unacceptable for the people of Cardiff – and it’s unacceptable for the people of Pembrokeshire too.

 

And what message are we sending to the world – come and enjoy our fantastic beaches and mountains – but let’s hope you don’t need access to a hospital because we’re downgrading the services at the nearest one!

 

Friends, this is the future that Labour is creating in Wales and we cannot rest on our laurels.

 

We have to do everything in our power to stop their confused and catastrophic control from continuing.

 

It’s time to roll up our sleeves, get out on the doorstep and deliver the message that we can and must do things differently.

 

As Britain leaves the European Union, we need to ensure that Wales is in a strong position to trade with global markets and that only comes with Conservatives in government both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

 

Friends, given the importance of rural industries like agriculture to the Welsh economy post Brexit, the Welsh Government must protect and support our farmers at all costs.

 

Leaving the European Union will gives us the opportunity to break the shackles and shred the regulations that farmers are currently facing and give them a chance to flourish.

 

Welsh farmers produce the very best food and drink found anywhere in the world and it’s time the Welsh Government did more to recognise the sector’s importance to our country.

 

Conference, just because 2018 isn’t an election year, it doesn’t mean we get to sit back and relax.

 

In fact, it’s more important than ever that we work to build a Wales that’s fit for the future and works for everyone.

 

Our work starts now.

 

We must build a country which identifies and develops the strengths of all its parts and doesn’t leave rural communities in the dark.

 

A country which invests in its hamlets and villages, as well as its towns and cities.

 

And a country which prides itself on its geography and promotes its produce across all corners of the globe.

 

This is the Wales that’s fit for the future and works for everyone ….

 

…and it starts by delivering Conservative politicians at every level of Government…

 

…in our town and community councils, our local authorities and in both our Welsh and British Parliaments.

 

So let’s get out there and make it happen!