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Ex-minister says Labour 'unfit' Ex-minister says Labour 'unfit'
(about 10 hours later)
An ex-assembly minister has published a pamphlet saying the Welsh Labour party is "unfit for purpose" and needs to be radically overhauled.An ex-assembly minister has published a pamphlet saying the Welsh Labour party is "unfit for purpose" and needs to be radically overhauled.
Merthyr AM Huw Lewis made the call in the first publication from a new group within Labour set up to kick-start debate about the Welsh party's future. Merthyr AM Huw Lewis made the call in the first publication from Wales 20:20, a new group within Labour set up to start debate about its future.
Named the Wales 20:20, the group plans to write articles and essays. But Newport West MP Paul Flynn dismissed his analysis as "cobblers".
Welsh Labour leaders have not commented but it is thought an official party review think-tank is being set up.Welsh Labour leaders have not commented but it is thought an official party review think-tank is being set up.
Wales 20:20 said the Scottish Labour party had begun an extensive debate about its future but feared that there was no similar effort in Wales. Wales 20:20 said Scottish Labour had begun an extensive debate about its future but feared that there was no similar effort in Wales.
Its website said the organisation was committed to renewing the Labour movement across Wales.
The lack of discourse on this subject since May has been shocking Huw Lewis AM, on the response to the assembly election resultThe lack of discourse on this subject since May has been shocking Huw Lewis AM, on the response to the assembly election result
It pledged to achieve that aim by providing "a forum for progressives throughout Wales" to express their ideas about the way forward for the party. Labour remained the biggest party after the assembly election, with 26 of 60 seats, but was forced to go into coalition with Plaid.
It was written by Mr Lewis, a known critic of the Labour-Plaid coalition, who lost his job as deputy economy and transport minister after the assembly government was formed. Mr Lewis, a critic of the Labour-Plaid deal who lost his deputy minister's job after the deal, said Labour was not facing up to the changes needed.
In his pamphlet he said Labour effectively lost May's election but the party was not facing up to the changes needed in response to that result. He writes: "The lack of discourse on this subject since May has been shocking."
He writes: "'The lack of discourse on this subject since May has been shocking."
Mr Lewis said Labour must "react to the 2007 result as if it were a heavy defeat" or it risked "sleepwalking" to an even worse defeat in 2011.Mr Lewis said Labour must "react to the 2007 result as if it were a heavy defeat" or it risked "sleepwalking" to an even worse defeat in 2011.
'Counsel of despair'
"I contend that the only way to do that will require the remaking of Welsh Labour from top to bottom, as presently organised it is simply not fit for the purpose of winning assembly elections," he wrote."I contend that the only way to do that will require the remaking of Welsh Labour from top to bottom, as presently organised it is simply not fit for the purpose of winning assembly elections," he wrote.
The new group is also encouraging online debate He rejected claims that Labour could never again expect to win a majority of seats in Wales as a "counsel of despair" but said changes were needed, including organisation, staffing levels, and a greater role for MPs and unions.
He rejected claims that Labour could never again expect to win a majority of seats in Wales as a "counsel of despair" but said changes were needed. If that election was re-run today Labour would win in Cardiff by a huge majority: we all knew that a year ago Paul Flynn MP
Chief among these was how the party was organised, with Mr Lewis claiming staffing levels were hopelessly inadequate for running the party across Wales.
He also said trade unions should play a full part in the policy-making structure.
Other suggestions included Welsh MPs being given a new role in forming and scrutinising policies to avert the risk of the Welsh party alienating the Westminster group permanently.
Although there has been no comment from the Wales Labour leadership, there is likely to be private criticism of Wales 20:20.Although there has been no comment from the Wales Labour leadership, there is likely to be private criticism of Wales 20:20.
Its name echoes that of another website set up by former UK cabinet ministers Charles Clarke and Alan Milburn, who had been forced to deny that The 2020 Vision was a veiled attempt to stop Gordon Brown becoming leader. One of the first to launch an attack was Paul Flynn, who in his weblog called it a "loser's lament" which believed two myths: first, that good organisation could have won the election, and that Mr Blair's presence did not lose it.
Both Wales 20:20 and the Merthyr AM have strongly denied that their group was a cover for any possible future leadership bid by Mr Lewis. He argued that if Mr Blair had stood down for Gordon Brown at Christmas, as many MPs wanted, the "Brown bounce" would have happened earlier and Labour would have been 10 points ahead in May.
They also insisted that it was not aimed at providing a forum for those who remained opposed to the new Labour-Plaid coalition government. "Labour would have had stunning victories in Wales and Scotland, but Blair insisted on having this self-indulgent elongated goodbye," said Mr Flynn.
It is thought an official think-tank is in the process of being set up with a similar aim of reviewing what change is needed. "Our organisations always need looking at, but it's not the reason why we lost: we lost because of the timing of the election.
"If that election was re-run today Labour would win in Cardiff by a huge majority: we all knew that a year ago.
"But it was entirely (due to) Blair's self-indulgence that we lost it that way."