A reconstruction fund?

I recently attended the Annual Conference of one of Mebyon Kernow’s sister parties, Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales.

At a time when UK politics is in a state of chaos, it was refreshing to be among political activists whose focus is not the pantomime at Westminster, but securing a better deal for Wales.

Plaid’s inspirational leader was certainly on great form. The event took place in Swansea and, at the start of his speech, Adam Price had quite a lot to say about the great industrial traditions in and around Wales’ second largest city.

He reminded delegates how Swansea was historically known as Copperopolis, because of the dominance of the local copper industry from the 18th century onwards. From my perspective, it is worth noting that the fortunes of the city were very much linked to Cornwall in the past. Much of the copper ore transported to Wales for smelting came from west of the Tamar and the first copper works in Swansea were established in 1720 by Dr Lane and Mr Pollard, who had owned copper mines in Cornwall.

Adam did name-check Cornishman Richard Trevithick who in 1804 built a locomotive for the nearby Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, of which a replica is on display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.

Obviously, most of what Adam Price had to say was about the future and many people will recognise his analysis that government from a distant Westminster has failed places such as Wales.

In a very thought-provoking intervention, he called for a Welsh Reconstruction Fund. Describing his homeland as a “resource-rich country,” he argued that the decades-long and disproportionate focus on London and South East England had caused much poverty in Wales, which has blighted thousands and thousands of lives.

He also hit out at how the UK’s centralised system of governance had denied his countrymen “the tools – the levers and pulleys” to combat the failings of the present political system.

There are some pretty obvious parallels with Cornwall, as we too continue to push for fair funding and seek the higher level of investment in our public services that is so desperately needed, as well as greater democratic control in our politics.

The Plaid Cymru leader made it clear that he was not seeking charity, but wanted payback for the “failures and under-investment of the past.”

I wonder if any Cornish MPs will have the courage to make similar demands for the UK Government to prioritise the needs of Cornwall.

[This is my article in the most recent edition of the Cornish Guardian. The above photograph pictures me with Ceredigion MP Ben Lake, who will be speaking at MK’s Conference in Truro on 16th November].