Guest blog by Andrew RT Davies, Leader of the Opposition in the Welsh Parliament
Public services in Wales are far below the standard we expect. NHS waiting lists are longer than in the rest of the UK. Standards in our schools are lower. And vital infrastructure projects, like the much-needed M4 Relief Road, have been scrapped.
Governing is about priorities. Taxpayers’ cash is not an endless supply, so those in power must decide where resources are best targeted. And if money is wasted on ideological vanity projects or expensive yet unnecessary luxuries, core services suffer.
The guidance issued to Welsh libraries to avoid holding meetings in “racist” buildings is one such example. The advice was included in a document produced by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, as part of a £135,000 project funded by Labour ministers in the Senedd to support the delivery of their “Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan”. It includes a warning to be “mindful of the venue” and to “not choose a venue that represents a racist legacy”. Librarians are instructed that, “if you have to use a venue that has a racist past, acknowledge this as early as possible to demonstrate your commitment to systemic issues”. The project also includes advice on training in “critical whiteness studies” and dealing with the “dominant paradigm of whiteness”.
In my view, this project is rooted in and motivated by a radical, extreme and deeply divisive ideology. The concept of critical race theory is both controversial and strongly contested, and opponents have warned that, rather than contribute towards a cohesive society, it risks creating or inflaming tensions where none exist. As such, there can be no justification for it to be funded by taxpayers.
What’s worse though, is that this £135,000 project is by no means an isolated example. The Welsh Government’s “Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan” includes a pledge to ensure that private sector organisations taking part in procurement processes must demonstrate a commitment to the Plan’s objective. Needless to say, this could very easily create a situation in which value for money for taxpayers will play second fiddle to an obligation to adhere to a radical and contested ideology.
Many well-known and reputable companies, recognising the damage that they can inflict, have decided to end Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives within their businesses, for example. If such suppliers are excluded from procurement processes, then there is a real risk taxpayers will end up paying more for substandard products or services. As a consequence, public services in Wales will get even worse.
This is why, when such policies are brought forward, they must be subjected to full and proper scrutiny. But too often, those policies’ proponents attempt to shut down debate.
To give a recent example, several people from across Wales recently contacted me about the availability of non-Halal meat options in school meals. To follow up their concerns, I wrote to all local authorities in Wales, seeking assurances that a non-Halal meat option was available for all meals at which meat is served. Instead of engaging with the public’s concerns in a measured and responsible manner, several politicians attempted to dismiss them. Indeed, I was subjected to allegations of “Islamophobic race-baiting”, merely for making enquiries on behalf of the public.
This is an especially dangerous approach to take. If mainstream, moderate politicians fail to engage with the public’s legitimate concerns, it will leave the field clear for extremists to exploit for their own ends. We simply cannot allow this to happen.
A further instance is Senedd expansion, which will see £120million spent on creating 36 more politicians. Unsurprisingly, this policy is strongly opposed by the people of Wales. Yet the Labour and Plaid Cymru nationalist politicians who imposed it try to dismiss any criticism as anti-Welsh. This unfounded assertion is both divisive and unacceptable.
If the much-needed improvement to public services in Wales is to become a reality, then the priorities of those in charge need to change.
As well as its divisive and corrosive effect on our society, the radical ideology embraced by Welsh Government ministers in the Senedd is also distracting them from what matters. The time, effort and energy put into a project warning librarians against meeting in “racist” buildings would undoubtedly be better put towards our Welsh NHS or our schools, as would the £135,000 it received in funding.
Welsh taxpayers have a right to expect their hard-earned cash will be spent properly and responsibly. That will only be achieved if the present culture and priorities are brought to a swift and decisive end.