Nick Bourne AM today gave an upbeat assessment of his party’s opportunities and challenges in 2011, building on the substantial gains made in this year’s General Election.
In his New Year’s message Mr Bourne welcomed the chance for the people of Wales to deliver their verdict on Labour-Plaid’s management of the Welsh economy and public services, following the publication of damning GVA and PISA figures showing Wales remains the poorest nation of the UK and lags behind other developed nations educationally.
Writing for the IWA’s website, Click on Wales, Mr Bourne, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly, also spoke of his desire to see the Assembly begin to make laws in a more effective and more transparent manner.
Speaking about the urgent need to tackle Labour’s massive budget deficit, Nick Bourne said, “Welsh Conservatives quickly came to the conclusion that the National Health Service budget had to be protected at all costs. As people live longer and new drugs and treatments become available it would be unthinkable to my mind to cut the NHS budget and I am surprised that this is what Labour and Plaid Cymru have done.
“I believe fervently that a non-Labour Assembly Government is a crying need for Wales. We have had twelve years of Labour domination in the Welsh Government and this has not led to improvements in our public services or our economy.
“Indeed, we have gone backwards economically. As current economic performance figures indicate, we will qualify for another round of European assistance based on our low GVA even after the omission of the economically weak states in Eastern Europe into the EU. This is a national disgrace.
“The Assembly elections represent an opportunity for a historic break with the past and a chance to shape a new Wales based on power in local communities, a fully funded NHS and a vibrant private sector led by strong indigenous Welsh businesses.
“Our policies of protecting the Health budget, providing budgets directly to schools and offering business rate relief will be central to our appeal to the Welsh people in May.”
