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EDWINA SAYS "I'M LISTENING TO PARTY MEMBERS."
Labour Party grass roots activists should play a bigger part in policy making, says Edwina Hart. If she becomes party leader in Wales she will ensure that party members’ have more of a say.
Edwina has been meeting members all over Wales during the leadership campaign, and she is being constantly asked about the policy making process. Edwina has this message for members.
“I know this is an issue that Party members feel strongly about”, adding, “members in my own constituency party often can't see any clear connection between the ideas they discuss and feed into the policy forum and what appears in the party’s policy documents.
"I know I've learned so much from my discussions with party members and trade unionists and the radical steps I've taken in the Health Service owe a lot to the Labour Party's policy process. I want to see those connections made much clearer and spread right across our work. We need the ideas and experience of party members and trade unionists - and they need to know we are listening. They’re the ones delivering the leaflets, and they need to know that they have had their say about what’s in them."
“I travel around Wales a lot but it’s the party grass roots activists who have more day-to-day contact with people. We have to listen to them.”
Edwina is also telling Party members in Wales that we need to be better at communicating the achievements of Labour, both the Assembly and UK Governments and also what we are going to do in the future.
“A lot of party members don’t realise that the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government has a very radical agenda and has delivered a great deal for our people. We are not communicating this to party members and it’s something we need to do better as a party."
Edwina has promised that she will work flat out to ensure that Labour is returned at the General Election.
“We need to revive the party from top to bottom. There are a lot of organisational issues which we need to tackle as we go into the General Election. If I am elected leader in Wales I will do everything I can to address those issues,” she says.
She also warned party members that a sustained, two-pronged attack on the Conservatives was needed at the next General Election.
“The election is going to be fought not only on what people want from us, but also on our ability to warn people about what’s going to happen if they don’t vote Labour. If the Tories win the next General election we could end up with fewer Members of Parliament and a Tory Government which will try and block us in Wales when we try to introduce our own Labour policies. We must never forget that when we’re campaigning.”
Edwina added:
"I promise you, lend me your voice and together we will inspire our party and the people of Wales once more."
9 November 2009
