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Clear red water

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In Welsh politics, the term "clear red water" refers to the Welsh Labour strategy of distancing itself from the UK Labour Party and adopting both more progressive and more distinctly Welsh policies. The strategy was first formulated in the early 2000s, with the Rhodri Morgan-led Welsh government using it to distinguish itself from Tony Blair's New Labour.

Background

While Wales was conquered by England in the 13th century and fully annexed in the 16th century,[1] the country has long had a distinct political culture to England.[2][3] From the Welsh religious nonconformists to the Welsh Chartists, the Welsh political tradition has often been more radical and more centered on the working class than English politics.[4][5] In the 1800s and early 1900s, Welsh elections were dominated by the Welsh Liberal Party, but by 1950, Welsh Labour had supplanted them as the largest party.[6] Since then, Labour have been the largest party in Wales after almost every single election.[7]

The presence of the Welsh language and Welsh nationalism, as well as the growth of Plaid Cymru in the 1960s, have also contributed to a distinct political culture in the country.[8]

After the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum resulted in a majority in favour of creating a national assembly for Wales, the Government of Wales Act 1998 was passed by Westminster, leading to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. In 2011, a referendum on expanding the powers of the devolved National Assembly was held, resulting in an even larger majority in favour. In 2020, the National Assembly was renamed the Senedd.[9]

Policy

The term was coined by special advisor (and now First Minister) Mark Drakeford, as part of a group on the left-wing of the party led by First Minister Rhodri Morgan, for a speech Morgan was due to give to the National Centre for Public Policy Swansea in December 2002.[10][11] Although Morgan initially forgot to use the term, his speech criticised the marketisation of welfare and social services and called for a distinctly Welsh socialism, stating that "that government can and must be a catalyst for change and a force for good in our society. Although to a Welsh audience this might sound simple stuff, it is certainly an idea which would be contested elsewhere."[12]

Impact

The policy has been described by some as a factor in preventing the Pasokification of Welsh Labour, ensuring its continued presence in government in Wales and the lack of collapse seen by Scottish Labour or the issues experienced by UK Labour.[13][14] That impact has also been described as a factor in the inability of Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru to experience substantial growth outside their traditional base, which was not experienced by the Scottish National Party.[15]

After poor showings from UK Labour in the 2015 UK general election and a 7% drop in support for Welsh Labour in the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election, some proponents of the policy called to extend its reach further, calling for full separation of Welsh Labour from the wider UK party.[16]

During the 2015 UK Labour leadership election, Morgan backed Yvette Cooper's bid, stating that Jeremy Corbyn was "old, hard left Labour, so it's got nothing to do with my clear red water speech at all."[17] Corbyn had previously stated that he admired Morgan's policy and wished to "can narrow the red water and we can walk across it."[18]

Drakeford was elected to the Senedd in 2011 and would become First Minister in 2018, replacing Carwyn Jones after winning the 2018 Welsh Labour leadership election.[19][20] At the 2021 Senedd election, Welsh Labour increased their share of the vote by around 5%, leaving them one seat short of a majority despite having been in government continuously for the previous 22 years.[21]

On 22 November 2021, Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru agreed a co-operation deal to implement "radical change" in the Senedd. In response, Corbyn's former Chancellor, John McDonnell described this as "charting clear red water between Welsh Labour and the Tories."[22]

Criticism

In 2012, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood criticised the strategy for not being concrete enough or for offering a sufficiently transformative vision for Wales, stating that it "has turned out to be a sort of diluted Fabianism with a Valleys accent."[23] John Osmond, former director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, has called the policy one of the few distinct post-devolution policies that has received wide public attention, but that it "has been long on rhetoric, but short on policies that would really make a big difference to Welsh society and really differentiate Welsh policies from those being driven from Whitehall."[24]

Other commentators have criticised the long dominance of the Labour Party in Wales, arguing that the party is complacent in its governance of the country and that it has led to Welsh institutions falling behind their English counterparts.[25] Some commentators have stated that the policy has led to a prioritisation of distinct policies in Welsh governance instead of effective policies.[26]

When running in the 2018 Welsh Labour leadership election, Eluned Morgan call for a rethink of the strategy, stating that the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn had brought UK Labour closer to Welsh Labour.[27] She had previously been a critic of the policy, having made a speech at the 2007 Welsh Labour party conference calling for the party to abandon it and focus instead on appealing to the political centre.[28]

Since the election of Keir Starmer to the UK Labour leadership in 2020, however, some commentators have stated that the divergence between the parties is increasing again.[29]

Other uses of the term

In October 2014, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Neil Findlay announced his bid for leadership of Scottish Labour by telling the Campaign for Socialism,[30] "I'm best placed to provide an alternative to the Scottish National Party and put clear red water between us and them."[31]

In August 2017, then-Labour MP Chuka Umunna claimed that UK Labour needed to distinguish themselves from Conservative Party policies on Brexit, notably in supporting continued membership of the single market and the customs union.[32]

Upon Keir Starmer's election as UK Labour leader, former Labour MP Tom Harris used "clear red water" to argue that Starmer needed to separate his leadership from that of Corbyn.[33]

References

  1. ^ Johnes, Martin (22 November 2019). "A brief history of Wales: the resilient nation". History Extra. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. ^ Rhys, Steffan (4 March 2014). "16 ways in which the Welsh and the English are really very different". WalesOnline. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  3. ^ Hussey, Peter (2018). "Some thoughts on the cultural differences between England and Wales" (PDF). MFW Focus Group. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  4. ^ "The Newport Rising and Chartism in Wales". BBC Wales. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  5. ^ Geliot, Emma; Gomez, Cathy (26 September 2016). "What gives theatre in Wales its radical edge?". Theatre and Dance.
  6. ^ Davies, Nye (15 December 2016). "Welsh Radicalism: The political traditions of David Lloyd George and Aneurin Bevan". Thinking Wales - Meddwl Cymru.
  7. ^ Evans, Dan (6 July 2017). "What's the Matter With Wales?". Jacobin Magazine.
  8. ^ Davies, Nye (20 May 2020). "Drakeford, Nationalism and Welsh Political Traditions". Thinking Wales - Meddwl Cymru.
  9. ^ Hale, Adam (5 May 2021). "A guide to the election history of Wales' Senedd". Evening Standard.
  10. ^ Davies, Daniel (26 March 2021). "Elections 2021: Who is Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford?". BBC News.
  11. ^ "Clear Red Water". Socialist Health Association. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  12. ^ Morgan, Rhodri (11 December 2002). "Clear Red Water - Rhodhri Morgan's speech to the National Centre for Public Policy Swansea". Socialist Health Association.
  13. ^ Bush, Stephen (8 May 2021). "What are the lessons of Welsh Labour's remarkable success?". The New Statesman.
  14. ^ Gwalchmai, Ben (10 July 2019). "The lessons of Scottish Labour". Institute for Welsh Affairs.
  15. ^ Bush, Stephen (23 April 2015). "Why aren't Plaid Cymru surging?". New Statesman.
  16. ^ Davies, Nye (20 September 2016). "Is 'Clear Red Water' about to become even clearer?". Thinking Wales – Meddwl Cymru.
  17. ^ "Labour leadership: Morgan rejects 'hard left' Corbyn". BBC News. 14 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Labour leadership: Jeremy Corbyn seeks links with Wales". BBC News. 11 August 2015.
  19. ^ Williams, Logan (26 November 2018). "Clear Red Progress in Wales". Tribune.
  20. ^ Hill, Daran (21 March 2019). "The clear red water between UK and Welsh Labour is evaporating". Nation.Cymru.
  21. ^ Davies-Lewis, Theo (8 May 2021). "Welsh Labour proves again it's a distinctive, winning brand". The Spectator. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  22. ^ McDonnell, John [@johnmcdonnellMP] (21 November 2021). "Labour's Mark Drakeford secures a radical programme for Wales that contains many of the policies set out in Labour's 2019 election Manifesto, charting clear red water between Welsh Labour and the Tories" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Wood, Leanne (11 December 2012). "Welsh people have been failed by Labour – time to consult them". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Osmond, John (10 July 2010). "Making the 'red water' really clear". Institute for Welsh Affairs.
  25. ^ Smith, Matt (13 March 2020). "After decades of failure, the tide is coming in on Welsh Labour". CapX.
  26. ^ Moon, D. S. (10 June 2013). "Rhetoric and policy learning: On Rhodri Morgan's 'Clear Red Water' and 'Made in Wales' health policies". Public Policy and Administration. 28 (3): 306–323. doi:10.1177/0952076712455821. S2CID 146164236 – via researchportal.bath.ac.uk.
  27. ^ "Call to rethink Rhodri Morgan's 'clear red water' between Welsh and UK Labour". ITV News. 1 October 2018.
  28. ^ "Pull plug on 'red water' says MEP". BBC News. 25 September 2007.
  29. ^ "Clear red water or Wales ignored? No 'regular, reliable rhythm' of contact between Drakeford and Starmer". Nation.Cymru. 10 April 2021.
  30. ^ Burns, Malcolm (26 October 2014). "Findlay lays case for a left leader". Morning Star. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  31. ^ Philip, Andy (7 November 2014). "Labour leadership hopeful Neil Findlay promises 50,000 affordable houses for rent if he becomes First Minister". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  32. ^ Umunna, Chuka (21 August 2017). "Labour must put 'clear red water' between itself and the Tories on Brexit". Politics Home. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  33. ^ Harris, Tom (4 April 2020). "Sir Keir Starmer must put clear red water between Labour and Corbyn era or risk irrelevance". The Daily Telegraph.
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