The delightful counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire contain four parliamentary seats, all of which have been Labour, which we need to win again if we are to have a good chance of achieving a majority government in 2015.
Taken together these seats are perhaps a microcosm of the challenge we face to win a majority across the United Kingdom. They cover industrial heartlands, former mining villages, market towns, coastal tourist haunts, small ports and a small city. As we enter 2015 we need to hold our heartland city seat of Llanelli, held by Nia Griffith, while we need to fight the Tories in both Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (last held in 2005), and Preseli Pembrokeshire (last held in 2001), while it is the nationalists, Plaid Cymru, we have to fight in Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (last held in 1997).
Of the three ‘vacancies’ Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire is 62nd on the 106 target seats list, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr is 66th, while Preseli Pembrokeshire is 84th. To secure an overall majority we currently need to win 68 seats.
We have made a start on the road to winning. Having all three ‘vacancies’ on our target list means we have good candidates selected and in place. What they need are the practical support and policies that will make sense for the people who live across west Wales, be that the market towns of Carmarthen and Haverfordwest; the coastal communities of Broad Haven and Laugharne; and the villages of St Clears and Trimsaran.
To help deliver these seats Labour:Coast&Country are working with the party to ensure that one of the manifesto roadshow meetings is held in Carmarthen. The presence of the party engaging with local people, involving them in a direct conversation with members of the shadow cabinet can only help reinforce our One Nation ambition and show that we are listening to each and every community of Britain (as well as building on work already done in West Wales by the likes of Nia, Huw Irranca-Davies and Chuka Umunna among many others).
We need to build on the commitment to a rural manifesto made by Ed Miliband at the National Policy Forum in July and ensure we respond to the issues of all of the places in the UK that are communities of coastal or country areas. These communities face many similar challenges to city constituents such as looking for and obtaining work, empowerment in their home and social lives, while facing greater challenges of greater distance, higher costs, limited public services and often minimal public transport (by city standards).
To go further nationally to secure those seats that are essential to our majority, much more coastal and rural than urban, we should encourage the party to hold its next rural (or, of course, Coast & Country) conference in the new year. That way, we can support those candidates who we need to win, ensure a challenge to the incumbents in seats who might otherwise expect an easy ride and to build a wider next work of twinning and support to these seats from other coast and country areas.
Win these coast and country seats and we win government.
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Hywel Lloyd is a founder member of Labour:Coast&Country
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Since Time Immemorial these islands we share have been a warring race of peoples. Of late there have been no actual battles between warring clans over sovereignty issues between the constituent Nations of United Kingdom. Instead we fight it out at the Polling booths [and at footie and rugby matches]. Words and phrases like ‘fighting, slaughter-at-the-polls, and battle’ are used in order to describe and/or to win this or that seat by the many politicians and their parties to gain ‘tactical’ advantages. All very well if you are a Sgt Major in the Welsh Guards.
I personally think WELSH LABOUR Party Political leaders can set an example for the rest of UK and can lead and show the way for the rest of us in the rUnited Kingdom by pushing for a more Federal set-up [which Ed M is calling for]. The Welsh MPs can re-invent the word radical by pushing for Westminster to be ‘sitting’ in the 4 or 5 major regional [Regional Assemblies] ‘capitals’ each year – 1 year Manchester, next Truro, next London, the next year Newport, then Edinburgh, then Belfast, then Newcastle etc. Don’t worry about the costs of travel – MPs can hitch a lift with National Express [2nd class]. Wales could could also show the way for brothers and sisters by burying some old and battered hatchets and show that there is real advantage [politically-speaking] to the phrase “Unity is Strength”. Pulling against eachother [Welsh,English,Scots,NI] in a tug o’ war for votes, on matters we all basically agree on, is plain daft and a waste of energies. We are ONE NATION. Retain your identity by all means, but try pulling together with the brothers and sisters of these Islands who are no longer ‘Enemies’.
Do we always need Wars against common enemies to make us ONE NATION?
Nice article, thank you, it makes sense and is not cynical which makes a change.