Letter: Newport not at forefront of industrial revolution
It was mainly private money that was the impetus, not like the nationalisation and never-ending government subsidies that have continued and are still continuing since the end of the Second World War.
Although I concede that of necessity, at that time governments had to be involved with the restart of the economy.
I note that the Welsh Government has an investment, or should that be another subsidy, of £7.5 million in their Flexible Skills Programme (Argus 22nd May) for training courses.
Why aren't companies training more apprentices instead of relying on the taxpayers to fund those schemes?
Perhaps Jessica Morden and her fellow Labour politicians should start asking, although they might not hear the answers they want, bearing in mind the present occupiers of Westminster.
A.Greenhalgh
Newport
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
39 minutes ago
- The National
Labour and Tories vote down Hamilton community funding
At South Lanarkshire Council's Hamilton area committee on Wednesday, SNP councillors proposed giving more than £5000 to 11 community groups in Hamilton, Larkhall and Bothwell, highlighting there had been tens of thousands of pounds in underspend in the community grants budget in previous years. However, Labour councillors Allan Falconer and Mo Razzaq proposed a much smaller amount, with their plan receiving backing from Tory councillors – including Tory by-election candidate Richard Nelson. One group that was eligible for more than £1900 only received £300. It comes a day before voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse hit the polls to elect a new MSP following the death of Christina McKelvie. READ MORE: New poll shows Scots overwhelmingly back independence over direct rule Hamilton councillor John Ross said Labour and the Tories teaming up to deny community groups funding was "egregious". He said: "South Lanarkshire SNP are disappointed to see Labour and the Tories team-up once again to deny local community groups in the Hamilton area the funding that they need and deserve. "This is particularly egregious given there is money sitting unused in the Community Grants budget specifically for this purpose. "We call on the Labour party and their coalition partners to end their austerity agenda and invest in the people and places of South Lanarkshire." South Lanarkshire Council had been run by a minority SNP administration before the local elections in 2022, and the party was returned as the largest that year. However, the SNP's 27 seats were not enough to take a majority on the 64-seat council and instead Labour won the support of the Tory group and LibDems which allowed them to form an administration. The SNP will be aiming to hold onto the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Scottish Parliament seat they have held since 2011 when the seat was created. READ MORE: Labour minister in 'jaw-dropping' U-turn on drug consumption rooms Clacking at the heels of SNP candidate and South Lanarkshire councillor Katy Loudon will be Reform UK's Ross Lambie and Scottish Labour's Davy Russell, with the contest widely expected to be a three-horse race between the parties. McKelvie won the seat three times on the trot with a majority of more than 4500 over Labour in 2021. Professor John Curtice has predicted whichever party wins they will likely do so on less than a third of the vote. He told The National he would be surprised if Reform won the by-election, predicting they will come "a good third". Curtice no party "is going to do terribly well" in a fragmented political environment, but he considers the SNP to be slight favourites in the race.
Powys County Times
44 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Swinney claims by-election is ‘simple choice' as Sarwar hails ‘local champion'
John Swinney has insisted the Hamilton by-election is a 'simple choice' between his party and Reform UK, while Anas Sarwar claimed the seat will be a fight between Labour and the SNP. Both party leaders have been campaigning in the South Lanarkshire Holyrood constituency on Wednesday on the eve of polling day. They held campaign events within half-an-hour of each other in Hamilton town centre, gathering with activists outside party offices. Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse go to the polls on Thursday. The campaign has, for the most part, been dominated by the rise in support for Reform UK – and a row over one of the party's online adverts. The ad alleged Mr Sarwar would 'prioritise' the Pakistani community – but it was quickly branded racist by Labour as it and rivals in the SNP demanded it should be taken down. Speaking to the PA news agency on Wednesday, First Minister Mr Swinney said he is 'confident we have done all that we can' to secure victory for SNP candidate Katy Loudon. He said: 'People face a simple choice in this by-election. 'They can either vote for the SNP – elect an SNP MSP – or they will end up with a Reform MSP. That's the simple choice. 'People have got to vote SNP to stop (Nigel) Farage and they can vote SNP for the various other steps that we take, our policies on eradicating child poverty, about supporting families in dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.' He said Mr Farage wants to 'undermine the Scottish Parliament' and change the funding formula for devolved services, referring to the Reform UK leader's comments suggesting the Barnett formula should be 'looked at again'. The by-election is taking place following the death of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, with Mr Swinney saying his party is 'working hard to retain the seat in Christina's memory'. Earlier, Scottish Labour leader Mr Sarwar said his party had faced a campaign of 'misinformation and dirt' from opponents, saying only Labour or the SNP can win the seat. He posed for pictures with Labour candidate Davy Russell alongside supporters holding up signs saying: 'A local champion vs more failure with the SNP.' Mr Sarwar told PA: 'We have focused on the issues that matter here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. 'I think it's for other parties to explain why they've chosen the campaign tactics they have. 'Reform have chosen a campaign of dirt and smear, the SNP have lacked all ambition, the best they can offer is 'vote SNP to stop Farage'.' Asked about Mr Farage's comments earlier in the week, Mr Sarwar said the Reform leader is a 'pathetic, poisonous little man', adding: 'Frankly, it's water off a duck's back, because I'm fighting to change our country, he wants to divide it.' Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate Aisha Mir made a plea to voters to back her. She said: 'For too many people, it feels like nothing works anymore. 'The SNP have failed Scotland for 18 years. The Conservatives are lurching to extremes. Labour are already letting people down. Reform have no real solutions. 'I'm in politics to get things done. I want to be a hard-working local champion who will put your priorities first.'
The National
an hour ago
- The National
SNP slam Labour over MP lobbying trip to Israel amid Gaza genocide
The National previously reported that the party's most prominent pro-Israel group, Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), sent a delegation of parliamentarians to the country last week. This included LFI chair Jon Pearce, as well as fellow Labour MPs Cat Eccles, Kevin McKenna, Peter Prinsley, Mark Sewards and Labour peer Luciana Berger. READ MORE: Jeremy Corbyn brings in bill for public inquiry into UK complicity in Gaza genocide Israel's actions in Gaza have been described as genocide by leading international experts including Amnesty International, UN special rapporteur to the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, and the UN special committee investigating Israel's action in Palestine. The International Court of Justice has also said that there is a plausible risk of Palestinians' right to be protected from genocide being violated. But this didn't stop the Labour MPs from smiling and being pictured with a host of Israeli officials over the course of the four-day delegation (below), including president Isaac Herzog. (Image: LFI/Twitter) Herzog has previously been criticised after photographs showed him signing Israeli bombs set to be dropped on Gaza. His comments in the wake of the October 7 attack were also cited in South Africa's International Court of Justice case as expressing genocidal intent. Meanwhile, they also met with deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel, Israel's Leader of the Opposition, Yair Lapid, as well as with Yair Golan, leader of Labour's sister party, the Democrats. Golan said in October 2023: 'I think that in this battle, it is forbidden to allow a humanitarian effort. We need to say to them: listen, until the [captives] are released, from our side, you can die from starvation. It's totally legitimate.' Now, the SNP have hit out at Labour over the trip, saying it is a 'new low' for the party. "The Labour Party has repeatedly found themselves on the wrong side of the appalling destruction and slaughter of Gaza and the Palestinian people. But Labour MPs posing for pictures with these individuals is a new low,' the party's Middle East spokesperson Brendan O'Hara said. "Children are starving to death in Gaza and the Labour Government continues to allow the sale of component parts for the jets that bomb them to pieces - all the while too many Labour MPs sit silent and now we see some of them all smiles with the very state dropping the bombs.' He added: 'It is brutally and blatantly clear that the Netanyahu Government will continue to act with impunity unless and until there are consequences for their actions - smiling for pictures with these men does exactly the opposite and people in Scotland will be appalled." Labour have been approached for comment.
