´óÏó´«Ã½

"Brains - always half full" said the advert.

You've probably seen it yourselves. A pint glass, the bottom half empty with the beer having risen inexplicably, even magically to fill the top half.

In my hand, a press release announcing that George Osborne was on his way - on foot from Cardiff Central station of course - to visit the brewery, address key business people and reveal "a new economic model for Wales."

It started in the bottom half of the glass. Wales' share of the national debt, says "new Conservative party research" is £72billion, or in other words £24,000 per man, woman and child. GVA per head in Wales is 74.3% of the UK average - the lowest of the low amongst the devolved nations and English regions.

"More positive thinking from Brains".

It moved swiftly on to the top half and eight benchmarks for Welsh economic growth. I'll list them.

1. Ensure macroeconomic stability
2. Create a more balanced Welsh economy
3. Get Wales working
4. Make Wales open for business
5. Ensure Wales shares in rising prosperity
6. Reform public services to deliver better value for money
7. Create a safer banking system that serves the needs of the economy
8. Build a greener economy.

That's the model. Had Mr Osborne, I wondered, omitted to include the instructions with the kit? Which party, after all, would NOT want a Wales that is a centre of international business, with a healthier share of private sector money in its economy, a Wales with raised productivity and fewer people out of work? In other words HOW do you get the beer into the top half of the glass?

There's a pledge to change government procurement procedures so that small and medium sized businesses find it easier to learn about contracts and can therefore bid for and win them - nothing specifically Welsh there but a pledge Mr Osborne calculated could mean a £500m boost for the Welsh economy.

Otherwise? Doesn't pledge number one, "ensure macroeconomic stability" mean cut public spending and raise taxes? Won't that hit Wales, so reliant on the public sector, particularly hard? Was that the message Mr Osborne wanted the two prospective parliamentary candidates accompanying him on his tour of the brewery to sell on the doorsteps of Cardiff South and West? Certainly not. But wasn't it clear to everyone, he added, that the current economic model as espoused by Labour over the past thirteen years, has made Wales the poorest region of the UK?

Peter Hain's - came in handy. Comparing Wales with Rwanda showed you the poverty of Labour's ambition for Wales, said Mr Osborne. Sell that one on the doorsteps of Cardiff South and West.

"Brains - now available in smooth".

Between the mashing tuns, the steaming barrels and reams of Reverend James labels the Conservative candidate who's out knocking doors in Cardiff South and Penarth couldn't wait to get on with it. It felt, he said, a bit like 1939. "We've got the guns, got the ammunition. Just want him to call the election now."

It was, said Simon Hoare, a quite different experience from canvassing neighbouring Cardiff West in 1997, when voters had ripped up his leaflets and thrown eggs at him.

Will Conservative plans to cut deeper than Labour, to cut sooner than Labour not frighten those Welsh voters fed-up with Labour but unused to ticking the Tory box? Won't they be seeing very early signs of recovery and think twice about giving their support to a party who they're afraid will cut those green shoots before they have a chance to grow properly?

"Wales can't go on like this" - a parting shot from the Shadow Chancellor before going off to woo Cardiff business people. "I'm confident we'll do well in Wales."

More positive thinking, from Mr Osborne.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?