The Interview – James Evans MS member of the Welsh Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire

We spoke to James Evans MS about a number of issues around business at the Senedd. It is rare for us to get access to a Welsh Conservative.

The Welsh Conservatives have not done very well in the Welsh elections historically. We wanted to know if it is as a result of being seen to be so closely associated with the Westminster Conservatives.

We also asked James if he believed that the ghosts of Thatcher and Heath et al and the perception that the Conservatives are the party of and for the wealthy is a stigma they cannot shake off and one, which is a contributory factor in not securing more seats in Wales.

We asked James if Labour in Wales now established itself so well and become so powerful that we may not see any other form of Government coalition or otherwise in Wales other than with Labour as the dominant partner.

James was also asked for his views on Plaid Cymru now that they are in partnership. We asked him if that weakened the opposition factor at the Senedd.

Another question we wanted James to answer was how badly the tenure of Boris Johnson has impacted on his efforts to convince the electorate that they can trust politicians in Wales.

We have seen the First minister call for an inquiry into the Ministers attending a dinner party with allegations that some form of lobbying took place. We asked James what can be done to ensure openness, transparency and accountability when it comes to the dealings between ministers and lobbyists or business owners.

We are looking at a cost of living crisis and there are also some who are calling for independence for Wales at the same time. James was asked if he sees independence as a part or even whole solution for many of the problems Wales is encountering economically.

James was asked if Mark Drakeford has stolen away the nationalist ground and steered Wales to believing it is stronger within the union and f he thought that the First Minister will try to steer Wales back into Europe somehow despite the Brexit vote by the people of Wales.

Climate change is one of the biggest issues on the political agenda and yet the daily lives of the people of Wales and the issues they face are far more complex and detached from that and many other so called woke agendas so prominently pushed and invested in by Welsh Government. James was asked if he thought that small nations like Wales should be putting all of their eggs into the climate change basket or if he thought that we are far oustripping the dirty neighbours near and far and should take a much broader brush to using the budget and preparing for the worse, an economic crisis, a food crisis, a health, education and employment crisis. Do we need to think and do things differently in Wales.

Finally we asked James if he and the Welsh Conservatives got a fair deal with the media in Wales and if the media in Wales was too comfortable and close with the Welsh Parliament and if we needed more plurality and investment in the news sector.

You can hear all his views, opinions and answers here in our podcast.