Opinions

South Wales suffered the brunt of Storm Dennis, with the Monmouth constituency badly affected by flooding. Those whose homes and businesses were inundated will be devastated and I hope they are afforded every possible assistance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put forward a new set of proposals to the European Union which will deliver Brexit without any of the disruption that could happen if we leave without a withdrawal deal. Will MPs back it? Most Conservative and DUP members have said they would.

As crunch time for Brexit looms large, paranoia over a possible no-deal is being whipped up into a frenzy. The latest ‘Project Fear’ prediction in The Sunday Times claims Britain will face shortages of fuel, meat and flights if we leave the European Union without a transition deal.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of devolution. I was part of the anti-Assembly “NO” campaign when the people of Wales voted in a referendum for a Welsh Assembly. But if you believe in democracy you respect the wishes of the majority.

The result for the Conservative Party in the European elections was an unmitigated disaster. But those claiming it was somehow a triumph for the EU corner are deluding themselves. The Brexit Party won a huge victory.

The collapse of London Capital & Finance (LCF) has ruined the lives of thousands of people who have lost their life savings. The anger is rightly centred on the management and those who may have used misleading claims to sell a high risk product.

The “establishment” consists of people with leading roles in big business, the media, the law, the civil service and elsewhere. They believe their wealth and education means that they know what is good for the country better than the people who live in it.

Politicians should dampen down the fear of a no-deal Brexit and stop trying to portray it as some sort of Armageddon.” This was the message I got last Monday on a visit with the Welsh Affairs Committee.

Brexit crunch time is coming. The Brexit deal being put forward by the government is an imperfect compromise. It takes us out of the EU but keeps us in the Customs Union for at least another two years.

The current First Minister Carwyn Jones is on the brink of retiring and I wish him well. There are three Assembly Members from the Labour group seeking his job and the winner will be crowned as Wales’ next First Minister.