Morgan attacks 'amoral' choices

By Rhun ap Iorwerth BBC Wales Chief Political Correspondent

Listen to the lecture here

Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan has criticised more competition in health and education as "amoral".

Setting out why he was determined to try to improve public services in Wales along another path from England, Mr Morgan said he was right to take a very different line from Tony Blair.

He said he believed people in Wales wanted services that were "designed to improve the quality of life for all".

He wanted more co-operation between providers and the public, rather than treating people as consumers.

Mr Morgan gave his views in the latest Regeneration Institute / BBC Wales Lecture at Cardiff University on Thursday.

Amplifying the voice of users collectively is a much better way of improving services in Wales, than extending the choice of users individually Rhodri Morgan

At last week's annual Labour conference Mr Blair talked of increasing choice in the public services.

But Mr Morgan said the people of Wales would rather see more collaboration.

He said: "Amplifying the voice of users collectively is a much better way of improving services in Wales, than extending the choice of users individually."

Mr Morgan said the "competitive model" seemed to regard people like tenants, patients, pupils and parents as "some sort of shopaholic, always on the lookout for new ways of elbowing their way to some new smidgin of fresh personal advantage".

He said: "In this model, the interests of users and providers are clearly inimical to one another. Even in more neutral formulations providers emerge as giving, while consumers are engaged in taking".

'Knaves and pawns'

Mr Morgan also referred to the view that providers were "knaves, concerned only for their own best interests, while users are pawns, powerless to impose their own needs and preferences upon a system stacked irrevocably against them.

"The collaborative approach rejects this amoral view of the relationship between users and providers of services," he added.

Mr Morgan is under pressure from some Labour MPs to adopt English policies that have been more successful in bringing down hospital waiting times.

The assembly government is facing criticism over its handling of health in particular, so Mr Morgan is under pressure to explain why he continues to reject some ideas that seem to work in England.

While he did not mention the Mr Blair by name, this was another attempt to put clear ground between his way and the prime minister's way of doing things.

Plot dismissed

Mr Morgan's way means no to foundation hospitals, and yes to free school breakfasts and free swimming.

During the speech, Mr Morgan said: "Empowering the citizen, young or old, pupil or patient to become part of the delivery process, rather than apart from it will put their voice at the heart of this joint enterprise.

On Thursday, one newspaper headline suggested that a plot was underway to oust Mr Morgan.

An anonymous Labour source was quoted saying he lacked vision.

But Mr Morgan dismissed that and said he was not rejecting change, but just wanted to change things in a different way.

Mr Morgan is expected to make a statement on public services in the assembly next week.