Sense and responsibility
Sunday, May 20, 2007

Something very strange happened to me yesterday.

I was sitting in the pub watching the FA cup. (not strange)

Drinking coke. (not strange)

My mate shouted "C'mon United, get into those STUPID CHEL-SAY TU-WATS". Very loudly. The pub chuckled. (not strange)

And then, a bunch of replica shirt wearing fellows behind me started discussing coalitions. (very strange)

Would a triple alliance have any legitimacy, they wondered. After all, Labour is by far the largest party.

I can't quite describe how excited I felt. This has never happened before. Up until now, the only people I've ever heard talking about Welsh politics have been geeks or opportunists (otherwise known as the media and political elite).

Whether or not we do eventually get a rainbow coalition government, the prospect of one has certainly made people take a bit more interest in who is proposing to do what with the running of the country.

Cue the scare stories. Paranoid Plaid supporters talk about 'losing the valleys', the Tories' 'privatisation agenda' and their fear of what is sure to be a fierce Labour bark in opposition.

But they must judge whether the benefits of a potential alliance would outweigh the negatives. Let's skip ahead a little and imagine what the criticisms of a Plaid-led government may be: (1)Too much emphasis on the Welsh language and a self-interested pursuit of power and (2) too little emphasis on encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth.

Plaid Cymru are very good at the former and not so great at the latter. The answer? Let the other parties take care of them all. A number of people in Plaid secretly admire some of the Conservatives' ideas for promoting business. So, Alun Cairns gets the Enterprise portfolio. As for PR and leading the charge for further devolution, let the Lib Dems take the initial flak. Why not give them Culture too, and the task of bringing in a new Welsh Language Act? These are, after all, policies from the Lib Dem manifesto.

Meanwhile, Plaid is left relatively unfettered to pursue its aims of social justice in health and education. It can take the credit for the other policies when credit is due. But in the meantime it is free to put all its high-profile resources into the public services that will, they hope, win them the valleys and possibly the next election too.

Then, of course, it's a question of whether or not they have the ability to make a difference. If there's fear in the Plaid camp, it shouldn't be about the Tories. Plaid are in a very strong position and have the right to negotiate on their own terms.

No, if there are doubts, they aren't about Nick Bourne. They're about Ieuan Wyn Jones and the other 14 Plaid AMs who will have to fight the 2011 election having proved that they really have delivered a change for the better.



I'm off to enjoy Glyn Davies' shrubbery today. Perhaps we'll do a joint blog if anything interesting comes of the lunchtime politics programmes:)

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posted by Blamerbell @ 12:04 am, ,


Ipswich 1 - 0 Swansea
Sunday, January 28, 2007

What a shame.

And an ex-Bluebird got the winner too!

A wasted trip across the width of the country, then, for Plaid's Ted Jones in his environmentally friendly Peugeot.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 1:55 pm, ,