21/04/2009

Have Labour Conceded Defeat in Aberconwy?

It looks like the Labour Party has accepted that they haven't got a hope of retaining Aberconwy after the next Westminster election.

All parties are sometimes forced to put up "paper candidates" just to show that they are on the ballot. These are often people that even their own party hope don't win - but better a crap candidate than no candidate at all! Such candidates are almost never put up in constituencies that a party has a sniff at winning, but such a candidate has been selected by Labour to fight Aberconwy.

Cllr Ronnie Hughes, Labour's chosen one, is a former leader of Conwy County Borough Council. It is no exaggeration to say that he was probably the worst and least liked leader that the council has ever had. Indeed Cllr Hughes is such a maverick that even his own council group members sacked him as leader after last May's elections and even called for him to be booted out of the Labour Party after he accepted a post in the council's rainbow cabinet before his party had agreed to join the rainbow coalition.

Guto Bebb (Con) and Phil Edwards (PC) must be rubbing their hands with glee at the news of this selection. I sincerely hope that one of them wins - the thought of Ronnie Hughes MP is just too horrid to contemplate!

16 comments:

  1. What? You hope that Guto Bebb wins? The Guto Bebb who now doesn't want any more devolution, because he's now trying, like so many of the so-called "Welsh" tories, to suck up to the blue rinsers? Have you heard him oppose more powers for devolution on Pawb a'i Farn?
    A Tory is Aberconwy will do precisely zero for Wales.

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  2. not just in aberconwy where i agree with the above comment vote for anyone rather than the Tories who haven't changed at all and the closer they get to power in London the more the party's mask in slipping.

    Also check out adam price's blog Rhys Williams has been deselected as a Labour candidate in Carmarthen due to stress and saying offensive things about welsh speakers which have back fired on him and his party.

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  3. I remember when Labour lost power in 2000. Talk about sore losers. Ronnie Hughes even prepared his own budget and was threatening legal action in order to challenge the new Indepepndent members, who fairly distributed roles to all parties and individuals.

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  4. Its fair to say Ronnie has no chance what so ever...Labour will be third...and a bad third at that...

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  5. Anon 1 & 2 I didn't actually say that i hope that Guto wins. I would like to see my "old school" candidate Phil Edwards taking the seat. There are so many old Etonians in Westminster, but as far as i know, there has never been an old Ysgol y Gader pupil there. Ysgol y Gader is a much better class of school than Eaton it' high time one of our old boys was elected.

    But given a choice between Guto and Ronnie I would much prefer to see Guto elected. If Guto is elected he will, regardless of party, be a good hard working constituency MP.

    If Guto did Zero, as you claim, he will do no harm! If Ronnie is elected he will do things that harm the area.

    Cherry - Me! A Tart! How dare you?

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  6. Hi Alwyn,

    A quick comment on contributor number 1. He has clearly not heard me on Pawb a'i Farn or CF99 recently where my views on further powers for the Assembly were clearly stated. The implicatipon that I say one thing in Welsh and another in English is simply not true.

    If there is a party guilty of sending different messages to different linguistic communities it is Plaid Cymru and not myself or the Welsh Conservative Party.

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  7. I have to agree with Alwyn on this one......I voted Labour in the last three elections and will be voting Conservative next time for the first time in my life. This resolution has been made very much easier for me by Labour`s selection of Ronnie Hughes as their next candidate.

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  8. Diolch Guto,

    Having heard your comments on Pawb a'i Farn and CF99, I can't recall you making any anti-devolution comments on either. Had you done so I'm sure that I would have noticed and mentioned the fact!

    I don't think that any individual, from any party, makes different points depending on the language used in programmes. It would be just too easy to expose! Only a prat would try to get away with it.

    Ond mi fydd Ronnie, heb amhaeaeth, yn AS penigamp i Gonwy:-) lol

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  9. On the issue of the development of devolution in Wales, what individual aspiring politicians like Guto Bebb say is immaterial.If the poeople of Wales are convinced that devolution through the Assembly has benefitted them -we will want more of the same -and if it has not then let it wither on the vine.

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  10. in a recent article ronnie claims that the one celebrity he would like to meet is Nelson Mandela, does he not realise that Nelson was the of the terrorist organisation 'spear of the nation' and that he led a bombing campaign against government targets! i'm glad the labour party has chosen someone so well versed in political world history.

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  11. You part of the mess with the Chief Exec in Conwy County Council ?

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  12. Has any party yet made any mention that Llandudndo is largely made up of an older population, and that, due to the current level of interest rates, many find that their savings are currently virtually worthless? It doesn't seem to be on the agenda. Good luck to the next "Benny from Crossroads" candidate who suceeds.

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  13. A couple of points...

    1)Has any party yet mentioned that the Llandudno population is generally rather old and that many live off their savings which are, due to the current interest rates, virtually worthless?

    2) Saunders Lewis and Ambrose Bebb have been well-documentaed as being admirers of Mussolini and Action Francaise. Also, during the Blitz, Lewis opposed the evacuation of children from Luftwaffe target areas to the relative safety of rural Wales.

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  14. Saunders Yes, Ambrose a very big NO! No! No!

    If you read any of Ambrose Bebb's many books you will see that he opposes Mussolini and Hitler and Franco and Action Françoise>

    Ambrose supported a rather unpopular theory –that Wales is a nation must stand on its own too feat. That Wales has its own history and its own responsibilies.

    Shame that his grandson has pooped on his legacy

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  15. Lol, Alwyn. U have no idea. This election in Aberconwy is between Mike Priestley & Ronnie Hughes. Preistley has a good reputation and Labour is strong. Ronnie has been pounding the streets & convinced my wife he's the man to vote for - on the doorstep :).

    Fingers crossed no Welsh Nats & no Nazi Conservatives.
    BrianMc

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  16. Dam. I was very wrong!

    Brian Mc

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