We know who is going to be First Minister in the Assembly without any doubt.
The big question is who is going to be Presiding Officer?
With Plaid having lost 4 seats in the Assembly Election the party, clearly, can't afford to lose one of its biggest beasts, Dafydd Elis Thomas, by him being tied up in the President's chair. Unless Labour goes into One Wales #2, which is looking unpalatable to both parties at the moment.
Labour can't afford to put up a candidate for Llywydd, if it did it would lose its 50%.
I doubt if any Conservative would want the job, given the fact that they are now the official opposition and need all their amo to prove themselves as an "effective" opposition.
With 3 newbies out of 5 AM's and Kirsty out of the loop as party leader the only candidate the Lib Dems have is Peter Black. Having scraped in on just over 50 votes, and having to give up his high profile blog for the sake of neutrality, would Peter take up the chalice?
I suspect that what will happen is that Labour will attempt to go for One Wales #2 in order to keep Dafydd in the chair.
If Plaid swallows that bait, it needs it's bumps feeling!
Plaid should put Labour on the spot and refuse to take the Presiding Officer's job. No OW2, no pacts - let's see what Labour has to offer for the next five years.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but I also understand that the PO and Deputy PO have to include a member of the government and member of opposition. So, Labour would lose one but so would the oppositions.
ReplyDeleteAgree though, DET should not be Llywydd. It's time for him to do his bit for Plaid. He's been an excellent PO and given it some gravitas but now is the time to let Labour implement Tory cuts - the cuts we have to take because Labour didn't 'stand Wales's corner' and demand a review of Barnett when they were in Govt and had the chance.
Let Labour make the cuts. We'll vote with Labour where needs be - very concerned about their policy on WM education.
Macsen
I agree with Macsen's comment let Labour and the Tories sort out PO and DPO. Plaid Cymru have no mandate to govern so let's go into opposition and let a minority Labour government, 'protect Wales from Con Dem cuts' which we know they can't. Lib Dems will be mad to go into coalition with Labour even if Labour will have them.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a gambling man I might put a wager in David Melding becoming Presiding Officer.
ReplyDeleteHe has ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race and clearly has ideas about how to take devolution forward, becoming presiding officer would allow him to do so. He is fairly respected accross the parties and would probably do quite a good job.
Melding is regarded by many Tories as too Welsh to be one of them so they will not want him as a front bench spokesman, not least because he is high(ish) profile and could compete with the leader for attention. They will also not want him as a loose cannon on the back benches.
I think Melding will be an excellent choice for Llywydd.
ReplyDeleteI agree - Melding for Llywydd and Dafydd El to put a shift in on the Plaid front bench.
ReplyDeleteThe Conservatives should decline any invitation, why waste a voice during debate ... particularly a voice regarded as "too Welsh".
ReplyDeleteAgreed with Anon no. 1. Labour think they have the natural right to govern - let them govern :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for DET he's been an abysmal Llywydd. He has stifled any kind of open and more combative debate, and made the whole Assembly a duller place in the process.
I agree that Melding would be a good Llywydd, it would also be good for the Assembly to have a new PO, regardless of the arithmetic.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Draig's assessment of DET's time as Llywydd, however. When one considers how poor the initial devolution settlement was the fact that between them Rhodri Morgan and Dafydd Ellis-Thomas were able to create a respected national institution out of the Assembly is incredible.
Welsh Labour shouldn't put forward a PO, as it has a mandate to govern Wales and the Welsh electorate clearly want a Welsh Labour government. I think that Dafydd Elis Thomas will be PO again. Plaid has had a kicking, and has been well and truly rejected by the Welsh electorate, they should not be in government when Wales don't want Plaid.
ReplyDeletePlaid has had a kicking, and has been well and truly rejected by the Welsh electorate, they should not be in government when Wales don't want Plaid.
ReplyDeleteHaving been so kicked and rejected, where is Plaid's mandate to Preside over the Assembly?
If Wales , so much, don't want Plaid, it don't want a Plaid Llywydd either!
Or do you see the position of Presiding over our National Assembly as a rubbish job for losers?
Says something about Labour's attitude towards devolution!
The position of the Presiding Officer is nothing to do with party politics, nor government. Dafydd Elis Thomas has done an excellent job of driving forward the Assembly and it's profile, and, now that it has got law making powers (thanks to a Labour-led Yes Campaign, btw), it is important that we have a strong figure head in the role of Presiding Officer. Dafydd Elis Thomas furfils that requirement.
ReplyDelete