A Lord as leader of Plaid! How daft is that?

I love Dafydd Elis Thomas, in my opinion he is the most influential person to enter Welsh political life since Owain Glyndŵr, he is a national hero!

Without a shadow of doubt Dafydd is the most able, the most experienced and most capable Assembly Member in Cardiff Bay, regardless of party affiliation. Dafydd is a man that the whole of Wales, not just Plaid supporters, should be extremely proud of; a National Treasure!

If Dafydd was just Dr Thomas AM, I would say that he would be an exemplary leader of Plaid and a man made to be an excellent First Minister!

But Dafydd is not Dr Thomas any more he is Lord Ellis-Thomas of Nant Conwy, for better or worse.

On personal merit Dafydd is head and shoulders above the rest of the field! But his title is a burden that Plaid cannot afford!

If Plaid elects a Lord to become the leader of a Nationalist Left of Centre Party it will become a laughing stock!

Despite his undoubted merits, every vote for the good Lord will be a stab in the heart to the national cause. Comparisons will be made between the Third Marquis of Salisbury and the First Lord of Nant Conwy and those comparisons will hurt.

Please, Plaid don't do it!

Where did Plaid hold its Open Husting Event?

I find it odd that Plaid Cymru; a party which claims to be the most down to earth, most working class, most socialist party in Wales and the party who's pulse beats closest to the beat of the heart of the Welsh nation should choose to hold its open hustings meeting in the most exclusive hotel in the country!

If the battle is to be won in hostelries, won't it be won in spit and sawdust pubs rather than in stared hotels?

Dafydd Elis Thomas - a National Hero!

Dafydd Elis Thomas is one of my mega heroes. I have known Dafydd since I was a 14 year old canvasser for the old Liberal Party in the February 1974 Westminster election.

After his election I use to attend every surgery DET held in Dolgellau as a Pain in the Arse Complainant barracking for the Liberal cause, but he never refused to see me!

After his re election in October 1974 Dafydd set me a challenge: Because I could oppose him for his seat in 1980, when I would have been old enough to stand, I had to be able to debate with him in Welsh.

Being a first language English speaker, if it wasn't for Dafydd El's challenge, I wouldn't be a fluent and confident Welsh speaker today!

Before the 2007 election, when the SNP became the government of Scotland, any stranger to UK devolved politics comparing Scotland and Wales, would have assumed that Wales had more independence than Scotland, despite the fact that Scotland has many more powers than Wales had, this wasn't because of Rhodri's Clear Red Water, but because Dafydd El had made himself President of Wales.

Dafydd El crowning himself as President of Wales in 1997 was as significant an event in Welsh history as Owain Glyndwr crowning himself as Prince of Wales in 1404!

I wouldn't support Dafydd's current bid for the leadership of the party, he's done his bit brilliantly and it's time for him to move on. Having said that, there is no doubt that Dafydd Elis Thomas is a national treasure and a national hero! I find the hate comments made by too many nationalist against Dafydd, very unsavoury, because if I had contributed a quarter as much as Dafydd has contributed to the National cause I would be a very, very, proud Nationalist!

Keep Your Hat on Your Head Dafydd – It's Wasted in the Ring

I am a huge fan of The Rt Hon Dr, The Lord Elis Thomas of Nantconwy, Welsh President Emeritus.

I sometimes disagree vehemently with His Lordship's utterances, sometimes I agree wholeheartedly with the wisdom of his pearls and sometimes, despite agreeing with him, I wish he had kept his bloody big gob shut! But whatever I feel about Dafydd's ideas I can guarantee that they always make me think!

Despite the disappointing election result for Plaid on May 5th, the cause of Welsh Nationalism and Welsh nationalism has come on leaps and bounds since Dafydd was first elected in 1974. In 1974 people who agree with Carwyn Jones and Paul Davies' attitudes towards Wales would have been dismissed as Natshi Nut Jobs, rather than moderate leaders of Unionist parties in Wales.

Much of the thanks for this sea change of attitude in mainstream Welsh politics is due to Dafydd Êl's political gymnastics. His justifications for being a Welsh Socialist, a Welsh Trendy Dresser, a Welsh Gigolo, a Welsh Quangocrat, a Welsh Lord, a Welsh Republican, a Welsh Nonconformist, a Welsh Anglican, a Welsh Loyalist, a Welsh Royalist and even a self-styled Welsh President have added to the idea that you can be Welsh and anything. Whatever role you adopt you no longer need to deny your Welsh patriotism in order to play that role, thanks to Dafydd Êl.

I honestly believe that Dafydd Elis Thomas is our greatest living Welshman. In 1997 Wales was given a Parish Council rather than a National Parliament (it doesn't have much more now) but by crowning himself de facto "President of Wales" as the head of that weak establishment and, by so doing, giving it gravitas, Dafydd Elis Thomas did more for Wales than anybody since Glyndŵr crowned himself Prince of Wales in 1404.

Dafydd Êl's successes are the main reason for my belief that he would be the worst possible successor to Ieuan Wyn that Plaid could contemplate as party leader.

Dafydd is a Marmite man– you either love him or you hate him. I love him – but many of those who remain party members hate his guts.

Despite being one of the longest serving Welsh Politicians, Dafydd has never really been a politician; he's been an academic in political clothing. Much of his political gymnastics hasn't been about true held doctrine, but has been of the academic Here is a Statement:- Discuss exam type question, with Dafydd treating the party and the Welsh electorate as his students.

The idea that Plaid is so bereft of talent, that it has to re-elect a party leader from 20 years ago, gives all the wrong political messages.

Small n nationalism has become the norm in Welsh politics. The only way for Plaid to move ahead is for the party to differentiate from its opponents by puting a big N into Nationalism once again; as the father of small n nationalism, Dafydd couldn't possibly put the needed big N back into the cause.

Dafydd has done a sterling job of work for Wales, he has been a good and faithful servant, but he has made his contribution. It would be sad if his exemplary career ended on a bum note as a failed party leader - because if he is elected party leader – he will fail!

The Answer to the Llywydd Conundrum - MoF for PO !

On both Peter Black's and The National Left's blogs an anonymous commentator has resolved the Llywydd Conundrum:

Miserable old fart talking about Peter Black being presiding officer, but MOF will be in opposition as well so why does not he be pres officer?

I think that Anonymous' idea is brilliant – I would love to do the job and I'm sure that I would be the best Llywydd ever; but there is one little problem. Under present arrangements the Llywydd has to be an AM, this unfortunate little detail rules me out. Damn it!

Glyn Beddau has an interesting response to the nonny's comment:

But the idea of you becoming Llywydd is not without merit. It may be a good idea that two Presiding officers are appointed via a ballot of AMs from respected members of the Public.. They would not be allowed to vote but would have authority in the chamber. It would mean that the elected members can get on serving their constituents who voted for the Party rather than them anyway.

I'm not sure if Glyn's comment is tongue in cheek or not, but it does have some merit.

Since the Assembly's creation the people of Meirionnydd have voted Plaid Cymru with a fair amount of consistency, but they have not had a Plaid AM, they have had an independent / neutral AM – which is not what they voted for. The constituents have not had an AM who can stand up in the Senedd to plead their cause or to vote on the issues that are important to them - and that's not fair!

OK the Westminster parliament has selected one of its own to be speaker for the past 700 years – but does Wales have to slavishly follow that model?

There must be a better way of selecting a Llywydd than disenfranchising the electorate of a working AM!

(Any AM's who agree with anon that I would be a good external appointment are welcome to beg me to take up the post via the e-mail link on the top left of the blog. I expect a minimum of 40 by this time tommorrow!)

What is Plaid Cymru For?

There use to be a time when Plaid Cymru was the party that one could expect to defend local communities. Now it is a party that closes local facilities such as schools and public conveniences and shouts down and swears at those who offer solutions that might help save services.

It use to be a party that supported the Welsh Language, but since being in government they have renegade on some promises made to support the language and failed to deliver on others. They even voted against a proposal to establish a Welsh Language Commissioner.

Plaid use to be a party that supported self government for Wales, but according to the Western Mail Speaking as a Plaid Assembly Member and a former leader of the party Dafydd Elis Thomas says that he is opposed to a referendum on further powers for the Assembly untill well after 2011. Indeed this mam who vociferously opposed the 40% threshold imposed by Labour in 1979 is now opposed to further self government unless it is clear that at least 60% of voters support further powers.

If Plaid doesn't defend local communities, doesn't deliver on the language and doesn't campaign for further self government is there any reason for the party's continuing existence?

David Jones' Democratic Deficit

David Jones MP is a gentleman for whom I have the "utmost respect".

His attitude towards local democracy stinks. His suggestion that Dafydd Elis Thomas' role is just that of the chairman of a county council, is insulting to Welsh County Councils, the chairs of those august bodies and our National Assembly.

It may come as a surprise to Mr Jones that the Chair of a Council, be it a Parish Council or a County Council DOES have the role of defending and upholding the constitution of the council. So even if he wishes to insult the Assembly by calling it nothing more than a council, and insult the Presiding Officer by saying his role is the same as that of a council chair; Lord Elis Thomas, as elected Presiding officer, still has the right, the moral duty and the legal obligation to defend the Assembly's constitution!

The Government of Wales Act 2006 did not create a bicameral Assembly. The Welsh Affairs Select Committee, is not a second chamber of the Assembly. The WASC's response to the housing LCO suggests that it is, illegally, attempting to make itself the Assembly's upper house.

The Government of Wales Act (2006) states, quite clearly, that the Assembly can ask Westminster please can we have legislative powers over xxxx issue?.

Westminster has a choice of two Answers Yes or No. By answering maybe - as long as you use the powers to do what we want the WASC is, quite simply, breaking the law.

Dafydd Elis to be ousted?

On the BBC's Welsh language news programme Newyddion broadcast on S4C last night there was an item claiming that the Labour group in the Assembly is to seek guidance on how to sack the presiding officer Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas.

Oddly, I can't find a link to this story on the BBC's website in either Welsh or English. Vaughan Roderick was the reporter of the story on the news program, but he hasn't yet blogged the story - odd again.

So was the Newyddion story wrong, or was it a rider for a bigger story that is about to brake?

Whatever the answer, it has been no secret that a number of Labour members, since the inception of the Assembly, have been unhappy with Dafydd El's presidency. Allowing the Assembly to sack Alun Michael, rather than letting him resign with indignity, is something that many in Labour will never forgive DET.

Up until the election of the SNP government in Scotland (including the election period) anybody without prior knowledge, looking at devolution in these islands, would have suspected that Wales had the devolved body with the greatest independence, because Wales followed its own course whereas Scotland, with more actual powers kept to the Westminster line. Some of this difference was down to Rhodri Morgan, much of it is because of the way Dafydd has used his presidency to shape the institution.

One of the complaints that unnamed Labour members have made, apparently, is that Dafydd doesn't realise that he is just the president of the Assembly, not the President of Wales. I agree with them. I believe that Dafydd Elis making himself de facto President of Wales is the most important boost to the national cause since Owain Glyndwr crowned himself Prince of Wales.

I can understand why some Labour members might wish to sack him from the presidency, but they should be careful what they wish for. As Lyndon B Johnston is supposed to have said of J Edgar Hoover better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in; and as Presiding Officer Dafydd has an important role to play inside the tent.

Outside the tent Dafydd is the most experienced politician in the Assembly. He has been a professional politician since 1974 (before some of his detractors were born). He is extremely intelligent, an astute manipulator and - as his presidency has shown - he knows his Machiavelli.

The question Labour (and possibly Plaid) detractors should ask themselves is where is Dafydd safest?
In the presiding chair.
On the backbenches.
Or even as Deputy / First Minister.

If I was a member of any of the parties in the Assembly, my opinion would be the His Lordship is safest where he is rather than anywhere else. That is why I don't think that his presidency is really in danger.

The President of Cuckoo Land

I missed Dragons Eye last night unfortunately, but I will have to make sure that I see the repeat showing on Sunday. According to the BBC's Welsh news site the programme includes an extraordinary outburst by Assembly Presiding Officer and Plaid AM for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Dafydd Elis Thomas, stating that Plaid members who believed Plaid's manifesto commitments and the guarantees that Plaid had included in the One Wales Agreement are living in Cuckoo Land!

Plaid's Long and Winding Road

Whatever one's opinion of Plaid Cymru, one could never accuse the party of doing a U turn. When Plaid changes direction it does so by using good, old fashioned, long and winding Welsh country roads.

A mid ranking party member makes a comment in a meeting, that may be recorded in the local press. A maverick or a free thinking senior party member will then make a similar comment (usually in Welsh) on a TV or a radio programme with low listening / viewing figures, or in a magazine such as Barn, which has few readers but is highly respected.

The idea is then suggested in English as an aside or as a lighthearted comment during a wide-ranging interview.

Then it is announced to a wider read media a few months later as a long standing party view, or even with a statement that Plaid never ever thought differently.

This is how Plaid changed from being a liberal party into a Socialist Party, from being anti Europe to being hugely pro-Europe, from being a nationalist party to becoming a devolutionist party, from opposing Lords to selecting Lords.

Plaid's faithful were persuaded to agree to the Red Green pact rather than the Rainbow Alliance because the GoW Act 2006 requires at least 40 out of 60 AM's to vote in favour of a referendum to enact the full parliament clause of the act. Rainbow didn't have the numbers, so the only chance of getting a referendum was for Plaid to sacrifice power in exchange for a referendum (so we were told).

Plaid knew, full well, at that time, that a referendum before 2011 was not on offer from Labour. Petulant leftists had dug their heels in and said to the party leadership that there were only two choices - join Labour or split the party. Lying about a referendum promise, that wasn't on the table, was the only way that Plaid could con the majority of its members into backing the leftists thugs in order to avoid a split

Before the ink of Rhodri and Ieuan's signatures was dried on the One Wales Agreement Labour people were celebrating the fact that no referendum would be held before the next Assembly election in 2011.

David Cornock's blog (but not yet his official BBC reports) quotes Elfyn Llwyd as saying Rushing through and saying it has got to be a referendum in 2011 - I don't actually sign up to that. David seems to think that this is an U turn. No its not, its a bend in the road that Plaid has been travelling upon since June. Elfyn's comments are nothing new (sorry Ceredig). Dafydd Elis made a similar statement back in July. The three Plaid ministers have been telling village branches all autumn that what Plaid does in government is even more important than a referendum.

U turn - NO! Plaid is taking its usual long and winding country road away from the principal that was once hailed as the cornerstone of the One Wales Agreement.

Expect an announcement from IWJ about March-May, stating that Plaid never, ever expected that a referendum would be held before 2011.

Wil Edwards

I was sorry to read on Vaughan's blog that news has just broken about the death of former Labour MP Wil Edwards. Wil was my MP from 1966 to 1974, and served his constituents well during that period. He belonged to that band of truly patriotic young Welsh Labour MPs that were around in the 60's and 70's such as Cledwyn Hughes, Ednyfed Hudson Davies and Gwynoro Jones.

Despite having been interested in politics since my youth I have never stood in an election, and I have Wil to thank for saving me from that fate. I was in the count in Dolgellau in February 1974 when Dafydd Elis Thomas beat Wil Edwards, I have never in my life seen anybody look as sad and totally dejected as Wil looked on that night, I certainly wouldn't volunteer to put myself in a situation that resulted in that sort of trauma.

Heartfelt sympathy to Wil's widow Mrs Eleri Edwards, his children and grandchildren