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Friday, June 09, 2006

Women first

I have already commented on the system used by Plaid Cymru to select their regional lists, so that women are put in the number one position regardless of their merits or, it seems, the number of votes they get. You may recall that in my own region of South Wales West the Plaid Cymru selection meeting was attended by 89 members. Sixty two of them voted to re-select Dr. Dai Lloyd, 14 voted for Bethan Jenkins. As a result Bethan Jenkins was given the number one slot whilst sitting member Dai Lloyd faces a tough battle to retain his seat at number two.

According to today's Western Mail there is also unrest in North Wales where former MP, AM and Party President, Dafydd Wigley secured the number two spot with 75 votes, whilst the current sitting AM, Janet Rider was placed above him, despite only getting a reputed 20 votes. Now, Janet is a fairly effective Assembly Member, but the outcome of her selection process means that, short of losing their current Assembly Leader in Ynys Mon, the Party of Wales will have to do without the experience and gravitas in the chamber that Dafydd Wigley offers them. Understandably, not everybody is happy with that prospect.
Comments:
Does this repeat of Labours spin mean your party have now decided to back them after the assembly elections?

To win Aberconwy and gain an extra seat on the list Plaid need 10,000 more votes than in 2003. When Wigley stood in the virtually identical seat in 1994 he got 30,000 more votes than we did in 2003. The ten thousand is easily achieveable.

Given whats happening on the ground in central north wales in particular its clear we can make advances in the north this time.
 
The only spin is your pretence that you can 'easily' secure an additional 10,000 votes in North Wales when you did not manage to achieve that even at your 1999 high point and when your vote is in long term decline.
 
Peter constantly saying our vote is in long term decline does make it true. The Lib dems have never matched their 1983 high point...does that make them in long term decline?

The message to labour voters "vote plaid on the list to stop the Tories" is going down remarkably well.
 
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