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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Birthday boys

I have just realised that Ieuan Wyn Jones and Sir Menzies Campbell share a birthday. Ming is 66 years young today, whilst Ieuan celebrates his 58th. Could this be auspicious? Let us hope not.
Comments:
Peter,

Please comment on the following theoretical situation: -

Plaid's National Council vote on the weekend for the 3 party alliance and the Lib Dems vote against. This means that there is no coalition or agreement and Labour govern with a minority. The government grinds to a halt over some piece of legisation and as no party will form an alliance, another election is called. The Libs will be blamed for this for bottling out of the 3 party coalition and are wiped out in the subsequent election.

I assume that you are against the 3 party situation because of internal party problems-i.e you want to get rid of Mike. I don't see how your party can gain anything from pulling out, if it is what Plaid supports on the weekend. There is less risk for you agreeing to the 3 parties than any other solution, as far as I can see.

I really do want to understand this and would welcome your explanation.
 
Now it's in the hands of our members, Peter.
 
It still needs to secure a majority in the Welsh Lib Dem Assembly Group AND in the Welsh NEC before reaching a special conference.
 
The point Ian is that I do not believe that we should go into a formal coalition now. That does not rule one out in 12 months time when we have had a chance to sort ourselves out nor does it rule out a confidence and support arrangement. I do not see another election as an inevitability of the Welsh Liberal Democrats rejecting what is as of 1pm today an unacceptable package.
 
It's great that the members of Plaid and the LibDems get to decide the shape of the next government. In future, though, perhaps we can find a way of factoring in the actual votes of the Welsh electorate?

Labour half-deserve this, but you must admit there is something undemocratic about the situation we had this morning, where the second-largest party were guaranteed a place in government and simply had to choose who to join up with. What about the fact that a different party was much more popular than them?
 
If that party had taken its role as dealmaker more seriously, then it would not be in this mess.

These negotiations are commonplace across Europe and the sooner we have STV at all levels of elected Government-the better.
 
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