Thursday, June 07, 2007
Those letters
Rhodri Morgan told Good Morning Wales this morning that he was seeking to form a cross-party consensus on reconfiguration in the National Health Service.
This consensus does not appear to include the Tories, who, along with Plaid and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, were very critical of the process during the election. Such selectiveness on the part of Labour means that what they are actually looking for is a political fix. That is all very well but it would help if they said so.
Labour's attempts to peel off Plaid and the Welsh Liberal Democrats from the rainbow coalition may prove more difficult than they think. Within minutes of receiving their letters from Rhodri Morgan yesterday, Ieuan Wyn Jones and Mike German had shared their contents with Nick Bourne. We have all been told that if we are approached by a Labour Minister to talk about a particular proposal then we should insist that our opposite numbers in Plaid and the Tories are included in these discussions as well. Interesting times!
This consensus does not appear to include the Tories, who, along with Plaid and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, were very critical of the process during the election. Such selectiveness on the part of Labour means that what they are actually looking for is a political fix. That is all very well but it would help if they said so.
Labour's attempts to peel off Plaid and the Welsh Liberal Democrats from the rainbow coalition may prove more difficult than they think. Within minutes of receiving their letters from Rhodri Morgan yesterday, Ieuan Wyn Jones and Mike German had shared their contents with Nick Bourne. We have all been told that if we are approached by a Labour Minister to talk about a particular proposal then we should insist that our opposite numbers in Plaid and the Tories are included in these discussions as well. Interesting times!
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Nick Bourne's revelation (in the Chamber yesterday) of this sharing of information -especially after Rhodri's attempts to put the Tories out in the cold- must have left the First Minister feeling rather ill. It certainly made me chuckle.
# posted by 
: 9:12 AM
: 9:12 AM
"So a vote against Labour was a vote for the Conservative Party afterall."
Nope. It was a vote for Plaid.
Nope. It was a vote for Plaid.
# posted by : 3:39 PM
: 3:39 PM
Peter,
Rhodri hasn't sounded his confident self since before the election. He even messed up his metaphor this am on radio Wales where he described his party as being one wing of the plane he's piloting and the other plane being his letter and olive branch to the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, the Independent ... and so on. I think he meant the other "wing" rather than "plane" but the "and so on" I assume refers to the Tories. He couldn't even pronounce their name?
I actually fee sorry for him as he's clearly a man with a monkey on his back and his colleagues don't appear to want to restle it away (to use Rhodri-speak).
Ponty Huw
Rhodri hasn't sounded his confident self since before the election. He even messed up his metaphor this am on radio Wales where he described his party as being one wing of the plane he's piloting and the other plane being his letter and olive branch to the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, the Independent ... and so on. I think he meant the other "wing" rather than "plane" but the "and so on" I assume refers to the Tories. He couldn't even pronounce their name?
I actually fee sorry for him as he's clearly a man with a monkey on his back and his colleagues don't appear to want to restle it away (to use Rhodri-speak).
Ponty Huw
# posted by : 3:40 PM
: 3:40 PM
Peter,
I know the 'rainbow' strategy is to pretend that ideology, principle and values are no longer part of Welsh politics and it is just a matter of 'contracts' as Opik put it. Please do not expect a genuine left of centre party to go along with this facade.
Rhodri has been clear all along that he is more than willing to work with other progressive politicians of the left i.e. many in Plaid and some the Lib Dems as there is a shared vision on equality, social justice and solidarity. These values are not held by Tories and it would be hypocritical for any Welsh Labour administration to bring them into the government process.
You know that most people did not vote Plaid, Lib Dem or Labour in the expectation of having Tories deciding policy. Rhodri is just reflecting the genuine majority views and values of the Welsh people. To most the Tories in government is an anathema. A pity so many of your colleagues cannot see that.
I know the 'rainbow' strategy is to pretend that ideology, principle and values are no longer part of Welsh politics and it is just a matter of 'contracts' as Opik put it. Please do not expect a genuine left of centre party to go along with this facade.
Rhodri has been clear all along that he is more than willing to work with other progressive politicians of the left i.e. many in Plaid and some the Lib Dems as there is a shared vision on equality, social justice and solidarity. These values are not held by Tories and it would be hypocritical for any Welsh Labour administration to bring them into the government process.
You know that most people did not vote Plaid, Lib Dem or Labour in the expectation of having Tories deciding policy. Rhodri is just reflecting the genuine majority views and values of the Welsh people. To most the Tories in government is an anathema. A pity so many of your colleagues cannot see that.
# posted by : 7:05 PM
: 7:05 PM
"Nope. It was a vote for Plaid."
... if so, maybe not a bad thing given that the Lib-Dems seemed to get agitated with the Plaid's use of the word "nation". :-)
... if so, maybe not a bad thing given that the Lib-Dems seemed to get agitated with the Plaid's use of the word "nation". :-)
# posted by : 7:14 PM
: 7:14 PM
"Nope. It was a vote for Plaid."
# posted by Ordovicius : 3:39 PM
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Do you think that the Tories and Lib Dems would let Plaid get away with any serious nationalistic politics? Didn't think so, unless Plaid is swinging to the right?
# posted by Ordovicius : 3:39 PM
-----------------------------------
Do you think that the Tories and Lib Dems would let Plaid get away with any serious nationalistic politics? Didn't think so, unless Plaid is swinging to the right?
# posted by : 9:15 PM
: 9:15 PM
Good point!!! - what's happening with the appointment of a Counsel General for Wales? With it being a political appointment, I'm unsure as to whether the appointment will be the old fashioned way or the new way - by application. Perhaps a little bit of both - by selective application and a nod in the right direction :-D. I wonder if they will bring in Malcolm Bishop QC (has now made more of a name for himself, but would he still be interested after what happened last time?)
What are your views?
What are your views?
Do you think that the Tories and Lib Dems would let Plaid get away with any serious nationalistic politics?
That depends on what you imagine to be "serious nationalistic policies".
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That depends on what you imagine to be "serious nationalistic policies".
# posted by : 1:21 PM
: 1:21 PM<< Home
