In his regular blog for Caerphilly Observer, Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David talks about the upcoming Assembly elections in May.
Please can one of the nationalist councillors who regularly reads this blog tell me that the following rumour is untrue?
I have heard that Lindsay Whittle and man of principle Ron Davies, have come to a deal.
I’m told that Plaid Cymru on the May 5 expect Lindsay Whittle to be elected to the Welsh Assembly
on the South East Wales Regional list but they do not anticipate Ron beating the hard working Jeff
Cuthbert in Caerphilly. If the result is as they expect, so I am told, after May 5 with Lindsay safely in the Assembly, Ron will take over as Leader of the Plaid Cymru led Caerphilly Council.
Surely, this cannot be true! Ron Davies was elected as an ‘Independent’ Councillor and still sits on
the council as an Independent. Surely those long serving councillors who were elected on a clear
Plaid Cymru ticket are not going to sit back and allow the council to be led by someone who has only been a member of Plaid for five minutes and who is not a member of their group. I look forward to some answers.
With the decisive ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum, the forthcoming Assembly elections will be the most important yet. It is now essential that all political parties put forward clear ideas about how the Assembly’s new legislative powers will be used. Labour is working hard on its manifesto. We will be arguing for policies which will address the very real needs of the people of Wales. Those policies will be in contradistinction to the reactionary policies of the Tory-led UK Government. Let’s hope that in the interests of democratic debate, all the other parties will be coming forward with clearly thought out policy positions.
It will be interesting to see if Plaid Cymru will still be talking about ‘independence’ in their manifesto.
Over the past few years, they have been in two minds about whether or not to include it in their Party’s programme. They of course recognise that the Welsh people are totally opposed to the crazy idea of separating from the rest of the United Kingdom but on the other hand there are those that say ‘if this is what we believe, this is what we must argue for’.
Perhaps Plaid Cymru ought to follow the wise words of Ron Davies when he stated in February 2004 that “Plaid Cymru, by their continuing dalliance with the idea of independence, are just disqualifying themselves from serious consideration”.
Wayne David
Labour MP for Caerphilly
So we were promised by Mr David MP, that he would keep the residents of Caerphilly constituency abreast of his work in Paliament and for his constituency in this weekly blog.
Well come on Mr David and give us a clue about your workload in London and what you are actually doing for the people of Caerphilly.
All you have managed to do to date is to launch personal attacks on Plaid members here in Caerphilly. You were elected to represent your constituents in the London Parliament and to stand up for the these valleys against the ravages being imposed on us by the Tory led government. Not one word of what you are supposed to be doing in Westminster for your constituents and no mention of the role that you are paid to do on behalf of the people who elected you.
Come on Mr David, stop electioneering and get on with the job you promised the people at your last election.
Allan Pritchard
So no denial from Cllr Pritchard. But isn't he a Deputy Leader of the Plaid led Council? So he must be in the know!
I cannot see the "problem", highlighted by Wayne David our MP, in respect to possible "sweetheart" deals done within Plaid Cymru,and which may, or may not, lead to Ron Davies becoming leader of the Council if Lindsay Whittle wins a regional seat, and Ron fails to win the Constituency seat. That senario would of course mean Jeff Cuthbert would retain the Constituency seat for Labour.
I cannot see the problem, and I fail to see why this should concern the electorate, can someone explain it?,
The vote in May is for a seat in the Assembly, and those who want Jeff Cuthbert will continue to vote for him, those, on the other hand who support Plaid, will not vote for him but will, one would expect, vote for Ron Davies. One wins, one looses.
If Ron Davies looses and is then selected by Plaid Cymru to lead the Caerphilly Council, then, under those circumstances, the people of the Borough will have another chance to vote on the sucess or failure of that senario in May 2012,in the local government elections, and re-elect, or not, the Plaid led Authority, the vunerability of Plaid in THAT election however will be judged by citizens on the sucess or failure of Plaid Local Councillors throughout the borough, and not JUST the political quality and competence of Ron Davies, what could be more democratic?