Election 2011 – Where now?

The dust is beginning to settle, the politicians are rested and refreshed and this is the week in which decisions will be taken which will have long-term consequences for Welsh politics. I expect to see some movement by the end of Monday from Carwyn Jones about how he intends to deal the hand he’s been [...]

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Election VII – the Passenger

From partner to passenger. That’s what Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones became in the words of Welsh Labour spokespeople today. Mr Jones has been Economic Development minister as well as Deputy First Minister for the last four years of coalition government in Cardiff Bay. And when asked to list his achievements, he frequently points to the [...]

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Budget preview

When he stands up to deliver his budget tomorrow (Wednesday), the Chancellor George Osborne will do so in very bleak circumstances. The military is engaged in a new conflict which will have to be paid for whilst at home, the latest figures show inflation is rising and borrowing higher than anticipated. All of which gives [...]

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Sharp End

Sharp End is back tonight at 1035pm ITV1 Wales and there’s more than enough to talk about. Now that the referendum campaign is over, fragile cross-party consensus in Welsh politics is beginning to break down. Senior Labour figures are attacking the Plaid Cymru ministers who share government with fellow Labour politicians in Cardiff Bay and [...]

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Labour’s coalition split

It’s a war of words that gets to the heart of the way the two parties which form the One Wales coalition government distinguish themselves after four years of working together. I’m told there’s real anger and very red faces amongst Labour leaders in Cardiff Bay and some backbench AMs in Cardiff Bay following Peter [...]

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Labour in Llandudno Day 2

It’s been a hectic day at Welsh Labour’s annual conference here in Llandudno. I’m not claiming this blogpost as comprehensive coverage of it, but it should give you a flavour of what it’s been like here. By the way, Twitter comes into its own at occasions like this and that’s certainly been true today. Take [...]

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Labour’s Llandudno launchpad.

I’m writing this as I sit in the bay window of my hotel in Llandudno. I’m here for Welsh Labour’s annual conference which it’s fair to say is an important one for the party at a UK level as well as here in Wales. As a sign of just how important, UK leader, Ed Miliband, [...]

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GPs and the Tour de France: Election Time is already here.

Labour’s pledge to make it easier for working people to get to see their GPs in the evenings and at weekends means that all four parties have now given us flavours of what they’ll be promising us in the Assembly election which is looming ever closer. It may not be very popular with GPs but Labour [...]

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A Month in A Country

If you hand’t realised that there’s just a month to go until the referendum on strengthening the Assembly’s powers, then by the end of today you will. On March 3rd we will all be asked, Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas [...]

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Labour prophet of doom 2005

I’m reading the second volume of Chris Mullin’s diaries. Like the first it contains a lot of nuggets, personal and political. Like this extremely accurate prediction recorded more than five years ago on Monday 21st November 2005. Mullins is talking to ‘a Yorkshire MP’ who he quotes as saying: ‘I think we will lose the [...]

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