It was standing room only at the Pick and Shovel Club in Ammanford for the formal launch of Leanne Wood’s campaign for the leadership of Plaid Cymru, in the first week of the year. The former miners’ club provided a solid Welsh working class reference point for Wood’s own political background, and she recalled impressions […]
Posts Tagged ‘Wales’
Time to man the bulwark
Jan 4th, 2012 by Mark Drakeford.In its first full year of government, elements in the approach to the Welsh economy adopted by the coalition administration in Westminster have become much clearer. For the main part, Wales features only as an object of collateral damage in the wider pursuit of neo-conservative economic policy. This aspect gathered particular pace in the final […]
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Tom Harris MP – Blairite candidate for Scottish Leader?
Aug 23rd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.There’s an interesting development in the race for Scottish Leader. Tom Harris, Westminster MP and well-known blogger, has put himself forward as a potential candidate for the role of Scottish party leader at Holyrood, saying on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that he was doing so because of the lack of candidates to emerge […]
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Back to first past the post?
Jul 21st, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Labour’s Shadow Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, has called for a return to first-past-the-post voting system in the Welsh assembly elections and is meeting with Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan today to discuss the matter. The proposal is prompted by the reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies for Westminster elections from 40 to 30, which is […]
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Welsh ministers won’t cross picket lines
Jun 30th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.All credit to Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, and Welsh Labour. Welsh Labour Ministers will not be crossing picket lines today. Carwyn Jones confirmed that position today in answer to a question from Left-wing Plaid AM, Leanne Wood. In Wales at least, a Labour Leader has no problem supporting workers striking in defence of […]
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Isn’t a Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition right for Wales, whatever happens?
May 5th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.In Wales, the latest YouGov poll for ITV Wales, puts Labour on course for a majority of two. Although this is very tight and the Labour lead has slipped a little, this would be a spectacular win for Labour. However, some senior figures in Welsh Labour are known privately to favour a coalition with Plaid […]
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Why Labour voters should vote Plaid Cymru
Apr 12th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Today Plaid launches its manifesto for the Welsh Assembly elections. Labour voters will not find much with which to disagree, no more than in Labour’s own programme. It defends the record it shared with Labour in Government. It is an unmistakable Left social democratic programme. They attack “the dark shadow of Conservative and Liberal Democrat […]
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Clear red water works wonders in Wales
Apr 4th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.With Labour 15 points up in the latest YouGov poll on the Welsh Assembly elections, it’s worth remembering some home truths that might come easier from an English observer — the truth isn’t always helpful to party unity in the middle of an election campaign. New Labour never played well in Wales – it alienated […]
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Wales: ‘No’ campaigners play tricks
Jan 26th, 2011 by Andy Newman.The referendum to give the Welsh Assembly more powers (bringing it more in line with the Scottish Parliament) will take place on 3rd March. However, No campaigners have played a sneaky trick by declining to register their campaign with the electoral commission. Their decision denies both sides the opportunity to use £70,000 of public money to publicise the […]
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The ‘No to AV’ campaign needs to engage with Labour voters and fast….
Oct 27th, 2010 by Darrell Goodliffe.In May, alongside the local and (in Scotland and Wales at least) national elections, there is the small matter of a referendum to change our voting system to consider. We know that the first electoral test for the Coalition will motivate Labour voters to turn-out and Labour activists to ensure a high turnout. Turnout will […]
