Why no more?

After that "Why, why why?" video mysteriously disappears from a certain popular online video website, here's Vaughan's reaction:

The Delilah video has been taken down from YouTube. Here's Aneurin Bevan's explanation:

"We have removed our Why, Why, Why? video from YouTube after we were informed that some Nats and Tories had complained. It's a real shame that these sensitive souls are so easily offended, and find criticism so hard to take!"

Nothing to do with clearing the rights to the music, nor the pictures, nor breaking electoral rules! Nothing to do with the total embarrassment to the Labour party ahead of a shared press briefing between Rhodri Morgan and his deputy. The video is still available on the BBC!

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Of course this critique pointing out some of the song's less grammatically correct features may have offered one additional motivation for pulling the song! You can find more comments responding to Hain, Morgan and Davies' new site here on - you guessed it - OwainBevan.blogspot.com!

Translation by Dewi Dau

Jenkins v Banner: the big debate!

At Politics Cymru we were wondering what would happen if we could get a staunch supporter of further devolution to talk to a member of the 'No' camp.

Never ones for procrastinating too much - until it comes to real work - we set about organising a friendly debate between Plaid Cymru's AM, Bethan Jenkins, and Rachel Banner of True Wales.

You can listen to the result here. And spare a thought for the man in the middle of it all trying to keep tabs on the two feisty ladies, our guest presenter, Mr. James Snaith.

Prime Minister Cameron would come and visit Wales once a year

David Cameron has been in Cardiff this morning to address the Welsh Conservative Party conference.

In the course of his speech in which he attacked the Westminster Government for being economically irresponsible he also promised that if he were at Number 10 he would visit the Senedd once a year to answer questions before AMs.

This comes off the back of Cheryl Gillan yesterday promising to make more regular visits herself to Cardiff Bay.

The Conservatives are accusing Gordon Brown of not making enough visits to Wales and that a British Prime Minister should be more in touch with all the countries within it.

But how much difference would this really make? Is it just an empty token gesture or can it really make the system better?

Dewi Tri

Two’s company, three’s a crowd - Edwina Hart plans to run for the top job

Politics Cymru have heard that Edwina Hart has decided to run for the Labour leadership! We have been told that she has informed a few key personnel and is in the embryonic stages of planning her campaign.

This throws the whole contest wide open as it had been expected that the health minister would act as King (or should that be Queen?) maker for either Huw Lewis or Carwyn Jones. The latter, who has been favourite to take over from Rhodri, must be devastated to find that the AM for the Gower is now running.

What this does for the odds should make for interesting reading, and what it does for the contest even more so. We have already seen a clear socialist vision of Wales put forth by Huw Lewis, so does Edwina Hart, who is of course a devoted trade unionist and socialist, jump even further to the left? Or does she concentrate her campaign on personality and experience?

All we really know is that the debates (if there are any) will make for very interesting viewing!

As ever let us know your opinions (which, given the strength of comment we had last time we blogged about Edwina Hart, should be good).

Yours

Dewi Un

Why, why, why?

So what do we make of this then?

Three prominent Labour politicians have launched a new website (presumably in response to Plaid Cymru's WalesCan site) and their first offering is this interesting video.

Is this just a light-hearted attempt at drawing in votes ahead of June's European elections? Probably. Are opposition parties getting a bit too wound up about all this? Possibly.

But there are a couple of issues here: how is this material any different to Nick Bourne's dodgy dossier (apart from being slightly more musical and creative)?

Secondly, how will Plaid Cymru react to this? The party will inevitably be annoyed at seeing its leader dressed in a very fetching clown's hat. Let's remember that this fragile coalition agreement is based on the need for compromise between Labour and Plaid. This video can only make things between Rodders and IWJ more awkward - although perhaps they can now compare notes on what it is that makes drawing comparisons between them and clowns so appealing.

Plaid Cymru supporters will also wonder what damage the video's take on the constitutional future will have done to the prospects of holding a referendum. We know Labour have never supported independence but in effectively dismissing Plaid Cymru as a party whose sole raison d'etre is to achieve independence for Wales, in the process they are distancing themselves from the 'greater powers for Wales' argument.

This video is a stroke of genius if these are the objectives. I doubt however that Peter Hain, who likes to describe himself as one of the chief architects of devolution, has such goals in his sights.

The other two running this site are Eluned Morgan, MEP and Alun Davies, AM.

Inspired choice for a website name to be fair to the three of them though. "AneurinGlyndwr.com": I see what they did there! Although one struggles to see how OG would ever associate himself with any party other than Plaid Cymru if he was still around.

Dewi Dau

Podcast #15: Polls Apart

I think there's something in the air in the pod this week...crazy quizzes and strange news...

We also mention some politics: 48% of the population want more devolution - what does this mean for the 'yes' and 'no' campaigns? And how much trouble is Plaid really in?

And have a look at the new logos - which do you like best? Let us know.



Thanks for all your thoughts and comments!

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Y Tri Dewi

So what do they think?

So, the All Wales Convention has reported its first findings:

Do we want more Powers?

48% say 'yes'; 35% are against.

But how as this result gone down in Cardiff Bay?

Yesterday I met up with Plaid Cymru's Bethan Jenkins and the leader of the opposition, Nick Bourne, to find out what they had to say.

Bethan Jenkins:



Nick Bourne:



And while I was schmoozing in the Senedd, Dewi Tri was on the phone to Rachel Banner of True Wales.

Here's what she had to say.

Rachel Banner:



Dewi Dau

50 / 50

Another poll and more proof that more people in Wales want further devolution compared to those that don’t, but is it enough? Probably not.

Results in the last two months have shown that those in support of more powers at either 48% or 52% and those against at 33% or 35% and a good 10% undecided.

Given that Lord Ellis Thomas has said on numerous occasions that they shouldn’t hold a referendum until they know that the ‘Yes’ campaign would win, these results, whilst positive reading for pro devolutionists, show that they are no nearer being in a place to be certain of a referendum victory than they were some years ago. Things for those who support Part Four are moving in the right direction but moving very slowly.

Further to Dewi Tri’s post below, I got thinking about the One Wales government and Plaid Cymru’s pledge to hold a referendum before 2011, with the figures moving in their favour slowly do they hold the referendum with a chance of losing but stay loyal to their pledge. Or do they hold on until they definitely win but let another of their manifesto points slip by the wayside?
Plaid Cymru’s home base are already somewhat unimpressed with their performance in government what with their failure to deliver “Y Byd”, the less than impressive progress made on affordable houses and of course the recent furore over top-up fees. The only act to reinvigorate the Plaid grass roots is a website supporting independence that has floating voters scratching their heads.

These results also show that the efforts of “True Wales” are failing as more and more people cross over into the “Yes” camp.

The question that is on my lips however is what do the polls have to look like before the Assembly takes the plunge and goes to the people to see what they think?

Thoughts

Dewi Un

What if...

I heard whisperings the other day that the All Wales Convention in its consideration of the future governance of Wales was taking into account the current economic climate and that the report that comes back could very well have found an appetite amongst the people of Wales for more powers at this end of the M4...but not in the midst of a recession.

If this is the case then surely the coalition would rethink holding a referendum. One then has to ask what might Plaid Cymru do in that situation.

One of the proviso's of the One Wales agreement was that there would be referendum before 2011...could Plaid afford another such climbdown in the wake of the language LCO and the top-up fees (and such a public climbdown at that?)

Just some food for thought...

Dewi Tri