Sunday 7 August 2011

The Pri(n)ce and the Go girl,

Whether this a "Silly Season" story I don't know bur Western Mail columnist Martin Shipton has speculated that Plaid may about to turn to the Pri(n)ce over the water sooner than most of us expected.

In an article "Can Plaid’s dynamic duo be new Sturgeon and Salmond?" he speculates ( though he calls it a revelation) that former MP Adam Price thr Pri(nce) over the Water (Sorry)and current AM Leanne Wood, are contemplating entering a Partnership to contest the Part Leadership next year.

I'm not sure how accurate this.and lets face it Adam Price probably would be better of doing a deal with Dafydd Elis Thoma, who could act as caretaker leader with the whole of Wales knowing that Adam would take over after the 2015 elections.

Bur a Adam -Leanne partnership has a lot going for it and I for one would possibly find myself in enthusiastic support if it was to come about.. Adam is probably the leading politician of any of the Welsh parties and Leanne  (the Go girl) has been a champion of the poor and one of leading AM s( and I mean of al the Parties) and could well be seen as the leading Welsh Left-winger today. Adam who may have solid left credentials would appeal to more Traditional (whatever they are!)  Plaid members and supporters.

Though of course its fraught with problems :

  • To what extent would a leader  outside either the Assembly or Westminster have a significant platform.i to be in the Public-Eye and put forward Plaid's ideas and message.
  • If Plaid made significant gains in the period up to and including the 2015 Election  would Leanne or anybody other leader willingly give up the leadership to Adam as a newly elected member?

However this appears at first to be academic because under the current Plaid Constitution  the Party leader must be an AM and although this could be changed it appears that it is to late to do so at this years conference.as Martin Shipton reports.....

"A Plaid Cymru spokesman said it was too late for any rule change motion relating to the election of the party leader to be put before next month’s annual conference: “This would require a change in the party’s constitution, and would have to be submitted at least two months before conference by a party unit like a constituency or the Assembly group. Other units would then have the opportunity to submit amendments.” 

Though I seem to remember Plaid Conference having the right to suspend standing orders by gaining the support of 3/4 of the delegates present.

If this was true and the delegates voted to change the rules it could amount to be seen as  a virtual affirmation and there may not even be a contest next year.

So I'm not sure whether this "Dynamic Duo" idea is a runner  but it looks like Plaid's best option of getting out o its current doldrums.

I wonder if this was the reason behind Ieauan Wyn Jones delay in departing the leadership?

1 comment:

maen_tramgwydd said...

Yes, sounds quite a good idea. I think that Leanne would have a lot of popular appeal, outside of the party as well as in.

The suggestion of a deal with DE-T doesn't appeal to me, he'd probably kill off the party altogether well before 2015. Too much of a divisive figure.