The Pri(n)ce over the Water plays it tactically.

The Western Mail and others including Gareth Hughes and Darren Hill at Wales Home  have made much of
The Pri(nce) Over the Water's call for  tactical  in  for Plaid Cymru leadership election (Peter Black also has a view on this but who cares what he thinks?). The premiss they give us is that this is a move to stop Elin Jones being elected as leader.

In his open  letter to the party faithful  Adam Price states...

This election will probably be decided by second preference votes. For those of you who are supporting Dafydd with your first vote, I would urge you to consider supporting Leanne with your second. I would ask Leanne’s supporters to consider lending their second vote to Dafydd. To every member, whoever they support, I would urge you not to let your second vote go to waste. It is of paramount importance that every member is involved in every part of this process.

I don't really see this as a move to block Elin Jones more of one to ensure that once D.E.T is eliminated in the first round his second preference vote  largely  goes to  Leanne Wood.


All the evidence of the campaign so far is that DET is well behind  Jones and Wood and if you look at the campaign websites Leanne appears to be ahead of Elin in the quality of endorsements.

Elin Jones Campaign Website

Leanne Wood Campaign Website

Dafydd Elis Thomas Campaign website

As far as the Welsh Blogs are concerned Leanne is well ahead with the support of Miserable Old Fart, Syniadau and Blog Menai. Three of the most influential in the Welsh Blogasphere  and of course they are joined by National Left in their support for Leanne( though I doubt I have much influence).


Some of the speculation over Adams call seem to be that he's looking to his own future. Gareth Hughes writes that ...

So why was the story placed? Well, clearly, there is a feeling abroad that Elin Jones is the candidate that has to be stopped. Have the other two made a deal to stop her? Politics are full of marriages of convenience. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time in the sordid world politics that a deal had been struck.
And could there also be worry that if Elin Jones won, she might just be a successful and gritty leader. Now, if that happened there wouldn’t be any pressure for her to move aside in a few years time. In such circumstances there just might not be a coronation for the venerable Price. Perish, the thought. 

I can't really see this whoever wins the Leadership, will seek to do so for at least two elections and unless Price's plan is to stand in the next Assembly election hope that Plaid will not make gains ,thereby triggering another leadership contest . It seems to me he as missed the Bus for a decade. He might well decide that Academic life in the USA will suit him more . A position where he can act as éminence grise to Leanne Wood making (as he does now) the occasional yet important commentary on the state of Wales without having the  inconvenience of actually placing himself up for election In which case he will have passed from fresh young politician to elder statesman in an astonishan;y short time