Plaid-Labour in Budget deal.

So its Plaid who did the deal with Labour over the  £15bn Welsh Assembly Budget.

The BBC reports that .....

The Labour-Plaid deal adds an extra £20m to the draft budget for next year to spend on apprenticeships for 16-24-year-olds.The same amount has been included in indicative plans for the following year and there will be an attempt to secure EU funding to boost the commitment.
Science parkThe two sides also agreed £10m of capital over two years for a science park involving Bangor and Aberystwyth universities.

BBC  8 November 2012 

Interestingly Gareth Hughes comments on his Blog

So the price of the deal is £25m a year over two years. £5m more than last year’s deal with the Liberal Democrats.
The £20m accord with the Liberal Democrats last year was described by Plaid as the “Lib Dems have sold their support very cheaply."
So the going rate in Welsh politics between a good deal and one that is cheap is £5m. So there you have it. The formula for agreeing budgets in Wales.

Of course Gareth being a Labour supporter doesn't tell us what he thinks an opposition should seek in any deal and we are not talking coalition here so any wish list from an opposition party is limited.

At some time the budget had to be passed and although Labour does not have a majority it is by far the largest Party and should be allowed to set the agenda though not complete control it.

Structure
Members	60
Political groups	Government      Labour (30) Opposition Parties      Conservative (14)      Plaid Cymru (11)      Liberal Democrat (5)

I'm not saying that a party that doesn't have a majority should be able to simply pass its draft budget, but there must be a limit to what the opposition can ask.

Indeed the problem is that the opposition simply use the annual draft budget  it to calls for more expenditure on Health and Education popular with the public politically. But these two departments  already take up the vast majority of the Assembly expenditure and how much can be taking from other sources in order that La Pasionaria can have a decent sound bite and her colleague Peter Black a chance to spin on his blog?

It may be that Plaid have sold their support cheaply but not I think worthlessly and the money is going to areas which are neglected.

Only a Plaid spin doctor would claim this a brilliant deal but it may be the best under the circumstances.

However before the oppositions attack the deal perhaps they can tel us where they drew the line in the sand with Labour and whether it it wasn't simply a call for more money for the NHS.