The P(r)ince over the Water, may not return just yet.

The Western Mule once again astonishes us with the news that Plaid ex-MPfor Carmarthen East and Dinefwr  Adam Price has  hinted he may not seek constituency seat at next Assembly elections

The Mule writes

In the next few months, Plaid will be starting the selection process for constituency seats in the long run-up to the 2016 election. We asked Mr Price whether he would be putting his name forward.

He said: “I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m fully committed to a number of business projects that I want to see through and I’ll have to weigh up how they would be affected if I say I’m planning to resume a political career.
“I fully understand why the party wants to get candidates in place as soon as possible, but the timescale puts me in a difficult position.”

Western Mail 2n January 2012 

Plaid AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas, who represents Mr Price’s  Carmarthen East and Dinefwr  in the Assembly and who would undoubtedly not welcome  a challenge for that constituency Nomination, said:

“It’s my view that Adam would be better off as a list candidate. Constituency work does take up a lot of time and Adam needs the space to think. Being a list AM would ease the constituency pressure and give him the opportunity to concentrate on strategy and policy issues.
“Simon Thomas [the former Plaid MP for Ceredigion] is now a list AM [for Mid & West Wales] and it has freed him up to do the kind of in-depth policy thinking nobody else does.”

Rhodri Glyn Thomas said he would be discussing his own future with Plaid headquarters officials and his constituency party.

“The next Assembly election will be make or break for us,” he said. “Leanne has made the bold decision to stand for a constituency seat, and in a sense that has thrown down a challenge to the rest of us to make brave decisions too.”

It may well be that Adam would rather concentrate on Policy Ideas rather than the nitty-gritty of Constituency work. But I suspect that he simply hasn't the time to seriously nurse one of the few winnable
Constituency
Of course Plaid is that Adam would also be seen as a challenger to Leanne Wood  which may be part of the reason she has decided to fight a Constituency seat where winning would cement her leadership whether Adam was elected or not .

Plaid need people of Adam calibre in the Assembly  but it also does not need a Leader in Waiting where the current leader is seen as a temporarily stop gap.

It may well be in the Parts interest that he does not even run