We still don't know whose in charge of Welsh Labour.

I didn't read the Wasting Mule on Saturday as I was preparing myself for that Game. So to my embarrassment I was altered to this by Peter Black

So (Deep Breath) hat tip to him.

It seems  Carwyn Jones was given a “roasting” by Welsh MPs during a meeting at Westminster over his plan to have policing powers devolved to Wales, we have learnt

According to the Mu;e

A senior Labour source said many Welsh Labour MPs were angry that the policy had been announced by the First Minister without it having gone through normal party processes and without them having been consulted. 

Western Mail 16th March 2013

The Mule goes on to tell us: senior Labour source told us:

 “When Carwyn met the Welsh group of Labour MPs last week he was given a roasting by many of them. They felt he should have consulted them and gone through the party processes before going public with such a change in policy.“Carwyn has been told on the authority of Ed Miliband that such a move would not be a priority for a first term Labour Government.”

The leadership at Westminster seems to be distancing themselves from this claim though:

A spokeswoman for Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith said: “Owen has made it clear that the party will make a decision on this issue before the next general election manifesto is drawn up.”A spokesman for Ed Miliband said: “No message has been conveyed to Carwyn Jones from the leader saying that devolving powers of policing to Wales will not be a first term priority for an incoming Labour government.”

So was Carwyn told that Ed Miliband was not backing him or not.? Whose going to put in the Manifesto? Owen Smith or Carwyn Jones?

The problem is that we are told this through "a spokesman" so its hard  for us  poor peasants to gauge the strength of the conflicting statement

Even Plaid put forward a spokesman when there's abortively no reason why they couldn't be named.to say:

“This nails the myth once and for all that there is any such thing as ‘Welsh’ Labour. It is quite clear that, whatever he pretends in the Senedd, the First Minister is not in charge of his own party.“Labour was unable to agree on a submission to the Silk Commission despite being the largest party in the National Assembly and in terms of Welsh MPs. How can our governing party be unable to agree even on what powers they should have? They are split from top to bottom and from Wales to Westminster.”

And Yes the Libdems found a "Spokesman" (Maybe for once Peter Black was unavailable) with their Two Pennyworth.

“This is very embarrassing for Carwyn Jones. While he may be First Minister in Wales, it is clear from the reaction of his MPs that he does not lead his party.“When the Welsh Labour Government published its submission to the Silk Commission, while Welsh Labour were talking about how they were standing up for Wales, the question on everyone else’s lips was ‘Have these proposals been given the OK by the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and the leader, Ed Miliband?’ Nothing will happen on devolution in Westminster in the Labour party unless it gets the backing of the MPs. Carwyn Jones was very naive to think otherwise.

Why can't we know whose making these statements?

Stil if the report is true then the question of whose in charge of Labour in Wales remains  

Can you Imagine the Leader of Scottish Labour being treated d in this manner?

Does Owen Smith represent Wales in the Shadow Cabinet ot the Shadow Cabinet on Wales?

But as long Labour  fail to come to terms with the reality of devolution this will continue.

And before the LibDems in wales get  to outraged perhaps  they should consider . What  would be the reaction be if they had  10 rather than 3 Welsh MPs many of whom would be career politicians who entered then Welsh political scene because they came as students here?

in reality it is irrelevant who runs Labour in Wales at the moment  Carwyn Jones, Owen Smith or Ed Miliband.  When the party still cannot call for Wales to have parity with Scotland.

Only then who the  Welsh leader of that party (or any other) truly start to matter.