A Rod for Ukips back?

The Welsh Political World has been shattered (well we have noticed) with the news that the mighty Rod Richards has joined Ukip

Rod a modest a manhas a varried and largely disapointing for him political career.

Hpwever his record as a candidate is not one one of success

1987 contest Carmarthen in a seat where the Conservatives came close to wining in 1983 however even though he kept Plaid in third place loses by 4317 votes.

1989 stands for the Conservatives in the Vale of Glamorgan By Election , a seat that the previous Tory had held since 15i when it was called Barry.

1992 Another seat this time with success ( Clwyd North West) and looks like he may be in for a fair number of years

1997 Alas a casualty of the Blair landslide and in a seat now named Clwyd West and with boundary changes which should have favoured him loses to Labours Gareth Thomas and his brief parliamentary career appears over.

1999 He stood for the Clwyd West consituancy in 1999 although defeated in his constituency seat during the he was elected to the new body as lead candidate on the Conservatives' regional top-up list. He was elected the Conservative party leader in the Welsh Assembly in a ballot of Welsh party members defeating Nick Bourne,[who was then widely known in the media to be William Hague's first choice for the job. Richards stood down as leader after he was accused of assaulting a young woman. Bourne was then appointed leader by Hague. Richards was cleared of assault in June 2000.



He then had the party whip withdrawn from him following his decision to abstain rather than vote with his fellow Conservatives against the Assembly's budget at the end of 1999. He continued to sit in the Assembly, as an 'Independent Conservative' until 2002 when he resigned as an Assembly Member (AM), saying he was leaving the assembly immediately in the interests of his health.

And that seemed to be thwe end of Rod political carrer.
But with  Ukip  sole welash MEP John Bufton standibng down you be wise to put a bet on Rod toping the Ukip list and being elected.

But then what wil he be able to stay out of the headlines for all the wrong regions. Nigel Farage has enough mavericks in his Euro group as it is . how long before Rod falls out with him as he did with Nick Bourne at the assembly. Wil such a ambitious poltician as Rod be content to be just an ordinary MEP or will he seek promotion in the Ukip ranks?

With bated breath I can only wait.