Alungate.Conspiracy or Cock Up.

Martin Shipton in the Mule returns to form in when he he reports that...

Mr Jones told us he had discussed the matter with senior party officials after Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams – one of the AMs whose data Mr Davies had been seeking – called for an investigation into concerns that others in the party may have been involved.

First Minister Carwyn Jones says he is satisfied that no employees of Welsh Labour colluded with sacked Cabinet Minister Alun Davies when he sought information about farming subsidies paid to five opposition AMs.

La Pasionaria seems to have developed a suspicion when of tweets from Welsh Labour’s official Assembly twitter account hours after Mr Davies instructed his Private Secretary to get it for him.

At 9.37am on July 2, Mr Davies emailed his Private Secretary.

At 2.23pm and 2.24pm on the same day, @LabourSenedd tweeted the exact wording of questions asked in the Senedd chamber by Kirsty Williams about beef prices and farming subsidies.

It does look somewhat suspicious Ms Williams issued a statement saying:

 “The First Minister needs to investigate who else in his party may have known about what Alun Davies was up to. Unless it is just a massive coincidence, judging from his party’s official twitter feed it would seem to me that others high up in the Labour Party possibly knew about it.

Mr Jones responded:

 “I have spoken to party officials about these allegations. It is clear to me that there is absolutely no truth in them whatsoever. If Kirsty Williams has one shred of evidence, beyond some anonymous comments she has seen in the media, she needs to come forward with that information. It is incredibly irresponsible for political parties to make these sorts of accusations with nothing to support them.”

It would be intresting to know who reminded Martin Shiptom that  

In 2011, before the last Assembly election, Welsh Labour highlighted farm subsidies paid to Ms Williams and other AMs at a time when they were in the public domain. One of the party’s councillors argued that AMs and immediate members of their families who were in receipt of farm subsidies should be obliged to declare them in the Register of Members’ Interests.

I must admit that Peter Black was being a bit of (in his own words ) a conspiracy theorist when he first mooted this. and that Alum Davies brooding in his Bunker was looking at a way to get at his tormentors.

Myself I favour the Cock Up theory here 

Indeed if Alun Davies had any sense he would have asked a Labour party member to seek the information or bring up the 2011 issue.

Which in not doing so showing how stupid  and arrogant he was  to do it on his own back.

Still it gives Marin Shipton a chance to portray Alun Davies as a Lone Wolf and maybe shoe Labour in a better light.