Cardiff Labour's Civil War. Shouldn't electors be told more?

The Civil War among  Cardiff council Labour Party ended (for now) with  leader Phil Bale has surviving a leadership challenge  and a counter coup at the annual general meeting of the city's Labour group.

But most of the people of Cardif have no idea what both sided are fighting over as is this blogger.

Mr Bale failed to get re-elected as Labour leader - and thereby council leader - a week ago with the vote tied.

But on Monday he was re-elected despite a challenge by councillor Lynda Thorne.

Mr Bale told BBC Wales he was "happy with the result" and "excited about the city's future".

Opposition councillors have previously called for him to resign and several people within his own party felt he should have stepped down.

According to the Wasting Mule on line

Coun Bale was elected by members of his own group at a meeting on Monday night as was deputy leader Sue Lent.
This latest vote, which was run as part of the group’s annual general meeting, ended a stalemate at the top of the party which came about after last week’s vote.
That ballot had resulted in a tie between those Labour councillors who wanted Couns Bale and Lent to continue and those who wanted Grangetown councillor Lynda Thorne and Trowbridge councillor Michael Michael to replace them.

It continues

 Official results of the ballot have not been released but the party’s group secretary Sue White said Coun Bale had won a “significant” increase in his support since last week.Coun White, who represents Llandaff North, said the group would now work as one.
She said: “The group has pulled together and given its backing to Phil continuing as leader. He increased his vote by a significant margin.
“His rival Lynda Thorne gave a moving speech after her defeat and it is clear there is genuine will for the Labour group to work together to take Cardiff forward and try to protect our people from the worst effects of the heartbreaking cuts on the agenda of the Tory UK Government.”

 However, one Labour source suggested that might not be the case, saying it had been a “disappointing” but not surprising result.

The source added:

 “I am not sure this will fix anything. We have got to admit there are issues before we go about trying to fix them. The group is clearly divided and as a leader you have to try and fix that.
“All week it’s been one-sided negotiations. We should have been working day and night to find a way for the party not to go at each other the way we have been this last week.”

The position of éminence grise  and former leader Russel Goodway   on the rebellion is  unclear he may have come to terms of not regaling his power directly but he may well want his own man or women occupying the top spot.

Plaid Cymru’s Neil McEvoy recently said:

 “The Peckham idealist very quickly became a Cardiff machine politician, who first had no hesitation in implementing councillor Thorne and Goodway’s cuts proposals.
“His legacy is cutting Cardiff’s Youth Service from 23 to 6 centres, closing play centres and abolishing meals on wheels. The personnel changed, but the politics didn’t. I’m using the past tense, because to all intents and purposes he is finished as leader of Cardiff council

So was the rebellion amongst councillors who wanted more  cuts or less? Or was it Personnel  or simply Cllr Bale has not proved to be good enough for Russell Goodway..

This is about the Leader of the Council  as well as internal Party Politics and  the people of Cardiff should be informed what those who want to change Council policy  by changing the leader of the controlling group are standing for