Eluned Morgan "beyond the bubble"?

It would be vary shameful of there wasn't a female candidate for the leadership of Labour in Wales and by fault our next First Minster of the Welsh Assembly

But Welsh Labour leadership hopeful Eluned Morgan has led herself open to accusations of being a "Token" candidate" by claiming she is like her rival Mark Drakeford.

Ms Morgan has announced her intention to stand in the contest - although she is yet to get any backing from her colleagues.

"I would probably position myself in the same place as Mark Drakeford, the centre-left," she said, "but also somebody who is extremely practical, exactly like Mark Drakeford."

Mark Drakeford is the only AM with enough nominations to stand, although Vaughan Gething has also announced his intention to go for the top job. 

 Ms  Eluned Morgan has announced she will start seeking nominations to succeed Carwyn Jones as party leader and First Minister.
Ms Morgan, Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, joins cabinet colleagues Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething who have both indicated they will stand.

So far, Mr Drakeford has the required number of nominations with Mr Gething shy of the five AMs names needed.
There are other rumoured contenders, but none have yet formally declared they intend to run.

The Former MEP and Former Shadow Minister in the House of Lords had previously said she wanted to gather opinions from people across Wales before making a decision.


She launched a social media and online campaign called “Beyond the Bubble” asking people what they wanted to see in the Welsh Government.
She now says that she feels a woman’s name should be on the ballot.
Asked why she has made the decision to stand now, she said:

 “One, because of the enthusiasm generated by Beyond the Bubble and responses I have had and the encouragement but also the responsibility I felt at the Processions women’s march on Sunday.
“It’s important that we do have a woman represented on the ballot but I would hope people would understand I am there because of the vast experience I have got to offer as well.
“As this year marks a century since women won the right to vote.

Ms Morgan's "Beyond the Bubble website"  is oddly only in English for
Minister for Welsh Language & Lifelong Learning but how can  a former MEP and member of the House of Lords claim she is not a part of  established  party po;itics?

Not so much "beyond the bubble " as right in the centre.

It has also emerged  that Ms Morgan  failed  to step back from a decision to exempt the vast majority of doctors from language laws when her husband is a partner in a GP practice has led to calls for an investigation
.
In a complaint to the First Minister and the Assembly Standards Commissioner, language campaigners have said that she should have declared an interest and passed decisions on health sector duties to another minister because of the nature of her husband’s work.

 The Ministerial Code states: 

”Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests.”
Baroness Morgan has listed her husband’s business on the register of AMs’ interests, but Assembly rules say she also has to make an oral statement about a relevant interest.

Although there have been several committee and plenary session discussions about the Welsh-language regulations in the health service, with primary care one of the hotly-debated issues, on no occasion did Baroness Morgan make an oral statement about her partner’s GP practice.

In their complaint to the First Minister, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg state: 

“[The] decision to exempt the vast majority of GPs from the Welsh Language Standards was very controversial, and a subject of debate before and during the public and Assembly discussions on the regulations.

As i said it would be disappointing if there is not a female candidate  for who will be de facto  First Minister , but it would be preferable if it wasn't seen as tokenism.

Mind you Jeremy Corbyn was seen as the Token Left candidate for the leadership of the  UK labour party so you never know.