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Welsh Assembly election

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On the bus(es)

  • Betsan Powys
  • 23 Apr 07, 10:00 AM

A weekend on the road.

Over to South Wales West on Saturday to escape for the day and to see a man who'd been out all morning on the stump on behalf of his lot.

A chat about doorstep canvassing techniques ("Helps if your candidate's a looker") turns into one of those spot-the-surprise-result-on-the-night sessions.

I've already had one old head on young(ish) shoulders warning us to keep more than one eye on Montgomeryshire and another suggesting that Islwyn 'could be interesting'. Why? Vocal independent candidate, local council issues: always a heady mix.

Up to Colwyn Bay yesterday. I'm sitting on the 主播大秀 bus opposite Specsavers as I write and if you listen very, very hard you can hear the sound of Conservatives doing sums. They reckon they can win 5 seats in North Wales. 5?

Come on, what's on the list? Ah well, they were talking about 5 on a good night. How good? Clwyd West, Aberconwy, Delyn, Vale of Clwyd and ... Ynys Mon. They admit the last one's a bit of mischief-making but insist they're not joking about unseating Ann Jones. They'll have quite a job.

A really good night for the Tories would be a bad, sad one for Brynle Williams. He's first on the Conservative list in North Wales and admits he's 'sick with desire' (doesn't translate that well ... ) to get back into Cardiff Bay. He's no fool either. The party may have wanted me "just for my name" he says. It was no certainly suprise when the Tories came knocking on the door of the straight-talking fuel campaigner who took on the Labour government and gave Tony Blair some sleepless nights.

"I'm still not really like other AMS - you know me", Brynle is fond of saying but he reckons he's earned his spurs. Will he get back in? Not if Ann Jones has anything to worry about.

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 12:55 PM on 23 Apr 2007,
  • GuyD wrote:

Bethan, many thanks for you blog which is xcellent, informative and unbiased. Just wondering with all the talk of there being a 3 party coalition if Labour don't get in, if it's at all possible that Plaid & the Tory's can get up to 31 seats between them & leave the Lib Dem's on the outside????

  • 2.
  • At 07:13 PM on 23 Apr 2007,
  • Steve Dull wrote:

Betsan you seem to be braking a major poltical news story that a new Tory First Minister is on the horizon for Wales if the Tories are spot on to win 5 district seats in the North and the Lib Dem vote is collapsing in Montgomeryshire.

  • 3.
  • At 08:15 AM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

Why aren't you posting my points ?

Or do you censor any which aren't complimentary ?

Bedd Gelert

Just logged in - been nowhere near a computer since I was on the bus. I don't know why your comment (or my response) hasn't appeared but I'll try and recreate both:

You: Who is Brynle Williams? What is an AM? Why is it important whether he heads to Cardiff Bay or not? We are not psychic - come on!

Me: Brynle Williams is a Tory candidate fighting for a list seat.
An AM is an Assembly Member .. and they sit in Cardiff Bay so whether he gets back there or not is crucial to him.

I try not to be too 'in'. If I was -apologies.

  • 5.
  • At 02:09 PM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • Carl Stevens wrote:

No post about the Lab / Plaid spat, Betsan? Thought you'd be on to it like a shot! Or have Carwyn's minders put the frighteners on you?....

  • 6.
  • At 02:09 PM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • Carl Stevens wrote:

No post about the Lab / Plaid spat, Betsan? Thought you'd be on to it like a shot! Or have Carwyn's minders put the frighteners on you?....

Glad you mentioned buses - perhaps you could ask some of these new labour candidates why the bus fares have gone up again . Great for pensioners but bad news for everyone else especially the poorest and teens.

  • 8.
  • At 04:57 PM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • John Peers wrote:

Please inform Jammie that Anglesey is a county not a town. On news summeries this morning re election bus, locations were given ie Colwyn Bay, Havorfordwest, and Anglesey. We may be small but we do have towns, Llangefni, Menai Bridge, Holyhead etc

  • 9.
  • At 06:06 PM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

Aha - I think if you had said 'AMs' it would have been self-explanatory.

He isn't that twit who was involved in the 'Petrol Prices' is he ? If so, how on earth has he got into a position of power and influence for heaven's sake?

Anyway, off to have a squiz at Vaughan's excellent blog - he has ruffled a few feathers while you were on the bus.

All the best.

  • 10.
  • At 10:40 AM on 25 Apr 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

Betsan, just a bit of a handy hint here - the idea is that you blog every day..

And you are even allowed [radical concept alert] to blog more than once a day - suggest you ask Vaughan for a pub lunch and ask him for some top tips..

  • 11.
  • At 01:50 PM on 25 Apr 2007,
  • Betsan wrote:

Guy D

Technically? Yes. Will they? Almost certainly not. Even in their dreams I doubt they think they'll get to 31 between them. If the Lib Dems are to be left out in the cold at all, it won't be by a Tory/Plaid coalition. It'll be by a Labour group who don't need them or prefer talking to someone else.

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