Ö÷²¥´óÐã

Was Don Touhig ever a fan of the deal his party struck with Plaid Cymru to stay in government? No, of course he wasn't.

Is the fact that he's making his distaste for it public? No, of course it isn't. He was firmly opposed to the idea then and is no more a fan of it now.

But this time he isn't saying quite the same thing. He's not saying he doesn't like the deal. He's saying that over the past twelve months, Labour have failed to heed the warning he and others sounded that if they had to reach out and bring Plaid Cymru into government, they had to make equally sure they didn't let their junior partners make too much hay.

Let's face it: it worked with the Liberal Democrats, who - Rhodri Morgan himself believes -advised Plaid directly and bluntly to play it differently, to get in there and spin, to make every effort to persuade the public that the tail was wagging (or should that be WAGging) the dog.

That's exactly what Plaid have done. Just look at the two press statements the two governing parties released to mark one year of One Wales. Labour concentrated on delivery, on the work Labour Ministers have been putting in over the past year. Plaid? Ieuan Wyn Jones knew he'd ruffle Labour feathers by claiming it was Plaid who had set "a new Welsh agenda".

And what about that very term, One Wales government? From the start it's the name Plaid gave to the coalition government. It was in their early press statements, on their lips in press conferences. Labour went for Labour-led coalition. What, now, is the official name on government documentation and glossy backdrops? One Wales government.

That's what Don Touhig calls "running rings" round Labour.

Tonight Plaid celebrate their first year in government with a £50.00 a head dinner in one of Cardiff's trendiest hotels. If you fancy taking up "a sponsorship opportunity" you get "great benefits" thrown in "including 2 tickets on the top table, a thank you from a senior party figure, a chance to address the dinner with a short speech, and space for pop ups".

Labour get on with the job of sorting out plummeting membership and the party structure in Wales, as well as telling Don Touhig that they think he's wrong.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?