So we decided to continue negotiations with Labour. Some of you, namely Peter Black, is not surprised. He seems to think that this was in fact 'predictable'. I have to disagree. If we had thought that Labour were failing to take the discussions seriously, then I am convinced AM's would have been quick off the mark in refusing any deal with Labour yesterday.
As it stands, the document with Labour needs to be developed, but does show signs that there is at least a possibility of creating a robust agreement that can be taken back to the table for the AM's and National Exec to either accept or reject. The other agreement, the All Wales accord is still there for contemplation. I don't want to jeopardise any discussions so I won't go in to the content of the document for now( *the red-green document for your information)
Much has been made of the fact that Mike German is keeping a keen eye on Plaid's manoeuvrings so that he can assess whether or not the three party coalition is still a possibility. Rumour has it that Mike German will go straight back to Rhodri Morgan if Plaid is serious about the Red- Green deal. I think that if this happens, it only goes to show that there is no clear strategy guiding the leader of the Lib dems. Mike German should be careful what he does. After all, we all know that he claimed to be able to carry his party through a 'yes' vote for a three party coalition, except this was famously scuppered by his very own National Executive. It seems to me that it will be impossible for German to talk to Labour without another Extraordinary Lib dem Conference to decide upon the best course of action.
Discussions continue in the meantime. I wouldn't want to predict an outcome at the moment, because I'm amazed how quickly the political scene has changed since the election.
***A quick response to Betsan Powys's remark that Gareth Jones left early from the meeting yesterday. I think this was an attempt at a hint of disagreement from Gareth Jones. Just to set things straight- we had an Assembly Member group meeting in the morning, and a National Executive meeting in the afternoon. AM's were free to leave at lunch, but most ( who wanted to hear the views of the Exec, or who didn't have anything better to do!) stayed on. So there was nothing to read into Gareth's actions at all.
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Y penderfyniad oedd i barhau trafodaethau. Nid yw Peter Black wedi synnu - gan gredu fod y sefyllfa'n anochel. Dwi yn anghytuno braidd. Os nad oedd hi'n amlwg fod Llafur o ddifrif yn y trafodaethau, yna byddai'r ACau wedi gwrthod cytundeb yn gynnar ddoe.
Fel ag y mae, mae'r ddogfen gyda Llafur angen gwaith - ond mae'n dangos posibilrwydd o ffurfio cytundeb i gynnig i'r ACau a'r Bwrdd Gwaith Cenedlaethol. Mae'r Cytgor Cymru Oll dal yng nghefn meddwl hefyd. Dwi ddim eisiau niweidio trafodaethau, felly ni wnaf drafod manylion nawr.
Mae llawer o ohebu ar y ffaith fod Mike German yn cadw llygad barcud ar symudiadau Plaid, er mwyn asesu tebygolrwydd yr Enfys. Mae sibrydion y bydd Mike German yn closio yn ol at Rhodri Morgan, os yw'n ymweld fod Plaid o ddifrif am glymblaid cochwyrdd. Os ddigwyddith hyn, mae'n dangos nad oes strategaeth ganddo - dylai fod yn ofalus. Wedi'r cwbwl, cofiwch y llanast rhwng ACau, Bwrdd Gwaith, ac aelodau cyffredin y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol dros y glymblaid enfys.Mi fydd yn annodd i Mike German siarad gyda Llafur heb Gynhadledd Arbennig unwaith eto.
Yn y cyfamser, mae ein trafodaethau ni yn parhau. Dwi ddim am wneud unrhyw rhagolwg, ond mae'n syndodfaint sydd wedi newid ers yr etholiad!
*** Ateb cyflym i sylwad Betsan Powys fod Gareth Jones wedi gadael y cyfarfod yn gynnar ddo. Dw'n meddwl mae ceisio awgrymu anfodlondeb oedd hyn. Y gwir yw, roedd cyfarfod grwp ACau yn y bore, a cyfarfod Bwrdd Gwaith yn y pnawn. Roedd ACau yn rhydd i adael wedi cinio. Felly doedd dim agenda wrth i Gareth ymadael.
5 comments:
My comment that the decision of your executive was 'predictable' should be taken in the context that you had in front of you an incomplete document from talks with Labour, that you, yourself, had said that the decision would lie with AMs and that it would make sense for you to leave all your options open until you could see the complete deal on offer from Rhodri Morgan.
As I understand it Mike German is wholly committed to the rainbow coalition. He will only open talks with Labour if that option is closed off to him so that he can protect the position of our party. The process in that case is that he will require permission from the group and the NEC to open talks, any agreement would need to be endorsed by both these bodies and, only then, would it go to a special conference.
I am surprised that you think there is no clear strategy guiding Mike. His strategy throughout appears to have been to secure a rainbow coalition. Remember that it is now Plaid that appears to be getting cold feet on this option not the Liberal Democrats irrespective of what happened before.
point on predictability taken, Peter.
My point about Mike German is that if he enters negotiations with Labour without guidance from the party then this does seem to be a signal of a lack of direction.
Plaid have the two options on the table. As you know, I voted not to end discussions prematurely with Labour, which is why I don't agree that we are getting 'cold feet' now. I've always been that way personally!!
having had a hard time trying to get gareth Jones to talk to journalists at all I was amused by Betsans comments. Anybody who has spent any time with Gareth knows he is rarely keen to talk to the the press:)
Mind you if he has not been giving the assembly group a hard time about talking to Labour he will be in trouble in Llandudno :)
The Welsh Liberal Democrats will feel left out with these special conferences and will have to meet again. If they carry on like this, they'll have to start collecting funds earlier for the election in 2011 - coffers running empty with all this changing of minds?
http://glamorganshire.blogspot.com/2007/06/mike-german-dr-rainbow-heckle-to-mr.html
The Lib Dems seem to desperate to me to hang on to power...if you ask me they're the 'predicatble' ones!
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