Rhodri Morgan is ill, and has been rushed to hospital, so I'm afraid that for now, nothing has been signed between Plaid and Labour as it was supposed to today( and no, Ieuan Wyn Jones can't stand in for First Minister's questions tomorrow. Although I must admit that that would have been quite interesting!). For that reason, we will have to wait for Rhodri's recovery before we move on. I think that everything that could have happened to stall this coalition process has in fact taken place! Nothing is a surprise anymore, but I hope that Rhodri recovers fully.
There's an article/ interview worth reading in the Independent today about Alastair Campbell's diaries concering his time at 10 Downing Street working with Tony Blair. I'm keen to read his work as I'm intruiged by Campbell's role in the Government during Britain's invasion of Iraq, and the notion that Campbell called the shots. It seems that everyone bar Tony Blair had pangs of doubt about taking action in Iraq, and that Blair didn't show any signs of faultering on this hugely unpopular policy. This diary will also be worth a read if only to discover the ins and outs of the relationship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, although I understand that Campbell doesn't intend to give all the gory details until after Gordon Brown leaves No. 10 for good!
I am generally quite intrigued about how the Labour Government works if only to compare it to the workings of the National Assembly. I met a person who works in the press team for the Government in a social capacity over the weekend, and it was very enlightening to learn about their style- their discipline and strategic thinking when it comes to working with the press. According to my understanding, Gordon Brown wants to do things differently to Blair( who wouldn't?) and get rid of the 'spin' agenda which dominated Blair's period in office.
I understand, for example, that Gordon Brown is going to make a point of keeping press statements to Parliamentary time. Stories regarding policy will not be trailed, therefore they will not be primed in the press prior to announcement. I wonder whether this new way of working will in fact be successful for Gordon Brown, especially in an age where links between media and politics are becoming more and more vague.
From gauging the press's reaction to Brown's first PMQ's last week, he has a long way to go in convincing them that his new style is the right style to govern.
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Mae Rhodri Morgan yn sal, ac yn yr ysbyty, felly dyw ochr ffurfiol y gytundeb ddim wedi digwydd rhwng Plaid a Llafur fel yr oedd i fod heddiw ( a na, dyw Ieuan Wyn Jones ddim yn gallu ateb cwestiynnau i'r Brif Weinidog yfory, er mor ddiddorol byddai hynny wedi bod) Oherwydd hynny, bydd rhaid aros i weld pryd fydd Rhodri Morgan yn well er mwyn cario ymlaen o fan hyn. Mae popeth a oedd yn medru digwydd i wneud y broses o ffurfio clymblaid yn un hir wedi digwydd! Does dim byd yn sypreis i ni rhagor, ond gobeithio'n wir fydd Rhodri yn brysio i wella.
Erthygl sydd werth darllen yn yr Independent heddiw yw erthygl am ddyddiadur Alastair Campbell am ei gyfnod yn gweithio gyda Tony Blair. Rwy'n bwriadu darllen y dyddiadur a ddiddordeb mawr yn enwedig yng nghyd destun ei rol allweddol yn y Llywodraeth yn ystod ymosodiad Prydain ar Irac. Mae'n debyg bod pawb ond Tony Blair wedi cael pwl o amau os mai mynd mewn i Irac oedd y polisi gorau i ddilyn. Fydd o hefyd yn lyfr i ddarllen er mwyn darganfod hynt a helynt perthynas Tony Blair a Gordon Brown, ond rwy'n amau'n fawr os fydd manylion hynny'n glir hyd nes bod Gordon Brown wedi hen adael 10 stryd Downing.
Rwyf yn chwilfrydig iawn am sut mae Llywodraeth Llafur San Steffan yn gweithio yn gyffredinol- os dim ond i'w gymharu a'r Cynulliad. Fe wnes i gwrdd ag aelod o dim gwasg y Llywodraeth dros y penwythnos mewn sefyllfa anffurfiol, ac roedd dysgu am y modd strategol, disgybledig mae nhw'n gweithio yn agoriad llygaid. Yn ol beth rwy'n deall, mae Gordon Brown am newid sut mae ei dim yn ymdrin a'r wasg yn llwyr- a cheisio cael gwared o'r 'spin' a oedd yn hollol gysylltiedig a Tony Blair( pwy fydde ddim yn awyddus i newid tactegau ar ol Blair, sgwn i?!)
Yn ol y son, nid yw Gordon Brown am wneud datganiadau y tu allan i amser Seneddol, sydd yn gwneud gwaith y swyddogion wasg yn anoddach o ran hybu stori am bolisi newydd ayb yn y wasg o flaen llaw. Tybed os fydd agwedd newydd Gordon Brown yn medru fod yn lwyddiannus mewn oes lle mae'r cyswllt rhwng y cyfryngau a gwleidyddiaeth yn fwy fwy anelwig.
O sylwi ar ymateb y wasg i sesiwn cyntaf Brown o ateb cwestiynnau i'r Prif Weinidog yr wythnos diwethaf, mae gan Brown waith i'w wneud yn argyhoeddi'r wasg mai ei steil newydd yw'r steil iawn ar gyfer rhedeg y gwlad.

2 comments:
yee gods.
Will you warn people before you put pictures like that up? I nearly had to join Rhodri in the coronary care unit!
sorry about that left field! I wanted to shock!
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