Who would be party president?

As one of the few elected politicians who blog from Plaid I thought that I should comment on the press interest that Elfyn Llwyd MP has announced his intention to run for the president's position within Plaid Cymru. While the blogger blogmenai looks at the various strands that could potentially make an effective president- strategist, thinker, and older politician that can be more of a figurehead for the party, or a person who inspires - other bloggers such as ordovicius have questioned Llwyd's interest in leading on this level while performing a role as an MP, and in leading Plaid's Parliamentary team. As far as the article in the Western Mail suggests, nobody in our party is willing to speak out against Dafydd Iwan, or give clear reasons as to why he should stand down. OK, so he lost his seat on the Council, but that does not mean that Dafydd Iwan cannot perform effectively as party president.

Personally, and I stress the word personally, I don't see that we actually need both a president and a party leader. Is a leader not sufficient in itself? I certainly don't think that there should be a massive debate in the press over it. There are already enough hierarchical structures in the political World, without us losing sleep in this instance!

I didn't closely follow the ongoing debate surrounding the confusion amongst the public when we had one too many leaders a few years ago (hence the reorganisation of the party structures that ensued) but I think now that we are in Government, that we have a strong team on every level of Government, and a strong leadership, we do not need to embroil ourselves in a debate on this issue. If two people want to stand for president then that should be accepted. It is also a positive that someone else is putting their name forward, so that people do not become complacent in their positions, or take support from others for granted.

As far as I am concerned, I am pleased with the work that Dafydd Iwan has done as president, and the work that Elfyn has done as an MP. Dafydd Iwan is an inspirational figure, that has strong, passionate beliefs, and this is what we need to enthuse party members. It is good for democracy that a party president can express his concerns regarding policy initiatives spearheaded by either the parliamentary or Assembly group that may go against the grain of party policy such as the St Athan military Academy. It keeps elected politicians' feet firmly on the ground, and is another level of scrutiny for elected politicians.

I look forward to the hustings process, and hope that Elfyn Llwyd continues his blog regardless of the result......