Beware of the German.

With the Plaid-Labour/Red-Green coalition still on the cards, any messages from the Lib Dems need to be taken with a serious health warning. Mike German and the Lib Dems will say anything and do anything to try and kill off the Red-Green coalition, and his recent message of "If the Rainbow fails we will look for a Coaltion with Labour" is a clear example of such an obvious attempt to try and kill off any deal between Labour and Plaid. As pointed out by another Lib Dem AM, that Mike German does not have the authourity to do such a move.

Labour and Plaid must not be sucked in by Mike German's words, which is nothing but an attempt to try and drive a wedge between Labour and Plaid, playing on the feelings of both party members. The Lib Dems have no intention of forming a coalition with Labour, they are playing Machiavellian politics, so that the Lib Dems get their feet under the cabinet table with a Rainbow Coalition.

The only choice for Labour, is that we go into coalition with Plaid for the next term of the Assembly (obviously after every Assembly election, all options should be re-opened), it be disasterous for Wales if the Tories got their hands back on power, and it would be a massive victory for David Cameron and would help him in the next Gerneral Election since he be able to point to Wales and say "Look, we have changed, look at Wales, and what we are doing there."

We must push ahead with the Plaid-Labour coalition, and do everything we can to get it up and running, and if we are to go into oppisition, it should be because we are forced into it, and not because we walked away, or allowed the Lib Dems to drive appart Labour and Plaid. However, the main goal of the talks needs to be a Red-Green coalition, that will last the full term of the Assembly.


(On another note, Labour's sister party, The French Socialist Party has lost the election, hopefully it only be for a short period.)

Time to build a progressive alliance, and let the left really win in Wales

The election of Rhodri Morgan as First Minister under a minority Welsh Labour government, is firstly a victory of progressive, left wing socialist politics and shows that, in Wales at least, the European left is very much still alive. In fact 63% voted for progressive centre-left parties in Wales (Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats), and they have gotten what they wanted, NO Tories in the cabinent. The fact is Labour, Plaid and the Liberal Democrats have more in common with each other, then they do with the Conservative Party, and people like Darren Miller AM (Tory).

The make-up of the third Assembly and the (hopefully long term) end of the "Rainbow Allaince" has given Wales a unique opportunity to go down a new path, a path were Labour,Plaid and the Liberal Democrats co-operate more closely and work together for a common goal. However this will require a change in attitudes in all the political parties, especally Welsh Labour, who haven't had the same opportunity as Plaid, Tories and Liberals have of co-operation during the past term of government.

Welsh Labour must forgive Ieuan for wanting to jump into bed with the Tory Party, it is understandable that he wanted to be First Minister at any cost, however that does not make Plaid Cymru "weak dafodil Tories" and I do not believe the party are a reactionary right wing party. The Liberal Democrats are another matter, since they swing all over the place.

During this next term, Welsh Labour need to learn and modernise itself to adapt to the Propotional Representation which Wales has, through the minority government it has to learn about co-operation, cabinet coalition and working with other parties for a common goal. The Welsh Labour Party also need to modernise in other ways (however I do NOT mean becoming another Blairite New "Labour" party as that would be disasterous), but that is another matter.

Was the assassin's bullet fired tonight?

The Liberal Democrats in Wales rejecting to do deals with either Labour or Plaid and the Tories, has left Wales in political limbo. Will we see a Lab-Plaid informal coalition (or formal with any luck?) Or will Labour trot on in a minority government for a while, until something better for Wales can be sorted out (Lab-Lib, Plaid-Lab or other, since a minority government is not good for Wales) ? Or will Plaid and Tories try and go it alone with the sort of Trish Law (not at all likely, and electoral suicide for Plaid and Trish.)

However you have to wonder if tonight was the firing of the assassin's bullet at Mike German in the Liberal Democrats, otherwise why else would they want to turn down a deal with both Labour and Plaid+Tories? It makes little sense to me, since either way they would have seen Liberal Democrat policies on the table and put into action, and Liberal Democratic ministers around the cabinet table.

The argument about the Welsh people not wanting Labour nor the Tories, nor Plaid in government is mute, because the Welsh people want a government and a majority of them did vote for a majority government, be it Plaid-Lab, Lib-Lab, Rainbow or other. They do not want a minority Labour government, not even Labour members want that (at least ones with any sense), and they definitely do not want to see another election in a few weeks time, they would disastrous for the three main political parties (Labour, Plaid, Tories) and especially the Lib Dems (don't think they deserve to be called a main party after this), as well as devolution and Wales as a whole, it could even set back a referendum on further law making powers for a long time, and that would be a very Bad thing, since Wales needs more powers.

I feel this was internal Liberal Democrat politics, and if it is, the Welsh voters should not and hopefully will not forgive the Liberal Democrats too easy, and their reputation will be knocked for six. The Lib Dems will be damaged for this, but I fear the damage will leak over to all the other parties, especially Labour and Plaid Cymru.

This could be the biggest disaster to hit devolution, and it is now up to Labour and Plaid Cymru to sort something out fast and come to a face saving compromise for Labour, for Plaid and for Wales and Welsh devolution, or otherwise Wales will become a massive laughing stock and public opinion on devolution will drop like a stone, and that is something I don't think anyone in Welsh politics wants.

Anyone up for a Threesome?

Well it seems like abysmal Mike German has lost the battle in his pathetic party and has now conceed to the right wing about having a threesome with Ieuan Wyn Jones of Plaid and Nick Bourne of the Tories. This saids alot about the Liberal Democrats, how they are willing to jump from the centre-left with Labour, to the Centre-right with Tories so easily, it shows that they have no principles beyond that of power, that is why the Lib Dems are everywhere saying different things to different people (including one asking me to tatically vote AGAINST Plaid in Ceredigion, and then they turn around and do this, very hyprocritical of them, as usualy) and try to be everything to everyone and nothing to nobody.

In councils the Lib Dems and Tories run, they cut services and cut funding to services, they are more like European Liberal, then European Social Democrats, and if the voters didn't want Welsh Labour, then they certainlly didn't want the Lib Dems, who only had 6 seats, and the lowest amount % of the vote of any political party in the Assembly, yet try and claim the democratic high ground (again a sign of the hyprocracy of the Lib Dems.)

Mike German is not a leader, never has been, he is a follower, he followed Labour into coalition in 2000, when it suited him, and he is following the lead of Ieuan Wyn Jones and Nick Bourne, it is time for the Lib Dems to sack Mike German and get rid of this aimless leader, and get in a person who actually will lead the Lib Dem and not follower the smell of power and the lead of those who will grant him it.

Hopefully Plaid will have more principles and will show themselves to be socialists, aswell as nationalists, and will re-consider the threesome, which would hurt Plaid in the South Wales Valleys, and would show Wales that Plaid has sold their soul and done a deal with the Tory Party, that's legacy is still felt across Wales by many people.