Tigger and Sprogget
The Tigger of Welsh politics bounced into this morning's lobby briefing in fighting form.
Mike German has just put himself in prime position to bag himself an extra job - taking over from Lembit Opik as THE leader of the Welsh Lib Dems, caped crusader for the 'non-Socialist radical alternative', Master of that (rather tight) space between left and right known as 'our own turf' - and along comes this morning's Western Mail and ages him by 5 years.
Actually he just asked rather nicely if they'd put it right next time but he did try quite hard to be stern.
The 62 year old Mr German has three weeks to wait until all nominations for the leader's job have to reach the Returning Officer and then, let's face it, he gets it. What happens then? He rather enjoys himself until next May or "as soon as sensible and practicable after next year's elections" when he steps down from both jobs. By then some poor soul will have tinkered with the party's constitution (again) and both jobs will become one.
He may like to save up his pension (on paper anyway) and take it to our virtual bookie and take a punt on who'll take over next year. Karl Williams never hears a starting gun fired without coming up with odds. So here we go:
Kirsty Williams: 6-5 favourite
'She's my favourite but she's not way out ahead. She may look the obvious choice but I reckon Jenny Randerson with all her experience, Mike's protege and all that, could push her hard'.)
Jenny Randerson: 7-4 (short second favourite)
Peter Black: 7-2
('If I was actually in the office taking money he's the one I'd be carious about. He's not afraid to speak his mind and the radicals might think he's what they want. He's the sort of guy who could do something for the Lib Dems ... in a strange sort of way')
Eleanor Burnham: 6-1
(Sorry Eleanor but he just can't see it ...)
Mick Bates: 16-1
('I know he doesn't want it and wouldn't go for it but there's only 6 of them so he may find someone's thrown his hat into the ring. Technically he's a runner')
You seem pretty ummoved by Lib Dem politics. In fact from checking the number of online 'hits' on Thursday last week it seems that you're pretty ummoved by politics as a whole.
3,700 of you clicked on our story; 15,029 were rather more taken by . I don't know yet how many rushed to read about Mike German's future but I'm guessing the answer is not that many. You may not be that bothered but the party must be - and until Mike German persuades you that 'marking out our own turf' really means something, until he makes that group of 6 Assembly Members work out exactly where they want the party to be and agree on a credible way of getting there, ordinary party members must surely continue to be very, very bothered.
I'm Betsan Powys, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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I must say I didn't expect the Libs Dem equivelant of Boris Johnson to resign, but saying that every party has its 'clown' but its only the Lib Dems that make him their leader!!
I think Lempit is wise to spend more time in Montgomeryshire as all the money is on Glyn Davies to take it for the Tories.
Cllr. Mike Powell Says:
October 15th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
The lump under the carpet in the office of the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Welsh Assembly is surely starting to take on monumental propotions. What ever deals were done behind closed doors in Aberystwyth this weekend the truth is starting to come out.
In an attempt to hide the gross mismanagement of the assembly election campaign of May 2007 we now have WLD AMs threatening to βmake the group unworkableβ if anyone were to stand against the current incumbent and mastermind behind those elections! The same mastermind who in the subsequent horse dealing left us Welsh Lib Dems with nothing more than a pile of steaming manure!
One of the leaders great ideas was to not allow any spend in Pontypridd and to spend Β£1836 in Cardiff West where even Lord Rennard was duped into thinking of it as a βplace to watchβ, we came fourth! If we had nearly halved our list haemorrhage in Pontypridd we would have had a list AM elected! Alas even our fedrally paid for campaigns officer declined all requests for assistance as he told us we could not be trusted.
Pontypridd 2007
Constituency vote 6489
List Vote 3985
Difference -2,504 difference -38.59%