Its almost beyond belief. She's only four days old, and she's upstaging me already. Tonight Ffion received her first round of public applause. She is clearly a great electoral asset. I was a panellist at a discussion arranged by the Aberystwyth University Politics Society (I think its so called) - alongside the wonderfully erudite Lord Elystan Morgan, and he of the dark brown voice, the soon to be ennobled Lord Dafydd Wigley. The panel was being introduced when the Chair referred to the recent arrival of Ffion - information gleaned from this blog. There was a huge round of applause. For me and both the existing and imminent Lords there was nothing. Perhaps she will recruited to join Henri Cairns on the campaign trail.
A most enjoyable evening. Bit testing for my Welsh when Cynog Dafis started speaking - and downright impossible when he and Elystan started debating a technical legal point. It would have been very confusing for any student who arrived late - having been told that there were to be representatives of the Conservative , Plaid Cymru and Labour Parties on the panel. It would have been quite difficult to tell which was which from the discussion. I suppose that my cold blooded pragmatism about devolution and the open neck shirt would have given away my identity as the Tory! Nothing much else would have.
As driving home, I reflected on which way I thought the audience would be likely to vote. Its never possible to be sure and its unwise to assume - but I reckon a fair few would be in the Plaid Cymru camp. I further reflected that if they were, they should all vote for me (at least those who have a vote in Montgomeryshire). As I pointed out (in a disgracefully self serving way), there is likely to be a Conservative Government in Westminster after the next election - and a Conservative MP in favour of a law making Assembly is likely to have much more effective influence in that direction than another Plaid Cymru member. I'd sort of hinted at this during the discussion. And if I say it often enough, I'll get to believe it myself!
10 comments:
Who knows, henri Cairns may well be chatting Ffinon up quite soon!
I still say it would be better for all concerned if you loosed the traces and joined Plaid!
Elystan, nid Elystyn...
alun - I couldn't cope. I've only just managed to settle down after the 8 years as your close colleague came to an end at the Assembly election. You as family would be too much. Now Emma would be an entirely different matter of course.
alan - and join those self confessed socialists?
Tortoise - Thanks. Corrected.
lol, I think some nationalist bloggers have got you down to be the leader of a right wing version of Plaid Cymru.
left wing - as long as its called the Welsh Conservative Party.
You are the most persuasive Conservative I have ever listened to. If you are the new face of the Conservatives in Wales, your party is going to be much more successful than you have been. I found it hard to believe last night that you have only recently learnt to speak Welsh. Llongyfarchiadau.
As I see it Plaid's voluminous umbrella covers all of Wales, not just the red bits.
Da iawn ti neithiwr Glyn- roedd dy sylwadau yn ddifyr dros ben ac yn ran o drafodaeth wirioneddol wych!
Diolch i fyfyrwyr Aber am drefnu cystal nosweth
With regard to the political colours of those present last night, it might please you to learn that you won over a number of nationalists in the audience.
O'r sawl siaradais i gyda ar ddiwedd y noson roedd pawb yn gytun y byddent yn dy gefnogi yn yr etholiad cyffredinol nesa. Trueni nad y dym i gyd yn byw yn dy etholaeth !
anons - thank you for your generous comments.
alan - I accept that the whole spectrum of left to right support Plaid Cymru - but the Party's policies are based on openly and proudly self confessed socialism. I used to think Plaid would simply split into factions when in power, and it yet might - but there is no real power in Cardiff Bay to test this theory. However I do think that we are witnessing the emergence of a Welsh Conservative Party that has a pragmatic centre/right approach to strengthening Wales' identity and ability to govern itself within the UK. So the message to Plaid supporters "Come and join us and make a real difference".
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