Peter Hain AM - again.

I hope that BBC's Wales man in Westminster, David Cornock is at the Lib Dem Conference this weekend - and not at Plaid Cymru's seaside get-together at Aberystwyth. He would have done unto himself a physical misfortune during an uncontrollable laughing fit. And there'll be a few others laughing over their muesli this morning as they read today's Wales on Sunday offering by David Williamson. The subject of all this mirth will have been the conference speech delivered by Adam Price MP yesterday.

Adam must have been reading my blog, which has been predicting for several months that former Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain might be looking for a 'free transfer' from Westminster to the National Assembly, where he would undoubtedly put a bit of spark into the place. Being honest, I admit that I was indulging in a bit of idle speculation when I floated the idea, albeit based on a calculation of political realities. It still caused Mr Cornock (and others) to pour ridicule upon my person. And then the Western Mail gave the idea another little outing a few weeks back. More laughter from the BBC.

Anyway Adam has been taking the whole thing so seriously that he based his conference speech on it. David Williamson reports that 'Firebrand Price' told the world that he intends to stand against Peter in a Neath by-election, assuming that Mrs Gwenda Thomas AM can be persuaded to move house up the M4 and replace the 'Mrs' with 'Baroness' - certainly not a given.

This blog does occasionally set out to amuse by commenting on the bizarre. Here goes. This is what the 'Firebrand' is reported to have' roared' on the conference platform yesterday.

"He's going to find one heck of a fight if he does call a by-election. In Westminster we represent the same valley, the valley that I'm from. But we represent two very different versions of the future of Wales. If you, Peter, in your hubris, really think you can lead this country when you don't even believe we're ready for a parliament - when you trumpeted the goals of social justice in pamphlet after pamphlet, but sit on your hands in Cabinet - then call that By-election and I'll see you on the streets of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and let the people decide".

It would be interesting to hear what Peter Hain thinks of this 'gauntlet' that has been so flamboyantly cast down in his path, or what Mrs Gwenda Thomas thinks of swapping her cherished title of Mrs, or what former TV pundit, Mr Lee Waters thinks of Peter slipping into the Neath AM slot, and what David Cornock thinks - after he has regained his post-laughter composure.