Into the shadows
It has been said that the Parliamentary Labour Party is "the most sophisticated electorate in the world".
We're about to find out whether this old cliché contains more than a grain of truth.
Never mind the alternative vote used to elect Gordon Brown's successor, and all the permuations offered by the chance to list candidates in order of preference.
The day after Labour elects its new leader - a week this Saturday - nominations open for the first shadow cabinet elections in 14 years.
It will be a crowded field. Welsh Labour MPs, who make up 10 per cent of the PLP, will be well-represented. As many as nine or 10 MPs - one third of the Welsh PLP - are throwing their hats into the ring.
Nineteen posts are up for grabs, six of which have to be filled by women, so the Welsh 9 or 10 men are competing for 13 seats.
Those standing include Peter Hain, the only Welsh member of the current shadow cabinet, Wayne David, David Hanson, Huw Irranca-Davies, Kevin Brennan, Chris Bryant and Alun Michael.
Some don't expect to get elected but hope to put down a marker that will force the new leader to give him a decent job in opposition.
Alun Michael, a former Secretary of State for Wales, has surprised some colleagues by standing but believes he offers the experience - as a former Cabinet Minister - that the new team will need in opposition with the frontbench retirements of, among others, Jack Straw and Alistair Darling.
The elections are important because they limit the freedom of a party leader to choose his or her top team. Tony Blair, it is fair to assume, would not have put Ron Davies in his top team before 1997 but Mr Davies got there through winning the support of fellow Labour MPs.
The elections give Labour MPs a chance to explore their ingenuity when it comes to seeking the approval of their colleagues. In the pre-mobile phone days, one Welsh candidate is said to have tracked down Robert Kilroy-Silk to his holiday poolside to solicit his support.
There were tales of how party whips would take care of ballot papers and even how atheist MPs would seek to pray with colleagues of faith before seeking their vote.
Hello. I'm David Cornock and I'm parliamentary correspondent for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales. This is the blog for the latest news and gossip from the Westminster village - with a Welsh accent.
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