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Welsh Assembly election

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Probably ...

  • Betsan Powys
  • 16 Apr 07, 02:50 PM

Rhodri Morgan has just left the building, though not before telling Richard Evans on his Radio Wales phone in programme that he would "probably" have voted against the invasion of Iraq had he been an MP. A knife-edge decision, certainly but he would "probably" have voted no.

Now tell me if I'm wrong but that sounds to me a like a very long way from saying - as he famously did on Question Time - that he has no opinion on whether we should have invaded Iraq or not.

As he left the studio I asked whether he accepted that he'd made a significant shift in his position? No, he didn't. Yes he'd said he'd "probably" have voted against the invasion without a second UN resolution but he still insisted it's impossible to put yourself in the position of those MPs who did have a vote.

He's talking about people like his wife, Julie, MP for Cardiff North and Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West. They voted against the invasion and they, said Mr Morgan, are the people who think most like him.

He didn't stop walking as he talked but must be wondering about the power of that word - "probably" - and whether you l think he's used it to good effect today or not.

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 03:42 PM on 16 Apr 2007,
  • brown owl wrote:

oh come on we all know Rhodri would have voted against the war don't we?

the only reason he hasn't/ can't/ won't come out and say it is because he doesn't want to talk about the war because it will completely dominate the election campaign.

yes he made a hash of that question time appearance, and yes i can see why people want to know where he stands on the issue but surely we can also see that there are other issues which should concern us in the run up to may 3rd.

I feel pretty confident that if Welsh AMs had had a vote on Iraq it would have been a resounding no, virtually across the board.. and including Rhodri Morgan.

I agree, i think the only reason rhodri messed up on question time because he didnt want it becoming an assembly issue. It was a no-win situation, support the war and he takes flak, oppose it an the 'rhodri/blair' split story gets written...

i know Jane Davidson was given a pretty harsh dressing down for speaking up on trident...

  • 3.
  • At 11:51 PM on 16 Apr 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

Rhodri Morgan used to be indecisive, but now he's not so sure..

He is just equivocating. Although his switch today shows he doesn't want a repeat of that Question Time fiasco handing him another 'Foot In Mouth' awards...

That said, it probably demonstrates that he is too honest to be a real politician.

Marcus: It's obvious why he didn't commit to an answer on Question Time... but it's the way he continually avoided giving an opinion that made for such an embarrassing spectacle. Yet another badge of the appalling disconnect between politicians and voters is the way internal party politics and media image-management trump saying what you believe when asked.

  • 5.
  • At 04:16 PM on 17 Apr 2007,
  • gwylan wrote:

Rhodri's ‘probably’ should have scored a low three on the Richter scale of significant election news. For a start, it’s very old news and caused no great shock. but it shows us how the small band of political journalists and their editors, inevitably and perhaps inadvertently set the agenda from Cardiff. As election news it was presented in the format now adopted by Wales Today where party A makes the main news item and in turn, representatives from parties B, C and D are asked to comment. What we get are B, C and D heads each struggling to fashion an original two line sound bite but each uttering what amounts to much the same response. It's all pretty boring and a great pity that politicians can’t resist performing in this way because it does them no good. Something is not working here. It probably satisfies the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s need to balance its act but is it fair to politicians to dragoon them in this way? I hope somebody comes up with a better format before Election Day.

Nawr ‘te Betsan, am y blog ‘ma. Ma ise bach mwy o ymdrech a mwy o sbarc. ’Dos dim stwff diddorol ‘ma. Fel nifer o’r blogie erill, yr olygfa o Gaerdydd sy’n cael y sylw - cofia ma‘na fyd tu draw i Fynydd Caerffili. Y farn ar bawb hyd yma - nid da lle gellir gwell. Ma ‘na bythefnos i fynd, ngobaith yw y bydd safon y blogio a safon y newyddiadura yn gwella os nad safon y gwleidydda.

  • 6.
  • At 02:24 PM on 19 Apr 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

Perhaps if he is kicked out he could get a job presenting some 'Carlsberg' beer commercials...Just think..

"Did I deserve being booted out as First Minister for Wales"

[Drinks beer]

"Probably.."

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