大象传媒

Dancing on ice

• Betsan Powys
• 8 May 07, 12:57 PM

A full house in the Senedd, a full canteen - and a full-on metaphor from Mike German. Think ice rinks.

The party leaders, he says, are skating round each other, circling the ice, gently brushing against each other to see how it feels ... or words to that effect. Talk about dancing on ice.

It takes time to master triple toe loops and so, the suggestion coming from all camps is that nothing will happen in a hurry. That was the suggestion made by Rhodri Morgan on Radio Cymru and in his interview with Today this morning. Mind you we've been told that in the past, only to find out at the last moment that something's been sorted out behind closed doors - and not the ones we were watching.

The Labour group will be meeting this afternoon at 3pm - 'the M4 corridor AMs and the Valleys AMs' - Huw Lewis' distinction, not mine - coming together to argue their case. A deal with the Lib Dems, or a deal with Plaid. Rhodri didn't spell out which was the inedible, which the unpalatable.

At about the same time the Lib Dems will trooping into yet another committee room.

One item on the agenda: who should be Presiding Officer and Deputy PO? That decision must be made tomorrow. What I was 'hearing' seems to be right. The 'Dafydd and Gwenda show' is what Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives want to see. The Lib Dems favour a Jenny Randerson/Rosemary Butler team.

Skate-off tomorrow.

But does Gwenda Thomas WANT to be Deputy Presiding Officer? She didn't sound so keen this morning ... a case of being pushed and shoved towards the ice?