CARDIFF Rod's Gig
Just for a moment I foollishly thought that today's Special Conference in the CIA had made the national news. 'CARDIFF Rod's Gig' said the piece of news copy that made it into the Wales copy folder.
And it felt about right. This is, after all, Rod's gig. The tingle remains but as the First Minister told Radio Wales this morning, 'we should be all right'. We all know he'd like the vote to be rather better than 'all right' though. The rebels might already be talking about 'moving forward in unison' when today's decision is made but the degree of support the First Minister gets today will matter.
I have the distinct feeling the CLPs will see him 'more than all right'.
Except it wasn't about that Rod of course. The story was about the legendary Scottish Rod "with the gravelly, raspy voice" Stewart who'll give his fans a last chance to see him playing a large venue when he appears at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow night. Silly me. I'm cheered by the fact that the Six o'clock and Ten o'clock news programmes have asked for pieces from Cardiff tonight and thankfully they're talking about the right Rod at least.
A quick visit to the CIA this lunchtime reveals what's on stage there this month.
"Heaven and Hell Live 2007", "The War of the Worlds" - back by popular demand and the fabulous Four Tops and the Temptations. No mention of today's one-off Grassroots Live.
If I can escape the 'press and media pen' then my laptop and I will try to post again later.
I'm Betsan Powys, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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Betsan, this is not really about this particular blog a rather since nobody seems to be using the opportunity to comment I thought that I would ask you a few questions about which I am curious. I have looked online and failed to find a biography about you anywhere. (the details in "about Betsan" are pretty scant. Perhaps you could provide me with a hyperlink if there is one ? I also wondered, were you born in Wales, and is your this your real name? If the last question seems a little odd perhaps I should explain that I have been curious for a number of years about the appearance on the Welsh scene of a whole range of Welsh names a little bit unusual many of which seemed to appear in the media. I just wondered is it that people have changed their names or just that unfortunately not being Welsh speaking myself I had never encountered them before? Just a few curious thoughts hope you don't mind me asking.
It is all over bar the shouting, and no doubt the shouting will continue, down the dusty halls and corridors of Westminster. The grey men and women of old New Labour will have to accede to the bright new shiny progressive socialism of Welsh Labour, and to be honest, nothing will ever be the same again!
Now begins the alliance between the reds and the greens, that is until the time when the party partisans return to the streets to battle for votes in the next general and assembly elections.
Tomorrow I'm in Pontrhydfendigaid, but it's a fait accompli - it's all over (bar the shouting!)
Bright shiny new progressive socialism of Welsh Labour? You do have a strange way with words Alan. There's nothing 'new' about good old-fashioned municipal socialism as practised in Wales (and Scotland). And there's nothing particularly 'progressive' about giving subsidies - whether for prescriptions, uni tuition fees, computers or elderly care - to middle class people who could have afforded these things anyway.