Give my regards to Blaenau
Reaching beyond its core vote may be what is on Labour's mind today but grabbing back its core vote in one bit of Wales at least is going to prove too much at the next General Election.
That's what they think anyway, that it'll take two elections before the good people of Blaenau Gwent - who never thought of doing anything other than voting for Labour until a few years ago - come back to the fold.
The last one to try and persuade them was Owen Smith. The former ´óÏó´«Ã½ journalist, former special adviser to Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy and present day lobbyist for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer ('he's a man, born in the valleys - "there the boyo bit ends" as the Telegraph put it) fought the parliamentary seat for Labour at the 2006 by-election. He lost. And he's not going to try again.
Labour "must now double efforts to win back public trust" he said on the morning after a devastating night before. The party locally seem to think that'll take rather a long time.
I'm Betsan Powys, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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When you set out to be all things to all men you usually end up being nothing to nobody.
There may or may not be a middle England, but there is certainly no middle Wales. Middle class parents are more likely to send their children to a Welsh speaking school's, thus in time creating a new bath of Plaid supporters.
Nonsense I hear the Labour leaders and Welsh MP's from London say, then again what do they know.
If Labour are foolish enough to believe that more association with Blair and his right wing policies would have lad to greater success last May here in Wales, then they are in even more trouble than they think.
When you set out to be all things to all men you usually end up being nothing to nobody.
There may or may not be a middle England, but there is certainly no middle Wales. Middle class parents are more likely to send their children to a Welsh speaking school's, thus in time creating a new bath of Plaid supporters.
Nonsense I hear the Labour leaders and Welsh MP's from London say, then again what do they know.
If Labour are foolish enough to believe that more association with Blair and his right wing policies would have lad to greater success last May here in Wales, then they are in even more trouble than they think.
Betsan in a genuine way, your blog has made interesting reading- the ways by which you have been sharing some of your personal history, interests and your values- and how you position yourself both discursively and ideologically.
It makes your blog both very enjoyable as well as life affirming- your interpretations of the Welsh cultural and political 'scene' are very relevant, sometimes amusing, and certainly thought provoking. Although I do not always agree, I can see why you think the way you do!
Thanks again!
"Everyone said, loud enough for the others to hear: "Look at the Emperor's new clothes. They're beautiful!"
"What a marvellous train!"
"And the colors! The colors of that beautiful fabric! I have never seen anything like it in my life!" They all tried to conceal their disappointment at not being able to see the clothes, and since nobody was willing to admit his own stupidity and incompetence, they all behaved as the two scoundrels had predicted."
~ Hans Christian Anderson
Required reading in Transport House.
Why can I only see one comment when it says four mun !!
Dunno! I've pressed the idiot's button - i.e. the 'rebuild' button and hope that works. Got to get back to the rugby. You think Gordon Brown's home is tense this weekend. You should have visited ours when we were 25-10 down ...
Are they building as many mosques in Wales as they are in London? Do you folks in Wales trust Gordon Brown more than the Bush poodle who preceded him?
Alun Davies, he's from there isn't he?
What have mosques got to do with anything?