Stand firm Hywel Francis, Albert Owen, Sian James, and Nia Griffith.

As part of the unofficial One Wales agreement Labour AMs have been instructed not to have a go at Plaid. To be fair Plaid have also signed up to the agreement but only for Labour Party at the Assembly. The truce works like this : Jane Hutt is off limits but Gordon Brown is fair game. As most voters in Wales won’t have clue that Jane Hutt is the ‘most progressive education minister in Europe’, this means Plaid have in effect a free shot at our ministers in Westminster.

News has now reached The Steamer that Plaid is actively targeting Labour Members of Parliament to rubber stamp LCOs when they come before the Welsh Affairs Committee. The four names that have been mentioned are Hywel Francis, Albert Owen, Sian James, and Nia Griffith.

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

Zark-over

AS expected superstar filly Zarkava has been retired to stud.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner bows out unbeaten after a seven-race career. Her owner, the Aga Khan, said: “Zarkava was a supreme athlete.”

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

The steamer would like to commend to listeners the joint Welsh Office / WAG strategy on the crisis crunch. The economy – a focus for Wales. It treats the Welsh people as adults and sets out pretty clearly what the government in Westminster and Cardiff can do. And can’t do.

Kim Jong-Morgan and St Murphy have also been largely successful in keeping the bleating of Plaid Cymru away from the detail. Crucially the document is signed by the two leaders and not the economically illiterate little Wyn.

The Steamer is rarely critical of our great leader St Murphy, however, we cannot fail to think that the people of Wales would have been better served if the saintly one had spent yesterday morning preparing for the National Economic Committee (in which he was representing Wales), rather than sharing a platform with little Wyn’s at the Assembly’s economic summit in the morning.

The meeting was a pointless talking shop that brought together the great and the good to talk. It changed nothing, reassured no one. The sad reality is that gathering of this nature can do little to ameliorate the economic tsunami that is about to crash over Wales.

Late news

Social Justice and Local Government Minister Brian ‘Do the funky’ Gibbons has however made a small and largely unheralded step to ensure that all the people of Wales have access to credit unions. Good work Bri!

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

Miss Wagstaff blog on Ms Morgan and the leadership.

This blog written by well known Labour insiders at the Assembly does nothing to help the
Labour cause. It simply promulgates division that can then be used by our enemies.

Its recent comments on Ms Morgan are particularly unhelpful. Ms Morgan is a talented politician wasted in the European parliament. It is only proper that she should consider her future and make plans for her next step. This might be into parliament or it might be to fight for a seat at the next Assembly. She would make an excellent First Minister and is exactly the kind of person we in Wales should be promoting as representative of the labour cause.

A few weeks ago a number of commentators were mentioning that there Ms Morgan might replace the excellent Karen Sinclair if she had to permanently stand down because of ill health. Now a potential vacancy in Pontypridd is being mentioned. This speculation in the first instance is insulting and in the second unhelpful.

Imagine the fun that could be had by the opposition if there was a parachute by-election in Pontypridd. Despite a great fight back by Brown now is not the time to risk finances and effort on a by-election Labour should, but are by no means guaranteed, to win. The economic situation is so unstable that anything could happen politically within a six week period.

Misswagstaff should be more careful that her comments support excellent Labour party politicians rather than sink to an unhelpful paranoia that only helps our enemies. Now is not the time for a fight. Labour has five good potential candidates for leader at the Assembly

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

Why don’t activists do this (Part1)

Great campaign idea from the US election battleground (http://yeswecarve.com/index.php)

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

St Murphy’s conference speech.

Why the Man is a saint!

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES

Why don’t more Labour AMs and MPs do this...... (Part1)

The Alyn and Deeside Labour tag team, Mark ‘The Enforcer’ Tami, and Carl ‘The Governor’ Sargeant have launched a competition to find a design for their 2008 Christmas card. Children in the constituency are being asked to come up with designs, with the winning image being printed on the Labour politician’s official Christmas card.

This is a great move by two of the hardest men in UK politics and highlights one small way other Labour politicians could try to reconnect with the communities they serve.

One has to however have slight concern for Flintshire school children if they don’t come up with the goods. Mr Sargeant said

“The prize-giving ceremony will be held in early December and I have my fingers crossed that the standard of entries will be higher than ever.”

Tami and Sargeant are old school government whips. Politicians in both Cardiff and Westminster accustomed to the veiled threats from North Wales know that to ‘disappoint’ is a dangerous game. Parents, teachers and school children will no doubt be working their socks off to make sure they do not incur the full force the heavyweights.

LATEST ODDS

Carwyn Jones 5 - 2
Edwina Hart 5 - 1
Huw Lewis 4 - 1
Andrew Davies 10 – 1
Leighton Andrews 8 -1

GOD BLESS WALES