Leighton Andrews AM

Carwyn Jones speaking at Conference

Excellent speech by Carwyn Jones at the Go Fourth fringe on Sunday night.

Plaid smears Carwyn

There is little doubt whom Plaid fear most as the next Labour leader in Wales. Over the last few days they have run a co-ordinated campaign of smears and innuendoes almost Goebbelsian in its mendacity against Carwyn Jones.

The campaign began with Plaid's Lord Haw-Haw, Adam Price MP, claiming Carwyn had once attended a meeting addressed by Phil Williams, later a Plaid AM, in Aberystwyth when a student. True, but then Carwyn was already a member of the Aberystwyth Labour Club at the time.

Then a day or so later, another Plaid blog alleges that Carwyn Jones anonymously suggested a pact between Labour and Plaid in the last week of the 2007 Assembly election. The first Carwyn heard of this supposed pact was when a BBC journalist rang him that week to tell him about it and ask for a comment.

These smears will not be the last from Plaid bloggers who will try to spread dissension within Labour during our leadership campaign. As I have said before, the Welsh blogosphere doesn't matter. It is mainly a gang of Plaidies soothing each other's egos.

Vaughan Roderick sees through the Plaid smear-job here.

Price in a Panic

Remember those days in May when Plaid staffers were predicting they would finish ahead of Labour in the Euro-elections and win two seats? (Remember this, Vaughan?).

Plaid's failure to achieve that ambition has clearly sent their former Director of Elections into a panic. It has finally dawned on him that the Tories present a real threat in Wales and their performance endangers Plaid's own opportunities. Over the last week therefore he has been focussing on the Tories and their policies, finally realising that they are not the potential cuddly partners he envisaged last year.

Price is now upset that Labour's Carwyn Jones has seen through him. In a tortuously-written post of excruciating narcissism Price bleats on his blog about his consistency but fails to answer Carwyn's central charge.

Labour in Wales will not make a deal with the Conservatives. Price's Plaid Cymru won't rule it out. Price refuses to backtrack on his statement last year that Plaid will deal with all other parties, including the Tories, on an equal basis. Vote Labour, get Labour. Vote Price, get Cameron?

Stieg Larsson

Two of the books I read over the summer were the first two instalments in the dramatic Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson and I look forward to the third volume which appears next month. Nick Cohen has an interesting article on the late author today.

Joyce's dad

Fascinating story about my Labour colleague Joyce Watson AM's father returning to the UK as a Welsh-speaking POW and nearly being locked up here and here