Pram Minus Toys = Labour

The Welsh politics blogs are having a collective giggle at Welsh Labour today after an article in the Western Mail this morning informed us of the anger and dissapointment within Labour and directed towards Plaid Cymru. Apparently many within Welsh Labour (although, true to form, Western Mail only has anonomous quotes!) are deeply hurt that their partners in Cardiff are running off to form alliances with every Tom Dick and Harry across Welsh councils.

Plaid Cymru are in coalitions without Labour in Caerphilly, Cardiff, Anglesey, Wrexham and Swansea. Only in Conwy are the two parties sharing a bed. The "unnamed sources" told the Mule that

by ganging up against Labour in a large number of councils, they call into question their commitment to the One Wales deal.

If that is how Welsh Labour relly thinks then someone should have told welsh Secretary Paul Murphy of that, only three months ago he was bellowing out to the party conference:

Let no-one tell you that we will not be campaigning as hard as ever against Plaid Cymru. We may be sharing power with them in the assembly but there is no wider pact

The story can only be seen in the proper light however when you realise that the senior person the Mule is quoting is not an AM, not even a bitter MP. He's a senior south-Wales councillor. That probably makes him an ex-cabinet member of Torfaen, Merthyr or, most probable of all, Caerphilly, a man who's lost a big pile of power on May 1st and who wants to lash out.

If a Labour AM was kicking this kind of strop it would be newsworthy - a bitter local councillor mouthing off is nothing new.

The other thing or senior councillor is sulking about is this:

A lot of the people I speak to in the party are also angry at the lack of public profile Labour Assembly Ministers are getting. Rhodri Morgan seems almost to have disappeared, although he was shown on TV at the FA Cup final. The impression is that Plaid ministers are on TV all the time

I bet that Plaid members can't stop giggling reading that!