ONE OF the main weaknesses of Ieuan Wyn Jones has been correctly lighted on by politicians at the Assembly.
The Deputy First Minister is a sometimes shy man who would much rather deal with issues quietly in a smoke-filled room (except there aren’t any, as smoking inside has been banned) than out in the boxing ring, giving his opponent a slugging, writes Clive Betts from the National Assembly press gallery.
With the final briefing before summer recess, a number of politicians closed in on him. You can try to dismiss this as politicking.
But it is happening so frequently that his weakness has plainly been exposed. Although he is seen as a competent minister (by most, that is), he is also recognised as a person who is worth attacking – because he won’t hit back strongly and convincingly enough.
The first to pile in was Tory leader Nick Bourne. Then followed Kirsty Williams, of the Lib Dems. Yet again.
Mr Bourne decided to have a go over the road-construction programme (just before its publication).
Mr Bourne is not the first person to be intrigued with the change in roads priorities from the heavily-used east-west links to those between north and south, very few of which reach a dual-carriageway need.
We all know why that is happening. Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones is a Nationalist. And he doesn’t answer to a constituency which is based either in the southern industrial or northern commuter (to England) belts.
Several journalists tried hard during the briefing to get Mr Bourne to allege Plaid Cymru subterfuge, a preference for party ideology over economic need, etc. We tried in vain; better luck next time perhaps.
Mr Bourne pointed to the greater importance of east-west for both business and tourism; he refused to accept the argument apparently expressed by former Tory Minister of State Wyn Roberts, that north-south should be pursued during periods of economic difficulty because they cost far less, and that east-west should be deferred until lots of cash is available.
One of the problems for Mr Jones is that he is seen as trying to avoid discussing the issue openly.
Perhaps I don’t blame him for trying to avoid Mr Bourne’s east-west pal Huw Lewis (Labour, Merthyr) and others in the Labour group. To them, it is their centralised British ideology which decides their preference for anything which runs west-east (ie towards England and London).
The issue raised by none other than the finance committee is the refusal of Mr Jones to release the wording of a ministerial advisory group dealing with transport. At one time, the committee threatened legal action (an unheard of action in Assembly terms).
Within an hour of the briefing, the Tories in the plenary had tried to force the document into the open – without much success, either. But it looks very bad for Mr Jones’s belief in openness. Or for giving the opposition a biff on the nose.
Then there’s Mr Bourne’s complaint about Mr Jones sending a deputy minister (John Griffiths, Newport East) to reply to a committee report on education and learning.
On that issue, Mr Jones may have taken the right option. But the continual drip, drip, drip of allegations that he will do anything go avoid facing his challengers, does him no good.
Mr Bourne similarly accused Mr Jones of sitting on issues which came across his desk, delaying replies so long that their pertinence had passed. Just like inaugural First Secretary Alun Michael, who was rumoured to count paper clips, so long did it take for decisions to emerge.
Indeed, both are very similarly characters. Both believe deeply in public service; both are entirely honourable. But Alun never made it to the Cabinet (instead he was handed the issue of fox-hunting to sort out).
Ieuan made it to the Cabinet. But only because Dafydd Wigley fell temporarily ill.
Some people fear that the current Plaid tactic of slogging away in government to gain experience will backfire at the next election. The party will have gained lots of experience.
But they will have gained little CREDIT for what has been achieved by the coalition government because of Ieuan’s softly, softly, catchee monkey tactics.
Plaid could end up by default as the third party in the Assembly. Which could leave us with Ieuan as deputy to Bourne as first minister. Oh dear me…
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Aside form the fact that Bourne has his own very serious problems, this is a good post. IWJ may be good at what he does, and I believe he probably is, but he is failing dismally to communicate that.
But frankly , when you look at the opportunsim, hypocrisy and double standards of the peopel who’ve been ganging up on him, I don’t think they come out especially well either:
Bourne – the man who puts his cupboards on expenses because he’s running out of space for his skeletons
Kirsty – seen her party fall ever lower in vote share
Huw Lewis – the man from Penarth, with 3 homes, who keeps conveniently forgetting he used to be in the very government whose failures he attacks and hopes we will too
Alun Davies – ex-Plaid schmoozer, tobacco lobbyist and someone who manages to be disliked in his own party even more than in others
Have I left anyone out?
Can you really imagine a less likeable or impressive bunch?
Come 2011 Williams will be leading 4 people; Davies won;t have a seat; Bourne will be gone; only Lewis may make something of himself, and it won’t be in a good way.
Plaid would never serve in a coalition led by the Tories, so there isn’t a discussion to be had in this regard. If we look at the UK political context, where the Tories look set to win on a Westminster level, it would be political suicide for Plaid to be a junior party to the Tories in Wales. I cannot see this eventuality at all.
Good post. I wasn’t so sure of IWJ to begin, but as your say, he is honourable and committed and doesn’t go in for cheap or easy options …. the roadbuilding being a case in point.
However, he does need to up his game. It could be argued that had IWJ had a higher and more combativie or tabloid profile Plaid could have been the top party at the recent Euro Election – it only called for a few thousand votes here and there. The comparison is with the SNP before Salmond came back. Their former leader, who’s name escapes me (I suppose that says it all) was, like IWJ, a decent and hard-working man. An Attlee character if you like. Unfortunately, politics isn’t like that.
If politicians don’t like the public and combative or sometimes tabloid side of life, then they should become civil servants or policy wonks. Part of the job is to be public.
The next election wil be tight. I believe Plaid, including IWJ, have a good story to tell. But Plaid will see a few seats won or lost on a few votes. In that scenario, every vote needs to be milked from the constituency and at the moment IWJ won’t or can’t do that.
I wish IWJ well, but he really needs to sort out this part of his character. As you say Clive, it’s the difference between Alun Michael and Rhodri Morgan. I happen to believe that Morgan has absolutely nothing to show for being in power for 8 years – 8 missed years. But I can’t argue that he’s popular and at least helped stem Labour’s fall in support with a significant section of the Welsh public.
Plaid can’t ignore this issue indefinately.
Bethan makes good points. But success in politics depends on willingness to change. With Tories in power in Westminster, a Labour-led government in Cardiff is the best prospect for moving onwards. But London and Cardiff elections are independent of each other. I would never trust London Labour to deliver, but I would never say that of the Tories (the “natural party of governance” – because of their willingness to accept political advances they have fought hard to oppose).
With the Tories in power in London, any politician who automatically rules out a coalitiion in Cardiff this far in advance is a fool. And I don’t believe Ms J is a fool.
If the premise of this post is that IWJ needs to step aside for a more ‘political’ leader of Plaid Cymru, such as Adam Price, then it needs to be done very quickly if any traction is to be gained before the next election. Bethan Jenkins is right in that Plaid will find it nigh on impossible to form a coalition with a ruling Tory party for historical and political reasons. However, Plaid could do very well in their own right if they can only begin to be identied as the party of ‘business’ rather than of some kind of nationalist or language agenda which is the current unfortunate perception, especially in urban areas and the East. They are not the SNP who although they hold to a Nationalist vision, get support because of their relentless and abrasive drive to wrest control from Westminster, of the Scottish economy and governmental functions like health, education and law. Having a ‘personality’ like Salmond does help considerably.
After all, it is still the ‘economy stupid’ that governs voting and Plaid still needs to demonstrate that they can show some hope and ambition to bringing jobs to the Welsh economy. The marketing of the party has undergone considerable improvement recently but still their understanding and use of new media, social media etc shows that they are still very far from ‘getting it’ in the same sense as an Obama campaign.
Personalities can dominate election campaigns and people do vote for people they think they know. No Welsh politician, of any flavour, has yet ‘pressed the flesh’ in any meaningful (American style) way, no Welsh politician has yet asked me, or anyone else for that matter, for their vote or given me a (proper) reason to do so. The first politician that can do this and get in amongst the people will win irrespective of party affiliation. You can forgive many flaws of competence or personal behaviour if you like or admire someone. Most heroic figures of the past had flaws that could destroy them in the current ‘politically correct’ world and intense media scrutiny and yet people forgive them and elect them – look at Silvio Berlasconi!
As a Plaid supporter, I am still waiting for that ‘personality’ and I am sure he/she will emerge but, regretfully, it may not come from the ranks of the current contenders some of whom could be sitting targets for an antagonistic anti-Welsh media. Politicians like IWJ are to be admired for their competence and skill as civil servants but where is the visionary that can take us beyond the paperwork and the wrangling with Westminster?
So it’s cuddly “Ieuan” but austere “Bourne”.
We can see where your sympathies lie, you appalling bunch of nats.
Glad to see that we are read widely, even by ignorant types. Go back to reading the Sun and Daily Mail, Barry.
“We can see where your sympathies lie, you appalling bunch of nats.”
wow, Barry, that was poor, even by your desperately lame standards.
IWJ was targetted by Huw Lewis and Alun Davies and in hindsight, he should have released information quicker to counter their false accusations. However, the man has substance. He stuck to his guns on transport and Wales has at long last turned away from the constant road domination in terms of spending. It was not only a genuine recognition of the embarrassingly bad north-south links, but also a significant move from road to other forms of transport. It may not be the % change seen in Scotland, but then Scotland does not have narrow valleys in urban areas that we have.
As far as being a poodle to Bourne is concerned, Bethan is spot on. I cannot conceive any situation where we would be juniors to the Welsh Tories and this is where Bourne has a genuine dilemma. He will never be First Minister and he knows it.
Ieuan picks his fights carefully and has led Plaid into its first Government, to financial stability and an expanding organisation and professionalism that even the most subjective opponent would admit is impressive. He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s doing Wales and Plaid no harm at all.
well of course ‘Barry’ – is that his name is that where he is from? – has the right to his opinion – no doubt about that – but it doesn’t really add a huge amount to logical or sensible debate does it? Anyway, I read the dreaded Daily Mail and ‘I aint no Barry’ (place or person) as you might say.
I thank you