| Prelude to Power |
A Political Diary |
| Seeking the Signal Within the Noise , Senedd Election Campaign 2026 , May 18, 2026 |
Ten days on from the upending of everything. In the history of Wales there was a time before 7th May and there was a time after. In the run-up to voting day the electoral system perplexed 80% of citizens. The changes by the Labour Party- whose connection to the Labour Party of history or its same-named party in England is hard to discern- took huge effort to implement. The intentions were the severing of the link of elector to representative, the transfer of power from people to party. Commissions that came up with the wrong answer were dismissed. Eventually a 224 page document was adopted, constitutional change being assented to by 39 Members from two parties only. David Rees MS left this testimonial in the document's introduction. “We are unanimous in our concerns about the proposed closed list electoral system . . . We believe the link between voters and the Members who represent them is paramount. “We therefore urge all political parties in the Senedd to work together to ensure the electoral system in the Bill provides greater voter choice and improved accountability for future Members to their electorates.” The system was designed to crush smaller parties, the arithmetic of exclusion setting admission to the Senedd at a 12% hurdle. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany by contrast has a 5% hurdle. In an irony, worthy of a Greek tragedy, the Labour Party in Wales created a system which consumed its own members, David Rees among them. In Blaenau Gwent Alun Davies, a loss by any measure to an enlivened legislature, was a member no more by around 50 votes. * * * * For a system of cabinet government the campaign was surprisingly presidential. No front-benchers for health, education, environment, economy were identifiable from the Plaid Cymru team. In these moments interesting things revealed themselves. 1st March: BBC Wales Politics Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth- An incoming government is ready to implement those plans, showing people that we're ready to hit the ground running.” Teleri Glyn Jones- You say it is hitting the ground ready. But there are twelve reviews, four audits, twenty commissions and three task-forces. Rhun ap Iorwerth- The work begins immediately and I think that's what people would expect. Teleri Glyn Jones- “Establish positive relationships with local authorities.” It sounds like you haven't much experience and are padding out your CV for LinkedIn. This feels like committees, setting up talking-shops. Rhun ap Iorwerth- We need more transparency. We need more honesty. We will set about a new way of providing people with those targets which will tell them precisely what to expect from Welsh government...We are asking for a mandate for reprioritisation...We have a costed plan. Independently costed plans will be put to the Welsh public. * * * * 29th March: BBC Wales Sunday Politics Mark Drakeford -The big building blocks of Welsh politics have barely changed at all. There have always been between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Welsh population who choose parties who describe themselves as being on the left of centre. And it's always been about a third or a quarter of the Welsh population who have preferred parties of the right. I don't think that will be very different in the next Senedd. The make-up within those blocks may be different. On the same day, 29th March, the BBC website report was headed “Left-wing parties would block a Reform government in Wales, says Drakeford” Jeffrey Jones- This is both stupid and dangerous. It does happen in Europe but in 83% of cases the largest party at an election is in the govt. If Reform comes first Welsh voters won't understand if it is not in government. Exclusion would see democracy in Wales entering uncharted waters. In the event the left of centre was 57% and the right of 41%. * * * * 30th March: Lyndsey Whittle, who won last year’s Caerphilly by-election, told party members that Westminster was the “enemy”. He cited the closure of the Bedwas Navigation Colliery after the miners’ strike in 1984-85 as an example of Westminster not “caring a jot” about Wales. “A mine that had more reserve of coal than any other single mine in the whole of Wales, and it was closed on the whim of a government,” he said. “That’s why I do not trust Westminster government. They are our enemy – they care not a jot about what happens here in Wales.” https://nation.cymru/news/plaid-cymru-leader-urges-voters-to-choose-hope-over-division/ * * * * 8th April: BBC Cymru Wales “Your Voice: Your Vote” from Pembroke Dock. Question: Wales has one of the UK's highest rates of small business employment. But confidence remains low. How does your party propose to help small businesses? Rhun ap Iorwerth: Small businesses are at the heart of the Welsh economy. They're at the heart of Plaid Cymru's plans for government too. When I look at how we want to increase prosperity in Wales, which is what this is about. Prosperity I mean in all its senses, financial prosperity, well-paid jobs, it's the well-being of our communities that comes from that as well. So our plan for the economy we've brought out a book on this. It's called “Making Wales Work.” It's a new development agency for Wales, a new impetus, business driving business growth, it's about using procurement better, it's about creating jobs in renewables, it's about balancing the business rates raised, to help smaller businesses, rather than out-of-town shopping centres and so on. It's about balancing, it's about introducing new multipliers. It's about making sure that we focus the energy of Welsh government on small businesses. The development agency that I've mentioned...What we are determined to do is support small businesses, the sources of information that they need, the sources of investment that they need, to be able to grow. It's that stickiness of businesses that are here already, their ability to take on additional staff, their ability to raise the level of ambition for themselves, which ultimately will grow the Welsh economy....It's giving support to small companies, their capacity to grow. * * * * Question on the 182-day rule. Do you support the 182-day regime or not? Rhun ap Iorwerth: The purpose of the 182-day rule, which I think needs to be under review, if it's a little bit too high, government needs to be able to awake to that, and there are properties that Plaid Cymru will exempt...the reason of having that higher threshold, of course, is to make those businesses be more profitable, in order to...that's the purpose behind it...Should it be reviewed, yes? It should constantly be reviewed. Governments should know, whatever the issue when something isn't working they have the ability to do something about it. * * * * Question: What is your number one priority? Rhun ap Iorwerth: I don't believe in a government that imposes things on people. I believe in a government that works in partnership with the people of Wales. Raise that level of expectation, raise that level of confidence in what we can do. * * * * 12th April: BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement Jess Blair on the party vote only- The main objection to this system is that people want to vote for their representatives. They can't have their say on who represents them in the new parliament. It's voters who should be sitting in the parliament.” * * * * 15th April: Ruth Mosalski for the Western Mail on an interview by Ed Balls on television. The Plaid Cymru manifesto was 74 pages in length and covered issues of no relevance to the governance of Wales. One was a refusal to accept the authority of the Supreme Court. Speaking on the ITV programme, Mr ap Iorwerth, was asked if he would introduce that for Wales in defiance" of the UK Government's UK-wide position. "It's not exactly an issue that's central to the election in Wales, but when you look at recent decisions taken in courts recently, I respect those. Do I fundamentally believe that in Wales we want a system based on respect and trust and understanding and tolerance of different views people on different sides of any debate, absolutely. "You're talking about one issue that has caused division in recent years. Plaid Cymru is seeking for means of finding tolerance". Mr Balls countered "I've read your manifesto. You were saying you're going to break from UK position by having a different approach in Wales which the SNP tried in Scotland and was rejected by the UK Parliament, and either you defend your manifesto or you don't. Why don't you have a quick go at defending it. Mr ap Iorwerth began speaking about issues, including devolution of policing, and was brought back by Mr Balls who said: "I asked you one question in your manifesto. The Plaid leader interjected saying: "It is hardly central to this election, I've made clear". Ms Reid laughed and said: "Then don't put it in your manifesto then". Asked to defend it in one sentence to defend the self-identification position. "On that issue, I believe in tolerance and bringing sides together and creating an understanding between people who might have different viewpoints on a very divisive issue which is not a central issue to this election" * * * * 19th April: BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement. [Heledd Fychan had long criticised the Labour party record on culture reduction.] Rhun ap Iorwerth: This is about culture in all its forms. Culture within our communities. Culture that can enjoy every day. It's music that children can enjoy in schools. It is art on the corner of our streets. This isn't high art that we are promising to put funding up for. It's those things which make us what we are as a nation. * * * * 26th April: Radio Cymru Wales Sunday Supplement- Lucy Crehan on the curriculum in Wales and its very low specificity. Statements: “I can draw on my familiarity with a range of discipline-specific techniques in my creative work.” No music content in the study of music, for example. “Children are not building their knowledge consistently over time.” * * * * 28th April: Your Voice Live: Election 2026 Rhun ap Iorwerth: We have our own universities which are facing a £100m black hole. That is something that we need to address. Reform UK wants to defund our universities when they step out of line. Plaid Cymru wants to protect them...We need a consensus on how we make sure how we have stability for our universities. * * * * 30th April: LBC Rhun ap Iorwerth- It's been fascinating in this election listening to all the parties, Reform, Labour, Libdems telling people just remember how poor Wales, how useless Wales is, how hopeless Wales is. Eluned Morgan- That's just nonsense, that's rubbish. Rhun ap Iorwerth- I'm interested in a new British union. Iain Dale- You either want independence or you don't. On Labour publishing its costings- It's a gimmick. |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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