In the pink
Rhodri Morgan WAS in the Eisteddfod pavilion to hear the Verdi Requiem, sung in Latin, on Tuesday night - ok?
You mean, you hadn't heard that the First Minister had left before Bryn Terfel took to the stage?
Neither had I as it goes but someone clearly had. And that someone had done their job properly and checked whether the First Minister had had to leave early because he was, perhaps, unwell?
Apparently not. He was there. He heard every note. He sat in the front row. He even attended a BBC reception and kissed the Controller on both cheeks he told me with some gusto, just in case the point needed stressing. And he feels very well thank you very much. So well he'd bounded out of his seat to take a ticket to his wife Julie, who'd arrived a little later and had to be met at the gates.
Someone clearly saw him leave but didn't spot him coming back. An upbeat First Minister rather wished he'd let the BBC report his absence so he could sue us and fill Labour Party coffers. They may well, after all, need something with which to fight an election.
Both Andrew Davies-es made it to the Eisteddfod maes, or field, today and the Conservative Education spokesman, Andrew RT Davies, has decided he's rather more of a fan of the Eisteddfod that he'd imagined. Not because he spent the day glad-handing representatives from the education sector but because the festival is coming to the Vale of Glamorgan in 2012.
Guess whose farm is on the short-list as a site for the maes?
And guess who'd get paid a decent whack if the pink pavilion ended up in his field?
Got it in one.
I wonder whether "making good my field" would come under his Additional Costs Allowance?
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~46~RS~)
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Betsan,
You must have been happy for this occassion...
He even kissed, the comptroller on the cheeks.
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I may be wrong and it was there but could someone please tell me where the Labour Party stand was on the Eisteddfod Maes. It must have been well hidden if it was there, because I couldn't find it. I found all the other main parties stands.
I hope they are not going to say they were at the Assembly stand, because they are sharing power with Plaid, and they had their stand on the Maes.
Or are the poor things so short of money they couldn't afford it. Please tell us.
I am also surprised no one reported Matthew Rhys selling Lamb Burgers at the food site especialy as a BBC crew had their photo taken with him outside the unit he was working on.
Good Choir Betsan
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The fact that Labour didn't have a stand shows that the report published by Eluned Morgan on behalf of Cymdeithas Cledwyn on how to win the Welsh speaking heartlands is meaningless. The Eisteddfod would be the place to win hearts and minds but they missed the opportunity by not having a stand. Now this may be down to money...rumour has it that losing Labour candidates in Wrecsam County Borough elections in May had to pay their own costs.
Secondly it may be down to Eluned Morgan and other Welsh speaking Labour activists remaining marginlised as they always have been to the Huw Lewis/Touhig/Murphy branch of the party.
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Negrin is far too kind to Eluned Morgan and her ilk. Let's not forget how dismissive she was when Plaid MEP campaigned for people to be able to use Welsh in dealing with EU institutions. Don't try and pretend she's the 'goodie' - she's just someone who trots out soundbites with little thought put into what she blurts out. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for Wales, Jill Evans and the WAG succeeded.
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Well, JacquesT- I've heard it'll cost the Welsh taxpayer £500 000 for the facility to use Welsh when dealing with EU institutions, and am hoping that someone will reassure me that this is not true. If it is, it's disgraceful and utterly immoral. Don't know how AMs sleep at night. Perhaps they think poverty is no longer a problem in Wales. The gravy train obviously has rose-tinted windows.
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All those mixed metaphors have dulled your mind, HarryBolingbroke. I can reassure you that Wales pays a lot more than that for some member states to have full language rights in the EU, including the Parliament. I fail to see why people in Wales should be deprived of the opportunity to use their own language when dealing with EU institutions.
As for the 'gravy train' comment - how original. But it's quite inappropriate because the measures in question are everything to do with benefitting people in Wales and nothing to do with the elected members.
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The gravy train comment is relevant because when politicians are paid too much they forget the people they serve. Spending obscene amounts of money on Welsh, which only about 5% of the population speaks as a first language, clearly shows the Assembly Members to be out of touch with the majority and pitifully unaware of economic circumstances. Nationalist ideology is being ferociously pursued at a time when many Welsh people are struggling to make ends meet, baffling when we consider that the (so-called) Labour Party won 43% of the vote at the Assembly elections, while Plaid received only 25%. The wrong people, I would argue, are ruling the roost.
Nota bene, Jacques, 'benefiting' is spelt with one 't'.
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I do hope that the typo didn't hinder your comprehension, HarryBolingbroke. It may have escaped your notice that there are not many first language Maltese speakers in Wales but we still contribute to the cost of the use of that language in the EU. If you can't see why we shouldn't then spend a little money on our own national language as well, then you have about as much foresight as Eluned Morgan.
As for the relative strengths of Plaid and Labour, it's just good to see the two aprties working together on an agreed programme, with great benefits for Wales.
Good to see that you're so well versed in Latin.
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Betsan:
I wonder whether "making good my field" would come under his Additional Costs Allowance?
I don't think it would come under
the Additional Costs Allowance...Because, would it come under which way?
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