Beauty Contest
Will there be a farewell to Rhodri piece that doesn't make something of the fact that he is just that to most of us: Rhodri?
The Morgan bit of his name is well known - no mean feat as some party leaders here can tell you - but is superfluous. He is Rhodri. The school run dad shouts 'When's Rhodri off then?' 'Has Rhodri's been keeping you busy?'
A Westminster civil servant who admitted to being more of an expert on Scotland than Wales once tried out a theory on me. Wales, he said, is unsure about devolution, still not wholly sold on it and so needs a strong, identifiable personality at the helm. Hadn't Rhodri made the Assembly, made devolution acceptable to many of those who hadn't wanted it, partly through the force of his personality? And wasn't there unfinished business which pointed to the need for another strong, identifiable character?
He was talking about a First Minister of course, or at least a Labour leader as First Minister. We didn't get as far as discussing whether the needs of the Labour party in its current state and the needs of Wales for the future are necessarily one and the same thing.
Anyway, let's stick to the point he was making.
Are strong and identifiable both characteristics Rhodri's successor must have? Strong? No doubt. Take that as read. What about identifiable? Was he saying that a distinctive personality was more important than, say, an ability to see that the party around you is in dire straits? Was he saying that a vivid USP beats a message that is direct and appealing and an ability to communicate it to people who vote Labour and more importantly, those who have stopped voting Labour?
He was thinking about Wales, about the job of keeping devolution on track, about a figure-head that could bring the force of their personality to bear on a country that is none too sure where it wants to head - or is it sometimes loses heart.
I was thinking back to that conversation after hearing another question raised: will this campaign - if it ever gets going - be about policy ideas and a clear political narrative or will it be a beauty contest, a race won by the person most of those with a say in the matter can imagine doing the job?
Think about this.
By Christmas the next Assembly election will be less than 18 months away. There's a General Election just round the corner. Are any of the candidates, or their camps, going to spell out policy ideas in detail if they think any half decent ones might be nicked by other parties? How do you persuade people you have a fistful of policies but not show your hand?
Or should we accept that, in the end, it will be about personality? And that - if there is a contest and if they do stand - Carwyn Jones, Huw Lewis and Edwina Hart will only win the votes of Labour grass root supporters, councillors, union and elected members if they tackle these challenges:
Carwyn Jones must win the argument that one man's bland is another's broad appeal;
Edwina Hart must convince them she knows abrasive is bad but assertive good;
Huw Lewis has to persuade the doubters that behind the rhetoric, there are real, deliverable policies.
And as for "identifiable" - isn't it the case that those with a vote will identify not just a First Minister but perhaps first and foremost a leader who can get their party out of the hole they're in?
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~15~RS~)
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Whatever your party preferences or policies, there is no denying that Rhodri is a great character, and has made his mark as our first First Minister.
He will be a hard act to follow, but I am sure that either Carwyn or Huw (despite their shortcomings) could grow into the role. On the other hand I am not so sure about Edwina - she clearly does not seem to like the media spotlight, which I would have thought was a prerequiste for any party leader, let alone a First Minister.
Of course they are likely to be replaced sooner or later by Adam Price ...... (tin hat on).
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Rhodri Morgan (if he is remembered at all) will be remembered solely for his political weakness.
His convenient desertion from his Welsh Labour roots, replaced by a pathetic pandering to Plaid's devolution wish list, singled him out as a nationalist lap-dog.
Even so, I wish him a long and happy retirement.
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Whatever our "Rhodri" decides in near future about his political future he has earned our respect as a decent person who has done his best for the people of wales within his political personna. He is plainly highly intelligent,however a third rank politician in UK terms as PM Blair did'nt give him even a "bag-carriers" job.He became First Minister after the debacle with our "Ron",and then the execution of our "Alun" by AM's due to his lack of charisma. Well our "Rhodri's" got that in spades,even if his musings are somewhat confusing to ordinary people like myself,but endearing none the less. In his time he managed to bring PC into "government" as its called to the dismay of many of the old style labour supporters who lets being honest despise the seperatists of PC,and also do not take lightly the welsh language issue either. If Napoleon wanted "lucky" generals then Rhodri has been a very lucky First Minister as the Blair/Brown "boom",which generated untold taxes/public spending in wales which allowed Rhodri to pass money to his favoured groups as though there was'nt a tomorrow,well the tomorrow here,and his successor is going to face totally and unprecedent cuts in public expenditure in future years. This is evidenced by removal of very expensive drugs for Kidney patients which has been whitewashed by "media" in wales as being very cost-effective in hard time. If Mrs. Thatcher had refused such money the welsh socialists/nationalists/media would have taken her to the cleaners as they did over "milk snatching in 1970's. Lets hope the new FM ,whoever it is has some vision/determination to sort out public services to the advantage of those who work and not who lie about all day letting hard working people fund their lifestyles.
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He will be remembered as the man who got there in the end. It was a pity about the dirty campaign of 2003, but people have grown up a bit since then.
Is Zanu Labour holding an anointing process again or will it be open?
Of course it is all a bit academic, since it is the leader in 2011 who matters. Adam Price would be interesting...(time to hide).
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Oh c'mon, Rhodri Morgan, personifies all that stinks in this incestuous land, where those of a certain heritage and language rule the roost. But, the party is definitely over for future Rhodri types, the dark days of language enforcement will end extremely soon. Never again will, EWPP, raise its ugly sectarian head.
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Jack, at first I thought you were talking about the English language! But now I'm sure you are referring to Cymraeg :) Just goes to show how our understanding is informed by personal experience I suppose...
I'm a southern labour voter (usually), but I think perhaps my generation don't have the knee-jerk vehemently anti-Plaid, anti Cymraeg response that older hardcore labour folk seem to. Times have changed, the battlefield has shifted. New Labour have shifted also, and now snuggle up to corporate power just as sweetly & comfortably as the tories ever did. Welsh Labour are damned by association. In that sense, an abrasive Edwina Hart might just be preferable to the bland gladhand shaking nodders...
My feeling is, if any party has a positive, confident vision for the people of Wales, then they get my vote. If they just want to suck up to foreign corporate interests and slurp from the gravy train, then they are ill dignified monkeys who should read some Dante or something: http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/circle4.html
But at the end of the day, like many of my generation (most of my friends don't vote) I believe our democracy is in crisis, and a change of personnel isn't going to change very much at all...
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sanddunesurfer at #6
I believe our democracy is in crisis, and a change of personnel isn't going to change very much at all...
Agreed - we need to shift our vision of what we expect of Government,
and Government needs to understand it is our servant.
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Betsan:
I am glad, that Rhodri will be able to retired in peace....
~Dennis Junior~
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