Triple toe loops
Plaid delegates never tire of telling you how much the enjoy coming to Llandudno and to conference HQ in the Venue.
They probably remember the old Arcadia theatre stood here before the snazzy Venue was built but it's unlikely that many of them remember that even before the Arcadia, there was a skating rink on this spot, taken over by a showman who wanted to imbue the place with a bit of showbiz quality. It was the kind of place you came on a Saturday night to show off your moves, impress the crowd with your flashy edges.
Ieuan Wyn Jones has never been the showbiz type. In this year's conference speech he stuck to what he knew. He only went off piste once and that was to poke fun at himself. It was Adam Price, of course, who famously referred to him as "coming across like a good country soliciitor". Mr Jones substituted "charismatic" for "good" but only, you sensed, to give his audience a bit of light relief. The tag has stuck and he's going with it.
There've been no flashy moves at conference in fact. No double lutzes or triple toe loops to grab the headlines. There's been just one move we'll dub "The Crossroads" - one that entails taking a "different route" to everyone else, carving out a path that is unlike that of the "London lapdog" parties. We shouldn't really be surprised by that I suppose. Pre-election conferences don't tend to kick off and what's the betting that every single party at every single conference will say they want to offer something "different", something that responds to the public mood for a "different kind of politics?" Pretty short odds I'd say.
What did we get from the leader's speech then? It was hard to avoid the line "us on the left" that was flagged up in advance. In other words the Tories are coming and there's no point relying on a disorganised Labour party to stop them. If you've never voted Plaid before but don't want to let the Tories in then vote for us. We'll take 'em on for you.
What did that woman on a high street in Islwyn say on the news last night? Something along the lines of 'we've always voted Labour around here and we probably will again ... even if they don't deserve it'. Plaid's message to her? Try us. Then again what did that man say? That he knows Plaid are the party for Wales but are they "left, right or centre?" It'll take quite a move to dazzle him. He'd love the "us on the left" line, hate the thought that Plaid would be prepared to do deals with David Cameron - if it turns out he needs them and if they truly thought a referendum and chance to revise the Barnett forumula were on the table.
How do Plaid hope to do in the General Election? They'll want to hang on to what they've got, re-take Ceredigion and Ynys Mon (though as a man who knows the island far better than I do puts it, it's far easier to see why each candidate would lose Ynys Mon than why any one of them would win it.)
Other targets? Aberconwy and Llanelli maybe but beyond that?
At this stage Plaid will dazzle themselves if they carve out enough support to take anywhere else.
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~23~RS~)
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Betsan, it is unlikely that Plaid will be able to re-take Ceredigion from the current MP Mark Williams of the Lib/Dems.
Simon Thomas, the previous MP of Plaid was not a very good constituency MP, he always towed the party line and only involved himself in issues where he could forward the Plaid line.
Mark Williams has shown himself to be independent from the party where necessary and is always out and about in the costituency championing the causes of his constituents irrespective of their political affiliations.
He is also one of the few MPs without his fingers in the expenses pie and he will be a hard act to beat.
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Betsan:
Other targets?
Yes, there will be other targets...
Aberconwy and Llanelli maybe but beyond that?
Well, yes, Aberconwy and Llanelli are going to happen...
=Dennis Junior=
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Really, I always got the impression that independent people, independent of Plaid, thought that Simon Thomas was an excellent parliamentarian. I think the Lib Dems may be deluding themselves on this one.
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Personally, I'm sceptical about Plaid's performance in the GE.
Historically Plaid has been a party of protest. Now it is in a 'government' of sorts. Its big mistake, imo, was to participate in a minor role, to be seen as part of the establishment for very little gain. It could make very little impact on policy as a junior coalition partner. Quite what its achieved isn't clear to me, and probably to most people.
A referendum on legislative powers was the clincher, it seems, in IWJ's decision. Labour's 'commitment' to it was oddly worded in the Agreement. As a solicitor Ieuan should be familiar with the term, 'caveat emptor'.
If it doesn't take place, or if the vote is lost, then all will have been in vain for Plaid. A significant number of Labour MPs will campaign for a no vote, that is a certainty. They've already held up virtually all of the LCOs, showing up the 2006 Act for the sham it really is. Brown's block on the peerages was an added insult - that happened nearly a year ago.
Jones is no mastermind, but he'll stick to the, 'I've started, so I'll finish' mentality typical of many second rate political leaders. Some people, when in a hole, will keep digging because to stop will be an admission of error.
Having said all that, I can't see an alternative to Plaid. It is the only party which offers Wales any hope for a better and a brighter future. Self-determination is essential if Wales is to prosper and its people regain a sense of dignity.
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Re 1
I live in Ceredigion. Mark who?
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I think AP has alluded to a interesting shift in policy - get elected to Westminster as an apprenticeship, then once qualified return to the Bay to govern.
Maybe some of the other parties could consider this instead of dumping the likes of Irene James on us.
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Penddu
#6
Hardly qualified - more a course beyond ability.
After all it takes more than words.
However better to be a big fish in a little pool than a little fish in a big pool.
But - a minnow is still a minnow!!!
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