Warman Peace
Just as the bookies start the new year by telling Nick Clegg his party has a snowball's chance in a very hot place of winning next week's by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth, another message is sent - this time from Cimla.
John Warman, a Neath County councillor has "come home to Labour" after 30 years as a Lib Dem. It's clear he always very much felt and sounded like a Labour politician anyway and his is hardly the high profile defection Labour might have hoped for.
But if politicians who defect tend to be seen as opportunists, it has to be said Mr Warman didn't much look like one this morning. He just looked fed up and too unhappy with his lot to remain a Lib Dem.
"I was there when Nick Clegg came to Swansea University during the General Election campaign - the pledge to end student fees earned him a hero's welcome. I cannot abide hypocrisy in politics, and what Clegg and others have done in Government is unforgivable. They have abandond a generation that looked to them for leadership".
Peter Hain, Carwyn Jones and Gwenda Thomas were in the Senedd this morning to greet him. Come on in, the political water over here's lovely was the gist of their message to any other wobbling Lib Dems.
Proof that Mr Warman doesn't come across a man with an eye for the main chance? He referred to his new leader as Carwyn James in interviews afterwards.
Defections are always tricky for the party being cast asunder - it tends to look like sour grapes to trash the reputation of the leaver. The Lib Dems have done a more in sorrow than anger line this time round:
"It's very sad that he has gone back to the Labour Party that has wreaked havoc in the Welsh economy.
"John Warman is returning to a party that has left families in his ward paying thousands for their mishandling of the economy, ran our health system into the ground and made a sham of our education system."
And a sideways glance at the morning's events? The news that in Plaid's ranks, two and two had made five. Carwyn Jones ... Gwenda Thomas ... Peter Hain lining up to talk to the media? "We thought this was it - that she was off and he was in" said one very, very relieved source.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~12~RS~)
I'm Betsan Powys, BBC Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on 
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Bethan, you wrote :
'John Warman, a Neath County councillor has "come home to Labour" after 30 years as a Lib Dem.'
John Warman said 'I cannot abide hypocrisy in politics'
Will Mr. Warman be resigning his seat immediately and stand as a Labour candidate, he was elected as a Lib/Dem and it seems to me to be a little hypocritical of him to now be a Labour member when that is not what his electorate voted for ?
I assume (I could be wrong) that he will state that the electorate voted for the man and not the party.
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Will Nick Clegg be paying VAT on his 30 pieces of silver
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The Carwyn James jibe....
Remember this????
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/betsanpowys/2010/12/leighton_who.html
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I find it a bit hypocritical of Cllr Warman to defect back to Labour citing university fees in England as reason, when the party he is defecting to was the first in the UK to commit to raising university fees for English students.
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As far as I'm concerned the LibDems are dead meat anyway. This goes back to the last Assembly elections when I used my 2nd vote to get a Labour/LibDem coalition. What did they do? Throw a hissy fit and go off and try and form a rainbow coalition which was only a couple of hundred votes short of having to include a BNP person! What a 'Carry On' that would have been. The other thing these types have been doing is preaching one thing (local democracy) and then doing another when the vote doesn't go their way, as in the case of Rumney Rec. This sports field has been in use for 100 years, well before Cardiff spread over this side of the river. The vote in question was 90% in favour of keeping it as it is. But the LibDem Cardiff council are going ahead to build a school on it anyway, even though Rumney High School, with its capacious playing fields, is only a few hundred yards away. Well, they know what they can do with their referendum then.
Regards, etc.
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RWWCardiff - what BNP person?
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He's as likely to resign as Mohammed Asghar was. At least he's been elected as a councillor which is more than happened to that other renegade
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I'm sure its important to the current First Minister in WAG,and the shadow SoS (unelected by MP's)for Wales and obscure AM that someone has transferred from Lib Dem's to Labour. To the rest of us who worry about childrens jobs/mortgage/commitment/health etc etc it is surely one of the non-stories of all time. Its was exactly that same as some AM from Newport(probably unknown outside his ward) moves from PC (Indepence for Wales) to welsh Conservatives. I suppose it added a bit of "colour" to a pretty "bland" of inadequates,any way. Just reading about Sir. anthony Hopkins who uprooted from south wales (still in UK) and took up joint USA/Uk citizenship following criticism because he advertised (probably for a fortune) Barclays,who at time were closing small branches in said south wales. As far as I can see Barclays are still going and AM is still around and doing very well. I know its only "politics" but a more focus on "real" matters please. The case is redolent of Burberry's,which helped to "make" another AM's career,however since leaving south wales its share price/credability in world fashion knows no bounds. The MORAL seems to be get out of wales and get on,except if your an AM.
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I agree with the general tone of the comments that any one ellected to represent a political pary who the doesnt like their policies should resign and stand for elecyion under their new colours. Changing parties is in effect disenfranchising thoes who voted for his orriginal party.
Thinking about the lib/dems who have stuck the course, i have been impressed with seeing a party that never expected to have to deliver any of its promise actualy having to face up to the realities of governing in the real world and using their influence to bring a moderating liberal face to some of the government policies. In the past i wouldnt have voted liberal as i considered it wasted vote, in future i may reconsider as i like some of the liberal ideas, not the wooly unrealistic ones nor the policies of the labour clones who were not honest enough or good enough to stand for labour.
Roll on this coalition government because perhaps at last we are moving towards developing a third force of politicians that are different from labour or conservative who have moved away from their pie in the sky ideas and are actualy capable of making a decision on an issue.
If this happens then the current short term pain will have been worth it
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Re 10
Geoff Drake,
This is a serious question: how much pain will you actually endure? I ask because I'm utterly fed up and appalled by the lie of 'we're all in this together'.
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Mr. Davies check out the Wrexham party list results from that election.
Regards, etc.
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one has to chuckle at post 9 - a correspondent who is so apparently pre-occupied with doing wales down at every turn that they can somehow find a reason to rubbish the whole welsh nation as a result of the defection of one local councillor from one party to another!
Of course political defections never ever happen in other parts of the uk? it is a uniquely welsh phenomenon if we are to believe correspondent TellingmewhatIknowalready.
Equally laughable is his assertion that in order to succeed businesses need to leave wales! This pearl of wisdom coming on the day that the highly successful admiral insurance group announced that they intend to expand their operations in wales significantly
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-12137494
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13. Hello leighs...What I was "trying" to say is that TWO AM's seemingly "made their bones" by criticising people/institutions who decided to leave the benighted piece of land.Clearly there are "businessses" who succeed here,however they are few and far between,and they do without the "support of WAG. Lets remove all the "useless" politicos and put who welsh economy in hand of S4C,who over 10 years have spent a £Billion for no purpose,what so ever,except to "export" two "cuties" to One Show and ESPN. Now that's success in anybodies evaluation.If S4C had £20Billion we could export 40 "cuties".
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Re: 14
If the only purpose of S4C's existence is to be a nursery for Welsh speakers to be exported to work in English language television, then to the 'two "cuties"' you could also add performers/presenters/actors like Huw Edwards, Sian Lloyd, Rhys Ifans, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys, TV & Film directors like Marc Evans, Euros Lyn & Terry Dyddgen Jones, rock groups/musicians like Super Furry Animals, Duffy, Cerys Matthews, and political pundits like our very own fragrant lady of the blog, Betsan Powys.
But then if you think that is S4C's only purpose, then I can only deduce that you are incredibly daft.
Very entertaining mind :)
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