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At the end of the day

• Betsan Powys
• 24 May 07, 04:13 PM

People have taken to calling the office to ask whether anything has changed in the last 10 seconds.

This is where the day ends. Rhodri Morgan will be nominated as First Minister tomorrow and everyone but Labour will abstain.

He wants his new administration to hit the ground running and has clearly got the group's blessing to talk in terms of 'reaching out' to 'progressive people in other parties', to 'move forward by consensus'. There was even an apology from him tonight if any of those 'progressive people' had taken offence at some of the harshest words he and others in his party had used.

He was pretty quick to point out mind you that they'd used some pretty harsh words themselves today - and aimed them at each other.

So what of the rainbow coalition?

For the Lib Dems Saturday's conference is the big one. IF the resurrected Special Conference sees them voting in favour of the rainbow coalition, IF the party is convinced that the deal should be done, IF they in turn can convince Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives that the support is stable, then it may yet have its day.

Weeks? No. Months? Maybe. For now we'd alll be happy to get to the end of the week.

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You won't believe this ...

• Betsan Powys
• 24 May 07, 02:23 PM

Standing Order 36?

Mean anything to anyone? It may become known for triggering a last ditch attempt by the rainbow's fans to keep the coalition alive.

Ironically enough it was inserted at Labour's request to avoid frivolous nominations for First Minister. Technically it could allow AMs - if there are anything like enough of them - to scupper the process of nominating the FM tomorrow. Why?

Because at the same time grassroot Lib Dem members have collected the 20 signatures they needed to persuade the party to put Saturday's Special Conference back on the agenda. Yes, you read that right. It's back on and the party will gets to vote on it.

Only in Wales ..?

As promised:

The following are the headlines from a programme of Government drawn up by party leaders Ieuan Wyn Jones, Nick Bourne and Mike German but turned down by the Lib. Dem. National Executive.

The "All-Wales Accord" as its known pledges that "an All-Wales Government" would offer a " new chance" and a "new choice" to build "a fairer, more diverse and stronger nation".

The document sets out 7 key policy "pillars"

1. BUILDING THE NATION

*A Referendum on law making powers for the Assembly
*Seeking transfer of further power in areas such as energy, transport, youth justice, mental health and local government.
*Independent Commission to investigate the Barnett formula
*New Welsh Language Measure
*Referendum on PR in Local Elections
*Establish English Language National Theatre and develop a National Gallery
*National strategy for Welsh Medium Education including the establishment of a Welsh Medium Federal College

2. AN ENTERPRISING ECONOMY

*Enhance and extend business rate relief scheme throughout Wales
*Commitment to local procurement in Government contracts
*National Science Academy
*Class sizes 25 or less in primary schools
*Additional Resources to upgrade school buildings
*Pilots for laptops for children

3. LIVING SUSTAINABLY

*Annual Carbon emission reductions of 3% per year
*Give an independent bosy the role of monitoring + setting targets
*Renewable electricity generation target of 20% by 2015
*Firm programme to upgrade North-South and East-West road links

4. HEALTH AND WELLBEING

*Moratorium on Hospital CLosures - commitment to District General Hospitals
*Charter of Patient Rights
*More resources for PE, guaranteed access to nursing services in every secondary school
*Pilots for Nurse - led walking centres and wellbeing centres.

5. SOCIAL JUSTICE

*Sufficient supply of temporary accommodation for homeless people
*First Time Buyer Grants
*Significant investment in social and affordable hosing
*Greater planning flexibility
*Universal affordable childcare by 2015
*Council tax discount for pensioners

6. WALES IN THE WORLD

*Widen and strengthen Wales' membership of International bodies
*Strengthen presence in Brussels

7. GOVERNING BETTER

*Independent National Commission on National Governance
*Resolve that no Assembly-funded services be made conditional on possession of UK Govt proposed ID Card.

The "All-Wales Accord" as its known pledges that "an All-Wales Government" would offer a " new chance" and a "new choice" to build "a fairer, more diverse and stronger nation".

The document sets out 7 key policy "pillars"

1. BUILDING THE NATION

*A Referendum on law making powers for the Assembly
*Seeking transfer of further power in areas such as energy, transport, youth justice, mental health and local government.
*Independent Commission to investigate the Barnett formula
*New Welsh Language Measure
*Referendum on PR in Local Elections
*Establish English Language National Theatre and develop a National Gallery
*National strategy for Welsh Medium Education including the establishment of a Welsh Medium Federal College

2. AN ENTERPRISING ECONOMY

*Enhance and extend business rate relief scheme throughout Wales
*Commitment to local procurement in Government contracts
*National Science Academy
*Class sizes 25 or less in primary schools
*Additional Resources to upgrade school buildings
*Pilots for laptops for children

3. LIVING SUSTAINABLY

*Annual Carbon emission reductions of 3% per year
*Give an independent bosy the role of monitoring + setting targets
*Renewable electricity generation target of 20% by 2015
*Firm programme to upgrade North-South and East-West road links

4. HEALTH AND WELLBEING

*Moratorium on Hospital CLosures - commitment to District General Hospitals
*Charter of Patient Rights
*More resources for PE, guaranteed access to nursing services in every secondary school
*Pilots for Nurse - led walking centres and wellbeing centres.

5. SOCIAL JUSTICE

*Sufficient supply of temporary accommodation for homeless people
*First Time Buyer Grants
*Significant investment in social and affordable hosing
*Greater planning flexibility
*Universal affordable childcare by 2015
*Council tax discount for pensioners

6. WALES IN THE WORLD

*Widen and strengthen Wales' membership of International bodies
*Strengthen presence in Brussels

7. GOVERNING BETTER

*Independent National Commission on National Governance
*Resolve that no Assembly-funded services be made conditional on possession of UK Govt proposed ID Card.

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Over the rainbow

• Betsan Powys
• 24 May 07, 01:04 PM

So this is :

Labour started talking to the Lib Dems and to Plaid Cymru - or the unpalatable and the inedible as they were nicknamed. Not their best negotiating ploy that one, because in the end the Lib Dems spat them out and so, eventually did Plaid.

All deals, be they formal or informal, along the lines of the 'New Zealand model' (or the 'Rachel Hunter' as it was known in the office) - well, all those were off. This new kind of consensus politics is a difficult business to get to grips with.

It was over to the other three parties, the so-called rainbow coalition. They seemed to have struck a deal but last night it vanished - or should that be evaporated - and all that's left of it this morning is an awful lot of acid rain.

From Plaid Cymru: "The Liberal Democrats have tonight turned their backs on their duty to the people of Wales and have shown absolute contempt for the electorate. "

From the Conservatives: "Liberal Democrat members have shown that they lack the courage, ambition and desire to take the big decisions which will make a real, positive difference to the lives of people across Wales. "

The Liberal Democrat leader, Mike German, is yet to appear in the Senedd. Last night he heard one of his party's biggest hitters, Lord Carlile, calling the deal he'd advocated, "unethical politically and suicidal politically". Others simply point out that the deal was there to be done. It just wasn't costed properly. It wasn't good enough.

By the time he arrives he'll find that Labour have moved quickly from the unfamiliar territory of the sidelines.

Tomorrow the session's been called to nominate the first minister. It can only be Rhodri Morgan, who will after all now outlive Mr Blair.

He'll plough on now in a minority - not what he wanted, not what an Assembly embracing new law-making powers had envisaged either but better that than another election.

Will the idea of the rainbow - shaky as it was - have left its mark? Or will Labour and will a confused country forget it was ever there?

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Rainbow coalition deal

• Betsan Powys
• 24 May 07, 11:43 AM

The deal that never quite was has just been made public.

Once I have it in electronic form, I'll post it.

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Short, not sweet

• Betsan Powys
• 24 May 07, 08:51 AM

I'll do my best to post your comments as often as I can today. I've already realised that some of you are up very late (or very early) so I'll press the buttons as often as possible.

My own posts will have to be short ... though not sweet, if this morning's recriminations are anything to go by.

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