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Welsh Assembly election

Election 07 graphic

Reality checks

  • Betsan Powys
  • 27 Apr 07, 12:55 PM

Back from Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones' final keynote speech - or as my colleague Guto suggested it might be headlined, "Plaid leader leaves Ynys Mon shocker!" Mr Jones has his own battles to fight and has been reluctant to stray too far from home recently.

Not surprisingly Plaid and the Tories have swapped press release writers. The Tories believed the last ITV/NOP poll, Plaid said it didn't reflect what they were hearing on the doorsteps. This time round the disbelief is Mr Bourne's. And it's twice the size of course, because this time there are two polls to contend with - one by NOP, the other by Beaufort and they are remarkably similar.

Either way they've shoved us very nicely into the last week of the campaign.

If our posh graphics reflect these percentages - or anything like them - in a week's time then hats off to the pollsters. But I haven't seen all the figures. Those who've seen more than I have of the second NOP poll and who can therefore make far more sense of the figures are genuinely wondering to what extent it's comparable to the first.

Caution then. A reality check all round. But still a great 24 hours for those who keep words like weighting and methodology in their anorak pockets.

A half decent joke from Plaid Cymru's Adam Price this morning. Plaid, he said, had gone out on the campaign trail to share their 'elan, verve and infectious energy'. (No, not that bit). They'd been determined to start their conversation with the Welsh people early and had succeeded, "even if it's teenagers in Rhymney shouting at us 'Where's my free laptop then?'"

Ah but will they bother voting for you?

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 01:53 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Anonymous wrote:

What is Betsan Powys real name

  • 2.
  • At 02:16 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Anon wrote:

Why do the kids in Rhymney NEED free laptops then, Mr Price, if they probably haven't even got a solid roof on their school (let alone 30+ plug-sockets in each classroom to power the things)?

Don't you think we should be paying for basics before chucking vast sums at gimmicks. But then, there are no costings in the Plaid manifesto are there? We may as well say we're going to pay for it all in magic beans 'cos there's no suggestion that you can pay for it all with money!

I'm glad even Plaid agree that this policy is a joke.

Betsan Powys EVANS (thanks Vaughan!)

  • 4.
  • At 02:26 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Steve Ramm wrote:

You don't seem to have posted on it yet, but I was at the now infamous Ruthin meeting last night, and the current ‘denials’ on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ website by Darren Millar/David Cameron about Mr Millar's claims on homosexuality and creationism are a bit rich. First, Mr Millar left everyone at the meeting in absolutely no doubt what his personal views on homosexuality were. Second, I was the one to ask him the question about creationism and again his answer was quite clear: he thought creationism had a place in the school curriculum, and that place was in science lessons. As well as being a Ruthin resident I’m an evolutionary biologist and as such I have to say I found his answer deeply disturbing. Judging by the response in the hall, I don’t think I was alone.

  • 5.
  • At 02:39 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Hugo Kerr wrote:

What about the now infamous Ruthin hustings? When will we hear about them? Tory policy is apparently to wind back the enlightenment, teach our children faith in place of science and repudiate gays and lesbians. Does nobody object (they did last night!)?

  • 6.
  • At 03:20 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Arfon Jones wrote:

Anon is right why do kids in Rhymney need laptops... I would go further and say why do kids anywhere need laptops, wouldn't it be better to spend the money to teach them to read and write first. This policy is a 'populuist' stunt by Plaid Cymru, very much like 'free prescriptions' was a populist stunt by Labour (also supported by Plaid Cymru). We need a government that will spend our money responsibly and not on 'soundbite' politics!!

I was way ahead of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ on the Millar story.

  • 8.
  • At 08:34 PM on 27 Apr 2007,
  • Rhys wrote:

Yes Hugo, and apparently Tory health policy is a return to leeches...

  • 9.
  • At 01:57 PM on 29 Apr 2007,
  • Dai Walters wrote:

Shame on Plaid being populist.

What we need in Wales are un-populist policies.

Never mind the studies in the midlands of England recently that showed significant improvements in standards when kids were issued with hand held computer equipment for their studies.

Bring back the slate and chalk I say!

  • 10.
  • At 06:06 PM on 01 May 2007,
  • Eluned wrote:

I went to a really nice school in the midlands... and I'd have been lucky to still be in possession of my hand-held computer at the end of the school year! I'm sure that standards improve when we invest in children's learning. Shall we start with some books?

With regards to the laptops I wonder who pays for the insurance, the internet connections, the repairs and replacements when the school's leaky roof lets the rain in...?
Stuff it, let's just go with those magic beans again!

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