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Is it even worth me crossing my fingers? Please, someone save us from party politics!

"Only in Wales!"

INDEED!!!

C'mon Bethan, you KNOW that ONLY the Cheeky Girls can save Wales NOW!

Mickey German is already packing for "internal exile"...? IWJ looking "
shakey"...nothing new there!

I SENSE A NIGHT OF THE VERY LONG KNIVES...ALL ROUND...HEADS WILL ROLL!

You cannot make a Welsh Omelette with breaking er, Welsh Eggs!!!

LARF!

(excellent blog BTW)

As someone who didn't like the idea of the coalition, I'm surprised by what I read and that I like it. Although, I can't really see where on Earth, (let alone in Cardiff Bay) they would get the money for it. Other than the Barnett formula re-evaluation and possibly long term business growth from the rate relief, it seems difficult to see how they'd possibly raise funds for some very costly looking schemes.

As for the news at the top, If it comes off I think the liberals deserve a nobel prize for reinventing the yo-yo.

Is there much point in a last ditch effort though, I don't think anyone could regard a coalition as being remotely stable any more.

Sorry, Betsan, but you've lost me now..

Are you saying that Lib Dems are now reconsidering their support for the 'Rainbow Coalition' ? What are they going to be voting on ? I thought that they already had ?

Or is it like Europe, where if voting doesn't give the required result, you keep doing it until the voters give you the 'correct' answer ??

And why is everything being referred to 'party members' ? Isn't that what they elect leaders for ??

It might not be pretty but it's democracy at work. Better this than everything pushed through by dictatorial leaders and spindoctors, don't you think?

Won't believe what? That democracy exists within political parties and the lib dem membership feels they should be allowed to have their say? Like the majority of political parties and dare I say it, Welsh public, any deal with the Tories would make toes curl but if settled proportionally based on a 4 way policy agreement with the option for all 4 parties to take up seats on the Cabinet proportional to the percentage votes recieved in May should do the trick. If the Tories won't sit at the same table as Labour and vice versa, that's their look out and they withdraw. Heck, if Paisley and McGuinness can do it why not Morgan and Bourne? Is Mick Bates AM the only person talking sense in all of this?

I voted for Roger Williams and Kirst in the elections in B&R. Never gain. What a contemptible refusal to chage Wales for the better.

Even though all this is going to make Wales look like a laughinf stock on the national and world stage, I think finally the members might have some sense and vote to back the rainbow coalition because even though its been an absolute joke of a post election period seeing their manifesto above makes you realise how radical this goverment could have been - Labour's manifesto is just paltry compared to this and shows no ambition whatsoever.

Even though all this is going to make Wales look like a laughing stock on the national and world stage, I think finally the members might have some sense and vote to back the rainbow coalition because even though its been an absolute joke of a post election period seeing their manifesto above makes you realise how radical this goverment could have been - Labour's manifesto is just paltry compared to this and shows no ambition whatsoever.

what an absolute shambles the senior politicians of Wales have brought forth for the Welsh people. Is it surprising that less than 40% bother to vote and that the original majority in favour of devolution was so narrow? Could you have imagined a rainbow coalition where presumably cabinet seats would be issued proportionately or close to. So which of the senior positions would have been granted to the Tory leader? Deputy first Minister or finance? Could you imagine the reaction of the majority of the welsh people to a Tory Chancellor in Wales ! Clearly the majority of the Welsh people were disillusioned with the labour government in the assembly. In my opinion the vote was about Welsh issues particularly reconfiguration not about London issues such as Iraq though no doubt that did not help. Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have succeded in drowning the opinion of the electorate which was by a clear margin critical of the Labour Party and calling out for effective decision making. Why do I say effective decision making - just look at the reconfiguration debacle were the choice (in simple terms) was no change to the hospital system or cutbacks by another name.

When are the people of Wales going to realise that if we want mature politics at the Assembly then we're going to need mature politicians - and that means a sensible and mature electorate?

Everywhere people have to work together for the common good - is there something different about our political leaders ?

I really don't understand this visceral hatred for the Tories here in Wales. It isn't as if Labour in the last 8 years had done anything remarkable: it looked to me like a bunch of people just drifting on the waves of whatever happened in the world outside Wales - secure in the knowledge that they didn't have to change at all in view of the irrational attitude towards the Tories.
As far as I'm concerned, there are far too many old warhorses in all parties, who just bumble along and can't see further than the noses in their faces.
Where are the young people?
Why are there so ridiculously few true Independents?
New ideas are needed, not the same old Party Politics and Party Leaders!
However, if only a minority can even be bothered to go to the elections - then things won't change, ever.
Maybe the Welsh really love moaning, without getting involved themselves? Which is just as childish as the Party leaders have shown themselves to be - so both deserving of each other, really.
Will anyone actually grow up?

Why don't the media press ahead and press for a preferendum. It's crystal clear that what needs to happen is rerunning a devolution referendum. Wales got the WAG only with a close to the edge minority. I doubt very much whether people would muster the same enthusiasm to want it now. I guess though that would mean less work for the media. Welsh AMs clearly don't deserve respect - playground antics are taking priority over serving the people of Wales.

Where are the young people indeed?!

Whatever happens, I fear for Labour after Rhodri goes. All the so-called front runners to succeed him are so drab and dull. It wouldn't be so bad if they were good politicians but whenever I see them on TV, I just feel so depressed for Wales. How can the Assembly attract better members? Wales needs them!

How on earth could the lib dems have found these proposals unacceptable?!

A radical group in the assembly ready to reject Westminster proposals sounds ideal. All the Tory hating seems to me, as a 27 year old silurian, to be a failure to exist in the present. Margaret Thatcher is about as relevant to contemporary Welsh politics as the twrch trwyth.

Stop living in the past Wales! What a shame the lib dems have dropped the ball. Now we get 4 years of sleep-inducing stalemate...and nothing changed.

(I voted for Plaid and Green)

How on earth could the lib dems have found these proposals unacceptable?!

A radical group in the assembly ready to reject Westminster proposals sounds ideal. All the Tory hating seems to me, as a 27 year old silurian, to be a failure to exist in the present. Margaret Thatcher is about as relevant to contemporary Welsh politics as the twrch trwyth.

Stop living in the past Wales! What a shame the lib dems have dropped the ball. Now we get 4 years of sleep-inducing stalemate...and nothing changed.

(I voted for Plaid and Green)

Am I the only one wondering how a party can have an NEC meeting that produces a tied vote? Have the Lib Dems not got one of those fancy "chairperson with a casting vote" things that are all the rage in the modern democratic world?

Shambles isn't the word.

"So good they named it twice" ?

My fingers are crossed that the rainbow coalition will make a dramtic comeback. I would say that at least it keeps it interesting but then again, not interesting enough to get proper UK media coverage!

So 20 "grassroots" members have called for a special conference? How about the truth. Jenny Randerson, rather than accepting the decision of the Lib Dem NEC who did not believe that the document presented before them was financially viable or could lead to a stable government, phoned around and got 20 rainbow coalition supporters to call for the reinstatement of the Special Conference. She has placed her own political ambitions above those of her country and her party. She has let everyone down.

Liberal Democrats have been telling us for 30 years about the benefits of proportional representation and how important the party is in offering its services should no party get overall control.

HOWEVER when it comes to the test THEY dont seem to be able work anything out about partnerships and coalitions.

IT IS CLEAR THAT LD had no strategy in place to cover the possibilty that an election might not provide an overall majority.

AMAZING that the LD didnt work out which way it wanted to stand.

AMAZING FOR A PARTY THAT HAS ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT offering to work in partnership when there is no overall majority.

AS SOON AS ELECTION RESULTS WERE IN a LD AM NO ONE HAD HEARD OF and an obscure and unknown local council leader started shouting the odds as if they owned and controlled the party.

Commonsense should have told these people to keep quiet and discuss with their party leaders.

They plunged in with both feet and an open mouth and a closed mind.

The other 3 Parties have tried to work for solutions, but it doesnt help when one party is in total anarchy and disarray

Re the Rainbow Coalition's Accord;
I hate the term ‘All-Wales’ – what exactly does it mean?
Surely ‘Wales’ means the whole of Wales, so is ‘All-Wales’ another country? Or do they mean; 'in order to include a bit someone in Cardiff Bay missed and we've forgotten about for a few years'?
The Welsh Office used to be fond of this phrase and their siblings at the Assembly also seem to like it, as the term seems to preface most of the verbose missives generated by politicians and their minions.
Do we really need that extra word to describe the whole of our country?
Betsan, how about starting a campaign..!?

You refer to Standing Order 36 as a possible means of delaying the appointment of a FM - if you are correct - why on earth wasn't it used? If it had been used, we would now have a rainbow coalition in government and not a rainbow coalition in oposition.

I would only support this if there were a committment to a policy of abolition.
I did not vote for the assembly and i still do not support it. Yes i am a tory and like many other torys i do not agree with Nick Bourne.
This is a very sad day for the Conservatives. Lets just abbolish the damn thing and spend the money on important things like health and education.
It is worth noting that no party members had a say on this rainbow idea. They did not even allow the area chairman to seek views.
No democracy in the Tory party unless of course you are desperate for a ministerial role.