And they're off.
So, now you know - really know what you probably knew anyway - that you have until May 6th to decide whether you would be recognised as one of the "decent, mainstream majority" or not.
Why?
Because between now and May 6th you will hear one message from Peter Hain and from Labour voices in Wales. They will be telling you that if you are indeed part of the "decent, mainstream majority" in Wales you must vote Labour at this election.
It's not that decent people don't vote Conservative. Mr Hain and Labour know for a fact, a painful, kick-in-the-teeth fact that they do. They did in the last election to the European parliament. They did in the local elections before that and they did in the Assembly election three years ago. For all sorts of reasons, Labour know that decent people do indeed vote Tory in Wales.
So at this election the man at the Wales Office is coming out with it straight and appealing to decent people not to do it again. Because this time, if they do, they get a Conservative government in Westminster.
It's about time that they did say the Conservatives. They give you until May 6th to decide whether you are one of "the Great Ignored." Who are they?
"They start businesses, operate factories, teach our children, clean the streets, grow our food and keep us healthy - keep us safe. They work hard, pay their taxes, obey the law. They're good, decent people - they're the people of Britain and they just want a reason to believe that anything is still possible in our country".
And? They don't want five more years of Gordon Brown and so will vote Conservative to get him out.
Sure about that, say the Liberal Democrats, say Plaid Cymru, say all those parties that neither Labour nor the Conservatives will refer to over the coming month?
Sure? Because while you may argue that this is a straight Labour Tory fight, the Welsh electorate in 2010 just might not fancy one of those. They just might not accept that in a country where there are forty seats to fight for and more of those seats up for grabs than for many, many years both the "decent, mainstream majority" and "the Great Ignored" just might not buy the choices you're giving them.
Whatever your hopes for the party crossing the finishing line that's now in sight, stick with us for the ride.
I'm Betsan Powys, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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