As the General Election approaches the tensions between the two Welsh Government coalition partners has started to become palpable, not least in Llanelli where Labour MP Nia Griffiths faces a difficult defence against an increasingly aggressive Plaid Cymru campaign.
She is understandably upset at a Welsh Government advertising campaign that seems to have more to do with promoting Ieuan Wyn Jones than the business support programme it is meant to be advocating:
On the eve of the [Labour] conference, Llanelli Labour MP Nia Griffith condemned an advertisement featuring Plaid Cymru leader and Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones as “despicable”.
The assembly government advertisement featuring Mr Jones in his ministerial role appeared in a newspaper in her constituency.
Ms Griffith spoke of the difficulties she might face during the general election campaign, given that Labour and Plaid are partners in the assembly government.
Ms Griffith said: “In some ways it has confused people, and I think in some ways it gives them (Plaid) a platform because they are a partner in that government.
“And perhaps Ieuan Wyn Jones can stick his face on an advert which is actually a ministerial advert which we’ve seen in our papers locally and which I think, quite frankly, is despicable.”
Ms Griffith said UK government departments sent out adverts outlining the work they did but did not put names or faces on them.
Advertising these sorts of programmes is of course legitimate but what possible rationale can there be for including the Deputy First Minister’s portrait on it? It may be ego or it may be clever marketing, but it is difficult to see how this is a good use of public money or how Ieuan’s face makes the advert in any way more efficacious.
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The tension is “palpable”
Because an embattled MP facing defeat down the barrel of the gun suddenly starts to become a bit more high profile and aggressive in her fighting?
You Libs need to find a new song to sing.