Facsinating article in the Western Mail as the now former Plaid Cymru Councillor Siân Caiach delivers a parting shot as she leaves the party she has been a member of for 33 years.
Talking about the coalition talks back in 2007 she says that senior figures in Plaid Cymru decided to opt for a coalition deal with Labour because they thought Ieuan Wyn Jones was not up to being First Minister. She says:
“I have no doubt than given the proper choice between coalitions, the Plaid membership would have chosen the Rainbow coalition. I suspect the majority of the people of Wales would have too.
“If Labour were so weak and desperate then how come they’re on top in this partnership?
“It’s because they’re not fools, this was a marriage and divorce would be difficult.
“The Plaid people who negotiated the pact want a permanent partnership, at least for the next few years, or even the next few elections.
“They are not going to break the coalition over petty policy.
“They will claim that they alone have achieved increased legislative powers when the only real obstacle was Peter Hain.
“For me this coalition was the beginning of the end. As long as Labour hold power they will never allow Wales real power over her own fate. Tactically it was moronic to support them when we could have dealt them a near fatal blow.
“The reasons the AMs gave for rejecting the Rainbow alliance were also disturbing:
We should always choose a coalition with the largest party, as that’s more democratic;
The Liberals had let us down and remained permanently and seriously untrustworthy;
The Labour Party was closest to us in ideology and would be easiest to work with.
“And if you were mentally sound and didn’t fall for those reasons you might be taken aside, in confidence, by someone in a position of authority and told that Ieuan was totally unsuitable to be First Minister, too weak and easily led. We had to wait for a good leader before we had a First Minister.
“Otherwise, Plaid could be brought down by its own incompetent leader and real power would be with Mr Bourne and Mr German who could control Ieuan utterly, as they had allegedly done in the previous administration.
No wonder Plaid are so keen to get Adam Price into the Assembly.
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