George Monbiot in this morning’s Guardian takes an amble around Elfyn Llwyd’s Dwyfor Meirionedd constituency and finds that the Plaid Cymru leader can be very off-message:
The lack of party discipline became clear as we talked. After he said some robust things about supermarkets, I asked him why Plaid had allowed Tesco to sponsor its conference last year.
“I refused to attend the Tesco event. I’ve had words with my party about it: perhaps we’ll ask Saddam to sponsor it next year.”
Not a sentiment that will endear him to his party’s officials.
Mr. Monbiot has some nice things to say about his own MP as well:
With the possible exception of my own MP – the ubiquitous and surprisingly effective Lembit Opik – I have never met a backbencher who is so widely recognised in his constituency.
Related posts:
Surely Elfyn was just joking – there’s no way he’d allow a ‘tache to rival his at a Plaid conference.
No, a more clean shaven anti-civil liberties authoritarian would be a more welcome sponsor.
Perhaps Plaid’s favourite anti-justice, anti-free press, MP and judge arresting hero, Hugo Chavez, would be more welcome than Saddam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/world/americas/04venez.html?scp=6&sq=hugo%20chavez&st=cse
Ha ha – I can see why you didn’t quote the rest of the article seeing as how it was a glowing report of Elfyn Llwyd and of Plaid Cymru!