I was rather puzzled by BBC 24's description of Plaid as having had a "poor" result in yesterday's elections. Nationally we now have 207 councillors -a record that surpasses even 1999- and the party is now the largest formation not only in Gwynedd but also in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, and are level with Labour in Caerphilly. Plaid now has councillors where there were none before, and in other areas have consolidated its position as the second largest party. Of course it wasn't all good news: Plaid is now three seats short of a majority in Gwynedd having lost 8 seats there, didn't even bother to present a challenge in Merthyr, and the result in Swansea can only be described as disasterous. But on the whole and on a national level it's been a good night.
Of course if we set the national result aside and concentrate on the local, specifically Gwynedd, we have a different story altogether. Plaid remains the largest formation and will no doubt lead whatever coalition is decided upon here, but it has been punished by rural voters, a punishment that has cost the party president and the council leader their seats. The party in Gwynedd has no choice but to face up to this.
Primary education needs to be reorganized in Gwynedd, most people here recognize that fact, but there are ways to go about it and ways to go about it. There are doubtless details within the proposed scheme that could or should be adjusted, but I believe the real problem lies not so much in the detail as in the manner the scheme has been presented. Consultation is not consultation if in the end you are seen to be ignoring what the public is telling you. This smacks of arrogance and is just what a party needs if it wishes to commit political suicide. And a party that prides itself on allowing the membership to guide its policy should have considered presenting such a significant and radical scheme to its own local membership for ratification. Instead many members and Plaid voters in Gwynedd (apparently -from what Ive read online) feel that policy is dictated by council officers, something that in fact occurs in government institutions in many places around the world -and inevitably proves to be the bane of elected politicians.
A Plaid led Gwynedd council simply cannot start a scheme to reorganize education from scratch, it's taken long enough as it is. What the local authority will probably have to do is revise details of the scheme in order to address rural parents' (and teachers') fears -as far as this is possible. But even this is only the first step the party will have to take in order to regain the confidence of those votes that were lost last night.
Friday, 2 May 2008
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Summary of results
Blaenau Gwent (NOC)
Labour lose 8 seats and with that their majority. They are now outnumbered by Independents, who gain 5 seats. People's Voice gain 3 seats, and the Lib Dems hold on to two seats.
Bridgend (NOC)
Labour gain five seats at the expense of the Lib Dems and the Conservatives and remain the largest party with more than double the seats held by the Lib Dems. Labour are one seat short of a majority here.
Caerphilly (NOC)
Plaid Cymru gain 6 seats and Labour lose 9 seats; both now have 32 seats. The remaining 9 seats are held by Independents, among them Ron Davies.
Cardiff (NOC)
The Liberal Democrats consolidate their position as the capital's largest party and gain three additional seats. Labour lose 14 seats and drop down to third place behind the Tories, who raise the number of their seats from 10 to 17. Plaid Cymru gain 4 additional seats.
Carmarthenshire (NOC)
Plaid Cymru gain 14 seats and become the council's largest party; Labour lose 14 seats and drop to third place behind Plaid Cymru and the Independents, with less than half of the seats held by either.
Ceredigion (NOC)
Plaid Cymru gain 3 seats at the expense of the Independents and become the largest group.
Conwy: (NOC)
The Conservatives gain 8 seats making them the largest group, outnumbering even the Independents. Labour drops behind Plaid.
Denbighshire (NOC)
The Denbighshire result emulates Conwy: The Conservatives gain 9 seats (doubling their number) making them the largest group, outnumbering the Independents. Labour drops behind Plaid.
Flintshire (NOC)
Labour lose 13 seats and with that their majority, and are outnumbered now by the Independents, who gain 7 seats. Conservative and Lib Dem gains.
Gwynedd (NOC)
Plaid Cymru lose 8 seats and with that their majority, but remain the council's largest group. Llais Gwynedd gain 12 seats and Labour falls behind the Lib Dems.
Merthyr Tydfil (NOC)
Labour lose 9 seats and with that their majority, now outnumbered by Independents. the Lib Dems gain 6 seats and closely trail Labour.
Monmouthshire (CON)
The Conservatives increase their majority by 5 seats.
Neath Port Talbot (LAB)
Labour gain 1 seat and consolidate their majority.
Newport (NOC)
Labour lose 8 seats and with that their majority. The Tories gain 5 seats and trail Labour by only 2 seats,
Pembrokeshire (NOC)
The Independents gain 1 seat and maintain their overwhelming majority. Labour losses and Conservative gains leave Labour, Plaid and the Tories level pegging with 5 seats each.
Powys (NOC)
The Independents lose 9 seats to the Tories, but still outnumber all the other groups put together.
Rhondda Cynon Taf: (LAB)
Labour lose 13 seats but retain their majority. Plaid gain 7 seats but still fall 24 seats short of Labour.
Swansea (NOC)
Labour lose 2 seats but still remain Swansea's largest group. Plaid lose three of their four seats.
Torfaen (NOC)
Labour lose 16 seats and with that their majority, though they remain the largest group. Gains for the Independents, the Conservatives and Plaid.
Vale of Glamorgan (CON)
The Conservatives gain 5 seats and with that gain a majority.
Wrexham (NOC)
Labour lose 9 seats and are now outnumbered by both the Independents (who gain 6 seats) and the Lib Dems (despite the Lib Dems losing 2 seats). Gains for Plaid and the Conservatives.
Ynys Môn (NOC)
The Independents lose 9 seats but still outnumber all the others put together. Gains for Plaid, Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories.
SEATS
LAB -124 =342
PC +31 =205
CON +62 =173
LD +21 =162
OTH +9 =381
Final results
Blaenau Gwent NOC
Bridgend NOC
Caerphilly NOC
Cardiff NOC
Carmarthenshire NOC
Ceredigion NOC
Conwy: NOC
Denbighshire NOC
Flintshire NOC
Gwynedd NOC
Merthyr Tydfil NOC
Monmouthshire CON
Neath Port Talbot LAB
Newport NOC
Pembrokeshire NOC
Powys NOC
Rhondda Cynon Taf: LAB
Swansea NOC
Torfaen NOC
Vale of Glamorgan CON
Wrexham NOC
Ynys Môn NOC
Results so far (continued)
12:24: Plaid gain 6 seats in Carmarthenshire, Labour lose 5
12:25: Make that Plaid gain 7 seats and Labour lose 7...
12:26: So far in Rhondda, Lab 12, PC 8, Indies 3, Lib Dem 2
12:30: Labour's stronghold in Carmarthenshire -Glanaman- taken by Plaid
The Welsh Lobbyist offers his analysis of the elections HERE
12:39: Plaid lose Gwynedd
12:42: Wrexham final result: Lib Dem 12, Lab 11, PC 4, Others 20
12:51: David spots a Flynnism. Meanwhile in Rhondda Ron Davies wins a seat.
12:53: 3 quarters of Caerphilly counted, Labour close to losing majority there. Ron Davies' wife elected too.
12:56: Plaid may not have lost Gwynedd after all. We shall see.
12:58: Plaid continue making gains in Rhondda and Carmarthenshire
13:00: Confirmed, Plaid lose Gwynedd. Council leader Richard Parry Hughes has lost his seat. Labour have lost Caerphilly.
13:13: Swansea Final Result Lab 30, Lib Dem 23, Con 3, PC 1, Others 14
Cardiff Final Result: Lib Dem 35, Con 17, Lab 13, PC 7, Indies 3
13:19: So far in Conwy Conservatives gain 7 seats and Plaid gain 2.
Bridgend
Caerphilly
Cardiff
Swansea
Wrexham
13:26: Llais Gwynedd have gained a total of 12 seats.
So far in Rhondda: Lab 23, Plaid 11, Indies 5, Lib Dem 2, Con 1
13:32 Conservatives gain 9 seats in Powys. Plaid continue making gains in Carmarthenshire. Newport final result won't be for a month, but it appears that Labour have lost their majority there.
13:44: By the way, as things stand the Tories have control of more councils (2) than Labour (1) in Wales.
13:48: Pembrokeshire: NOC
Plaid and Labour level pegging in the number of seats in Caerphilly. Plaid have 30 seats in Carmarthen.
13:53: Powys NOC
14:01: Denbighshire Conwy NOC. Conservatives gain 8 seats there and are the biggest group with 22 seats.
14:10: Gwynedd NOC
Plaid down 8 seats to 35, Lib Dems down 1 seat to 4, Labour down 4 seats to 4, Llais Gwynedd gain 12 seats, others 17
Penri's problem
Plaid have become the largest group in Ceredigion, four seats short of a majority, but the party's candidate for the generals there, Penri James, failed to win his seat. It's a fair bet that people will soon be asking whether a candidate who can't muster up enough support to win a seat in his own ward has any hope at all of winning the whole county in a general election...
Results so far
Continuing from last night, Labour have lost Torfaen and the Conservatives have gained the Vale of Glamorgan...Dafydd Iwan has lost his seat to Llais Gwynedd...Plaid gain seats in Bangor and Dyffryn Ogwen but still may lose Gwynedd...
Blaenau Gwent NOC
Ceredigion NOC
Flintshire NOC
Merthyr Tydfil NOC
Monmouthshire CON
Neath Port Talbot LAB
Torfaen NOC
Vale of Glamorgan CON
Ynys Môn NOC
Dylan Jones-Evans offers an analysis of events HERE. I'll wait until the fat lady sings before I write up mine...and I'm not talking about Helen Mary Jones...
12:00: Results so far in Cardiff: Lib Dem 34, Con 15, Lab 13, PC 7 Indy 3
Results so far in Rhondda: Lab 7, PC 6, indy 3, Lib Dem 1; Pauline Jarman extends her majority of 150 to over 700; Plaid beat Labour in the Hirwaun ward by over 300 votes.
Carmarthenshire so far: Plaid gains cancelled out by losses in other wards
Gwynedd: Llais Gwynedd have 7 seats.
"Dafydd Iwan, Go Sing", just round the corner from my house in Caernarfon. It seems he won't be singing "Yma o hyd" though
A Grim Night For Gordon
Labour is suffering a grim night in local elections in England and Wales, losing more than 100 seats so far.
BBC research suggests the party has fallen into third place across the UK, taking 24% of the vote, their lowest in 40 years, beaten by the Tories on 44% and Lib Dems on 25%.
In Wales so far Labour has lost majority control of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend and Flintshire.
Labour have also lost Merthyr Tydfil: Lab 8, Lib Dem 6, Others 19.
In fact the only good news for Welsh Labour tonight is that they managed to maintain their majority in Neath-Port Talbot.
Plaid Cymru are set to be the largest group in Ceredigion, but without a majority.
Now if nothing happens while I finish off this Tuborg that I've just opened, I'll be off to bed.
04:30: Ceredigion Final Result: Plaid 19, Indies 12, Lib Dem 10, Lab 1
04:38: Monmouthshire: Conservatives increase their majority by 5 seats.
