Heritage minister falls on own sword (or cigar)
Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM, the heritage minister, could resign before the end of the day, according to BBC Wales. He is reported to have carried a cigar from the beer garden of the Eli Jenkins pub into the pub itself. A staff member then asked him to vacate the premises and he is said to have left straight away. The Assembly Government has so far refused to comment.
There are two possible explanations for his possible resignation. The most likely is that the Minister has reached his gaffe quota for 2007 and is now being given the voluntary elbow by Ieuan Wyn Jones. Another much less likely possibility - but much more exciting - is that there's more to the story yet to come to light. The latter scenario came to pass with Ron Davies' initially rather mystifying 'error of judgement' on Clapham Common.
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7 comments:
Unbelievably trivial. What a silly, irrelevant place the assembly is.
This really makes Plaid Cymru look small - I listened to the BBC Wales news and kept saying 'And' what did he do wrong ? He clearly was not drunk when that Book of the Year thing happened and what's so wrog walking into a pub with a cigar then apologising when the error of his ways is pointed out to him ? Ieuan Wyn is a very grey man - the only hope for Wales is to bring in Adam Price .
He wasn't actually pissed at the book awards, nor was he sacked for the cigar. I suspect that by Sunday lunchtime, we will know a little more.
He was always a risk and IWJ showed a lot of loyalty to give him a post. It's a shame that he didn't return that loyalty and I'm afraid that he only has himself to blame.
Assuming Alun Ffred gets the job, then WAG will lose a fool and gain one of the sharpest minds in the Senedd, with an understanding of business, media, the language and with a great dry sense of humour. He was unlucky not to get a post the first time and is more than a match for any Labour equivalent.
Martin Shipton from the Western Mail newspaper said Mr Jones would be a suitable candidate for the role.
"He's a very competent AM, he's not a particularly charismatic figure but after what has happened to Rhodri Glyn, perhaps charisma is not what they are looking for," he said.
Can't wait for the referendum. Abolition has to be an option and I'm sure that some MP will put an amendment to any referendum bill to ensure that this is on the voting paper. The Assembly and Welsh politics is becoming a laughing stock. Throw in Carwyn Jones's school boy attempt at political philosophy in today's Western Mail and it is enough to make you weep.
Remember alun Pugh.. he took poweres away from ACW, then what happened to him? Rhodri wants to discipline this corrupt institution by setting the agenda for there afunding.
THe ACW and the welsh media....
I think this was a 'pre-emptive' sacking.
Everyone knows RGT's alleged smoking ban offence and the book awards mistake did not warrant a sacking or resigning.
However, I think Ieuan Wyn Jones was worried that RGT might become a liability. His current preoccupation seems to be fashioning Plaid into a party deemed competent to govern.
All this media interest in RGT for the wrong reasons meant he'd be trailed around Cardiff Bay by journalists just aching for him to make some sort of cock up or commit some kind of reportable offence.
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