# Local Election in Wales thread



## Udo Erasmus (Apr 19, 2012)

Any thoughts on the council elections?

Who to vote for? Vote nobody?

Anyone know of any particular interesting candidates?

Will Plaid's new left-ish leader make a difference to their performance?

What are the wards to watch?

Also what's the score with independents? In the past there was a smattering of ex-Labour independents getting elected onto councils - most notably the Blaenau Gwent People's Voice who were at one point talking about standing candidates across the valleys, but appear to have folded.

Forward Wales have folded with their former leader now in the Tories & ex-members gone on to become Plaid councillors or in the case of Neil 'Jock' Greer in Merthyr from independent to UKIP councillor


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## geminisnake (Apr 19, 2012)

I think in the local elections it will be interesting to see how people vote due to what's happening throughout the UK. I'm half expecting the 'main' 3 parties to do badly up here(Scotland) because voters will be miffed at Labour and the LDs, and have pretty much lost faith in the Tories already. If Wales and Scotland reject the main 3 it could get interesting.
SNP won big style at Holyrood, so I'm waiting to see of this happens at local level too.  I would hope the welsh electorate have seen through the main 3 too.


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## Infidel Castro (Apr 19, 2012)

Hoping Plaid can squeak Canton. Labour are getting twitchy.


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## framed (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm in rural mid-Wales so not a lot of left-wing options here, Plaid are quite weak in this part of Powys; Liberals, Tories and 'Independents' (usually 'Farmer Tory' types) dominate.

One thing I did notice is that the sitting county councilor for this area, who has been a Liberal for about 150 years, suddenly announced that he 'puts people before party' and is standing as an Independent. Is there any other evidence of Lib-Dems shifting to 'Independent' in a cynical attempt to avoid being the whipping boys of an anti-govt backlash?


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## Udo Erasmus (Apr 20, 2012)

Infidel Castro said:


> Hoping Plaid can squeak Canton. Labour are getting twitchy.



Plaid run the council with LibDems, surely they will be punished for dealing with the devil? I predict that the LibDems might take a kicking in Cardiff (especially given that their stronghold is in Cardiff Central, which has a high student population), Labour likely to take control of the council, not sure what Labour's plans are for power.


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## William of Walworth (Apr 20, 2012)

Labour are targetting Swansea too, but I'm not too clued up about the latest on their prospects.


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## 1927 (Apr 22, 2012)

Udo Erasmus said:


> Plaid run the council with LibDems, surely they will be punished for dealing with the devil? I predict that the LibDems might take a kicking in Cardiff (especially given that their stronghold is in Cardiff Central, which has a high student population), Labour likely to take control of the council, not sure what Labour's plans are for power.


Neither are they.


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## FaradayCaged (Apr 22, 2012)

I always vote for the Lib Dems in my consituent, irrespective of what the party as a whole does, they are the only fuckers who listen to us and do anything at all in my local area, such as clearing up fly-tipping, graffiti, getting speed bumps in accident hot spots etc.


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## Gavin Bl (Apr 22, 2012)

Plaid or Labour - not sure yet, but as with most people I'm sure - no great enthusiasm for any of them really. Just seen there is a Greenie standing in my ward though (Whitchurch and Tongwynlais)


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## lewislewis (Apr 26, 2012)

Plaid's performance won't have anything to do with their coalition with the Lib Dems. It will be to do with national issues or more accurately, the UK situation. Too early for most people to know that Leanne Wood is leader or what her agenda is.

We will see the Tories stay about the same, Lib Dems collapse drastically, Labour make huge gains and Plaid slip back slightly because of a section of their left-leaning support returning to Labour in order to vote against Cameron.

Whether this is good for Cardiff is unknown. Labour doesn't have a programme for running the city and whoever forms the next council administration will have to implement huge cuts. The cuts to local government in Wales have been nowhere near as bad as they have in England, but over the next few years the Treasury figures show the amount of money going to Wales being significantly reduced.

Does this also mean Russell Goodway will be back running the show? Or at least holding a cabinet post?


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## Udo Erasmus (Apr 29, 2012)

Interview with ex-Labour, then independent councillor, Richard Bertin, who is seeking re-election in Barry 
http://www.radicalwales.org/2012/04/richard-bertin-independent-socialist.html


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## ddraig (May 4, 2012)

Leader of Cardiff loses his seat








> Mr Berman asked for a recount after missing out by 12 votes and then called for a second recount after losing by 14.​But a final count left him 51 votes adrift.​Labour swept all four seats in the ward to hand the Liberal Democrats a further blow and strengthen their grip on their newly won local authority.​​


​
Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/05/04/cardiff-council-leader-rodney-berman-loses-his-seat-91466-30902878/#ixzz1tugWg7nJ ​


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## Chemster (May 4, 2012)

So much for the vaunted Plaid resurgence...


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## nogojones (May 4, 2012)

ddraig said:


> Leader of Cardiff loses his seat
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 If only I could like this twice


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## ddraig (May 4, 2012)

here's another one for ya mate




from here
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...lose-out-91466-30899649/#.T6ODiVi9XUh.twitter

not that i am endorsing labour or anything


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## Chemster (May 4, 2012)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/may/03/elections-2012-welsh-councils

List of all the results^


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## lewislewis (May 8, 2012)

Plaid got their best ever share of the vote in Cardiff, 13%. But lost seats because Labour surged so much. Down to just 2 seats in Cardiff, from 6. In Cardiff West they got more than 20% of the vote. But as soon as the Lib Dems are out of the equation Plaid can't sneak through the middle anymore in urban Wales.

Turnout was appalling everywhere.

We now have a Labour council in Cardiff again, Heather Joyce as leader apparently. Goodway has said he isn't planning a comeback.


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## editor (May 8, 2012)

I really thought Plaid were going to do better.


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## William of Walworth (May 8, 2012)

Labour swept the board in Swansea as well.

In our ward, formerly with two LibDem councillors, the two Labour people won with majorities of 400 + each -- and that was on a pretty low turnout ....


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## Chemster (May 9, 2012)

editor said:


> I really thought Plaid were going to do better.


 
Plaid need to have an *extreme* makeover. The old ghosts are still haunting them and while they continue to do so Plaid will remain a minority player in Welsh politics.


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## 1927 (May 9, 2012)

Chemster said:


> Plaid need to have an *extreme* makeover. The old ghosts are still haunting them and while they continue to do so Plaid will remain a minority player in Welsh politics.


 
Which old ghosts are you referring to as they have already exorcised many  of them already?


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## Chemster (May 9, 2012)

The inability to make inroads in the Labour heartlands is the biggy. Tbh I can't see any party overcoming the hereditary voting in the South Wales valleys.


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## butchersapron (May 9, 2012)

Chemster said:
			
		

> The inability to make inroads in the Labour heartlands is the biggy. Tbh I can't see any party overcoming the hereditary voting in the South Wales valleys.



Rational voting.


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## Chemster (May 10, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> Rational voting.


 
Hasn't happened for decades. What's going to change?


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## trampie (May 20, 2012)

editor said:


> I really thought Plaid were going to do better.


Plaid Cymru as a rule of thumb don't do well when Welsh Labour do well, Plaid and Ms Wood's time will come all things being equal the General Election after the next one, probably in 2020.

If Labour were to win 2015 General Election and still be in power in the Welsh Assembly and if the economy is not good with a Westminster Labour government and a Labour Welsh Assembly Government in 2020 then that could be a good year for Plaid.


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## editor (May 20, 2012)

trampie said:


> Plaid Cymru as a rule of thumb don't do well when Welsh Labour do well, Plaid and Ms Wood's time will come all things being equal the General Election after the next one, probably in 2020.
> 
> If Labour were to win 2015 General Election and still be in power in the Welsh Assembly and if the economy is not good with a Westminster Labour government and a Labour Welsh Assembly Government in 2020 then that could be a good year for Plaid.


I think she's the most exciting political prospect to hit Wales for a very long time.


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