Home Discussion North Wales Blogs Gog in the Bay

Get Well Soon Rhodri

Posted by Tom Bodden on July 10, 2007 11:21 AM | 

First minister Rhodri Morgan is in good spirits after an emergency operation to clear two blockages in arteries to his heart.
Mr Morgan, 67, was explaining to visitors how the angioplasty procedure works after he watched the operation on a screen while fully conscious throughout.
Today he is expected to ask the Queen to confirm the appointment of Plaid's Ieuan Wyn Jones as deputy first minister.

But further announcements of a shake-up in the cabinet will have to wait until Mr Morgan fully recovers from his operation during the Assembly summer recess.
Plaid is expected to earn three seats in the full cabinet, including Mr Jones, as a quid pro quo for the relative numbers of seats in the Assembly - Labour has 26, Plaid 15.
Mr Morgan had appointed a slimmed-down cabinet of just seven, without replacing former ministers Sue Essex and Alun Pugh when they failed to return after the elections.
The first minister can appoint up to 12 ministers, including deputies.
Plaid candidates for high office?
Jocelyn Davies, AM for South East Wales, is credited with a good job in negotiations over the One Wales deal and could be a candidate for Business Minister; Alun Ffred Jones who once ran Gwynedd council could be seen as a safe pair of hands for perhaps a rural affairs brief.
Will Mr Jones consider one of the gang of four for promotion to appease the left-wing of his party? If so Helen Mary Jones, Llanelli, could be moved up the pecking order.
Labour business and budget minster Jane Hutt told this morning's media briefing in the Senedd: "I have been grateful and impressed by Ieuan Wyn Jones' recognition that the most important thing is Rhodri's health.
"We would anticipate they would be able to resume their talks when Rhodri's feeling better and we must be patient."


 

Comments (4)

Brian Maitland wrote...

Once Rhodri's better, is Janet Ryder going to be the surprise inclusion in the Cabine? About time we had someone from the north-east in the government.

Posted by: Brian Maitland  | July 13, 2007 1:20 PM

Tom wrote...

Hi Brian,
I've not heard that whisper until now.
You can see my suggestions in the extended part of the post.
I've also missed out deputy Assembly leader Rhodri Glyn Thomas whose name crops up often in the Bay.

Posted by: Tom  | July 14, 2007 10:27 AM

Tom wrote...

PS:
The talk is that to accommodate three Plaid cabinet members, Rhodri will have to face one of his most hated jobs - sacking someone.
The betting seems to be on poor Dr Brian Gibbons who was recently moved from health to the economy.
But we can 'expect some suprises'.

Posted by: Tom  | July 14, 2007 10:37 AM

Brian Maitland wrote...

Rhodri Glyn Thomas is sometimes described as 'flamboyant' or as a 'bon viveur'. Perhaps that would hinder his ambitions.

Posted by: Brian Maitland  | July 16, 2007 11:12 AM

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Search this blog

May 2008
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
 

Older posts are in the Archives

  



Profile


profile

Welcome to ‘Gog in the Bay’, the occasional diary of a political journalist. My name is Tom Bodden, the Welsh Affairs Correspondent of The Daily Post, which is North Wales’ best selling newspaper. I am based full-time at the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff Bay.

Categories