The smell of intrigue in County Hall is pungent with all the groups weighing up their options. If it had not been for modern health and safety policies the Councillors would not be able to move for the smoke filled rooms.Tonight, whilst the Administration Group were discussing their options, the Labour Party were meeting in County Hall to consider whether they were prepared to enter into a rainbow coalition with Tories and Plaid to take all the Committee Chairs. Quite why a public facility is still being used free of charge by a political party for its meetings might be something that the Cabinet might wish to investigate.
Meanwhile, it was rumoured that new Conservative Leader, Rene Kinzett, was ensconced with the Plaid Cymru group trying to convince them to support his personal vendetta against the Administration. Both Plaid and Labour need to decide whether their grassroots will countenance this sort of pact with the previously hated Tories and what impact it will have on their respective Assembly campaigns.
Most intriguing of all was the directive issued to Council Leader, Chris Holley by Rene and his Renegades. Having already lost two of his original group members back to the Administration Councillor Kinzett is understandably sensitive about the possibility of more of his colleagues being talked into following suit. Accordingly, he demanded that no Administration Councillor should approach or speak to any of his group without seeking his permission first.
Many in the Administration reacted to this demand with scorn but were surprised nevertheless to read on Alun Cairn's blog that this 'understanding' was not mutual. Not only has Rene been trying to tempt Richard Lewis into his group but he and other Conservatives continue to put pressure on Joan Peters and Huw Rees to come back into the fold. In all three cases we understand that they received a very firm rebuff.
How deluded the Tories are is summed up by Cairn's suggestion that the recruitment of Independent Councillor Margaret Smith back into his party somehow constitutes a 'recovery'. As the Tories Economic Development Spokesman and a banker, you would have thought that his arithmetic was good enough to realise that four is one less than five and that any independent observer would reasonably conclude that Kinzett's defection had led to a catastrophic schism within the local Conservative Party.
