The Plaid Cymru leadership battle has kicked off with a football match and a bang and it’s Leanne Wood’s campaign which is creating most of the early noise.
Undoubtedly the most left-wing of the candidates, Wood offers the fundamental shift for the party that I argued was needed in my review of 2011. She has been branded by the media and commentators as the outsider candidate, which has only stepped up the discussion surrounding her campaign. It’s fair to say in fact that as much of the discussion is being stimulated by those outside the campaign and even outside the party as her supporters.
One reason for this early buzz is the strong online presence Leanne enjoys and her active engagement with supporters via Twitter. Furthermore Twitter can be the source for some unlikely nominations such as the following from George Monibot:
I would love to see @leannewood become leader of #PlaidCymru. I see her as the @CarolineLucas of Wales.
— George Monibot (@Georgemonibot) January 3, 2011
She has also received backing from within the party, with AMs Bethan Jenkins and Lindsay Whittle joining Jonathan Edwards MP in endorsing her campaign.
Turning to the other contenders, Lord Elis-Thomas, the former presiding officer is arguably the most recognisable name of the four and is the candidate most likely to advocate a return to coalition with Labour.
Profiling him, Wales Online said:
His narrative is that there is little point in a political party not in power. He would gladly see One Wales Two happen tomorrow to see Plaid policies implemented in government again.
Elin Jones is the bookies favourite, with William Hill currently offering odds of 11/10. She has come out swinging in support of an independent Wales and is building her leadership campaign around it, hoping to mobilise the grassroots and force other candidates to take a stance on the issue, one way or the other.
Simon Thomas, is the final contender and having only been an AM for 8 months is still learning the ropes at the Senedd. However, having previously been an MP he brings a wealth of experience to the campaign and has shown a willingess to admit areas of weakness within the party, highlighting their failure to do more to improve education when in government
Whoever wins the nomination, they have a long road ahead of them in identifying what Plaid’s unique attributes are and what they can do . This will involve not only convincing the public, but the party activists as well. Like any party, Plaid hosts a range of opinions under one roof and the campaign reflects this with a clear contrast between the ‘steady as she goes’ message of Simon Thomas and Leanne Wood’s left-wing radicalism. The next leader must find a way to unify these different factions behind them, including the supporters of the candidates they have just beaten.
Plaid are also using the leadership campaign as a marketing tool to grow their membership base. People can now join the party online and party officers are hoping that the buzz surrounding the campaign will encourage people to sign up. They are promising an innovative approach to promoting the leadership battle, and as the final vote draws closer it will be interesting to see what the party machine has to offer.
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