(Not so) Easy.
I'm no physicist - as Mr Roberts my Physics teacher many years ago would confirm - so I don't know whether it's possible for waves other than sound waves to travel down the line from one studio in London to the other in Cardiff.
But early this rmorning as I sat at the Cardiff end listening to two MPs, Hywel Francis and Wayne David, being asked about yesterday's meeting with Rhodri Morgan, their lack of enthusiasm seemed to roll down the line in great waves.
The mood, said Wayne David, was 'sombre'. It's pretty clear that any deal Labour strikes on holding a referendum on full powers for the Assembly will include a get-out clause of one kind or other.
"Why on earth would we bind ourselves to a timetable on holding a referendum and then find there was no appetite for one, lose the vote and miss out for another generation?" That was the tenor of the conversations I had yesterday.
A ring-around of constituency Chairs today (and more on that to come) suggests so far that the majority could just about stomach the inedible deal if they had to ... unless the unpalatable scrapes itself from the floor and puts itself back on the menu of course. Surely one course too many even to contemplate. Surely?
More from Rhodri Morgan tonight who's being interviewed on Dragon's Eye. Tune in.
Good news for one Welsh MP at least. Martyn Jones has won his libel case against the Mail on Sunday and is 拢5000 richer. He could afford to buy a full-length tie with that ... and good news too for the Poltical Unit 5-aside football team who last night beat Plaid Cymru 12-7.
EASY.
(Not so sure they could have taken Plaid/Labour coalition mind ...)
Lib Dems then Labour up next week and the challenge has gone out to the Tories.
And no, it's not true that Plaid called a special conference before they decided who was in goal.
I'm Betsan Powys, 麻豆社 Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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As a member of the Labour Staff footy team i can safely assure the Dragons Eye they will be put to the sword by a dazzling array of talent!
Betsan,
The Labour MPs are making a sensible point which I am sure Plaid will agree with. It is simply that you do not want to be bound to follow through a referendum, if there is evidence you are going to lose it. Do we really think Plaid would want a completely inflexible timetable forcing them to 'charge down the valley of death' irrespective what the polls say?
Wales will have its Parliament, Plaid and Welsh Labour will deliver it together (the only plausible way it will ever come). But both parties will keep some elbow room. Don't misinterpret this as a difference of view.
Betsan, thank you for keeping Wales informed of the comings and goings in the Senedd. Maybe I'm the only person in Wales who finds this fascinating... can Ieuan Wyn really bring himself to jump into bed with Rhodri? What are the "four strong women" saying? What about the Plaid special conference? Are the Lib Dems still looking to find a way back into the game? If all this was happening in England it'd be front page headline news!
One thing's for sure, I log on to your blog first every day. Keep up the good work!
Diolch yn fawr i ti.
Kate Jones, Llanwrtyd Wells
Why is it that the Welsh media (including the 麻豆社, unfortunately) always seems to find a quote from the most tribal, anti-Plaid, anti-devolution Labour Party figures it can possibly track down? In the interests of balance can we hear from some of the AMs and Party members who think the red-green option is at least tolerable, or even welcome? Does the media have a pro-rainbow agenda, which involves creating the atmosphere that the Labour Party is uniformly and irreconcilably hostile to working with Plaid? I'd have to be a terrible old cynic to think that, but it sometimes occurs to me.
Forgive my cynicism, but . . . Labour MPs have been marginalsed by devolution, greater powers for the Assembly will marginalise them further. Arguing that the timing of a Plaid-inspired referendum would be wrong - and they 'fear' it would be lost implies that they want it won. Why can't they be honest? If they could they'd do away with the Assembly not give it greater powers.
Jones won? Oh no! He admitted in court that he was challenged by a young security guard who was new to the job and told him "I don't give a shit who you are, I'm an MP".
He should pay the guard 拢5,000 for this.
He expected this guard to remember his face - one of 650 MPs. Is that boat race memorable? Let's face it, Jones has been in Parliament for 20 years and most of his own family would struggle to recognise him.
His own QC had to admit that Jones wasn't one of the "big beasts" of the political jungle.
Sadly, Martyn's finest moment was before he entered Parliament - he was arrested for throwing tomatoes at Margaret Thatcher on a visit to Wrexham.
For those of us that did happen to watch Dragon's Eye yesterday evening, I think you should please take a deep breath as you finish reading this post and accept and follow the three points over the coming months/years:
* Accept that a Plaid-Labour Coalition is likely to happen.
* Mike German will do anything to save his hide before the hunter gets him. Hmm - who is the hunter(s)?
* Tories are not that bad - find one in your constituency and hug him/her at the weekend.
Accept all this and we shall all have no further grey hairs by the end of the year!
I鈥檓 beginning to wonder if all this is not now an elaborate 鈥減loy鈥 by Rhodri to force the Lib Dems to 鈥淩e-Coalate鈥?
After all, if Plaid can now consider jumping off their 鈥淩ainbow鈥 at the first sunrise, then why shouldn鈥檛 the Lib Dems get in first?
Mike German being just as 鈥済raspy鈥 for power as IWJ鈥f not more so.
Rats in a sack?
I've forgtten what I wanted to say!
Labour's short term (only) servival lies here in Wales. Why didn't they stay here....
The next general election, when it comes, will be a landslide victory for the Conservatives (what have they ever conserved?) Sadly(or not) Brown will go the same way as Kinnock.
The lesson here, obviously, put your own country before your personal desires.
Two "bullets" would be enough....shoot them alive Brown/Kinnock....cowards, idiots, etc.
Cymru fach i mi......ond....
Seriously it's now the 16th...this blog is a joke. It will be the 17th tomorrow. And Derek Brockeley will correctly point out that within another 4 days it should be the longest day of the year.
Fair play to him and Jemmie..they always come up here to meet us...no snobs!.As a licence payer the sooner we get rid......
But Jason is wonderful too. I saw him at Llangollen Eisteddfod...what a modest .......
Betsan,
As always in such things the small minority opposed to an idea make far more noise than the majority in favour. The vast majority of active Labour members want to see a left of centre government and the Tories kept in the democratic position the Welsh people have put them in which is opposition.
This whole Labour divide line is, I am sorry to say, being played up by selective interviewing by the 麻豆社. How many labour interviews have you undertaken from constituencies in Cardiff, Bridgend, Newport, Swansea or Wrexham yet? Those of us wanting this alliance are in a sizeable majority. Let's see if the 麻豆社 want to talk to any of us.
Herbert Davies suggested that the overwhelming "Rank and File" of the Labour Party support a coalation between Labour and Nats.
I would like to see some evidence of this.
From my own research/canvassing against a surrender to the Nats I would suggest that very few active rank and file members of the Labour Party want this as they can see what this implies for the local elections in 2008, Parlimentary Elctions of 2009/10, and the assembly elections of 2011.
This hold on to power at all costs attitude that appears to come from Transport House is akin to political prostitution, and does the Welsh Labour Party, and Wales no favours at all.
Gareth Williams
An active member of Caerphilly CLP
Herbert Davies suggested that the overwhelming "Rank and File" of the Labour Party support a coalation between Labour and Nats.
I would like to see some evidence of this.
From my own research/canvassing against a surrender to the Nats I would suggest that very few active rank and file members of the Labour Party want this as they can see what this implies for the local elections in 2008, Parlimentary Elctions of 2009/10, and the assembly elections of 2011.
This hold on to power at all costs attitude that appears to come from Transport House is akin to political prostitution, and does the Welsh Labour Party, and Wales no favours at all.
Gareth Williams
An active member of Caerphilly CLP
You said more to come about the "Chairs"
Still waiting....!