THREAD 1/7 At a time when the @WelshConserv have been polling well & there’s real space on the centre ground, it beggars belief that they’ve managed to get into such a mess. Never mind #boozegate, selecting candidates who prioritise getting rid of the @SeneddWales - thereby

2/7 fighting completely the wrong battle (and don’t ignore the massive gender dimension to this either, it’s pretty glaring). No evident strategy for gaining power which our electoral system requires to be based on compromise and deals. No plan to offer a middle ground

3/7 constitutional solution to a polarised debate. Whoever is the next leader will have to choose between populism, negativity & petty Pyrrhic victories, versus positioning party for real success, i.e. challenging for government. The irony is this might not affect the Tories much

4/7 if the @SeneddWales election is sucked into a UK rather than a Welsh narrative. But winning more seats won’t mean the @WelshConserv are any closer to power and that’s the objective of serious political parties, no? In a recent column, I suggested “Labour is talking a more

5/7 conditional unionism, with the British state more an insurance policy than an emotional bond. The space is wide open, you’d imagine, for a fiercely devolutionist party with a distinctive economic agenda, less interventionist and passionate about Britain and Wales. Not a

6/7 jingoistic Union Jack-waving unionism, more a Welsh party mindful of our national distinctiveness but with a gentle preference for continued historic connections with the other nations of the British Isles.” Over to the next leader then, but with around 100 days to go until

7/7 #Senedd21, there’ll need to be a real appetite to change course and quickly. ENDS