The Team
It was a big ask, as Wimbledon and Test Match commentators in a different context, have been telling us over what we used to call summer for five new assembly members to become immersed so soon after their election in talks about coalition and accords and so on But they did… They responded brilliantly. The new team is a strong team with excellent new members.
Angela Burns has that rare ability to get straight to the heart of an issue to cut out all the surrounding minutiae and see the essential big picture. She will prosper as a politician.
Darren Millar has all the presence and fluency in the chamber of somebody who has been there a long time.
Paul Davies is able and likeable and using Welsh in the chamber to excellent effect.
Nick Ramsay has, of course, considerable Assembly experience as a researcher but now has effected the transition to AM very comfortably and is standing up for the interests of Monmouth with cogency and reasonableness.
Andrew Davies is an effective operator and is already making his mark in the chamber.
The existing team from the last Assembly certainly needs no write up from me but they continue to score points for our party in debate, in committee and elsewhere.
We can look forward to success and fun - I know Labour and Plaid will be delighted to see us trying to create more fun given their commitment on page 37 of the One Wales document to do so.
Labour’s Refusenik Five’s absence from the Deputy First Minister’s inaugural speech and those very lame excuses is a promising start on the Fun front. Irene’s mobile with its cuckoo clock ringing tone going off during questions to Lorraine Barrett also sets a very high standard… In fact we must congratulate Irene on an early strong showing on the fun front with two commendations in the first week.
The gauntlet has been thrown down. We will respond.
