Leadership elections : Wales

Well there you have it no elections for 2 years then three come along at once. Lembits decision on Saturday was a bolt from the blue, but Mikes plans to stay on were the worst kept secret in Aberystwyth.

So where does that leave us here in Wales. Certainly there are those who are disappointed that Mike didn't step down with immediate effect and I include myself in them, but in many ways he has done us a favour. His "outstanding tasks" and the challenges he has set his colleagues will give us a great opportunity to see the real calibre of the potential candidates.

But more importantly it means we have a conference in hand before the real elections in which to sort out all the constitutional niceties around a merged leadership and not least of those is ensuring that there is a constitutional mechanism to ensure that anyone who wishes to stand is not prevented from having an opportunity to do so by the need to have one other AM nominate them.