A Distinct Lack Of Whispers

One thing you have to admit about Peter Black's place in the Welsh blogosphere is that he does keep you on your toes. Like Peter, I was appalled when Gareth Hughes (come on Peter, as Spike Milligan said, "that's it, name the bugger!") told viewers of Sharp End that there were concerns within the party about Kirsty Williams' ability to lead the party with small children to look after.

Now I may not walk in such exalted circles as Assembly Members, but then again we Lib Dems don't have many circles inbetween. Either way, I can safely say that in all the speculation that has gone on about the possible leadership race (and let's face it, with the timetable we've been lumbered with there's been a lot of that) I have never heard anyone say at any level in any way that the children made Kirsty unsuitable for the job.

As for the weekends rumour, I have no idea where that came from, but as once it was with Nick, a little personal story is worth noting. My most up-close experience of Kirsty at work was at a consultation session for the soon-to-be-launched education policy paper. That consultation was on a Saturday, and Kirsty drove one of her staffers and myself from Brecon to Rhayader early in the morning and led a full and fruitful day's discussion of the issues. So there.

Whatever happens in this leadership election, we are going to have a powerful female leader, and we can be rightly proud that none of the other parties in Wales are anywhere near delivering that.