In my own constituency of Blaenau Gwent, the estimable Alun Davies delivered for Labour. We now have a Labour MP and AM, and we need to finish the job and win back the council from the Independents next year. We also took Llanelli from Plaid Cymru, Cardiff North from the Tories and Cardiff Central by 38 votes from the Liberal Democrats, the first time we have held that assembly seat.
We started the election on 26 seats but have now banked another four and have a clear mandate for Carwyn Jones and his team. Welsh Labour can reflect on an excellent campaign – immaculate in planning and execution. Never in devolutionary politics in Wales has one party been able to stand and survey a landscape more strewn with the wreckage of others.
Agreeing Jones as first minister and a presiding officer is at the top of the agenda this week. He has said he will form a minority government and, with our opponents in disarray, that is what will happen.
Before the election Jones said Labour was proud of its record but promised ‘a very strong emphasis indeed’ on delivery in the next term. That is the right approach.
It will be interesting to see over the coming months how the nationalists’ success in Scotland plays out in Wales. It might lead to Plaid Cymru using the ‘I for Independence’ word a bit more often, although I can’t see it having much traction in the heavily populated valleys seats. As Plaid Cymru analyse their loss of support in this election, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of their more ardent supporters thnk they should be more nationalist in the years ahead. Watch this space.
While Labour in Wales can be proud of its recent electoral success we must, however, prepare to tackle the Tories out west and up north. We must do better again in constituencies like Aberconwy and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, where the Conservatives got out their vote. Both of these are target seats for us in Westminster and places we held until last year. Similarly, credit goes to Julie Morgan for winning back Cardiff North from the Conservatives in the assembly, showing we are on course to get that seat back in the general. But there are more Tory fish to fry still, to get Ed the keys to No 10.