Senedd’s only Lib Dem member felt like ‘Billy-no-mates’ after being elected
The Senedd’s only Liberal Democrat MS has said she felt like “Billy-no-mates” after being elected to the parliament.
Jane Dodds, who is the Leader of the party in Wales, became a regional MS for Mid and West Wales at the last Senedd election, in what was a disappointing campaign for the Liberal Democrats overall.
The party lost the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency to the Conservatives at the Senedd election after former Welsh Government minister as well as former Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams stepped down from the seat.
Dodds, a former MP for Brecon and Radnorshire made the comments in a reflection on the year.
On starting work at the Senedd, Dodds told BBC Wales: “It felt a bit like I was Billy-no-mates.
“But I must say people have been very helpful, have been very welcoming and I now think that after six months I’m finally understanding what I need to do.”
When asked how Cardiff Bay compares to Westminster, she said: “When I was elected as a Member of Parliament it was a difficult time, it was the Brexit period, and I found that people were very tribal and it was very difficult in the House of Commons.
“Here there’s much more commitment to cross-party working to make sure we achieve things for people in Wales.”
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Well Jane, time to come on over to YES!
It’s good to hear her thoughts. The Liberal voters and yes they do exist in fair numbers in several pockets around Wales need a leader and a clear direction.
They perhaps might find new recruits in those in the Tory party comcerned at the loss of more centerist and a Wales policy focus – articulated so
well be the likes of David Melding, Susey Davies , Glyn Davies and Johnathan Evans etc ..l.?
May I remind Jane Dodds that the Senedd is a place of work not a social club meet & greet. Anyway, the Liberals are lucky to have even one solitary Senedd MS seeing they aided & abetted the Tories in 2010 which insulted Wales with their poultry devolution settlement, who constantly refused the devolution of Policing and Criminal justice to Wales even though the Welsh Government had a mandate from the Welsh electorate. The Liberals were also party to David Cameron’s cynical party political point scoring attack on our Welsh NHS with the remark how Wales was “the divide between… Read more »
Well Jane, now you know when stance becomes a lot more than an opinion. A shame for political balance, I’d like to hope, but grow up ffs!
The PM is a Jonny-come-lately, so it fits.