That was the year that was

Well just before I go get myself poshed up a bit to go join friends to celebrate the New Year I thought I would take a few minutes just to say all the best for 2012 to anyone who may take a passing interest in my ramblings.

2011 has not been the best of years all in all.  Personally there have been a few up and downs along the way, as is always the case.  I finish the year ever more frustrated that I cannot seem to get rid of my house and move on. But things could be worse.

Politically it has been one hell of a year.  We started out with such high hopes of building on the great work we had done in Pontypridd up to and including the General Election, when despite all the odds against us we outperformed many other constituencies in Wales with a lot less in the way of resources and no outside help.

We fought against the Labour party’s dirty tricks, the allegations that a filthy piece of Labour slime by the name of Allen Bevan made against Mike that did not get anywhere near the same publicity when they were dropped after the election.  Agent and candidate became embroiled in some vicious battles – against each other as well as the opposition – as the pressure rose.  But we kept it together.

The crash that came on the night of the count was absolutely heartbreaking.  Yes, we maintained our second place when most of the Party’s target seats didn’t, and despite the crowing of the evil minded Labour lot on the night we kept our dignity and held our heads high.

The news across Wales started pouring in and as a Party nationally we sighed with relief when the final results were rounded up and we had a group of five AMs. Some of us had jobs reliant on this too.

For some of us there was no time to recover – as a member of both Party and Assembly staff the work started again straight away, and on the Saturday I was back in work.

We then fell into a horrendous political limbo as the Aled Roberts / John Dixon debacle took over.  Every one of us on the team wondered what we could  / should have done to prevent it. But there is a key word there – team.  We are a team and work together very well, and it is that teamwork that carries us through.

But we survived, and we keep battling at RCT and Wales wide level, because that is what we do, because it is what we believe in.

Yet fate still had another cruel blow to hand out to us – IT WASN’T A RED CARD OFFENCE REF!!!

Happy New Year all