Plaid's Presidency - the way to vote

Owing to changes in the party's constitution, the presidency of Plaid Cymru is not as important a position as it was under Gwynfor Evans as the BBC's Vaughan Roderick rightly points out. The offical leader of the party is Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, whose recent electoral successes mean that his popularity has reached record level.

All these circumstances mean that the role of Plaid President is, at least according to the two candidates in this race, primarily a grassroots one. Who is best able to increase the number of members faster and who is the most inspirational seem to be the major issues raised by the contest.

So what does this mean for the chances of the two contenders? A story on the BBC yesterday once again demonstrates the campaigning abilities of Elfyn Llwyd MP. Indeed it seems that even Dafydd Iwan supporters are acknowledging Elfyn Llwyd's effectiveness as the party's parliamentary leader. From those comments, it appears that whatever the outcome Elfyn Llwyd has gained renewed respect and admiration in the party.

On the other hand, Dafydd Iwan is in many ways the ideal campaigner with his history in the Welsh Language Society and the peace movement. So if one is looking for inspiration for Welsh nationalists, look no further than Mr Iwan. But will losing this contest mean he stops doing that work? I hardly think so.

If I had a vote in the contest, I, like many others no doubt, would have trouble deciding between the two. In fact, in this contest, it could turn out that losing is actually winning.