Huw Lewis is more Plaid than Carwyn is

Labour leadership contender and Ramblings favourite Huw Lewis is compensating for lack of Assembly support for his bid by focusing on the "battle of ideas". If outsiders are welcome, Ramblings is happy to indulge.

To his credit, Huw Lewis is basing his political vision for Wales on a sound, leftist position- a "social partnership" between Government and economic actors, and support for co-operatives, credit unions, and mutuals. A more decentralist approach than the Old Labour top-down centralist style.

In total fairness to Huw, these are sound political ideas that are in many ways at the core of Welsh life, although the idea of a social partnership is relatively new territory in Wales. But the mystery is that Plaid Cymru is surely already pioneering these two aspects of policy. Ieuan already forged the social partnership (even describing it in the exact same terms Huw Lewis uses, earlier this year), the kind of arrangement that is arguably the foundation for the entire economic policy of countries like Norway and Sweden.

Indeed, our blog was the first to highlight Ieuan Wyn Jones' achievement with the All Wales Economic Summits in bringing together the Welsh Government, business, and trade unions in what we described as a "Swedish socialist-style contract between business and the unions". Plaid in government- with the backing of the Welsh Labour party (though not Labour in London) it could be said, has paved the way for a different way of handling economic policy, and Ieuan's work this week is building on that. This blog is reluctant to be seen as a major supporter of the Plaid leader, he has disappointed us over nuclear power and staying quiet on St. Athan, but to be frank on the bread and butter issues he is playing a blinder.

Ramblings is extremely concerned (though honoured) at the fact Huw Lewis is trying to play catch up with Plaid on this. On the co-operatives, Huw has been trumpeting his credentials as the standard-bearer for the Co-Operative Party and wider movement. Well, Huw might not know but Plaid's leadership have a history of involvement in housing co-operatives such as Dafydd Iwan at Tai Gwynedd and Cynog Dafis in Ceredigion. The party also has its own Credit Union, a proud and historic part of the party's social arsenal.

It is a good thing that Plaid's philosophy is now being taken seriously by Labour Assembly Members, even ones who have been accused of tribalism such as Huw Lewis. It's a bit like Huw's idol and leader of the Labour Left Jon Cruddas MP citing Plaid intellectual Raymond Williams' ideas as the future for the Labour party.

So we've already got Huw signed up to the 'decentralist socialism' part of the Plaid Constitution. Could we get him on self-determination next? Is it a case of 'Vote Huw get Plaid?'