Opening Conference: Rhodri Griffiths

Thursday: An excellent and interesting start to conference with Rhodri Griffiths, one of the leading Welsh Greens and potentially the first Green Welsh Assembly Member.

Speaking in confident, calm and measured tones Rhodri came across as a level headed, sensible but passionate politician. One of the interesting things about the way he framed the debate was that he was firmly positioning himself in the context of the historic shift inside of the Labour Party away from the gains of Social Democracy.

Whilst Labour had once been a party of radical change, in terms of votes for women, the national health service and nationalisation of the railways we now have a party that sees everything ass a business opportunity, including global warming with the leader of Labour in Wales having recently waxed lyrical on the benefits climate change could bring to Wales.

Keir Hardy may once have been a pioneer of radical reform but now, accord to Rhodri, it is left for a progressive party like the Greens to push for real change and that it is the Green that must be the new voice of radical politics.

Nice start to conference positioning the Greens well to the left of Labour and as the defender of public services.