I trust the Government of Wales Act 20xx will fix this!

It is, as Alistair Campbell would call it: a “process” issue.

The other point is that defectors often change their beliefs – at least publicly – far more quickly and radically than others feel is plausible. This is not so much the zeal of the converted, but the need to conform very quickly to the new party. It may not be insincere, but it is often done to prove to the new hosts that the defector will not be a trouble maker to them.

As someone who joined a new party after previously being member of another, I can see the number of different emotions that come into play when this occurs.

Mine was one of conviction, circumstance and personality, so perhaps all of the reasons rolled into one.

The most comforting thing for me was that despite my previous oppositional tone to my new party’s policy, it wasnt the seismic change that many encounter. I mean, I was a left winger calling for Wales to have ‘political self governance’ prior to joining Plaid. In truth I was just a nobody from Pontypool, so hardly earth shattering.

I am loathe to mention Mr Asghar again, but to me his defection is the the worst kind – basically bull*** wrapped in some self interested reasons.

It is interesting to perhaps contemplate the party that ‘welcomes’ the defectors, and how that defectors acts to the party he or she left. I can remember a certain Welsh AM once pulling a rent a crowd outside the Senedd to ‘announce’ a tory councillor has switched to Labour, which even to the Labourites there seemed a bit sickly. Personally, I thought Alan Davies’ attack dog mentality to Plaid Ministers seems not inkeeping with good taste for example, given his past. Respect should be paid to previous political homes, despite wanting to highlight your new party.

The sticking point I think with Plaid is that he didn’t tell his colleagues nor most importantly his current garden-leave staff.

Kim Howells MP who has announced today that he is standing down has equally had an interesting journey from Miners’ Unionist to the Communist Party through to being a New Labour Minister – one hell of a journey – though admittedly hardly one of defection except in purist terms. His memoirs will be well worth a read as he’s never held back on his views of life, politics and his colleagues at Westminster. Let’s not even consider his views on devolution, the National Assembly and Plaid Cymru – that’s an article for another day!

I wish Oscar well though I’m not sure where his journey will take him. Great article Rene, Diolch.

It isn’t Plaid’s fault that Asghar decided to effectively fire his staff by press conference – and even if it was, they deserve better for their service than becoming the unwitting victims of a media stunt. Just as it isn’t Plaid’s fault that a number of senior members of the party believed they maintained personal friendships with the man, and were more hurt than outraged by his defection – and, most importantly, the callous manner in which he carried it out.

Rene rightly points out that people’s political opinions shift. Hard to argue with this. Politicians are as subject to changes not only in personal circumstances like the rest of us. They are sometimes slapped in the face with the reality of their convictions, and change as a consequence. What is hard to stomach is Asghar’s particular reasons for his jump which, even now, remain fuzzy and unconvincing: why would such a convicted unionist and a royalist join a nationalist and republican party?

Rene is also right in saying that it will probably turn out for the best. Once the party gets over the shock of the cool and calculating way he betrayed his staff (and this is what really rankles among the membership, no matter what is said outside its ranks), I strongly suspect that most people in Plaid will heave a quiet sigh of relief that he is gone. As for those high-handed Tories, they may come to see Mohammed Asghar’s defection as something of a hospital pass.

Good piece, Rene – thanks for that.