Gareth Lewis: Senedd election will see new dawn for Welsh politics
Gareth Lewis: New dawn and sleepless nights for Welsh politics
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Gareth Lewis
Political editor, BBC Wales News
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We might end up with a 'kaleidoscope' of political colours after the election, according to BBC Wales political editor Gareth Lewis
Welcome to the new dawn.
Literally, on the one hand, as BBC Radio Wales Breakfast took over the Oriel area of the Senedd on Wednesday to mark a year to go until the next election.
Metaphorically perhaps too, as on current projections Labour's dominance in Cardiff Bay looks under serious threat.
James Williams, the programme's presenter, promised listeners a "kaleidoscope" of political colours on the show, and that is what we might end up with after the election too.
A bigger Senedd – 96 members next time round – has coincided with a splintering of Welsh politics into a picture we have not seen before.
Welsh Labour's potential demise, a Plaid surge, a consistent showing from Reform and the apparent plunge in support for the Conservatives means there is a real contest to become the biggest party.
First Minister Eluned Morgan admitted on the 08:00 BST slot that Welsh Labour had "work to do".
She also revealed she is meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday to start a discussion of "how to turn things round" after saying she hopes her speech yesterday will give Downing Street a "jolt".
That means in blunt terms – what are you going to give me?
The answer might well come later in the summer with UK government decisions due on infrastructure spending and the chancellor's long-awaited spending review in June.
But with views over Cardiff Bay in front of her, is Morgan swimming against the tide?
Have many traditional Labour voters already made up their minds and decided they will go elsewhere, or not vote at all?
Eluned Morgan told Radio Wales Breakfast on Wednesday that Labour has "work to do"
Hoping to benefit is Plaid Cymru, buoyed by a poll on Tuesday which gave them the lead, although they risked losing the cycling vote after staging an event perilously close to the edge of one of Cardiff Bay's most popular bike routes.
Their leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told Breakfast one of the biggest "blocks" to change was people "not believing change was possible".
He said voters were feeling "desperately let down" by Labour, but promised to put forward a positive vision of a Plaid alternative.
He admitted there was "no guarantee" that he would get anything more out of Starmer than Morgan, but that he would rock the boat in a way that Morgan would not.
Rhun ap Iorwerth marked one year until the election outside the Senedd on Wednesday
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