Spicy pinto bean soup or Plaids Bethan Jenkins, ...

... that's a question indeed, a delicious deep bowl of soup or shallow plate of politics from the "separatist agenda", make up your own mind ...

For the soup you need ...

Ingredients, for 4 ...

100g dried pinto beans,  2 tbsp butter,  1 tbsp olive oil,  1 red onion, chopped,  2 garlic cloves, chopped,  1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced,  2 carrots, chopped,  2 tsp chilli powder,  2 tsp ground cumin,  2 bay leaves,  1.5 litres vegetable stock,  400g tin of chopped tomatoes,  Sea salt,  1 small iceberg lettuce finely shredded,  Soured cream,  Leaves from a small bunch of fresh coriander,  Lime wedges

Method ...

1 Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Drain and set aside.
2 Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan, set over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper, carrots and a pinch of salt.
3 Cook for 10 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chilli powder, cumin and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute, until aromatic.
4 Increase the heat to high. Add the stock, tomatoes and beans and bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until the beans are tender.
5 Serve topped with shredded lettuce, a dollop of soured cream and a few coriander leaves. Offer lime wedges on the side. 

Recipe by Ross Dobson of The Times, what a fine newspaper.

Having enjoyed the bowl of soup what has Jenkins got to offer, either the electorate or Plaid "the separatist agenda" Cymru ?

Her history is school and Plaid Cymru, so we can expect an introspective view of the world coupled with a vision of an independent left wing utopia, was it learned at the hearth of her father the long-term co–editor of Red Poets.I wonder ?

Today she opens a discussion regarding the Plaid leadership contest, a faction within Plaid would like to change the rules so that non-elected members might race for the coveted leaders badge, a little like the blue-peter badge without the excitement, and in a democracy it should be possible to elect anyone to the position of party leader, though why any party would want a leader that doesn't have a platform is puzzling.

Interesting though, some elected members of the Assembly see the next leader as a caretaker-in-waiting for the return of the native Adam Price, Plaid AM Lindsay Whittle is on record as writing "Whoever will be our new leader must now recognise it’s an interim post in my opinion."

So the contest hereabouts between the soup or Jenkins, do I see the beginnings of a double chin in her image, is won hands down by ....

... the "Spicy Pinto Bean Soup", considered to be interesting and flavoursome with a hint of things yet to come ...
... the runner up is same-old, same-old Plaid politics delivered by 2nd division politics ...

... Wood, Jenkins, Gruffydd, Whittle and Wyn Jones, just a ...

... disgrace.  Unrepresentative, undistinguished and unbelievably crass, the Plaid five who demonstrated to the peoples of Britain the perversity of nationalism, there is only their way, a very spiteful way, children in a political playground who throw their toys over the wall.  So from Queen a message ...

For those who might like the lyrics alone ...

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place
Singin'

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Buddy you're a young man hard man
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo' face
You big disgrace
Wavin' your banner all over the place
Singin'

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Buddy you're an old man poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Somebody better put you back in your place

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

From the rest of us to the political disgrace of Wales, until the majority say otherwise, Queen Elizabeth II is our democratic Head of State .......... 

... and as my daughter added .......... "don't dis my Queen".

Llyr Huws Gruffydd, Bethan Jenkins and Leanne Wood are elected ...

... representatives yet they will not represent the views of those they represent, by their intended actions during the visit by our Queen, the Head of State on Tuesday next.  They are regional members for North Wales, South Wales West and South Wales Central respectively, they are all Plaid Cymru members for whom they sit at the Assembly.  In each case, were they candidates fighting the traditional "First Past The Post" election in their home constituency they would have been beaten by the Labour Party.

Where will this scandalous trio be during the opening ceremony of the National Assembly, not certain for sure, Woods is reported in the South Wales Echo as packing food parcels for the needy, laudable you might think, but remember she is supposed to be representing the constituents of South Wales, she is not employed by the people to pack parcels.

There is another event in Cardiff that day during the evening, "Cardiff Bay Republican Day" taking place at Mischiefs Cafe Bar in James Street in Cardiff Bay, and the trio is reported to be attending to "give allegiance to Wales", silly the rest of us, we all thought that particular allegiance had been taken during the swearing in of Assembly Members.

There is rumour that Lyndsay Whittle, another regional member for Plaid, will be joining the disreputable trio at the Mischiefs Cafe Bar, as yet there is no sign of the event on the Cafe Bar's website, from Caerphilly the message is "well done Lyndsay, run with the rats of Cardiff Bay but remember, you would have lost to Labour in a real election".

... and from Plaid Cymru, the separatist party of Wales, not a murmur, so let us assume the trio, or could it be a quartet, have the tacit approval of the party hierarchy ...

... myself, I think this group of politicians are pathetic in the extreme, if they are off to the bar during the official opening, quaffing Dom Perignon at £119.95 a bottle, or even a Sauvignon at £24.99 a bottle (they have a very good Sancerre "Le Mont Flueuri" on the wine list), can we expect the cost of the day on members expenses, will they be caught on camera singing along in their cups for a photo shoot?

Whatever they do, they will not be at the Assembly representing the electorate of Wales (not sure about Lindsay since Duncan left a comment), but we must be grateful, if this were Bahrain or Persia this disgraceful group would probably be on trial for their dissent, here in Wales the dissenters are free to offend the majority and be paid annually £53,852 it is a shame they do not do their duty as the electorate wish them.

A love story in Caerphilly politics, ...

... Plaid leader Lyndsay Whittle and co-conspirator Ron "moment of madness" Davies, both cosying up to project an image of success to the voters of Bargoed in the run-up to the Assembly elections on 5th May next, unfortunately they have used taxpayers money to create a pamphlet that includes photographs that projects them both as leaders of largess, a dishonest projection.

Other politicians in the Caerphilly area, if they had kept their eyes on the ball, would have noticed other examples of the Davies-Whittle Assembly election ticket, they seem to be personally responsible for every future project in the borough, a cynical use of taxpayers hard earned money is not an uncommon event in the world, but in this instance with Davies standing as Plaid’s Caerphilly constituency candidate and Mr Whittle on Plaid's South East Wales regional list there is a smell that lingers.

Would I, a Conservative, vote for Ron "moment of madness" Davies, absolutely not, this year I will lend my vote to the Labour Party candidate, I had to take a deep breath before writing that, I will vote for Labour not because I have a deep seated abhorrence for the nationalism that Plaid stands for, but because Davies has changed his coat so many times I believe Davies will represent the views of Davies, not the electorate.

The use of taxpayers hard earned money to promote political careers is a "Love Story" that sticks in my throat, shame on both politicians, shame on the council officials who approved the pamphlets.