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Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

It may have been summer recess for the Senedd but members were called to a special plenary session earlier this week to vote for the next First Minister of Wales. You may remember this came about because the previous First Minister – Vaughan Gething – resigned due to a number of controversial issues that dogged his brief tenure in office.

Some people assumed that the resignation would have cleared the way for Jeremy Miles to become First Minister since he was Vaughan’s sole rival in the contest following Mark Drakeford’s resignation. It soon became clear however that following months of bitter in-fighting and vitriolic briefing to journalists from within the Labour Senedd group, Miles was not a viable option in the interests of group harmony.

So, we are left with the former MEP Eluned Morgan who is otherwise known as Baroness Morgan of Ely following her appointment to the House of Lords in 2011. While it is wonderful to finally see a woman become First Minister after a quarter of a century of devolution, Eluned and her deputy Huw Irranca-Davies were possibly the only candidates with the necessary experience that could possibly bring the Labour group together after such a turbulent period.

Will the new First Minister be able to affect real, positive change? I have serious doubts. As the former health minister, Eluned has something of a chequered history in government. Despite the dedication of our NHS staff, Morgan has presided over a grim picture for our hospitals, GP surgeries and dentists. The Welsh Ambulance Service is also in difficulty due to the significant delays it faces when trying to discharge patients into hospitals. All these problems have happened under Labour’s watch and the new First Minister failed to get to grips with them during her tenure with the health portfolio.

The Labour Government in Wales has also shown great reluctance since the election of a UK Labour became likely months before the general election, to rock the boat in terms of calling for fair funding for Wales and highlighting other UK Government injustices such as the billions we are owed as a result of the HS2 rail link.

The new First Minister is unlikely to be making much of a noise about these kinds of issues that her government in Wales was only too happy to call out during Tory rule in Westminster. There is also the huge task of trying to put together a fractious Labour group that have been engaged in open warfare for many months. That will be difficult when there are so many other problems and issues that need dealing with in Wales. 

It was for these reasons and more that the Plaid Cymru Senedd group could not support her during the Senedd vote earlier this week. We are of the strong view that the only positive change will come through a change of government with Plaid Cymru firmly involved. 

On a more positive note, it has been fantastic to spend a few days at the Eisteddfod just a few miles up the road in Pontypridd. This festival is a week-long celebration of the Welsh language which brings together people from all over our country, whether they are fluent or not.

As someone who is a fan of the arts and singing in particular, it provided hours of world class entertainment. Given the number of organisations that hold stalls at the festival – such as Transport for Wales (TfW) – it also enabled me to make representations on behalf of constituents. In my conversation with CEO James Price I raised the matter of the funding and the possibility of opening up services to reach more communities and putting on later trains. 

If anyone is intrigued by what goes on at an Eisteddfod, I would urge you to catch it on its final day tomorrow (Saturday August 10) as this particular Eisteddfod has been excellent and the town of Pontypridd has been a brilliant host.