A marriage of convenience?

Very good article! I always supported a Green and Plaid coalition. If we look at Bildu party in the Basque country, left wing nationalists, greens and socialists combined forces to create a new party and have been very successful in recent elections there. I do think a Plaid/Green coalition could cement Plaid as a second place party ahead of the Tories and Reform (but so many people in Plaid can't swallow their pride and reject the idea). Liberal and Green Alliance could really be effective and exciting and certainly be king makers against a rampant anti devo right wing Tories and Reform. We must work togethor against the rising right wing tide!

Rightly a combined Green/Liberal vote would provide many seats, looking at current polling. However, in the likely situation where the Greens and Liberals are on separate tickets, for the vast majority of constituencies voting Green and Liberal will split the left of centre vote and hand more seats to Reform UK.

Very poor article, completely ignoring the elephant in the room. The problem with the multi member constituencies is that the choice of who represents us as AM rests with the political parties nationally. There is no space for local choice of candidates and no need for AM’s to provide a good service to their constituents. Position on the list - and therefore likelihood of success - is in the gift of party bosses. The Labour Party in particular showed at the last general election that they have no hesitation in parachuting in political insiders with no knowledge of, or connection with, the constituency, or even any connection to Wales. Their loyalty will be to their political bosses in London. Remember Alun Michael? At least he had a Welsh connection, unlike Torsten Bell and others.

With London Labour doing everything they can to undermine Welsh Labour, anything is possible.

Where I use to live in North Wales, the decision to increase the number of MSs has by far attracted more attention than the voting system changes. And it is deeply unpopular, especially with Reform/Tory voters. In my view, it has even triggered anti-Senedd feelings and at a time when there is a cost-of-living crisis and politicians aren’t particular popular. I wouldn’t be too surprised if a Reform policy at the Senedd election is a reduction in MSs! I hope not to offend; the elected politician with the highest approval ratings in the UK is currently Andy Burnham who runs a small and appointed team; far smaller than Labour in the Senedd and not with significantly less powers. The purpose of increasing the MSs was in anticipation of more devolved powers, which haven’t happened and  to increase Senedd scrutiny. Burnham is showing having a small but competent team can be as effective. A good example, look at the changes in the Metrolink/buses vs South Wales Metro! Polling for Libs/Greens combined in north Wales is less than 10% in most seats. To get to the 12-15% range, you need one to drop out, all other voters to switch, and hope to pick up another 5 or so %. Personally, I can’t see it. But probably won’t know until results come in

That's what makes a proportional system fairer, though harder. Less people are disenfranchised and political parties have to work together. Often trading policies and mixing up our future prospects. Which is a good thing. Gone will be the stale, mundane Labour policies of the last two decades and a half. The object now is for political parties to realise this is very likely to happen and to to start building bridges with like minded parties now. Plaid, the Greens and the LibDems all need to communicate more so that they will be talking from the same page if required next year.

Mr Gwerfil persuasively points to the positive aspects of the new system, and I wholly accept the arguments which he offers in his advocacy of them. But he seems to me in his opinion piece to evade addressing what I see as potential downsides inherent to the method that we'll perforce have to accept when we vote as the next Senedd election comes around. The first is that in the UK we've for centuries had a system under which people vote for a single named individual. Voters tend to be conservative around the choice offered to them at election time, and the substitution of a list of representatives for any single named individual strikes me as a change at which quite a few people are likely to baulk. And that will surely be even more the case if they've raised an issue of their own with their MS which they feel that s/he's addressed carefully and conscientiously - even when their MS isn't a representative of the political party which they might personally tend to back. The second potential downside which occurs to me has already been well expressed by Chris Hale further up this comment thread, so there's no point in my reiterating it. But Gwern Gwynfil response also makes sense to me, though I do wonder whether - given our past political traditions - the 'ruthless political pragmatism' which he acknowledges to be crucial for the success of what he hopes for will happen in hard reality. Still, we are where we are, and at this advanced stage I don't see much likelihood of a rethink. Time will tell how it pans out.

Perhaps be careful what you wish for? The Greens in Bristol (their big electoral success) are fast becoming anything but as slogans confront reality and liability policies are implemented. "It's the bins, it's the roads...it's vote loosing". Heading the way of Brighton's Greens where "unfortunately we took our eye of the ball" sic. And then there's the Scottish Greens a freak show of its very own. And the Libdems, the poor cheerfully traded for paper bags, the joy of the bedroom tax still viciously with us. Wales's own Lord Mike German leading it through the Lord's as he contemplated his own publicly funded property portfolio. Vote again for that grift? Personally I wouldn't cross the road for either vacuity. The idea that in 2025 they will "cut through" demands you re-reading the label on the drugs.

Not good for Plaibour

With 25 years of Welsh Labour Senedd rule, where the first 12 years were wasted thanks to New Labour at Westminster putting a spanner in the works with a powerless toothless Welsh Assembly patronised by an LCO (Legislative Competent Order) system, add insufficient members, took Plaid Cymru in coalition in 2007 to force Rhodri Morgan in turn PM Gordon Brown in Labour's death throws in government to pass legislation that got royal accent that enabled a winning legislative referendum in 2011, which was won by a majority blowing out of the water all those hostile accusations that their was no mandate as argued in 1997. And where we find ourselves today. In 2026 we will finally have a Senedd Cymru with 96 members. Remember, none of this would have been possible if left to New Labour alone in London. They did their utmost to frustrate & hinder devolution ever since it's inception in 1997. In fact, the same unionist Anglo centrists like Neil Kinnock & co were responsible for the failed 1979 referendum that led to false promises of jobs , infrastructure build and more money that never materialised resulting in 18 years of Thatcherism and Tory authoritsrian rule that devastated Wales. And we've never really recovered. And less we forget. The failed 1979 devolution referendum is very reminiscent of the recent 2014 Scottish & 2016 Brexit votes. As in 1979, the Welsh & Scottish electorate were promised a land of milk & honey by treacherous unionists only to fall for the same trick again. Obviously this was the begining of the ill effects of society been dumbed down that started the rise of populism and the cult of personality where the inmates now control the asylum.

I do not understand how the Greens who support annibyniaeth and the Liberals who do not can present a coherant policy to the Welsh electorate on this fundamental issue.