Why it’s very, very unlikely the Senedd elections will be postponed

Other countries, such as South Korea, seem to have manged elections during a time of active infection but if next years' elections are delayed we will end up with a real car crash of elections piling up. In England we have Mayoral elections already delayed along with police commissioners and their local English elections. In Wales, delaying until 2022 will add all the Council elections to the mix along with Police commissioners and the Senedd elections, in most cases 5 ballot papers to fill in for every voter. A nightmare which could be made even worse by the odd parliamentary by-election. I've no doubt that the use of postal votes could be expanded as there may still be many people self isolating, and use of larger buildings or staggered voting days could be used to ensure social distancing. We can't wait until we have medical treatments or a vaccine, it might well not happen in time for these elections. and may not happen at all.. We never did get a vaccine for the very similar coronovirus SARS 1, and those who survived its infection did have antibodies but they faded after 2 years or so. SARS 1 was more deadly, [30% mortality ] and trace and isolate,the only way to eliminate it. Ironically because Covid 19 is less virulent, it's harder to chase through the population, as relatively few get severely ill and the level of population testing needed to track down every case would be massive. The Ebola vaccine took 7 years or so to produce. We may have to put up with BoJo's invisible mugger for some time, but it is no excuse to suspend democracy.

Classic flying a kite and diversion tactics - to get us all talking about anything else apart from demanding information on the practical logistics for the Test, Trace, Isolate regime that isn't yet in place, and the getting out of lockdown road map that wasn't presented to the public by Mark Drakeford! Apart from the statement that there was a road map for Wales, and mention of 3 traffic light colours there was absolutely no further information for the Welsh public! We can't all be searching Welsh Govt website for the details - they're counting on it! Let's all keep focused!

I highly doubt that Wales will still be under mandated social dysfunction come this time next year. The evidence is now overwhelming that this latest coronavirus is no more deadly than a bad flu season. People will have woken up to the lies and stupidity long before then I should hope. Ifan mentions presidential elections in Belarus in August. The government of Belarus has already called the Covid-19 a hoax. Ignore it and drink vodka the president advised. No spikes in deaths there. Ignoring it seems the best policy response so far. There has been a spike in excess deaths in Wales and England - not from Covid-19 - but from the response to it. Particularly the shutting down of NHS services to cancer and people with heart problems, all the while waiting for the never-to-materialise rush of Covid-19 patients in largely empty hospitals. When people wake up to the stupidity being rolled out by Welsh politicians of all political parties, they should be lucky for any one of them to hang on to their seat come next year. But then Ifan makes the point that the virus could mutate into a far more dangerous variant. That's really the only hope the political class of Wales has left. Of course, while we're into imagining disasters, perhaps the elections might have to be called off for a number of other reasons such as: the Extinction Rebellion crowd had it right and the planet becomes unbearably hot and survivors have to live underground in caves; or aliens from outer-space invade and cancel all elections worldwide; or Drakeford insults Putin and Russia nukes Wales into dust. The possibilities are endless.

I would like to think Welsh Labour believe its the only way they'll still be in power is by delaying elections. It doesn't help Labour's chances when you hear Gethin, Welsh Gov health minister also state on BBC's Politics Wales he's "really not bothered" with the costs of his aborted testing portal. The thin end of the wedge I bet and perhaps explains to a larger degree why NHS Wales struggles. What other money has been squandered over the years that could have been better spent elsewhere. His absurd and perpetual incompetencies are costing lives both directly and indirectly. Is he bothered?

I started reading Mr Morgan Jones's opinion piece with a sense that postponement of next year's elections might turn out to be an regrettable but defensible necessity. But his arguments, plus those adduced by some contributors to this thread, have rather convinced me otherwise.

Before WW I polling in the UK use to be held over weeks rather than on one day. If I remember rightly Keir Hardie had lost an election in England and Scotland before turning up victorious in Merthyr! Social distancing for those who doubt the validity of postal voting (I've voted by post for all Assembly/Senedd elections) could be achieved by allowing 2 meter votes, in person, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday etc