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A LEADING Conservative politician in Wales has urged his party to consider a coalition with nationalists next May.

David Melding says his party has to seriously think about such a possible coalition, to reinvigorate Welsh democracy and improve the social and economic fabric of the nation.

Mr. Melding, the longest serving Conservative politician in the Bay, made his observations in a podcast this week with ITV’s Adrian Masters.

GWLAD leader Gwyn Wigley Evans welcomed the idea, saying a new type of pragmatic, and common sense politics for Wales was now the way forward.

‘As a party, we’ve been saying for quite some time now, that the old left v right political paradigm, just doesn’t cut it anymore.’ said Mr Evans.

‘It should just be about what’s right for Wales, and policies which make sense for Wales. Those policies can come from several directions if people can just work together’.

He added that Wales just had to shake off the poisoned legacy of a 100 years of Labour rule.

‘Labour’s dominance here over the years has made us amongst the poorest, illest, and worst educated nations in the whole of Europe’ he said.

‘Wales simply can’t afford to have these wreckers in charge for four more years. They simply have to be removed from office next May’

Mr. Evans added that the Conservatives in Wales were not perfect by any means, and they still had a lot of work to do to become a truly Welsh party.

‘But, if they are willing to work alongside nationalist parties for the good of Wales, that is a huge step forward.’

It will be interesting to see the reaction to this idea, and in particular how it will be received by Plaid.

There’s still a significant socialist section within the party, fixated with ‘the evil Tories’ mindset.

Purists who would simply not countenance the idea of working alongside what they see as the devil incarnate.

But there’s another more pragmatic part of the party, who might just welcome the opportunity to have a whole new start for Wales.

Those pragmatists could point to the fact that the first minority SNP government in Scotland in 2007 involved a coalition of sorts with the Conservatives.

Which was the beginning of the end for the Labour party in Scotland, who are now almost a complete irrelevance north of the border.

David Melding has just instigated what’s likely to be a huge and protracted debate between the purists and the pragmatists within Plaid.

We’ll be ordering the popcorn!