My BBC iPlayer Appearance on S4C's CF99 (the Welsh equivalent to Andrew Neil's 'This Week')

I'm heading back west to Cardigan after a brief trip to Cardiff.

I was contacted by S4C a month or so ago and was asked whether I'd be free to appear on their weekly political discussion programme CF99 - our equivalent to Andrew Neil's 'This Week'. For the 4th time my answer was yes and it can be seen here on BBC's iPlayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cy/episode/p00f8jxq/CF99_Wed_23_Feb_2011/

I've been doing media work for the Welsh Liberal Democrats for almost 8 years now. I'd barely been a conference go-er for 12 months before I was asked to take part in my first media interview - a live discussion on Radio Wales' 'Good Morning Wales' programme during our 2003 Welsh Lib Dem conference in Swansea. As it happens, 2 days earlier, the UK and America invaded Iraq and so my first ever media appearance was about this issue. In this case it was a joint effort as I was sitting alongside our more experienced media man Phil Hobson from Monmouthshire.

Well the wheel has turned full circle because on Wednesday night, I was on CF99 discussing the current situation in the middle east. It's my 4th visit to the CF99 set in the heart of the Welsh Assembly building in Cardiff Bay. I've also been a panellist for the party on 2 occasions on 'Pawb A'i Farn' (the Welsh equivalent to Question Time) and have made countless appearances on the live Radio Cymru Friday afternoon political slot 'Dau O'r Bae'. Like with anything in life, I've had good media and days and not so good media days. I suppose it goes with the territory.

Well I classify my own performance on Wednesday night as belonging to the former category. But for those who can't understand the language of heaven, I'll comment briefly on what was said in the clips above, here in writing. Alongside Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan and former ITV Wales political columnist Gareth Hughes, I was the target being shot at as the first discussion revolved around the Welsh Liberal Democrat party's chances in the up-coming Welsh Assembly elections in May. I gave what I felt was a good, solid performance in rebutting the attacks and I went on the offensive more than is sometimes the case. I spoke of record numbers having pre-registered for our Welsh conference in a week's time, fought back against Gareth's unjust comments about our excellent leader Kirsty Williams and reminded Heledd Fychan that she shouldn't be chastising the current Westminster-based coalition government for not following through with the enirety of their mutual manifestos when Plaid Cymru themselves didn't do so when they entered a coalition with Labour in Cardiff Bay in 2007 - what did happen to that Plaid promise of giving every schoolchild a laptop?

The second half saw a swap as Gareth Hughes was subbed for Stephen Thomas who is an expert in middle eastern matters. Again, I gave what I hope was seen as being an honest and thoughtful response to the escalating problems currently occurring in Libya and across the arabic states more generally. I bemoaned the UN's willingness to only write of its grave concerns because what good will warm words on a piece of paper do for the people on the streets of Libya right now? I also spoke of the west's often two faced stance when calling for democracy and then disowning the result when it doesn't go their way as was the case with Hamas' victory in he Gaza Strip. I also commented that our propensity to sell arms to these Arab states doesn't help us when we're trying to speak from the moral high ground.

All in all, I've had good feedback from friends about my performance so I'm happier than normal to show it once again, here on my blog via the BBC iPlayer service!