Playing politics

A perennial complaint about BBC Wales is that it is a hotbed for the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru.

This accusation usually comes from Labour supporters in Wales, who are of course in the majority, but not them alone.

Unfortunately this criticism may be underlined by the latest appointment at the corporation’s Llandaff headquarters.

Rhuanedd Richards, formerly Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru has been appointed the new Editor of BBC Radio Cymru and the Welsh language online service, Cymru Fyw.

In the past, she has also been a special advisor to former deputy first minister and Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones.

She was in this job for four years.

The corporation has even proclaimed some of her controversial antecedents in an internal email to staff seen by The Eye, from BBC Wales director, Rhodri Talfan Davies.

In it he says:  “A former Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru, Rhuanedd has also worked as an advisor to the Welsh Government and later as Policy Advisor to the Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales”.

But her previous roles have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.

In February last year it emerged that she was to advise Plaid Cymru AM Elin Jones – who oversees Welsh Assembly proceedings – even though she had worked for the party for 10 years.

The then Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies questioned how they could work effectively across party lines.

He said: “No-one could question Rhuanedd Richards’ considerable political experience, but it was gained in pursuit of a narrow, partisan agenda – as Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru”.

Almost exactly three years ago Ms Richards made a contentious suggestion in the Plaid magazine.

She reopened the argument over whether removing computers from the Welsh Assembly chamber would improve debates.

Making it clear it was her personal view, although it was published in a party magazine, Ms Richards wrote: “Who was it that said the greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention?

“It’s an important principle in politics as it is in life – the ability to listen and the perception that you’re listening.”

Mr Davies also lauds the past ‘achievements’ of BBC Radio Cymru in the staff email.

He writes:  “I know Rhuanedd is determined to build on the real successes of both services”.

But this success is patchy to say the least, as The Eye have shown.

Her immediate predecessor, Betsan Powys who is to step down, appeared with Colin Paterson, the Editor of BBC Radio Wales before Assembly Members, as they tried to defend the appallingly low audience figures for their stations and to those watching failed abysmally.

One radio fan who saw the proceedings before the Assembly’s Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee was not impressed.

He told The Eye:  “The whole meeting was waffle”.

The BBC website interpretation of this appearance was rather different and seemed to concentrate on securing Welsh news opt outs on Radios 1 and 2 rather than attending to the crucial issue of the Editors’ stations lack of appeal.

In the internal staff email, Mr Davies says he is ‘delighted’ by the appointment of Ms Richards.

Others may be less so.

Also on The Eye – Cardiff Bus refuses to divulge passenger numbers because the information is “commercially sensitive” as numbers crash at cities across the developed world.