There was an air of excitement today as Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev and Hu Jintao flew into Wales for the launch of Plaid Cymru’s election manifesto on the island of Anglesey.
Plaid Cymru’s party leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said that “I was able to spare each of the leaders 30 minutes of my time to explain our policies and to let them get to know me before I am elected prime minister.”
A spokesman for Barack Obama said that ”The president was humbled to meet Mr Jones and would like to thank him for taking the trouble to inform him of the party’s election pledges. He looks forward to serving under Mr Jones at the G8 and has strong support for all his policies, especially the removal of temporary traffic lights outside Asda in Aberystwyth.”
China’s president Hu Jintao spoke of his desire to “Establish a Wales-China alliance which would tackle strategic issues such as the potholes on the A55 near Prestatyn and the funding of low-emission tractors which would be used by Welsh farmers to clog-up country roads during the tourist season.”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the “He welcomed the opportunity to meet Mr Jones, and like President Obama looks forward to his leadership of the G8.” Medvedev denied accusations that he was only snuggling-up to Jones because of the prospect of access to Welsh slate reserves.
The BBC’s Nick Robinson said that “The public’s level of interest in Welsh rural affairs has never been higher and it’s certain to mean that Mr Jones and his party will be swept to power on a wave of populism as a result of our love of the Welsh accent which never sounds whining or boring, his pledge to protect the language, and perhaps most crucially the introduction of free parking at KwikSave in Bangor.”
