In a little over 100 days three and a half months time voters in Wales will elect a new devolved government. Opinion polls suggest the prospect of a groundbreaking result: Labour being rejected for the first time ever. The valleys of South Wales are steeped in Labour's storied past. Hardie, Bevan, Kinnock and Foot -- the giants of this movement have walked these streets. But the mood within Welsh Labour as it contemplates elections across this nation is bleak, even black.
For many in Welsh Labour, this summer was the last chance for a rest before the party faces the election battle of its life in next May's Senedd elections. Instead, Labour found itself in mourning for the MS for Caerphilly, Hefin David, who died suddenly last month. Come October, Welsh Labour will now have to fight a byelection under tragic and untimely circumstances.