Paper dragons and dead dodos

Rhys Evans BBC Wales Political Reporter

Don't read all about it: newspapers believe elections don't sell copies

"Nothing's moving, nothing moves at all, it's as dead as a dodo."

No, this wasn't an assessment of the state of Welsh rugby, but rather the private verdict of one of Wales' greatest politicians at the end of the first full week of campaigning for the Welsh Assembly election.

He was referring to the situation in his part of Wales - an area where in the past people were rushing to the voting booths at every election.

But this time, according to my distinguished source, it's rather different.

Electoral rituals

So is he right? Let's start with the Welsh press - the Western Mail, Daily Post and the Welsh Mirror. Without a doubt the war has had an effect and the fighting in Najaf and Basra has had more coverage than the election fight in Newborough and Bala.

But this is not the only explanation. Even when you've read the stories about the war and reached the middle pages the election doesn't have half, even a quarter, of the attention it had four years ago.

If the apathy party wins, the implications for Welsh politics are great

Every morning in Cardiff Bay, and in some other parts of Wales, the old electoral rituals are still being held. These are the press conferences. Traditionally these were a chance for the politicians to spin and chatter and a chance for the hacks to question them.

But not any more. The press doesn't bother to turn up. The truth is that politics doesn't sell newspapers and the Welsh papers and their staff (apart from a few exceptions) regard assembly politics as boring and irrelevant to their readers.

Tame

The second explanation is this: there isn't anything spectacular between the policies of the parties.

If you nothing better to do tonight, how about reading through the parties' manifestos? If you're committed enough then you will soon realise that there is a big similarity between the policies of the three left of centre parties - the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Plaid Cymru.

And the Conservatives, the only right wing party in Wales, are much more tame than when Rod Richards was their leader.

Is it the fault of the parties or the papers that polling news is sparse?

If you add to this the fact that voting isn't at all fashionable any longer, is it any surprise that many electors find this election as interesting as a sleeping pill?

Doomsday

Am I too cynical? Some commentators are seeing the glass half full. Perhaps you've noticed by now that I don't fall into this category.

We're only a fortnight away from doomsday.

Last time only 46% of us voted. This time many politicians are worried that this will fall to about 30%. If this is the case then there is no doubt that we'll see all sorts of strange results.

The implications are serious for the assembly. The body itself will remain, of course, but the challenge ahead of the new members is much more difficult.

But perhaps it's those who favour giving more powers to the assembly who will suffer the biggest blow.

A low turnout will encourage the devolution doubters, making the task of the greater powers brigade very difficult if not impossible - a situation that in itself makes the assembly election an interesting one.

Even if the apathy party wins, the implications for Welsh politics are great.

Yes, it's a strange world.