What is the role of the Party President?

Translation of a post by Penderyn:

It seems now certain that there will be an election for the presidency of Plaid Cymru this year. There are at least two names in the race and possibly there will be more once everyone has realised that there will be an election. The intention of this article is not to plead the case of one of the candidates, nor to try and predict the result, but rather to think about what is the role of the President.

Ever since defining (completely appropriately) the Leader of the Assembly group as the Party Leader, there has been some lack of clarity concerning the role of the President, and nobody has really made an attempt to define what the role and purpose of the President now is. The core of these observations is that there is a need to be clear about what the Party can expect from the President before it is able to make a considered decision as to who the President should be.

There are several possible roles, and of course there are the means to combine elements of these, but what is important I would suppose is the vote - I suggest below several options to be weighed and measured, discussed and considered.

A Bridge

In an age where there has been a remarkable increase in the number of elected members and the Party has professionalised in many aspects, including the very substantial number (over 100) of individuals who now depend on the Party or its politicians for their wages; there is a danger that the voice of members is being under represented. We need then a President who can represent the voluntary wing, to give a voice to the membership and to act as a counterpoint (where necessary) to the elected members.

A Public Inspiration

Somebody is needed who can fire the imagination of the Welsh population, with a catchy and exciting style of communicating and to be one of the Party's chief spokespeople.

An Internal Inspiration

Somebody is needed who can fire the imagination of the membership through regular contact with the members and by travelling across all of Wales to support the work of branches and constituencies.

A Thinker

The Party already has a team of front line politicians who communicate effectively with voters, there's no need to add another to the list. What is needed is somebody to give ideological direction to the Party (a role that would have been entirely appropriate for example for the late Phil Williams). It could be on a range of policies or on some of the Party's main long term aims, eg independence.

A Senior Politician

As the President does not have much of a specific role now, the post is a sign of the Party's respect for an individual who has given a life of service. In the case of the SNP, Winnie Ewing was such a president for many years. In the case of the Lib Dems a senior citizen (usually) is chosen to fill the role fairly regularly.

A Strategist

Somebody is needed to step back from day to day politics, and to ensure that the Party keeps its sights on the strategic picture and works to develop and refine the Party's strategy. One could even from accepting this as the role remove the post of Party Chair, and have the President chair the Party's main meetings.

There are arguments for each one of the above options, and it is certain that it is not possible for an individual to fulfil every one of these roles - indeed some are wholly incompatible with eachother. But I'm convinced there is a need for the Party's membership to consider what they want from the President, and for each one of the candidates to define what is their vision for the role.