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Apologies for the long silence.

Firstly the blog seemed to go into meltdown for a few days, swiftly followed by its author. With a trail of tissues, I'm back and there's good news on the blog's health too which I'll spell out later.

But first: badgers, whose good health or otherwise is of rather more consequence.

Last week the Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, announced the Welsh Assembly Government's decision to carry out in an attempt to control bovine TB. Satisfaction on one side of the funnel that rises from the chamber up into the oriel or the gallery above. That's where I spotted the Countryside Alliance gang sitting, with figures claiming that TB has cost us £53million over the past decade. Directly on the other side of the funnel and the argument, the Badger Trust people had set up shop.

There, you knew all that Canadian maple had its uses.

So with the decision already taken and announced, Assembly Members now get a chance to discuss the issue. In other words the cull's announced, then AMs get to discuss the rights and wrongs of it: to cull or not to cull.

It makes perfect sense according to the Deputy First Minister. AMs must have a right to air their views on issues like this and the fact that the government has already made up its mind makes it easier for them to target their questions and scrutinise the Minister.

In fact the Labour group will get a free vote this afternoon, so will the Liberal Democrats. Plaid and the Conservatives are deciding now in their group meetings whether to follow suit.

All of which means - and badgers and their supporters will already have worked this out - that the government's utterly confident of winning the vote.

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