Taking the pledge but are Labour on message?

Welsh Labour's pledge card

There's one thing the political parties agree on.

This is, said shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith, "the most important general election for a generation".

The prime minister agrees. David Cameron cannot be accused of inconsistency on this issue. He said exactly the same in 2010.

Perhaps they should agree that it's the most important general election since the last one.

Owen Smith made his remarks in Ammanford as Labour launched its Welsh campaign in a seat it lost to Plaid Cymru in 2001.

Labour used the launch to unveil its Welsh campaign pledge card (above). These cards have become an essential campaign tool since John Prescott took to his battlebus in 1997.

Not for the first time at these gatherings, I asked the obvious question of the politicians, candidates and activists present: how many of the five pledges can you name?

Some of the replies were more on message than others. One sticker-wearing supporter was honest: "Oh, not many....I haven't read it yet."

His friend got closer: "The bedroom tax is going to go...more money for the NHS? That is very important."

Once candidate told me: "I don't know....let me see...I knew you were going to ask me that......I haven't actually seen it yet."

So I thought I'd try asking Welsh Labour leader, Carwyn Jones:

"Well if you look at the pledges, they are UK pledges. They are pledges around UK issues as you know. What we've got to be careful about is to make sure the pledges affect the UK and not just of course Wales."

Pressed, he mentioned the living wage, looking at improving the economy and helping people live in safer communities.

The "safer communities" pledge doesn't appear to be one of the five pledges, which may explain why, after our interview, the first minister was seen asking a spin doctor for his own pledge card.