WITH two weeks and a day to go, the Newport West by-election campaign is in full swing.

There’s certainly been a lot of activity, with campaigners for all the parties out night and day canvassing and leafleting - some more than others - while others have opened prominent new city centre headquarters.

But so far the campaign has been far from the tinderbox many predicted it would be when the by-election was called a few weeks ago.

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All the big parties and more than one of the smaller ones told anyone who’d listen just how much they were going to put into campaigning, and I was led to understand there’d be a lot of big public campaign events with some big names.

Yet so far, all the effort is being put instead on the doorstep. There’s evidence to show it’s this face-to-face contact which can ultimately make a real difference on polling day - but time is running out if any of the parties want to make a big splash.

But this may all change on Thursday evening when the first of at least two hustings events are held.

With 11 candidates with some very different views standing - as it should be - this may be the spark which finally sets this campaign alight.

The last thing Paul Flynn - whose funeral is being held on Friday - would want would be for the by-election to find his successor to be a damp squib.

- Whatever side of the debate you fall, there’s no understating just how much of a dog’s dinner has been made of Brexit.

Take a step back for a moment and consider just how ridiculous it is that we’re supposed to be leaving the EU next Friday, and literally no one knows how and if that’s going to work.

A mature and sensible government running a major world power would have got all this sorted out in good time. Instead, like a child leaving their homework until the night before it’s due, they’ve left it until the last possible minute.

The prime minister’s deal is clearly dead and thankfully John Bercow put paid to Mrs May repeatedly coming back to MPs saying “How about now? How about now?” earlier this week.

So we’re left with only two options, both of which were completely out of the question in 2016.

The first is to leave without a deal. The implications of this still aren’t fully understood, but anyone claiming it would be a good thing is heading for a very rude awakening if it happens.

Today is 1,000 days since the referendum - that’s 1,000 days the government has had specifically to negotiate a deal with the EU. The fact that they haven’t managed that would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.

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The only other alternative is to delay Article 50. Although this is now the only sensible alternative, it’s far from the panacea some have painted it as.

Not only does it mean this painful process is being dragged on yet further, but there will be a lot of people who will be very, very angry about this.

And of course it’s dependent on the EU agreeing to the delay - and they’d be well within their rights to refuse. Despite what some would tell you, the UK holds none of the cards in this negotiation and it would be at least understandable for Brussels to say “you’ve made your bed, now sleep in it”.

There are plenty who say the so-called ‘people’s vote’ is the answer, as if it’s a foregone conclusion any second referendum would present a remain result.

This is far from the case - I can honestly say I can count the number of people who’ve told me they voted leave in 2016 and now say they’ve changed their minds one one hand, even if I had a few fingers missing. And that’s not to mention the democratic implications of holding such a vote. If one referendum can be overturned, why not all of them?

The plan may have been to leave the EU next week, but it’s clear this story is very, very far from over and, like Game of Thrones, there’s plenty more twists to come.

- As if things weren’t busy enough, it’s spring conference season. First up is Plaid Cymru in Bangor this weekend.

As the party’s first conference under Adam Price’s leadership no doubt at least some changes will be afoot. There’s even been some suggestions the party might be considering changing its name to the New Wales Party, or Plaid Cymru Newydd.

There’s more than an echo of Labour’s rebrand as New Labour under Tony Blair, but there’s no denying that worked out pretty well for him, at least to start with.

I’m not expecting any shocks, but I’ve said that before.