Debates at Carmarthenshire Council can get feisty, and Rob James is usually involved. In many respects that is the job of the opposition leader - to question, to prod, to challenge. Mr James seems to have a knack of winding up certain opponents, and I'm keen to find out more about his strategy and his background.
I learn that he wanted to join the Army and studied war and society at Swansea University, and wonder if these could be clues to his approach. It was Valentine's Day when we met and a busker was making a good fist of Leonard Cohen hit Hallelujah outside Llanelli's St Elli Shopping Centre, which seemed to augur well for a convivial chat.
The Carmarthenshire Labour leader was born in Swansea 34 years ago and moved around with his two younger siblings as his parents looked for work. He attended Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School in Neath, then college and university - the point when a career in the Army appealed. "My parents convinced me not to do it," he said. You can get more Carmarthenshire news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
