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Tuesday's announcement that plans to reform the school year have been shelved follows a familiar pattern.

Since Vaughan Gething became Wales' first minister in March, other controversial policies brought forward by his predecessor Mark Drakeford have been kicked into the long grass.

Big changes to farming subsidies, which were strongly opposed by unions, have been delayed until 2026 - the year of the next Senedd election.

Council tax reform is another big policy that ministers have decided to leave for the next Welsh government to deal with.

There is a question mark too over plans to introduce gender quotas in Senedd elections.

Other policies have been revised.

Changes have been promised to the 20mph policy, and the government has changed its rules on slaughtering pregnant cows who have tested positive for TB.

Taken together, these decisions risk giving the impression that this is a government that is reluctant or afraid to make difficult or unpopular choices.

This is an administration that already has plenty to deal with, given the ongoing pressure on Mr Gething.

He faces a no-confidence vote in the Senedd on Wednesday after he accepted controversial donations to his leadership campaign.

He also lacks a majority, and his position has been further weakened by Plaid Cymru's decision to scrap the co-operation deal it had with Welsh Labour.

It is worth noting, however, that the decision to kick the council tax can down the road was one of the reasons Plaid gave for pulling out of the deal.

The Welsh government would argue that these decisions show it’s listening and is keen to engage properly before acting.

Allies of Mr Gething might also suggest they show he’s delivering on his pledge when he took office to focus "on what matters most to people's daily lives".

"After over a decade of austerity, we must focus on a set of core priorities if we are to deliver the positive, progressive change that we want to see," he said.

However, whatever the reason for this approach, the government's decisions risk undermining the work carried out by previous ministers under Mark Drakeford's leadership.

A penny for his thoughts, as he watches on now from the Labour backbenches.