03/03/2010

A Voice for Aberconwy or a Cameron Whipping Boy?

The They Work for You website notes that Elfyn Llwyd Hardly ever rebeled against his party in this parliament. Not surprising really, as he is both the Leader and Chief Whip of a party of just three MPs.

But hold on Defii John, hardly ever is not quite the same as never, never ever. On occasions Elfyn has voted differently to his two colleagues because he has voted for what he believes is in the best interest of his constituents, despite the fact that Hywel and Adam, have disagreed with him.

Ieuan Wyn Jones is often criticised for his support for Wylfa B, despite the fact that the party that he leads is opposed to nuclear power.

There is something odd here!

In both Westminster and Cardiff Bay, the Leader of Plaid Cymru occasionally rebels against party policy and stands up for his constituents in opposition to party policy.

In other parties both Ieuan and Elfyn would be sidelined for not toeing the party line, even deselected, but in Plaid they are enabled to lead the party despite not agreeing with the party on every issue.

Despite the Leadership Debates that go with the lie that we are electing a Prime Minister, we will actually be electing Knights of the Shire in this years' Westminster Election – people who should be the hero for our communities' needs.

In my constituency I have to consider whether I want to elect a Lobby Fodder Candidate who will vote the way that his whips tell him to vote, or for a candidate who will support the best interest of the constituency first, even if or after s/he is elevated to important roles in the party's hierarchy.

I know that Phil Edwards, if elected, will put Aberconwy first and party allegiance second. Sadly I've seen Guto Bebb morph from right of centre nationalist into Pure Tory Lobby Fodder without an independent thought that isn't owned and copyrighted by the Tory Party.

I'm going to vote for a Free Voice for Aberconwy, not for a whipped voice for Cameron!

12 comments:

  1. Well said Alwyn.

    I'l be joining you in voting for Phil.

    We're going to need a strong voice for Aberconwy in the coming months and years, someone determined to stand up and fight for what's right and what's best for us here in Wales.

    The last thing we need is yet another Cameron whipping boy who will always and without fail do as he's told by the Camerloons.

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  2. Barry Hughes03/03/2010, 14:55

    Well said, especially in the light of all the recent problems with Guto Bebb and the Aberconwy Tories. I don't think voters have confidence in a party so divided as they are.

    There's clearly a problem when you have Guto Bebb, not just at odds with some party members, but taking them outside at meetings, as he did when he was accused of not working for the campaign. He took one member outside and was prodding him in the chest in a fit of temper.

    And then there are the rants and the tirades at the local press, as well as the BBC.

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  3. I personally support Plaid and disagree with IWJ and Dylan Rees on nuclear power. But they have every right to put local interest ahead of party policy- they must represent their constituents and should have full rein to do that.

    The Tories do some to be losing ground across the UK, hoepfully Phil can capitalise on that.

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  4. Wales on Sunday, 28 February:

    "THE Conservatives in Aberconwy – well, the ones who haven’t left or fallen out with the candidate – are campaigning hard to have one Guto Bebb elected to Westminster at the coming general election.

    Their glossy leaflet is made up to look like a women’s magazine. And, impressively, only contains two glaring errors.

    Firstly, it boasts of Mr Bebb “’living and campaigning locally”, which is only true if Caernarfon is now part of Aberconwy (it isn’t).

    And then it prints a picture of Mr Bebb with “MEP Jonathan Evans” showing his support. Which is curious, what with Mr Evans having not been an MEP since last June.

    Still, apart from that, good work!"

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  5. I'm not sure whether Barry is talking about the same incident but I did wonder if it could be true what I heard about him having to be prevented from physically manhandling a heckler out of a public meeting some time last year.

    Perhaps it is after all.

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  6. Sorry to disagree, but IWJ's support for Wylfa B in Anglesey despite Plaid being in principle steadfastly against nuclear power is hardly evidence of "standing up for constituents against party policy" - rather its called un-principled self-interest. IWJ knows full well that he would lose the next Assembly election on Anglesey if he opposed Wylfa B.

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  7. Putting a cynical spin on Ieuan's support for Wylfa B is fair enough, but however you choose to interpolate his support, he is still agreeing with the views of his constituents and disagreeing with the views of his party - which is what I want from a local representative.

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  8. Thats a fair interpretation. I would add however that Plaid is against Nuclear power on the grounds that it is a potential health hazard and has repeatedly and unequivocally opposed Nuclear Power in Wales in its various manifestoes for years. As Ieuan is the Leader of the party I would assume that he must agree with this policy - with the exception of his home constituency of Anglesey. However, with a question of health it is surely difficult to have it both ways: either you beleive it is potentialy harmful and shouldn't be anywhere in Wales, or it is not harmful and therefore could be supported in any Welsh constituency. In this case, we have to conclude that Ieuan is supporting nuclear power in Anglesey even though he believes that Nuclear energy is potentially harmful to the very people he is elected to take care of. Again, I would say that this is unprincipled.

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  9. It is a point that I have made before on this blog. If the Government in London is going to build new nuclear reactors anyway, it doesn't make much difference, from my own safeties point of view if they are built in Cheshire or Lancashire or Cumbria - if one of them goes bang I go bang with it!

    My personal opinion (I am not a member of any political party) is that if we are going to have the risk from British reactors in western England, we may as well have the benefits of having them in Wales as Wylfa B and/or Traws B. This may be seen as unprincipled or cynical, from one who has doubts about nuclear power, but wtf?

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  10. I really hope Phil Edwards becomes a Westminster MP and that he will balance his party and constituents interests.

    But, with respect, that is not the same as the Wylfa B case. The political elite on Ynys Môn has got most decisions wrong. Their council is a disgrace. They have spectacularly failed the economy. We were told they had to support new nukes to save Anglesey Aluminium. That was a success, wasn't it? Wylfa B is not guaranteed either; not sure to happen, cost run-away and accident risky. It only takes one WTF. But where's their Plan B, based on our national assets and what we control?

    Môn Mam Cymru has huge assets, including tidal power in the Afon Menai. What it seems to lack is imaginative leadership. People with principles deliver. Trimmers change nothing.

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  11. A rather odd posting Alwyn.

    Three postings back your view was 'love him or loath him Guto Bebb always raises interesting points'. Now, a few days later, I have become a Cameroon through and through.

    So when did my transformation occur? Or does it relate to the growing dismay in the Plaid camp at the collapse of their campaign in Aberconwy?

    As I have said before Alwyn - you were much more interesting whne you were less partisan.

    Guto

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  12. Mae Guto Bebb yn twyllo'i hun os ydi o'n meddwl fod ymgyrch Plaid yn Aberconwy yn chwilfryw. Fues i yno'n canfasio Ddydd Sadwrn ac roedd y derbyniad yn anhygoel - y rhan fwyaf heb unrhyw ffydd yn y ddwy brif blaid ac eisiau rhywun lleol i siarad drostynt yn annibynnol. Mae hyd yn oed Geidwadwyr wedi cael digon arnat fel y danghosodd y Cynghorydd Tew, Cadeirydd y Ceidwadwyr yn Aberconwy!!

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