A week is a long time in politics a decade is an age and 13 years is an eff of a long time ago.
An eff of a long time ago the Labour Party proposed a Devolution settlement for Wales which was sold, by the skin of its teeth, to the people of Wales as a means by which to defend Wales from future savage assault on Welsh industry and society such as those that the country had suffered under Thatcherism.
Today, the Labour Party in Wales is moaning about the fact that Tory Cuts to the Sain Tathan Bombing School, the Severn Blockade, the Newport Passport Office, S4C etc , etc are all unjustified assaults on Wales by the new Tory government. I agree, they are assaults on Wales. Wales is going to be hammered harder this time than it was the last time that The Unacceptable Face of Capitalism was in charge at Westminster, but we are going to be hammered because of the week defence that Wales was given by virtue of a wishy washy devolution settlement by Labour. The 1997 Labour promise that devolution was a form of Protection from the Tories has fallen at the first hurdle; the palisade has been breached already!
But where is Plaid Cymru, a party that should be fighting to the breach and pointing out that independence would offer ultra protection from all the whiles of Westminster, a party that should be on the rise as the stoutest defenders of a Wales under attack?
Plaid appears to be in a tavern; in an unimportant vile that the oppressors have passed by, discussing the virtues of Plaid Pickles as opposed to Lib Dem Jams!
Bloody hell, if even the Labour Party, the most anti Welsh Party ever to exist in Wales can see an advantage in upping the nationalist anti, why is Plaid going wrong?
There has never been a better time for Plaid to drop its Socialist rhetoric and promote its USP – Nationalism and Patriotism!
The London papers that talk about recessions and recoveries discuss London, not Wales. Wales has been in recession for the past 100 years, and will continue to be so unless and until Wales has the economic leavers to shape its own destiny. Why oh Why is Plaid too scared to put that message across to the people of Wales?
As for the title Labour will go for the whole hog: Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George! I hear that a Royal Wedding is in the offing as a balm for the public pain of neo Thatcherism! Royal weddings are always good for brining the nation together whilst the shit is raining!
Plaid is too busy trying to recruit 'ethnics' and 'marxists' to tick diversity policy check boxes, to do anything of use anymore.
ReplyDeletePlaid care more about portraying a 'brand' than actually doing anything.
ReplyDeleteSadly few could deny that both of the anonymous comments above are true. But why are the comments made anonymously?
ReplyDeleteSupporters of Plaid who feel that Plaid should take its finger out of its faux socialist arse should stand up and be counted rather than posting nonny comments.
Why would expressing nationalism and patriotism mean "dropping socialist rhetoric"?
ReplyDeletePlaid adopted decentralist socialism in the 1970's, IIRC.
When Dafydd Elis-Thomas was a Marxist he was unwavering towards independence. Yet the more liberal Gwynfor Evans was rather after "full national status".
The socialist camp (insofar as it exists, which it doesn't in any concrete sense) is one of the most consistently patriotic and pro-independence tendencies within Plaid Cymru.
This is not particularly relevant to today, but exposes the pretty obvious contradiction in Alwyn's rallying cry.
"Sadly few could deny that both of the anonymous comments above are true. But why are the comments made anonymously? "
I am a little bit disappointed that you think the idea that Plaid is "recruiting ethnics" can't be denied. It is actually borderline racism. Anyone who describes any of our compatriots as "ethnics" is probably an idiot and is better off not bothering with Plaid.
Ramblings there is nothing racist in saying that Plaid recruited Oscar as a candidate in order to "prove" its ethnic diversity rather than because he was the most able candidate available. In fact recruiting people like Oscar for the sake of ticking ethnicity boxes for party political advantage is much more borderline racism than criticising the practice is.
ReplyDeleteThe socialist camp (insofar as it exists, which it doesn't in any concrete sense) what is that supposed to mean? Plaid has given up its silly "decentralised socialism" aim? , that your blog is going to stop supporting any silly socialist nutcase regime going? That Plaid AM's will no longer be putting Brit Socialism before Welsh nationalism? Probably not!
I wish that you lefties would come to realise that the socialist charade is harming Plaid, rather than helping it. As you note Dafydd Elis introduced the socialist mantra to Plaid in the early 1980's, the reasoning was that a socialist Plaid would appeal to the Valleys – but it hasn't. There is a huge amount of patriotic passion in the Valleys that is what Plaid should be appealing to rather than trying to play second fiddle to Labourism.
The socialist camp (insofar as it exists, which it doesn't in any concrete sense) is one of the most consistently patriotic and pro-independence tendencies within Plaid Cymru.. As Plaid (left right and centre) has spent the last 30 years pretending that it isn't a consistently patriotic and pro independence party, big deal!
Plaid didn't recruit Mohammed Asghar- he applied to join the party, stood for his local council seat and won it, and subsequently won the internal elections for the regional list in 2007. I didn't say pointing out Asghar's betrayal is racist. I said calling any of our fellow countrymen "ethnics" is racist. It's racist also to criticise ethnic minority Plaid members on the basis of one man's behaviour, when they are generally anti-Asghar and were when he was a Plaid AM.
ReplyDeletePlaid's AMs do not put "Brit socialism" before Wales. That is a bizarre fabrication that no doubt will sit well with everyone worried about the "ethnics" taking over.