I find it odd that Plaid Cymru; a party which claims to be the most down to earth, most working class, most socialist party in Wales and the party who's pulse beats closest to the beat of the heart of the Welsh nation should choose to hold its open hustings meeting in the most exclusive hotel in the country!
If the battle is to be won in hostelries, won't it be won in spit and sawdust pubs rather than in stared hotels?
Showing posts with label Leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leadership. Show all posts
23/01/2012
Vote Leanne Wood
Anybody who has ever read this blog will know that Ms Wood and I are poles apart politically.
I won't bother to go into specifics, because a simple Google search can do a better job, and a Google search will show, without doubt, that Ms Wood and I are not bedfellows – by a long, long, long way!
I'm a right winger; Leanne is very much to my antipathy –she's a horrid lefty!
I hate left wing politics in my belly, my heart and my brain, but there is a warmth in all my organs that burns warmer than left v right and that is the fire for Welsh independence
The only person who is four square on independence in the Plaid leadership poll is Leanne.
I am almost tempted to re-join the party and start a Hydro for Leanne group – in order to to embarrass her! (Note for youngsters: Hydro was the right wing group in Plaid before you or Ms Wood were even born)
Let there be no doubt, I will oppose Leanne's leftism, but at least I will have a principal to oppose if Leanne is elected party leader, rather than the wishy washy nothing that the other candidates seem to be offering.
And in real politics, Plaid has had a leader to ignore for the last 10 years.
Leanne's strength is you can love her or hate her but you cannot ignore her!
And Plaid's problem over recent years is that it has been ignored!
Just try to ignore Ms Wood at your peril!
I won't bother to go into specifics, because a simple Google search can do a better job, and a Google search will show, without doubt, that Ms Wood and I are not bedfellows – by a long, long, long way!
I'm a right winger; Leanne is very much to my antipathy –she's a horrid lefty!
I hate left wing politics in my belly, my heart and my brain, but there is a warmth in all my organs that burns warmer than left v right and that is the fire for Welsh independence
The only person who is four square on independence in the Plaid leadership poll is Leanne.
I am almost tempted to re-join the party and start a Hydro for Leanne group – in order to to embarrass her! (Note for youngsters: Hydro was the right wing group in Plaid before you or Ms Wood were even born)
Let there be no doubt, I will oppose Leanne's leftism, but at least I will have a principal to oppose if Leanne is elected party leader, rather than the wishy washy nothing that the other candidates seem to be offering.
And in real politics, Plaid has had a leader to ignore for the last 10 years.
Leanne's strength is you can love her or hate her but you cannot ignore her!
And Plaid's problem over recent years is that it has been ignored!
Just try to ignore Ms Wood at your peril!
03/01/2012
Leanne Wood - a cultural nationalist!
It is no secret that my ideas of centre right Welsh Nationalism are directly opposed to Leanne Wood's Socialism and Republicanism.
As I have repeated ad-nausium on this blog socialism is dependent on the state, the state on which Wales now depends is the British state; until we throw off the shackles of state control Wales can never be free!
Republicanism is a British obsession. An independent Wales will have no royal family! Republicanism is not a Welsh Nationalist issue!
Leanne and I are not in tune re socialism and republicanism, but there is an issue where Leanne and I are in four square agreement and that is on the issue of the Welsh Language and Welsh Culture.
Despite the Western Mails bollocks comment: The fact that she is not a Welsh speaker would be an enormous advantage in dispelling the still widely held view that Plaid is essentially a party for Welsh speakers. I can guarantee that Leanne can and does speak Welsh - I have never conversed with her in English!
And I can assure all cultural nationalists that Leanne's love and support of our culture is genuine and heartfelt.
This is not an endorsement – just a statement of fact!
As I have repeated ad-nausium on this blog socialism is dependent on the state, the state on which Wales now depends is the British state; until we throw off the shackles of state control Wales can never be free!
Republicanism is a British obsession. An independent Wales will have no royal family! Republicanism is not a Welsh Nationalist issue!
Leanne and I are not in tune re socialism and republicanism, but there is an issue where Leanne and I are in four square agreement and that is on the issue of the Welsh Language and Welsh Culture.
Despite the Western Mails bollocks comment: The fact that she is not a Welsh speaker would be an enormous advantage in dispelling the still widely held view that Plaid is essentially a party for Welsh speakers. I can guarantee that Leanne can and does speak Welsh - I have never conversed with her in English!
And I can assure all cultural nationalists that Leanne's love and support of our culture is genuine and heartfelt.
This is not an endorsement – just a statement of fact!
26/09/2010
A daft way of choosing a leader!
I have never been a member of the Labour Party, but I have voted in two Labour party leader elections. The first time was in 1983 when Neil Kinnock was elected, the second time was in 1992 when John Smith was elected. I was allowed to vote because I was a member of the Trade Union NUPE. I was entitled to vote so I did vote – for the candidate who I thought would make the worst Labour leader.
Both Kinnock and Smith won handsomely, so my vote, however it was cast, didn't make much difference – Labour got who Labour wanted, for better or worse.
It appears that Ed Milliband has been elected, by the skin of his teeth, by the union vote. Which could mean that a couple of thousand people who did as I did in previous Labour Leadership elections and voted for him as the worst possible candidate may have tipped the balance in Ed's favour this time!
Rather a daft way of choosing a leader!
Both Kinnock and Smith won handsomely, so my vote, however it was cast, didn't make much difference – Labour got who Labour wanted, for better or worse.
It appears that Ed Milliband has been elected, by the skin of his teeth, by the union vote. Which could mean that a couple of thousand people who did as I did in previous Labour Leadership elections and voted for him as the worst possible candidate may have tipped the balance in Ed's favour this time!
Rather a daft way of choosing a leader!
25/09/2009
A Welsh Speaking FM
Before The New Statesman and Marcus raised the point I hadn't considered the fact that Edwina Heart was the only candidate for the Leadership of The Labour Party in Wales who doesn't speak Welsh.
Whether Edwina can speak Welsh or not is immaterial to me, what is important is her attitude towards the language, and in all honesty I can't find any evidence that she has ever been anything but supportive towards the language.
There have been too many native Welsh speakers who have done a disservice to the language and so many "incomers" who have embarrassed us by their support of the language to say that "speaking" Welsh is the same as "supporting" the Welsh language.
I want an FM who supports the language, whether s/he speaks it or not!
80% of the people of Wales don't speak Welsh. I would encourage each and every one of them to have a go at learning Welsh, of course; but not having the language does not, and should not, exclude anybody from our national cause our from participating in our democratic processes.
I am told that Edwina is 100% in favour of supporting the Welsh Language. That is a good enough qualification for her becoming FM for me!
(NB this is not an endorsement, if I had a vote I would probably vote for Huw)
Whether Edwina can speak Welsh or not is immaterial to me, what is important is her attitude towards the language, and in all honesty I can't find any evidence that she has ever been anything but supportive towards the language.
There have been too many native Welsh speakers who have done a disservice to the language and so many "incomers" who have embarrassed us by their support of the language to say that "speaking" Welsh is the same as "supporting" the Welsh language.
I want an FM who supports the language, whether s/he speaks it or not!
80% of the people of Wales don't speak Welsh. I would encourage each and every one of them to have a go at learning Welsh, of course; but not having the language does not, and should not, exclude anybody from our national cause our from participating in our democratic processes.
I am told that Edwina is 100% in favour of supporting the Welsh Language. That is a good enough qualification for her becoming FM for me!
(NB this is not an endorsement, if I had a vote I would probably vote for Huw)
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