I am very disappointed with Plaid Cymru's lack of success tonight, I was quietly confident that Plaid would have won 5, 6, even 7 seats in this election scarping to keep 3 out of 40 seats is bitterly disappointing, especially whilst the English nationalist Conservatives made gains in Wales and ultra English nationalist UKIP gained more votes than Plaid.
That UKIP can argue about "Immigration" in constituencies with fewer than 5% non British born residents like Aberconwy, but Plaid is too frightened to mention the 30% English Immigrants is counter-productive.
I Read Mike Parker's Comments and Hugh Thomas comments when they were first made – I agreed with both, there is a problem with English Immigrants invading Wales – Plaid must accept this fact –or accept that the future is that so many English move into Wales that Wales becomes an White Flight English county.
Leanne mentioned during the campaign that Plaid needs to be more "naughty" – that naughtiness must include being much more fundamentally nationalist and opposing the colonisation of Wales!
Cytuno cant y cant. Ni ellir disgwyl i bobl nad ydynt yn Gymru deimlo'n wlatgarol am Gymry.
ReplyDeleteLots of things went wrong, but no one has tackled the central theme of Plaid Cymru’s campaign, the anti austerity message. It has limited appeal even in Wales, where for every family struggling with zero hours contracts, benefits and foodbanks, there is another family that’s had two parents working who’ve done ok for the last 5 years and have aspirations to do better and for their children, the SNP understand it and court them as well, but Plaid Cymru don’t, that’s the difference between smart social democrats and head in the cloud socialists.
ReplyDeleteThe welsh left are bewildered and divided after the election with many still in denial about what went wrong, handing even more momentum to the UK right who are on the charge, next year’s Assembly elections are going to be fascinating, Welsh politics is changing and whatever party speaks to that change will win.
I had hoped that someone would give you some words of comfort, Alwyn. But nothing so far, so it is left for me, a Labour Party member, to try to lift your spirits.
ReplyDeleteYr wyf yn anghytuno'n llwyr gyda Gareth Westmacott. In fact, two of the small team campaigning for Dafydd Meurig in Aberconwy were English-born. Like Mike Parker, they could be accused of “White flight” colonisation, but I don’t think the term is appropriate. It is perfectly possible for English-born people to acquire a love of Wales, its people and its language.
Dafydd Meurig fought a good campaign and won over voters from the English-speaking community. His courtesy did him credit. Please do not ask Plaid to move into an extremist position. That is not the place to win for the good of Wales and its people.