NATO - A breath of Fresh Air!

Some might agree with Syniadau that the SNP's vote for Scotland to be part of NATO was right; others might agree with Glyn Beddau that it was wrong.

Having listened to broadcasts from other party conferences, where nothing was debated, where no policy was decided, where the party hierarchy was not held to account, I thought that the NATO debate at the SNP conference was a breath of fresh air.

A party conference where delegates were allowed to argue passionately for and against what they believe to be the best policy followed by a knife edge vote, where the arguments presented to conference made the difference to the outcome of the vote - that is what party conferences use to be for should be for!

How many other Governing parties, in the so called Democratic West, would allow such a debate and such a vote? Very few!

Agree or disagree with Conference's decision (I disagree) it was fantastic to have such an open, honest and hard hitting debate – decided by ordinary party members.

The fact that UK Party Conferences have become nothing more than staged managed rallies rather than a place to argue policy and that Scotland still has a party where debate is open and free - should, in-itself, be an argument for independence and a reason to vote YES in 2014!

A New National Party?

There has been some discussion of late about creating a New Nationalist Party in Wales, by people who are as peeved with Plaid as I often am.

My general attitude is one of the more the merrier. Many different organisations pleading the national cause from differing viewpoints can only benefit the overall cause of national self determination.

The problem that I have with almost every proponent of a new nationalist party is the lack of ambition; almost all proponents of such a party seem to want to oppose Plaid Cymru!

Why?

Plaid Cymru has 3 out of 40 MPs, 11 out of 60 AMs, gained 19% of the vote in the last Assembly elections on a turnout of just 42% - less than 10% of those eligible to vote. A new nationalist party that just wants to steal a portion of Plaid's vote is a waste of time and would dilute the national cause – what gain would there be for the general cause if there were 3 or 4 more unionist Assembly Members in the Senedd as a result of the New National Party splitting the Plaid vote?

If a New National Party was formed that could appeal to the 58% of those who couldn't be arsed to vote in 2011, or that took votes from the Unionist Labour Party or the Unionist Conservative Party or the Federalist Lib Dems – I might be interested, but I just can't see the point of a new party that restricts its ambition to pinching a small part of Plaid's electoral support because of petty ideological spite.

The Green Monster

There is an interesting post on the Better Nation Blog that looks at how likely people are to vote Green. To paraphrase and over simplify the post, it claims that more than 50% of us see the Greens as a cuddly nice party who we might vote for in the right circumstances. This confirms my own non-empirical experience of how people across the political spectrum view the Green Party. Pleidwyr, Labourites, Lib Dems and Tories all see the Greens as a party they COULD vote for and a party that they don't fundamentally oppose.

The Greens are seen as a generally progressive, slightly left of centre party, a party with a heart of gold even if some of their policies seem a tad too idealistic, but this impression is wrong. The Greens are not a left of centre moderately progressive party; they are an extremely regressive anti-Welsh party.

Thirty years ago only the rich Jet-setters could afford to board an aeroplane to visit overseas countries at great expense; that wasn't an environmental problem! The problem is caused by us hoi-polloi being able to easy-jet to Spain, or wherever in our thousands.

Forty years ago only the gentry could afford a motor car, no problem. The problem is caused by those of us living in council houses having cars!

Sixty years ago the rich could have a range of good food in all seasons. The poor had to survive on salted meat and vegetables that had grown stringy in frost covered ground (if they were lucky); the environmental problems are caused by the lower classes expecting fresh meat and fresh veg from the supermarket in all seasons.

Wales has poorer road links, poorer air links, and fewer factories than other parts of the UK, because of that Wales has a GDP that is 26% lower than the UK average, but any attempt to build new roads, improve our air service or to re-industrialise our post industrial areas are met with howls of protest from the Green lobby!

And what are we offered by the Greens in exchange for giving up all the advantages that a 21st century economy could give us?- Yr Hen Ffordd Gymreig o Fyw (The Old Welsh way of Country Life)? No chance!

What we get is New Age Colonialist English Hippies who oppose anything to do with Welsh culture.

The Green Party is an anti-working class, anti-business, anti-Welsh abomination, that deserves no support from anyone in Wales.

Problems with Independents!

I am unlikely to vote in the May County Council elections, I probably won't have the opportunity. My current councillor is about 90% likely to be returned unopposed (again). Even if he is opposed he will probably win hands down with a huge majority.

The councillor stands as a Liberal Democrat candidate, but his ward isn't a Liberal Democrat Heartland. He could stand for any part of the political spectrum from hard left to hard right or anywhere in between and still be elected as an individual who is trusted to represent the village.

The reason why the other parties (who probably enjoy grater support in a general election than the Lib Dems do) wont stand against him is because of the potential embarrassment of being thrashed by the Lib Dems. Lib Dems 1000 votes / other party 100 votes wouldn't make a good election night score card and would feature on those graphs, that the Lib Dems love, ad-nauseam come the next Westminster or Assembly election. Better to let him have a shoo in than a major victory!

When I was a devoted party member I use to hate independent council candidates with a vengeance. They were either party supporters who let the side down by not flying the flag for the party, or members of parties who didn't have a hope in hell of winning if they showed their true colours - dishonest, duplicitous buggers the lot of them.

Now that I have given up party membership I'm beginning to have second thoughts. If Mrs Local Councillor is being elected as an individual because she is a popular member of the community rather than because of her party colour, wouldn't she be more honest and true to her constituents if she stood as an independent rather than the representative of a party that the majority of her voters don't subscribe to?

My partying days are over

Whenever I make critical comments about Plaid Cymru I can almost guarantee two responses in the comments. One will suggest that I join Plaid Cymru and try to persuade the party, from within, towards a more tolerant view of non-socialist politics. The second will suggest that I join the Tories, presumably in order to persuade that party from within, towards a nationalist view of conservatism.

Thirty years ago both of these suggestions would have been practical.

When I joined the Liberal Party in 1975 (before the days of the Liberal Democrats) I was able to make suggestions at local level, which, if passed, could go up to Welsh level and then on to UK conference. Most of my silly teenage ideas were killed off at local level - but never without a proper discussion and a democratic vote of local members. A couple of my ideas (after much amending) actually made it to the party's election manifesto.

When I joined Plaid, the same was true. An individual member's idea could go through the party process and become national policy. I can recall a particularly pleasing experience when I made an argument in a constituency meeting and then heard the local MP make my case, almost word for word, a few days later on the radio programme Yesterday in Parliament.

Big kudos! I was part of the party!

Sadly those days, when one could influence party ideas as a party member, have long gone. Now half a dozen party strategists decide party policies. The basis of manifesto commitment is the view of focus groups, psephologists, experts, influential donors, media response analysts and such like. Motions backed by swathes of party members are refused conference time by political experts and analysts who advise conference organisers. The day of the individual member's influence is long dead.

Plaid Cymru will not allow a proper internal party debate on the topic of socialism v nationalism neither will the Welsh Conservatives allow a debate on unionism v nationalism, even if a majority of either party's members want to have that debate, unless or until external advisers tell them that such a debate will be advantageous.

I can't see the point of joining any political party in our days.

I am much happier blogging my political viewpoint independently of any party straitjacket. The party hacks might not like it, but it gives me the feeling of freedom, of honestly held opinion; similar to that I use to have within the party structure in the late seventies / early eighties.

And who knows? A member of a focus group or a media analysts might be reading!