As Labour enjoys popularity and the Conservatives descend into disarray yet again over Europe, Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales - holds its own very well as a pressure group within the Welsh Assembly. Its four MPs and MEP are hard at work too.
Last Friday at the party's annual conference, at Galeri in Caernarfon (pictured above), Plaid's leader Leanne Wood expressed support for Catalonian independence and condemned the violence by Spanish
state police that shocked us all in television news reports.
Plaid’s position on Brexit is same as Labour’s. Both parties
believe that leaving the European Union is a bad idea but they are going along
with it anyway as long as leaving the EU (a political institution) does not
mean having to leave the single market and customs union as well.
Hmmmm.
Plaid wishes to see the establishing of a Welsh Government
fund to help businesses across any transition period, and an end to the
scapegoating of migrants who came to UK lawfully and in good faith and
have contributed a lot to strengthening the economy.
Leanne moved on to talk about the need to expand rail
transport within Wales (including electrification of the North Wales Coast line) and about
Education being the route out of poverty, and Community Action being an
antidote to deprivation and budget cuts.
The speech touched on other issues but avoided controversies
within the party such as arguments for and against legalising drugs, and for or
against banning the sale of council & housing association properties.
Certain elements within Plaid would prefer to have a new leader before the next National Assembly for Wales election in 2021. Why they feel that way is a mystery; they are anonymous and therefore cannot be questioned about the matter.
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THU 30th NOV 2017 UPDATE: Photo from the latest
edition of Plaid Cymru’s publication The Welsh Nation – a delegation from Plaid’s
youth wing Plaid Ifanc showing solidarity with campaigners for independence in Catalonia (Catalunya).
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MON 1st OCT 2018 UPDATE: Plaid Cymru holds a leadership election every two years. Leanne Wood lost last month after a hat trick of wins, and the new leader is Adam Price.
Leanne Wood is often quoted as saying, "I will always be a European" (to which I would respond, "Me, too!").
You can read about Adam Price in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/28/new-plaid-cymru-leader-adam-price-leanne-wood-wales-independence
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MON 1st OCT 2018 UPDATE: Plaid Cymru holds a leadership election every two years. Leanne Wood lost last month after a hat trick of wins, and the new leader is Adam Price.
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| Adam Price AM - Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA |
Leanne Wood is often quoted as saying, "I will always be a European" (to which I would respond, "Me, too!").
You can read about Adam Price in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/28/new-plaid-cymru-leader-adam-price-leanne-wood-wales-independence
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