Got to keep this to some basics, as I am breaking away from blogging for a while, untill mid May. I have not really had time to read up on all reports coming out of Wales, nor scour the web for information far and wide. So will keep comments to the point with my immediate thoughts coming to mind being open for rethinking in due course. First off, despite denieing PLAID control of Gwynedd council, it seems that Llais Gwynedd may not have made the total major impact they had wished. However, I am sure they have succeeded enough to force PLAID to make a quick rethink on closing down rural schools which will then possibly be enough to undermine Llais Gwynedd and make their existence a short one.
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I may be wrong, although they denie being in main a ''Single Issue'' body, the native language and native language communities being their priority, there is no way that Llais Gwynedd could even advance themselves as a broad based 'RURAL REPRESENTATION PARTY'. Unfortunatly rural Cymru is no longer much of the ''Fro Cymraeg'' as it was in the days of Adfer, and even in ''Cymraeg Speaking'' areas as Ceredigion and Sir Caerffyrddin one would not witness much sense of unity with Gwynedd. There is possibly more potential for Llais Gwynedd as a cultural ''Rural Revolt'' to spread into Gwynedd is Conwy aka Y Berfeddwlad but then what of Powys, central Cymru being an huge rural area, this unfortunatly in time is more likly to become an English ''Kossovo'' or if that example is not a good one, what about South Ossetia? see link > South Ossetia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tualläg in the south became what is now South Ossetia, part of the historical Georgian .... The Republic of South Ossetia consists of a checkerboard of ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetia - 126k - Cached - Similar pages . That's too fantastic to even consider as a potential reality, but not in my Altternate History of Wales, over at THE ASSYRIAN ROD Blog at http://assyrianrod.blogspot.com
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I suspect that Llais Gwynedd will now feel some real pressure from PLAID, from above and below, and from every side. Unless they can develope as more than a ''Single Issue'' body, I cannot see any future for they, not least as there does not exist even unity between they and Cymyned following some little ''local personality difficulties'', that got some what out of hand. Further, by the sounds of it, Dafydd Iwan following his being booted out of his council seat, is talking of ''Dirty Tricks'' and the ''politics of personality'' looks to be dominating Gwynedd for some time to come. Depite the PLAID problem of Gwynedd, they done quite well everywhere else, from the aforementioned South Western counties to the South; in RCT, Merthyr and Caerffili. If one views a concillor numbers list, one sees that PLAID throughout Cymru/Wales has 207 councillors to Labour's 344, Tory 173 and Liberal Democrat 162, that's not too bad really. However, when one analyses these figures as per council its not so good really, lets just look at a few examples as Gwynedd Council: 35 Plaid, 30 other, 5 Lib Dem and 4 Lab. Ceredigion Council: 19 Plaid, 12 Other, 10 Lib Deb and 1 Lab. 31 Plaid, 30 Others, 1 Lib Dem and 12 Lab.That's great for PLAID in their far west bastion of 'Tiroedd Cunedda', the ancient Cymric lands beyond the ''cultural spine'' of the Cambrian Mountains. However, elsewhere for PLAID it's a case of from middling to piddling! but hey folks lets not knock it, after all these may be seen as beachheads, some of which have been stormed year after year, and as often as not taken. Not least the hugelly signifigant Gwlad Llywelyn Bren, sorry! I mean Gwlad Tommy Cooper, yes! I am being cynical. But with 32 PLAID, I presume 'Nationalist' Councillors, we might start to see more recognition for Llywelyn Bren, a local Welsh Hero who fought and was executed for their community. Mean while in RCT the ''Nationalists'' hold good ground with 20 Councillors, elsewhere the ''nationalist flag'' is at least kept flying by PLAID, so congratulations are due to those who fought the good fight on behalf of Cymru/Wales.
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As for the other Parties, I have not seen figures yet, for the Greens, BNP or Welsh Communist Party, nor for the Welsh Socialist Party or UKIP and Welsh Christian Party. Although, I have heard that the Peoples Voice have done very well in Blaenau Gwent. So what of the future, these election results could make Welsh Politics very interesting over the coming years, many questions as to a number of possibilities are rising to the surface and might become major political issues. Well at least within the ''Body Politic'', the people may be just become bored with it all? We shall see? but consider the following:
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The Gwynedd Question? will our 'Historical Prussia' be ''the tail that wags the dog'' of PLAID (yes, complex metaphor, go look it up on web) by this I mean, in response to the percieved threat of roots ''Cultural Nationalism'' in PLAID Old Cymric Heartland. Will PLAID back peddle on the ''Progressive Soicialist Populism'' advocated by Adam Price and the three ''Femme Fatales'' (Jill, Leanne and Bethan) to continue the successful advances in ''Anglicised Urban'' Post Industrial Wales and whom might wish to sustain a ''PLAID PINK PACT'' with Labour. Will any reawakening and resurgence of traditional ''Cultural Nationalism'' put strains on the PLAID coalition with Labour in the Welsh Assembly Government? A number of blogs will keep you apace with this area as, in particular worth keeping tuned into is > Alwyn ap Huw aka Misarable Old Fart - Pro Llais Gwynedd, and for balance see Pro PLAID Alan in Dyfed > Independence Cymru Blog
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The Unionist Political Parties Question? and will Welsh Labours Assembly Valley ''Old Labour'' Red necks exploit the situation to undermine the Coalition and turn the heat up on PLAID. After all it cannot be lost on ''Old'' or ''New'' Labour elements, that soft peddling on PLAID in the elections, whilst attacking Lib Dems ferociously was a dangerous tactic that has not served them very well at the Polls. There can be no doubt that having taken a really good pasting throughout Wales as well as in England, they will have to have a major rethink not only on policies but also on strategy not least in Wales. I dare not at this point even suggest possibilities but potentially, I think that PLAID could be up for getting a ''good kicking'' from a Labour Party hell bent on getting back to their traditional positions of Power in Wales. Unfortunatly, for PLAID, they will also be up against a Lib Dem revival and Tory Resurgence, this is not just a case of PLAID is going to get squeezed but bloody well get sat on by one big ''UNIONIST ELEPHANT''. I think myself it's looking grim!!! To keep up to date in this area, read > Brit Nat Watch
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I have not been a member of Plaid Cymru, since I ripped up my card in the 60's, I have voted for them from time to time but I would never consider being a member of PLAID. Not whilst English Lord Dafydd Ellis Thomas had anything to do with them, but more so because of their duplicity on a number of issues as; The English Pretender, Nuclear Power, Windmills, Fox Hunting and recently their startling duplicity over the English Military Academy at Saint Athens etc! Ultimatly, however I am not a ''Devoluionist", and unlike some actually a Welsh Republican who stands ground on the principles of any Welsh Republicanism, that would at minimum be opposed to the ASSEMBLY of APPEASEMENT with ENGLISH IMPERIALISM unlike many ''Renegade Republicans'', I can and have named. However, sad to say any Welsh Republican Tradition in Wales has been for the most part a British Republicanism, be it that of Iolo and his Romantic Republicanism or John Frost and his Chartist Republicanism, see THE WELSH PATRIOT blog at http://welshpatriot.blogspot.com/ . Only with WRM I in the late 1940's - 1950's did we witness the birth of a truelly WELSH REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT, see AWNM&S HIST ARCHIVE at http://awnms.blogspot.com/ following which all attempts to establish equally successful Welsh Republican Movements have failed and continues to be a faltering path to follow. No really active Welsh Republicanism worth linking to but this Welsh Independence blog is > Welsh Independence - Blog
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Whatever, my thinking on the Assembly and PLAID, I am tempted to think and say, this is as good as it might get, so Gethin just go with the flow? Turn up at annual Rali Cilmeri, parade about in Caerdydd on Dydd Dewi and give PLAID a chance? Tempting, very tempting!!! Whatever? No time for Cilmeri any more and Dydd Dewi Parading does not grab my ''Nationalist Bag'' as it does others, but give PLAID a chance? HHHhhhmmm!!!! Some really ''Heretical Thinking'' from me now, I must get pragmatic perhaps and stop being so much tied to politics of the past! So, OK! PLAID, lets see how you do up to and in the 2010 British General Election but this goes along with a suggested bargain you must strike with your percieved ''Nationalist Community''. That bargain is, that you will ensure that a referendum is held in 2011, that sets fourth options/questions: 1. Devolution Status Quo. 2. More powers towards a Parliament as in Scotland. 3. Independence with full sovereign powers. To this end PLAID must see and adopt policies, strategies and tactics that will over the coming years work towards such end, if PLAID came clean on all this, I would certainly advocated that the whole ''Nationalist Community'' gets behind PLAID re the 2010 BGE.
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Thus, the SOFRANIAETH INITIATIVE at http://sofraniaeth.blogspot.com/ needs very much to be a body puting pressure on PLAID as well as on other Political Parties and carrying out an effective Pro - Independence S.O.S. Campaign. Alternativelly, if PLAID and Welsh Nationalism now fails to get dynamic in up and at it PATRIOTIC ACTION ! as Sofraniaeth advocates. There is another alternative option, I suggest patriots might best consider just joining Llais Gwynedd in 'Cymraeg Speaking' areas and advance with a Peoples Voice in ''anglicised'' Wales. This might in dual strategy work best to combat and defeat the advance of the 'BRITISH UNIONIST PARTIES', anyway, bit of time to see which way the wind is going to blow, so feel the breeze, smell the sweet scent of Sofraniaeth that wafts down from Machynlleth. Yes! where on 21 Mehefin 1404, Owain Glyndwr established SENEDD CENEDL CYMRU RYDD, worthy of celebrating on 21 Mehefin 2008 and annually thereafter.
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For all things Glyndwr, see on web OWAIN GLYNDWR COMMUNICATES, Embassy Glyndwr also see CENEDL GLYNDWR at http://cenedl.blogspot.com/
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For even more balance and thinking of Glyndwr's ''Barefoot Welsh Doggis'', plus not least better RED THAN DEAD, just in case Marx was right; that when people are free of capitalism they will abandon consumerism, and on bank holidays will have liesiure time to ramble in the country side, have picnics and read Plato. Not waste their lives in bloody retail ''Thereapy'' parks. So, I am keeping all options open to what my brain truelly ponders on, and heart wishfully really beats for, I give you RED REMEMBRANCER at http://redremembrancer.blogspot.com/ . No I am not joking, I never joke about Politics, I lie, I do about Welsh Politics. The truth of the matter is, I am not so sure that our ''National Bourgoeisie'' can, and perhaps do not want to really deliver Independence. Myself, believe Welsh Independence is needed, if a true Welsh Socialism may advance and not all these the various verities that undermine the left in Wales. Personally, I would like to get the Independence Issue out of the way, so we can at last focus on building the just Socialist Society here in Wales. However, I am setting the dead line at 2011, not just 100th anniversary of the 1911 Investiture but also of the Llanelli Riots and major workers insurrection throughout the British Isles, to keep up on all this stay close to RED REMBRANCER! not least remember 31 Mai Welsh Red Flag Day and 3 Mehefin 1831, date of the Merthyr Massacre during Red Week Popular Insurrection 1831.
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Hwyl!
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Gethin.
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Be back mid May, don't forget 'Cymru Climb for Tibet', see previous posts.
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I got to go over to I'r GAD Welsh Battlefield Campaign blog now to work on a post, take a look tomorrow ok, at http://brwydr.blogspot.com In association with this blog, see new blog in development YMGYRCH TREFTADAETH at http://ymgyrchtreftadaeth.blogspot.com
