Apologies - the post below was meant to go up on Friday, but some technological gremlins meant that it did not.
Adam Price can't help himself it seems. In today's Western Mail he gives his thoughts on May's local elections - saying that Plaid should join forces with People's Voice and the Greens in order to challenge Labour - in Valleys seats in particular. I have no idea what Dai Davies and Trish Law make of all this, but what lies behind Price's latest pontifications is pretty clear. It is the latest instalment in the nationalist campaign to make "British" a dirty word in Welsh politics.
The paper quotes him as saying he wants the new alliance to challenge "arch-Brits" (what does that even mean?) like Paul Murphy, Don Touhig and Wayne David. He goes on to say that the "Labour party needs to be challenged where they are at their worst: where they are most parochial and where they are most British." I can't make my mind up quite where on the scale this fits between the distant poles of ignorant trash and mendacious brinkmanship; either way it is certainly barmy.
How I wonder is a person meant to be "very parochial" (with a focus on the local) and "very British" (encompassing 60 million citizens representing every faith, race and belief under the sun) at the same time? He is clearly following the lead from Plaid's youth wing who spawned this phrase "Brit-Nat", and using "British" as code for something deeply insulting - I wish he would define what it is.
Personally, I've never seen the need to wrap myself in a flag of any colouring. I belong to that strange breed who see more important connections between people than their place of birth. However, I can see why Price says Plaid cannot challenge Labour in local elections on its own - it had a go in both Rhondda and in Caerphilly and the councils were duly kicked into touch after one term.
Monday, 6 August 2007
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4 comments:
For a supposeldy 'left wing' politician, Adam Price sounds a bit like Nick Griffin to me. Nasty, racist bile.
"The paper quotes him as saying he wants the new alliance to challenge "arch-Brits" (what does that even mean?) like Paul Murphy, Don Touhig and Wayne David. He goes on to say that the "Labour party needs to be challenged where they are at their worst: where they are most parochial and where they are most British."
He means, presumably, where Messrs Murphy, Touhig and David 'sit'. You need look no further than your Labour colleague Paul Flynn who in the past two weeks has ridiculed, personalised, and attacked these same people [and most viciously Neil Kinnock for his anti-coalition speech] on his blog, stoking up the fires of what they see as establishment, Westminster-focussed, pro-Britishness. You are not mentioned but may, also, be lurking at the back of both of their minds. Coalitions lead to coalescing within and across party lines. The hate figures are bound to now become Welsh MPs who are most outspoken about such coalescing (and any AM who also speaks out). Huw Lewis has been left outside the closed Assembly cabinet door, opening the prospect for Labours cabinet nats to talk freely about coalescing with Plaid's cabinet nats - leaving those in Westminster to be attacked, isolated and pushed further and further out in the cold. Weaken Westminster (in Wales) you strengthen the Assembly and the arguments for a Parliament and then the argument for independence(they believe) will have been made. Power attracts power. "These MPs hold it and we want it" - that's their message.
Is Adam Price speaking for himself or for Plaid. What an odd way to build a party Surely the strategy now should be for Plaid to build its own credibilty in those target areas. One of the main reasons Plaid didnt do well in Merthyr is they parachuted a candidate in again He was a good well qualified guy , but no track record around Merthyr and Rhymney.
They also need to build support and involve grassroots membership.
It really is long term strategic membership development that gives results,not quirky alliances
Huw L said: "...It is the latest instalment in the nationalist campaign to make "British" a dirty word in Welsh politics".
And there is more to come.
Because I suspect it would take wild horses to drag you to click on to Peter Black's blog-site, I thought I would flag up here that a posting I've just put on my blog-site, brings a new [and worrying] dimension to the 'British' blame-game.
I'd be interested to hear/read your views on it.
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