New Party, Fresh Start 4, Back on Track

To find out how we’ve arrived at this point I suggest you read the previous posts in this sequence.

I am delighted to announce that a meeting has been arranged for November 18th in Aberystwyth to discuss the formation of a new political party to defend Wales’ interests. 

Refreshments will be available beforehand so I suggest that those attending arrive around mid-day and mingle before the meeting starts at 1pm.

There will be translation facilities available and microphones for all speakers. We’ll take a break at 3pm for refreshments which will also allow people to stretch their legs or have a smoke. The meeting will conclude at 5pm

Attendance is by invitation only, so if you wish to be there then contact editor@jacothenorth.net in order that you can be added to the mailing list giving the venue. 

♦ end ♦

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Penddu

I want to attend but can’t. I hope you are successful Jac and I hope I have a new party to join

Penddu

Jac – yes – I want to see a new party with an unequivocal commitment to Independence. We should view devolution only as a stepping stone on our journey and not settle for it (as Plaid have done) as an end in itself.

Realistically we are not ready for independence today but we could be in only a few years providing we identify what we need to do to fill in the missing gaps in our nation and remove the barriers that have been put in place by the British state. The very first thing we should do is identify every organisation that operates on an englandandwales basis and target their deconstruction. At a formal political level this means working for the establishment of a separate Welsh Jurisdiction, but there are smaller targets such as redefining post code boundaries. But we need to start – the sooner the better.

Gethin ap Gruffydd

Welsh Independence no go! Join the discussionWEXIT BLOG http://gruffyddgethin.blogspot.co.uk/
But ps: why not your new party stand in CS seat bye election

mclintergate

How can you have a new party that is not easily accessible ? You need to get mass public participation to get the thing of the ground .
The Russian revolution would never have got going with the modern internet asking for date of birth,postcode and mothers maiden name.

This site is a mess.

mclintergate

I replied to your emails Jac. The very least you can do is acknowledge the fact with a decent reply on here.

mclintergate

This is a very difficult site to react to. Looks like a closed shop?

John Rhys Davies

Can you invite me to the meeting on the 18th please. Ex Plaid Member looking for body which puts independence on top of its priorities.I tried contacting editor@jacothenorth.net but could not find it, something about DNS failed or something.

Cymru Rydd

One thing I would like to see is a willingness to consider different models which have worked in other countries- especially in view of the overwhelmingly negative public perception of political parties today. Wales not only needs a new national party- is needs a different model to deliver its core objectives.

One interesting example is Alternativet in Denmark. They have described themselves as a political/social platform rather than a political party per se. They only formed in 2014, but they won 5% of the vote in 2015 and 9 seats in Denmark’s Parliament. With the likely introduction of the STV election system by 2021- it’s not beyond the realms of possibilities that a new party in Wales could achieve a similar result or even better.

Alternativet correctly identified the public distaste with conventional politics and political parties and decided instead to base their vision on core values, which would then permeate everything they said and did.The 6 core values were agreed upon after a series of political/social workshops held in all parts of Denmark. The core values were then translated into policies with the slogan of making Denmark not only the best country in the world but the best country for the world.

Here are the 6 Core Values chosen:

Courage: The courage to look problems in the eye and deal with them honestly and directly.
Generosity:That Danes should seek for each other what they want for themselves
Humility: For the task ahead.
Empathy: To put each other in each other’s shoes
Humour: To spark creativity and fun in public life
Transparency: That everything should be open and available for public scrutiny.

I think this approach could really work here in Wales. After all, we are still defined by distinct values, which go way beyond narrow party considerations. Starting out with the aim of defining 6 core Welsh values would most certainly strike a chord with people in Wales. It would give an immediate message that this is different and original.

It would be an interesting exercise to try and tease out which 6 values would be most appealing in Wales.

Here are my draft core values- (draft not daft!) in no particular order- with a couple inspired by Alternativet as well….

Respect/Parch: Towards our national language and culture
Courage/Dewrder: to deal honestly with Wales’s cultural, social and economic problems
Co-operation/ Cyd-weithrediad: To build a country together from the grass-roots up
Spirituality/Ysbrydolrwydd: To gain strength from our shared past to imagine a better future
Transparency/Trylowyder: Honesty and integrity in our community and national life
Optimism/Optimistiaeth: To believe in each other and our innate possibilties

What values would other people like to include on such a list?!

Dafis

We should see a steady move of Welsh farmers into the new movement/party. Times today reports that Gove is cosying up to assorted Green lobbies over continuation of EU Green regs which will reduce scope for protecting farm incomes and impose further restrictive rules on how they go about their business. How this squares with a UK vision of growing more of our own food beats me, but there again May and her mob flip flop daily and no doubt by the end of next month we’ll have a vision knee deep in cow shit !

I’m not instinctively protectionist but know from a lifetime’s experience that farmers can’t change direction of their business overnight and the last thing we want is loads more of them diversifying by setting up caravan parks and other “hospitality & leisure activities”.

Big Gee

Interesting. The top and bottom of it is that politicians (made up of a lot of spread out butt, shiny suit trouser bottomed solicitors or ex-teachers) and Civil Servants, are paperwork and office bods who have no more understanding of the real world than I do about goat herding in Outer Mongolia. When it comes to farming their knowledge is miniscule.

On another topic from the news today – that could garner support from the public in Cymru, is the continued faffing about regarding the Swansea Bay Tidal Energy Generation scheme. It seems that Tidal Lagoon Power have plans to make this a ‘Pathway’ project, generating enough power for the whole of Cymru from Abertawe alone. Their next step would be to produce far larger and more expansive project between Caerdydd and Casnewydd and Bae Colwyn in the north.

The problem is that these decisions are made in Westminster and either stand or fall on the whims of the politicians in power there. NOW in an independent Wales, things could be very different. Our resources harnessed and the money going towards our own economy. This of course is a vision overshadowed by Plaid members being more concerned with opposition to tourist taxes and the support for expansion of the tourist industry. After all, what was it that was said by someone replying somewhere to Jac? Oh yes – “what else is there for Wales?”.

The answer is Independence and the growing of our economy. The arguments get stronger by the day. The support for something to be done gets louder by the day.

Dafis

Tidal and other forms of clean energy would be a valuable source of power for native consumption with surplus product being sold over the border (rather than being free issued as at present to fatcat corporates led by executive crooks who love to fill their boots with salaries, bonuses, dividends, benefits etc etc).

However Mrs May and her mates are wary of pumping money into Swansea Bay project, not because they fear Nationalism, but there is an underlying concern ( well shitting themselves actually!)that HS2 and other UK vanity projects WILL go miles over budget and cause an even bigger deficit than they’ve contrived to create so far! So Swansea suffers yet again from belt tightening in London.

Nothing like a bunch of incompetents in London to show up their weakness in dealing with matters relating to Wales – but wait a bit we’ve also got a bunch of equally daft and incompetent muppets lording it down the Bay.

Big Gee

Precisely Dafis – in fact what you actually have is an extension of Westminster in Bae Caerdydd in the form of British political parties with “Welsh” injected into their titles. One other is home grown, but they are as much use as a chocolate teapot, as the extent of their creative and original thinking reaches as far as aping their Labour counterpart!

That leaves the rest of us with no one to represent us properly. Hence the reason we desperately NEED a new party to fully represent the interests of Cymru and it’s citizens.

daffy2012

O/T
And interesting talk given regarding economics at the Yes Cymru Llanelli meeting held this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=143&v=7UrErHKq-rc

daffy2012

Of course, representatives of the new party will need this and more ammo at their fingertips. There are so many open goals to take shots at.

Big Gee

The ‘open goals’ are everywhere daffy. The ones who should be scoring goals for our side are fumbling around with black bin bags over their heads! If they’re not fumbling around the pitch with black bags over their heads they’re hiding behind a sofa for fear of the other parties being ‘nasty’ to them.

Jellyfish have stronger backbones than this mob made up of ‘sons of the manse’ and ‘Brit Labour lovers’.

Hywel Ben Thomas

The video posted by Daffy is very enlightening. They seem to agree greatly with some of the aims of the proposed new party such as control of English immigration especially a lady that I don’t know but did spot Peter Freeman, a Plaid Councillor from Pembrey who obviously supports this

Big Gee

Very heartening isn’t it Ben? I believe that the whole group across Cymru is in unison with our aims as a prospective alternative party.

Hywel Ben Thomas

Yes Bee Gee. Be interesting see to how Yes Cymru and the new proposed party develop for our future.

Eos Pengwern

I’d love to come but won’t be able to make it; my very best wishes to you, and I look forward to becoming a member at the earliest opportunity.

Mrs Tom Lew

Mae gen i ddiddordeb yn hyn hefyd..ond dwyt ti ddim yn f’nabod ‘chwaith….

Big Gee

Dim rhwystr Mrs. Lew. Mae’r un peth yn berthnasol i chi ag i David Thonas uchod. Fe gymerwn siawns gyda chi hefyd!

Cysylltwch gyda Jac yn uniongyrchol os gwelwch yn dda, gan ddefnyddio y cyfeiriad e-bost y mae wedi ei ddyfynu yn un o’i negeseuon blaenorol sef: editor’at’jacothenorth’dot’net.

Diolch.

david thomas

Hi Jac,
Very happy to hear that another meeting has been set up. I did have my name down for the original venue at the Belle Vue but as I’m not known to you nor can I be vetted by anyone else known to you I will wait until the first meeting is done and then sign up for membership and attend further meetings as they happen. this will help prevent, as has been mentioned already on here the initial meeting gaining the attention of would be saboteurs.
good luck for the 18th.

david thomas

Thanks. Afraid I can’t guarantee I’ll turn up as driving from Llanelli but if you are still willing to provide details then count me in.

Big Gee

There must be at least three other healthy thinking and trustworthy friends of yours in Llanelli David. Why not do as I suggested for Luke above – come up in one car. The journey will seem short because you’ll have lots to talk about on the way up, and even more to talk about on the way back!

Wynne

Great news Jac. As I previously indicated, I shall get involved at membership stage rather than initial meeting. Best wishes moving forward.

Luke

Good to see that the party is back on track. Probably won’t be able to attend as I live in the valleys and cant make the trip but I’ll try spread the word of the blog. Cymru am byth!

Big Gee

What a shame Luke, if you haven’t got a car it’s a bitch. You can thank Dr Beeching’s Axe for that (one of the many cripplers to keep us apart as a nation). If you are interested in coming on public transport Click HERE for the route planner with Travel Line Wales.

If a group of you come up from the Rhondda (I assume you meant the Rhondda when you said ‘Valleys’), why not consider sharing a car? It’s about 2½ hours. If you got enough together you could make it a day trip on a coach. We’d love to see our brothers from the south.

Coch-y-bonndu

Great news indeed. All the very best to all involved on the 18th. Time to unite and focus on the main objective – independence. Cymru am byth.

Big Gee

Excellent news Jac. Plenty of time for me to get my suit to the cleaners!!!

Joking apart, this is starting to take proper shape now. This second method of arranging a preliminary meeting to discuss things is far more civilized and sensible than having an open public meeting and all the hassle that may surround it.

We only need positively minded people there, and as it’s open to those who wish to be invited, then we cannot be accused of arranging a closed door meeting of cherry-picked attendees. Start the ball rolling by getting the message out to everyone who may have an interest in sending in a request to be invited.

As for the followers of the blog, then you also have the job of spreading the word to those who may not be familiar with the Jac o’ the North blog site, but who are interested in putting Cymru straight, starting with the mess Labour & Plaid have got us into over the last couple of decades.

I’m looking forward greatly to it. YMLAEN WLADGARWYR! Mae’r haul ar fin gwawrio ar ein dyfodol. (For those who have lost their inheritance of the language of heaven on their mother’s knee – Google Translate should do the trick).

Stan

Just make sure no-one plugs it in, Jac.

Big Gee

Not the chair – they say it makes your eyes pop out!

Wynne

Plug for chair will require 13 Amp fuse !

Big Gee

I can draw a lot more current than 13 Amps I’ll have you know – you sadistic people!

Stan

This is great news, and I feel the fact it is still in Aber sends out a message to those who have tried to scupper it or have wished to see it fail. I am sorry I cannot make 18th for reasons I have emailed you separately about. I’m sure it will be a resounding success and no doubt we’ll get a report shortly thereafter on Jac’s great blog so we can all share in the event.

Big Gee

This is great news, and I feel the fact it is still in Aber sends out a message to those who have tried to scupper it or have wished to see it fail.

I wholeheartedly agree with you Stan. It’s a case of “Dal dy dir” (Hold your ground).

Ned Parry

`I am glad all you have be able to secure a new venue. Sadly i cannot make the meeting however, i wish you all the best with this exciting new venture – perhaps at last this will bring with it a brighter future for Wales. Good luck, i will look forward to your reports and what comes next.