Neil McEvoy
There’s no question that Neil McEvoy divides opinion, both within his own party, Plaid Cymru, and also within the wider community. The one place where opinion seems to be united is in the Labour Party, where people universally hate him. In many ways he is the enfant terrible of Welsh politics, a role that has gone unfilled for far too long.
Now you know me, in my book, being hated by ‘Welsh’ Labour is no bad thing, and can very often be a mark of distinction given the odious bastards we find in that corrupt and self-serving gang of liars, crooks, bigots, careerists and BritLanders. (‘BritLanders’ are sad cases who delude themselves that Britain or the UK is something other than England by another name.)
Neil McEvoy’s latest mention in the headlines is due to an appearance last week before something called the Adjudication Panel for Wales over an allegation of bullying. Now as kangaroo courts go, this one could make it from Cardiff to Bangor in a single hop, because the whole process was a stitch-up from start to finish. The charge hinges on an uncontested remark, the issue being to whom it was directed.
Leaving Cardiff Civil Justice Centre with a constituent in July 2015 after an unsuccessful appeal against eviction for non-payment of rent McEvoy said, “I can’t wait until May 2017 when the restructure of the council happens”. He maintains that he was talking to his constituent, the council official thought it was directed at her, and that it could be construed as a threat to her job if and when Plaid Cymru was running the council. (Which in July 2015 seemed a very unlikely prospect.)
Those of us of a certain age, who have enjoyed the company of ‘colourful’ characters, and frequented the kinds of “low dives” our mothers always told us to avoid, may think that as threats go – and even if it was directed at the council official – this was mild to the point of being innocuous. There was no weapon involved, not a hand was laid, there wasn’t even a swear word employed! And it would appear that the official took the same view . . . but then the Labour Party got to hear of it.
Although unwilling to press charges, the official, under pressure now from her ‘Welsh’ Labour Party employers, changed her mind. Maybe it was spelled out to her that if she didn’t co-operate then she could lose her job a lot sooner than May 2017, and it wouldn’t be Plaid Cymru handing her her P45.
For we are dealing here with the Labour Party in Cardiff, where the bullying of women is rampant, perhaps even party policy. For as Neil McEvoy said in the article I’ve linked to –
♦
So Why Was Neil McEvoy Stitched Up?
This section begins in the same vein as the first; Neil McEvoy was stitched up because he’s made a lot of enemies, a hell of a lot of enemies. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the past few years he might have pissed off more people than me! And while Neil McEvoy and I might not agree on much, I suspect that when it comes to pointing the finger at those Wales would be better without, then we’d be pointing in the same directions many a time. Where to start?
As I’ve already said, and as should be obvious, he is detested by the Labour Party with a particular vehemence for two main reasons: first, until 2003 he was a member of that party, and second, since then he has been an opponent who’s landed many damaging blows. Being elected to Cardiff city council and the Notional Assembly are just the more obvious of those blows.
Recently Neil McEvoy has served on the Public Accounts Committee, which has been looking into the workings of our housing associations, and he’s been asking awkward questions, and in other ways annoying people. For as I’ve explained, housing associations, especially the favoured and rapidly expanding Wales and West Housing, are just the Labour Party by another name.
Over the years he’s asked many more awkward questions of the Third Sector in general. Which means there are thousands of people in Wales living high on the hog of public funding who’d like to see the back of Neil McEvoy. (Preferably with a knife between his shoulder blades.)
Then there’s Deryn. You haven’t heard of Deryn? Well, it’s a kind of lobbying or PR company, made up of insiders that is so good that it wins contracts without even having to tender for them! Neil McEvoy has been asking why Ofcom Wales awarded a contract to Deryn and whether this was connected to the fact that two of Deryn’s senior people sit on the Ofcom advisory board for Wales.
But you mustn’t think he’s picking on Deryn alone, for last year he asked the ‘Welsh’ Government to copy Westminster and Holyrood by introducing legislation to regulate lobbyists. But when we have firms like Deryn, stuffed with politicians, former politicians, spads and other insiders, we can’t realistically expect the ‘Welsh’ Government to do anything.
I could go on, but take my word for it, Neil McEvoy has pissed off a lot of people who are taking the public and/or the public purse for a ride. These people are ‘insiders’, by which I mean, they belong to the Cardiff or Bay ‘bubble’. That self-contained world where people tell themselves that everything across Wales is hunky-dory because they are doing well.
A bubble wherein we find lazy incompetents promising not to attack each other for being lazy and incompetent, then dressing this up as some laudable ‘consensus’. It’s nothing of the kind. It’s third-raters deluding themselves they’re achieving something and it’s a cruel deception practised on the Welsh people.
Neil McEvoy exposes this ‘consensus’ for what it is, and threatens to shake this cosy world apart. Do you still want to know why he was stitched up?
♦
Why Neil McEvoy Embarrasses Plaid Cymru’s Leadership
To understand just how cosy this ‘consensus’ really is, just take a look at the leading lights in Deryn. You’ll find representatives of ‘Welsh’ Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives. (It’s only a matter of time before Ukip’s Neil Hamilton gets the call. Christine will be delighted!)
In talking of ‘consensus’, it is the relationship between Labour and Plaid Cymru that goes a long way to explaining the Plaid leadership’s reaction to recent events. Because Plaid’s leadership dreams wet dreams of a coalition with Labour and so reality – in the form of Neil McEvoy – must not be allowed to intrude. Without a formal coalition then Plaid likes to kid itself that more can be achieved by co-operation than by confrontation – with ‘Welsh’ Labour!
All of which results in Plaid Cymru being reluctant to attack Labour. Labour knows this, and laughs at Plaid’s naivete. And this, boys and girls, is the truth about the ‘consensus’. Neil McEvoy understands this better than most.
Beyond the one-sided or imagined cosy relationship another explanation for the party leadership’s attitude to Neil McEvoy can be explained by the special interest groups that make up Plaid Cymru. I’m now referring to those who join Plaid for no other reason than to promote socialism, environmental issues, LGBT politics, the Welsh language, feminism, etc. On the McEvoy issue it is clearly the feminists driving the agenda – those same Plaid Cymru ‘feminists’ who were silent as the Cardiff Labour Party behaved like a gang of latter-day Bluebeards.
To explain what I mean about special interest groups, and in particular, feminism, let me remind you of something I covered back in November 2015, in a compendium post, scroll down to the section ‘Sophie Howe, More Labour Cronyism’.
The eponymous Sophie Howe is a lifelong Labour Party member, the daughter of a one-time councillor in Cardiff, who worked as South Wales Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, her boss being former Labour MP Alun Michael. When she couldn’t land herself a safe seat a totally new post, Future Generations Commissioner, was created for her.
This news was greeted by Jocelyn Davies, then a Plaid Cymru Assembly Member, with the tweet below. For a feminist like Davies, this squalid example of Labour cronyism could be excused – because Sophie Howe is a “strong woman”. God Almighty!
This blind spot that so many Plaid leaders have for Labour – and, more generally, those on the left – manifests itself in many ways. One example I ran across a few days ago was on the blog of Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid candidate for Clwyd South in 2016.
In his latest post Mabon deals with Welsh language education in Dyffryn Ceiriog, and asks in the title ‘Was Llangennech a stand alone issue? No. Here’s why . . . ‘ He tells of a local bigot opposing Welsh medium education, but he doesn’t lay into him because this bugger is “solidly left of centre”, a trade unionist and, presumably, a member of the Labour Party.
Yet the article makes a direct comparison with Llangennech, and if there’s one lesson to come out of Llangennech it is that the Labour Party, and socialists like Gary ‘Poumista’ Jones, have schemed and connived, been guilty of lies and intimidation, all to thwart kids getting a Welsh education. Some of them linked up openly with Ukip, and less openly with even uglier elements further to the BritNat right.
Listen, Mabon; the real message from Llangennech is that anti-Welsh bigotry comes from across the political spectrum, it is not an ideological issue. Because if we follow your logic, then I, being on the political right, am less acceptable to you than this bigot on the left. Know your friends. More importantly, know your enemies.
I didn’t enjoy writing that because Mabon is a good boy. But some things have to be said.
♦
Let me finish by saying that I don’t really know Neil McEvoy; for all I know he could be an utter cad, or perhaps someone who bites the heads off fluffy lickle bunny wunnies.
But I do know why he was stitched up. And I know who stitched him up. And I’ve explained why many in Plaid Cymru are uncomfortable with him – it’s because he threatens their ludicrous ‘consensus’ that is nothing more than an excuse for inertia and betrayal.
Some people, myself included, regard him as a breath of fresh air, others clearly view him as something more destructive, perhaps a whirlwind. Either way, I sense that he is forcing Plaid Cymru to confront its relationship with ‘Welsh’ Labour in a way that no one has done for some time.
Which is good, for I believe that Plaid Cymru either needs a revolution from within to re-focus the party, or else it needs to be killed off and replaced by a new party that will better serve the Welsh national interest.
Wales is the poorest country in Europe, due to Labour’s corruption and incompetence, aided and abetted by Plaid Cymru’s insane belief in ‘consensus’. Anything will be an improvement on this.
♦ end ♦
Jac! What a rather right wing male view of what is happening in certain quarters from a self admitted biased stand point. Then when people leave comments, that don’t fit, they are ambushed by uhm, let’s be careful here, ‘others’ which may even intimate to the reader that these ‘others’ could be the consensus of ‘someones’ supporters.
Serveral points, well many, but do I really need to suggest to people to re-read your article? The first full article of yours I have an issue with to be honest.
Firstly, no mention of what the Tory unionist elite in Cymru have done or are doing, especially the British (a little of their lackeys, but again no Tories which are the biggest part of the 5th column).
Secondly, what McEvoy has to do specifically with Deryn or a couple of other items you threw in makes little sense. However, it does explain who they are, but also connects him with them when the connection is purely their doing.
Thirdly, to promote (even in a throw away comment) doing harm to anyone, so specifically, as you suggested the harm some want to do to McEvoy calls for you to recind that remark and apologise without reservation.
So, to me I am a socialist in my beliefs, as many on Cymrieg sites know and like many do not support Labour or anyone else to the right of centre. To be clear, I therefore do not look to the left, I do not look to the right nor do I sit on the fence, I only look ahead. I am Cymrieg to my very core and my only aim is Independence for my country and my people whatever colour, gender, sexual orientation or geographical tendencies they may have, whether they speak Cymreag, Engllish or bilingual (that’s bilingual not the other bi Jac!). Also, personally, I would stand beside an environmentalist any day rather than anyone who promotes the destruction of all we love and know!
It has to be asked Jac, where are you coming from and where are you trying to lead our people?
Whilst both Cathy Owens (Labour) and Nerys Evans (Plaid) are the two directors of Deryn Consulting Ltd, it is Cathy Owens who has the controlling stake in the company. This ‘consulting’ business is the method by which private companies can purchase influence over the Welsh Government, and has been awarded public sector contracts, which were not offered to tender. Owens (the Labour Party tattler of the duo) makes a number of ‘policy pronouncements’ most notable being opposition to devolution of policing, and support for those employed in the criminal justice system in Wales being paid lower salary than those doing the same job in England. These pronouncements are under the Deryn name. Also, over the years there have been a number of ‘anti-Plaid’ briefings (known as trashing in the world of public relations) by what the Western Mail and the BBC refer to as a ‘senior Plaid source’. This, I believe, is none other than Nerys Evans herself. I question how her current role and behaviour is compatible with membership of Plaid Cymru.
I know that people keep bandying Ted Heath’s name around as having been involved in the abuse of youngsters – I’m not convinced that Heath was, I think that Heath was so sour and unsociable that he’d have had great trouble maintaining any sort of relationship with anyone really – but it is accepted that other people connected to Margaret Thatcher’s administration definitely were. The problem at the moment is that as lurid allegations fly around, it’s muddying the waters and people who undoubtedly have been involved in the most dreadful activities to conceal wrongdoing are not in the spotlight. I didn’t grow up in care in north Wales but when I was young I brushed shoulders with some who did. My problems – very big problems too – occurred when I was completely shafted by the medical establishment when I tried to blow the whistle on serious abuses in the mental health services. It took a High Court Order and 20 yrs of fighting before I was able to access my own files but I’ve got them now – and they reveal a cover-up even bigger than I imagined, orchestrated by the Welsh Office, the BMA, the GMC and Medical Defence Union. There is an overlap between some of the people who were concealing the north Wales paedophile ring and the criminal activity in the mental health services. (I’m telling the full story on my blog, so I won’t go off at a tangent here.) But the gross neglect and abuse throughout the UK children’s services and mental health services/learning disability services in known about at Govt level – but, this is big business, and many people in Govt or with connections to Govt have investments in the private ‘care’ or ‘medical’ sector. The structure of those companies is often so complex with successive ‘umbrella’ companies involved so its very difficult to find out who has financial interests in them. Some three years ago I was interested in a dodgy organisation and a helpful person illuminated the structure for me – the path eventually led to a big investment from one Chris Patten, former Chair of the Conservative Party, Chair of the BBC, Chancellor of Oxford University. But this wasn’t Patten’s only interesting link – I have long taken an interest in ‘mindfulness’ and how it has been successfully sold to the world as a panacea for everything, yet I was a patient when those original ‘clinical trials’ were carried out in the mental health services at Bangor by Mark Williams. Well I didn’t see any miracles – but Williams went off to Oxford University where no-one actually knew what was happening up in Bangor and he established the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. One of the patrons was a Lady Lavender Patten of Barnes aka Mrs Chris Patten, wife of the University’s Chancellor. Conflict of interest or what? But I digress…
As far as the vulnerable kids/young woman in the system are concerned Big Gee, from what I have seen, the process is as follows – they are exposed to a lot of sexual activity in those ‘homes’, given porn to watch, encouraged to talk about their ‘sexuality’ (I have seen this done under the guise of therapy no less), encouraged to participate in sexual activity as ‘independent empowered’ young people and because most of them have very low levels of education they have no idea of what is appropriate or not and they see badly trained or abusive ‘nurses’ and ‘social workers’ as figures of authority who know what they’re doing, so they don’t understand that they are basically being ‘groomed’. If any of them do prove awkward, a damning psychologists or psychiatrists report will usually discredit them enough for no-one to take any notice of their complaints – they will usually then also be shunted out of the home pretty quickly on the basis that the ‘placement’ has ‘broken down’. Thus troubled vulnerable young people can be effectively softened up to be employed in the sex or porn industry. I’m not for one minute maintaining that this is happening to all ‘service users’ in ‘placements’ – there are places who do care for people as they should – but it is a much bigger problem than most people would ever imagine – it is happening and it is happening on a big scale. And there seems to be a network of corrupt professional people who are providing the ‘expert’ medical reports to discredit both the young people and, if they have them, their families, if they cotton on to what’s happening and try to blow the whistle. I have watched it in action, it is terrifying.
By the way, regarding allegations of Tory politicians being involved in sexual activity with youngsters – years ago, before everyone was obsessed with paedophiles, Matthew Parris wrote an autobiography. He talked about spending summers at a place in I think Italy, with other political chums who were gay like him, and they used to stay at a place that they nicknamed ‘the villa of shame’, where what were basically orgies were held. Parris writes an extraordinary line in which he describes the ‘boys’ as always being ‘willing’. He doesn’t seem to have asked himself where these willing boys were from and why such boys would be interested in having sex with a load of old farts like Parris and his pals. This isn’t top secret material, its in Matthew Parris’s book that I borrowed from Wrexham Library! But no-one has said a word about this interesting admission. And when I worked in London in the 1990s one of my colleagues was a gay man who knew the gay scene very well – he named a high profile member of Thatcher’s Govt as being involved in ‘spanking parties with little boys’ and said that no-one on the gay scene knew how he was getting away with it. Although that politician is now dead, I’m interested to see that he still hasn’t been named in any of the conspiracy theories, in any of the newspaper allegations about the alleged activities in Dolphin Square etc etc. So some of them were definitely up to something and someone is still ensuring that they are not being named in the media.
If you listen to the interviews in the links I provided above drsallybaker, I think you’ll find that Ted Heath’s involvement was more than the ‘bandying’ about of his name. Here’s an excerpt from the Independent dated the 19th of last month:
“The head of the police force investigating reports of child sexual abuse by Sir Edward Heath reportedly believes in the allegations “120 per cent”.
Chief Constable Mike Veale, of Wiltshire Police, is reportedly convinced by testimony from alleged victims of the former Conservative Prime Minister because they have given similar accounts to investigators.
In December Mr Veale defended the investigation and said it was not a “witch hunt”.”
Chris Patten’s name is also associated with this vile ring, along with Jimmy Saville. There’s seldom smoke without a fire.
However I’m not here to investigate paedophiles, and incidentally it’s not just the domain of homosexuals, young females are also abused in this way. What I was drawing attention to was the totally mad situation where indescribable evil actions by prominent people are swept under the carpet and under reported, whilst pathetic witch hunts are conducted and heavily reported about non stories about ‘assumed’ wrong doings by the likes of Neil McEvoy. I am merely trying to put the incident involving Neil McEvoy into some sort of context.
As I said earlier, this is a reflection of the mad, demonised, evil and perverted world we live in. Sadly a large portion of the public are duped and brainwashed into believing what the mainstream media feeds them. They in turn are the mouth-pieces of the the elites that control our society. When the alternative media exposes the truth about high powered people, the often programmed response of many of the public is incredulity and a groomed response that it can’t possibly be true.
Hi Big Gee, I did listen to the links that you supplied – and I know that young women in ‘care’ situations are indeed being abused. I’d certainly agree that in the context of this sort of wrongdoing, the enormous fuss over Neil McEvoy is ludicrous. And the mainstream media is very inadequate and is controlled by some unscrupulous powerful people with their own agenda and always has links to the Govt of the day, indeed Govts of all shades have bent over backwards for years to ingratiate themselves to Murdoch, its what Alistair Campbell’s and Mandelson’s role’s were in New Labour. However, I would maintain that a Chief Constable claiming to be convinced of Heath’s guilt doesn’t count as evidence for anything more than the Chief Constable being convinced. I think the Savile situation was somewhat different – people definitely knew what he was doing, complaints had been made and had been suppressed. I was friends with two former students from Leeds University in the late 1980s who told me that Savile was into under-age girls and had been investigated for this. Furthermore Savile’s appointment to the management committee of Broadmoor was highly controversial at the time. And of course Savile was known to employ very aggressive lawyers – I think one was George Carmen – and I understand that a number of people who were about to expose Savile received letters from them. That is rather different than one Chief Constable stating that he believes in someone’s guilt.
The fact is that paedophilia and child sadism amongst powerful people and especially politicians is pandemic across the globe, well at least in the western hemisphere Pizzagate & the Clintons being an example in mind. It would not surprise me anymore what name popped out of the woodwork.
The ‘elites’, the governments and the mainstream media have been working hand in hand for a very long time. They highlight stories that are totally irrelevant (NM being a case in point) whilst burying information that is detrimental to the establishment – like the truth regarding the Middle East conflicts and propaganda against Russia, Iran & China. However there is a waking up taking place globally, thanks to the interconnectivity of the internet. Alternative news and information sources (including this blog) are turning the tide. The truth is slowly dawning on a vast number of people, who have up until now been staggering about like zombies in the dark, and guided by establishment propaganda.
At last the tide has turned when it comes to the mainstream media’s stranglehold on news. Newspapers are going out of fashion at a fantastic rate of knots, in the US traditional news outlets are crumbling and their ability to provide crap in the guise of journalism is something that’s in the past. Long may it continue!
interesting comment in the Carmarthen Herald this week by Matthew Paul on “Nasty Neil” as the headline states – tory candidate who couldn’t get in, now switched to bring independent. But he also sees Tribunal as a star chamber as indeed most courts in south wales are.
Very interested in dr sally’s comment on prisons being stuffed with ex children from care. This is a big hidden problem because of the family courts being too close to council legal departments and all done in secret. many children in care sent there from decent homes but again many with parents who could do with a bit of help [possibly mental health of one or both parents] – costs less than fostering – and some who do need to be removed from parents [but how often do we see the SS not doing so eg Bay P etc and our own cases in wales.].
Interesting to see Samantha Gainard of Dyfed Powys police has gone – not because she was channelling money to her husbands law firm. Where were the showers who should have been raising the issues surrounding her years ago.
We need more N McE’s to sort issues out as he has done on an AM committee [as MP says in his article] – it can’t be left to civil servants and their politico lackeys and Xmas tree decoration watchdogs. If they can bring NM to a Tribunal just shows what they could and should be doing to bring justice and fairness or even just a fair hearing for other complaints from Joe/Jane Public – which it appears what NM was trying to do in the court for his constituent – which shows commitment for his vocation and for his values/principles. Other politico run for the hills [after collecting their daily food allowance of course – min £40 per day].
Regarding DP’s comments on the secrecy of the Family Courts – DP, if you’re concerned about such issues, start taking in interest in the Court of Protection and what is happening to young learning disabled adults in this Court under the Mental Capacity Act and/or the Mental Health Act. It is terrifying – I learnt about this through reading the blogs of Dr Sara Ryan and Mark Neary – Sara’s son died in the ‘care’ of Southern Health and Mark Neary’s young adult son was removed from his care against his wishes for months – Mark eventually won a landmark legal case. There are scores of young people being removed from the care of their parents – these are NOT abuse cases, this is being done in the name of the young people living ‘independently’ – but these young people do not have the abilities to live completely ‘independently’ so they are being ‘placed’ in ‘residential homes’ or ‘ATUs’ (assessment and treatment units). Many of these places have now become embroiled in scandal as whistleblowers reveal that the ‘residents’ are being abused (you may remember the expose of Winterbourne View). The Court of Protection is shrouded in complete secrecy, many of these parents face being jailed for contempt if they even reveal where their children are being ‘held’. This issue has big implications for Wales – there are a lot of these ATUs and ‘homes’ springing up in Wales (indeed Mark Neary’s court battle was to prevent his son being sent to a residential hospital in Wales – the Neary’s are from Hillingdon, miles away). These people are invisible, there are no checks and balances at all in terms of ensuring their safety and welfare – the ‘carers’ looking after them are low paid and often transient with very little ‘training’ in the complexities of caring for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems, their families are many miles away and even ‘their’ social workers may be living in England, only visiting them every few months. I saw it all at first hand some years ago when I spent three terrible weeks working as a support worker for a chain of homes in north Wales called Prestwood – the abuse of residents there was rampant (I have blogged full details of what I witnessed at Prestwood on my own site), the practices were dreadful. Prestwood mercifully came to an end about six years ago – not because they had been closed down – they bloody well should have been – but because of one of the company directors, Suzanne Hamlett, died, and the other director, Lynda Holland (Hamlett’s partner) couldn’t cope without her and disintegrated. These women were completely unsuitable to be running such an establishment and I went to the office in Conwy responsible for the registering of these ‘homes’ myself to report the abuses that were happening. I was ignored and then threatened. Hamlett used to tell the residents that she was a former nurse from Denbigh – I later found out that she had actually been a former patient from Denbigh, a ‘revolving door’ alcoholic for much of her life. Holland had attended a mickey mouse ‘counselling course’ at a local FE college in Llandrillo. These two women had a constant supply of ‘residents’, sectioned under the Mental Health Act, from secure hospitals in England. There’s no way two women like that had the connections to run this business, there was someone much bigger behind that lot and I have my suspicions as to who it was…
Such homes are springing up everywhere throughout Wales – take a look at the job websites for mid and north Wales – dozens of jobs as ‘support workers’, constant readvertisements as well because the pay and conditions are so bad that no-one stays in the job. I saw a mention on Jac’s blog a few months back – he’d noticed a ‘home’ in Tywyn where the ‘residents’ weren’t even allowed in during the daytime, they had to hang around Tywyn. So I’ve done a bit of digging Jac – there are several such establishments in the Tywyn and Dolgellau area and they are constantly advertising for ‘support workers’. And some of those former ‘support workers’ have left some feedback on social media – they were not impressed with what was happening in those ‘care homes’. Wales needs to wake up to what is going on here, these establishments are privately run, often by big companies based in England (sometimes venture capitalists are involved), and they are making a bomb by hiding vulnerable people away in rural Wales where the property is cheap and there’s a ready supply of cheap labour. Meanwhile they charge the English authorities several thousand a week for these ‘placements’. It is a truly horrible trade in human beings. There’s a blogger called Finola Moss who’s daughter ended up in one of these places and Finola has been investigating their finances – this is really big business and Finola suspects that corruption is involved with social workers and the ‘experts’ recommending these placements possibly receiving backhanders…
A classic example of “swallowing the camel whilst straining the gnats”.
These secret and protected establishment organisations who trade in human suffering and abuse, and who are often the source of procurement of victims for powerful and influential paedophiles and perverts are hidden out of sight, and they get clean away with it, whilst complainants are hushed up or ignored, or often ridiculed as conspiracy theorists .
Then in contrast, you read about the kangaroo court hearings against people like Neil McEvoy for ridiculous allegations of no substance – which makes big news in the (false) mainstream media. It makes you realise that the world we live in is not only upside down, but inside out as well. A world where there is no sense, empathy, logic or a sense of right and wrong. It’s rotten to the core.
Here’s a taster:
‘Michael Shrimpton, barrister and author of the book Spyhunter names Ted Heath, UK prime minister in the 1970s as a paedophile and child murderer (or at least an accessory). According to Shrimpton, Jimmy Savile procured children from Haute de Gaurenne childrens home in Jersey and took them to Heath’s boat, Morning Cloud, where they were abused and murdered and thrown overboard.
This is why no bodies were found at Haute de Gaurenne. Michael Shrimpton was speaking on Bristol Community radio in January 2013.
I have no doubt that many of the ‘homes’ that are springing up in Cymru (being remote just like Jersey) are tied up with money and abuse of the vulnerable, whilst being funded from the public purse. These are the ‘camels’ that get swallowed, whilst the ‘gnats’ (like McEvoy) are strained.
Check out this link
& also this link
Plaid won the last election for P &C Commissioner for Dyfed Powys but as far as I can see nothing much has been achieved by this “radical new broom” unless sweeping shit under the same carpet, or even a new one, counts as progress down West. Years ago people used to whinge on about police corruption when local boys got promoted, especially if they came close to Chief Constable appointment. However it becomes evident that shipping in top talent from remote parts of England is an even more dubious way of meeting the organisation’s needs. Doesn’t the Commissioner have any responsibility for performance and quality ? and that would include weeding out any kind of dodgy behaviour that damages the force’s reputation with the public it is meant to serve ?
Not a decent political party amongst them. Best. Wishes to Neil McEvoy but he seems to have rubbed them all up. Stalin knew how to deal with the likes of our political classes.
Meanwhile, the Bridgend Labour Party and the Council Monitoring officer has resorted to putting in an emergency call to South Wales Police when a group of terrorists (the Al-Ynysawdre Popular Front) arrived at a council meeting….
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/group-pensioners-went-community-council-12713643
South Wales Police spokeswoman said, “police were called to a report of an anti-social behaviour nuisance incident”.
Adams aged 72, Dai 73, Mitch 78, Bounder 63, Geoff 65, Gar 76, and Terry 80, had gone to the council meeting intending to find out how Labour will justify an increase in council tax. Ynysawdre Community Council’s clerk Natalie Morgan claimed she had been forced to call the police to remove them.
Will the Labour Party be reporting this harassment incident to the Adjudication Panel for Wales?
A right bunch of desperadoes if ever I saw one!
Actually I’m wondering if they were the good guys in the Magnificent Seven that my dad took me to see as a kid?
The ‘Elderly Residents Association’ have been asking some (unanswered) questions…
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/ynysawdre_community_council
Compare and contrast…
http://ynysawdre-community-council.co.uk
with nearby..
http://www.llangynwydmiddlecommunitycouncil.co.uk/
Why can’t Ynysawdre be more like Llangynwyd? Open, honest and engaging. Is it just because of the political party of the councillors? What are they hiding?
And the Labour/meeja smearing of Neil McAvoy continues unabated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-39206476
I used to know Jonathan Edwards.
Big Fuckin’ deal, so what if the guy got suspended for an offence ? He served it out and went back to work. Or is this another of those cases so favoured by those virtuous folk who think you should never work again if you have broken one of their preferred rules ?
As far as I can make out Edwards admitted his offence, accepted his penalty, and got back on his bike to work afterwards. Which makes him a much cleaner person than those bullies who appear to be quite commonplace among the Cardiff Labour clique and its compliant “professional” management crew. The Female Fascist movement must be on a good retainer from somewhere to leave that festering pit alone. Would one or more of them like to come on here and give us a commentary on how far they’ve got with any kind of investigation or expose.? Likely the silence will be deafening.
Ignoring the seven female Labour councillors who’ve resigned from Cardiff council, most citing bullying by male colleagues, exposes the hypocrisy of these ‘feminists’. And if I was a Plaid supporter I’d be worried that my party had missed an open goal like this. But it’s another example of how close Plaid is to Labour, and how reluctant to attack Labour. And perhaps the real reason that Plaid worries about Neil McEvoy, because of course he does attack Labour, and threatens the ‘consensus’ I’ve written about.
Jac, I’ve been reading your blog for some while but have never commented because I didn’t think that I’d be welcome here. But I have certainly been interested to read the debate regarding the brand of ‘feminism’ that Leanne et al subscribe to. I am the sort of voter that Leanne is now desperately ‘reaching out’ to – I am a left-leaning women who migrated to Wales from England many years ago and made Wales her home. But the hypocrisy of these women is gob-smacking. Their feminism is no different from the feminism of Harriet Harman – a privileged woman, daughter of a Harley Street doctor, who by dint of her class position is far more privileged than most men in this country. But Harriet believes that she is oppressed. Her brand of feminism does nothing for women at the bottom of the social heap, it is all about assisting her well-heeled friends in politics. I get the impression that the ‘feminism’ emanating from Plaid is very similar. My own interest at the moment is publishing and blogging about the mess that is the north Wales NHS, particularly the mental health services. That lot have been exterminating vulnerable women for decades – and where are the ‘progressive’ voices from Plaid? Silent, absolutely silent. And they know damn well what is going on, I have written to a lot of them about it. They have instead consistently aligned themselves with ‘NHS workers’ – in reality many of whom are actually highly paid professionals who are raking in the sort of salaries that most in Gwynedd and Anglesey can only dream of – even those ‘professionals’ who have scandalously abused and neglected their patients. The only politician from Plaid whom I ever received a really supportive reply from was Dafydd Wigley, who many years ago wrote me a fantastic letter when I approached him about the abuses that pervaded the North Wales Hospital Denbigh. What has Leanne’s recent contribution to ‘vulnerable people’ actually been? Well she supported the campaign for a prison to be built in north Wales. Prisons these days do not contain villains, they contain people with mental health problems and people who grew up ‘in care’ and that is who will be in that prison in Wrexham. So that was Leanne’s answer to people who have had the worst experiences of the British state. I have voted Plaid in the past – I voted for Dafydd Wigley – but I would never vote for this bunch now. The ultimate came on ‘International Women’s Day’ (a rather pathetic gesture itself, which again is aimed solely at well-educated middle-class women with ‘events’ taking place in agreeable venues across the UK featuring ‘inspirational speakers’ that no disadvantaged woman would ever have heard of, even if she could find the bus fare to get to the ‘venue’ and find someone to look after the kids for her). Every one of those sodding Plaid politicians in the north – and of course Leanne – were tweeting like there’s no tomorrow regarding their ‘support’ for ‘equality and diversity’. Sian Gwenllian even tweeted a little cartoon of a variety of women dressed up in ‘Wonderwoman’ outfits of varying shapes and sizes and ethnicities. And just to show how ‘inclusive’ she is, Sian included a picture of a woman in a wheelchair. I know of one women in a wheelchair – oh bugger, I mean ‘who uses a wheelchair’ – in north Wales. She is yet another casualty of the mental health system, severely disabled after a serious suicide attempt. But somehow I don’t think the wimmin from Plaid will be ‘supporting’ her. These women are not feminists and it is obvious from their vacuous outpourings that they have no understanding of gender scholarship or theory anyway. They are ruthlessly selfish, shallow and sharp-elbowed and their commitment to ‘feminism’ has only one purpose – to promote themselves and their careers. Oh and we mustn’t forget that if you’re female and in politics it is now obligatory to describe yourself and colleagues as ‘strong women’. They have none of the strength of the women at the bottom of the heap who have to deal with failed and abusive statutory services every day of their lives. But then Leanne et al often had careers in those lacklustre services before they went into politics…
So from a woman whom you would probably loathe Jac – thank you for exposing the travesty that is the feminism of Plaid.
Wow! Let me get my breath back.
Even though you live in the north, some distance from most of these ‘feminists’, you can see that they’re a bunch of self-serving charlatans currently engaged in a political witch-hunt. Interesting that you should mention Dafydd Wigley, but as I’ve said many times, he was removed because he threatened Plaid’s allotted 20% of the vote, dog in the manger, status. (Something I shall elaborate on in my next post.)
I would like others who may not read this blog (there are some!) to see your comment, so I shall put it out on Twitter.
By the way, we’ve never met, so I don’t loathe you.
drsally, I salute you. You have obviously accumulated extensive “exposure” to the type of problem that has manifested itself recently in Cardiff, albeit in a different and important sector of our society. Your description of this complex mess is vividly accurate, not only because I concur with it, but it has actually enhanced my insight into the delivery, or lack, of mental health services. As far as I’m concerned keep writing as you evidently have a good knowledge of how our misfiring misfits in public office are driving the cart straight into the wall !
Thanks Jac and Dafis, My God I have spent years screaming as loudly as I can about the mental health services literally exterminating vulnerable people and not one ‘progressive voice’ dares utter a word. I’ll continue to follow the fate of Neil (and others) at the hands of these oh so liberal caring people…
I must admit complete ignorance of the issues you describe, but then, this afternoon, in Tywyn, I ran into a young woman I know and asked about her father, who I hadn’t seen for a while. He’d had a stroke a few years back but had recovered reasonably well and was out and about all the time, either walking his dog or just on his own.
It seems his condition deteriorated rapidly over Christmas, dementia was diagnosed, and he was moved to some unit in Llangefni, which now means that, with travelling, it takes almost a full day for this poor girl woman to visit her father who, let me stress, is probably in his mid-60s. I was unaware that there was such a unit in Llangefni, and surprised that there was nowhere nearer to accommodate him.
Anyway, thanks for getting in touch, and please keep in touch.
Mental health support through the NHS is terribly underfunded.
If I’m correct, for every £9 that gets spent on general healthcare, only £1 is spent on mental health.
How seriously underfunded mental health is can perhaps be understood when you realise that one in four of us will suffer some kind of mental health issue each year.
And Dr Sally is correct about our prisons, many there should be in decent residential mental health care, but it just doesn’t exist, and a substantial number of people are ending up homeless due at least partially to mental health issues.
Some social housing providers are complicit in this too, in that they brand mental health issues as ‘anti-social’ behaviour rather than establishing policies that recognise that mental health issues affects one in four, and that, due to the more marginalised situations of people living in social housing, with the attendant pressures this birngs, the figure is likely to be substantially higher.
I’m glad that Dr Sally has commented on this, as it has opened things up somewhat. For those of you under the impression that feminism is exclusively about women, it’s most certainly not, it’s actually about all human beings, and is opposed to patriarchy, not men, two completely different things.
Patriarchy is something a lot of men would love to be rid of too. Those women that have recently been under discussion are not feminists in my view, they have hijacked it for their own purposes in much the same way that Lenin hijacked socialism!
drsallybaker – that was a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed your comments immensely – well thought out and well written. I can also concur with dafis – you need to write more posts on here on the subjects you raised.
Dafydd Wigley was a giant amongst pygmies when he led Plaid. I wonder if we’ll ever see a politician of his calibre lead that party again. I guess you know how he succumbed to the coup d’état whilst he was recovering from a minor heart problem?
I never knew the full story from insiders – all I heard were rumours that he had been completely stuffed over and didn’t want to damage the party so he used the heart problem as the excuse as to why he was stepping back. I know that his wife wrote an autobiography and one of my friends who is first language Welsh told me that there was a lot in there about the way in which he was being mistreated – but I’m sorry to say that my Welsh isn’t good enough to read that book. (There’s another book too that I think would be of great interest to me – a book that Angharad Tomos wrote about her experience of mental health ‘care’, but again I am not fluent…)
If Jac ever wants to publish the background regarding how and why Dafydd Wigley was shafted there’s loads of us that would like to read it. To onlookers like us it was a mystery – Dafydd Wigley was enormously popular, I was just an undergrad in those days, but even I knew all about him. I can remember him fielding foolish questions from people during election campaigns who were telling him that it was Plaid policy to burn down English people’s houses and he also was busy when the National Front set up a branch at Llangefni…He was known as a really good constituency MP – why on earth replace someone like him with a mediocrity like Hywel Williams???
As a former chair of Plaid Cymru Ceredigion and a national vice president of Plaid, who used to attend monthly meetings of it’s National Executive Committee, and sat around a table every month with the culprits in this conspiracy to usurp him, I can tell you exactly who and what was behind it. However I won’t go into details here, because as Dafydd Wigley is too much of a gentleman to spill the beans himself, it’s not my place to do so on his behalf. Although I have referred to a few names who were involved in the plot on this blog in the past.
It’s not very complicated, it revolves around a group who wanted to push their own agenda within the party, with one person in particular (now a retired ex MP & AM) who thought he had hit the jackpot by being the puppet master behind the hopelessly inadequate IWJ who succeeded Wigley.
Suffice to say I left Plaid & wouldn’t ever consider being aligned with them again – unless they can clean out their house. I also left with a dagger in my back. Unlike me Wigley stuck it out with Plaid and quietly went to the upper chamber in Westminster, far before his time.
The book by his wife costs a tenner but Amazon have some for 1p+postage (£2-80). I doubt there’s much in it about DW’s shafting though as it appears to cover her entire life in 276pp. If anyone were to fish out the appropriate extracts I could translate, but so could many others here.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0860742776/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=
One way or another though it would be good to see the whole story laid out. Many of us away from the action are perplexed over just what exactly went awry with PC.
Leanne has a big interest in mental health due to a personal tragedy she suffered around 20 years ago. Here’s an article she wrote on the subject.
http://www.leannerhondda.wales/mental_health
As for faux feminists promoting “Equalty” that is exactly what Neil McEvoy was doing last Saturday, as you can read in this article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-39161086
He’s been trying (and failing) to set up an equality section in Plaid for years.
I’m afraid, Dr Sally, your original post has got this completely the wrong way round.
Whenever you visit you have a negative contribution to make. Seeing as everyone knows who I am, Dr Sally introduced herself with her first comment, I suggest that you are equally open by posting comments under your real name. Otherwise, don’t bother coming back.
Furthermore Jac, if Blue fancies reading my blog he/she will discover that I know precisely how ‘interested’ and ‘committed’ Leanne et al are where people with mental health problems are concerned – I look at what people DO as well as what they SAY and Leanne et al have stood by for years making ‘pledges’ to ‘support’ people with mental health problems whilst remaining silent as those people have died in great numbers and sometimes gone to prison for crimes that they did not commit. And some of those people were my mates. Before you make a dickwit of yourself again Blue, please go and read at least a little bit of my blog – you might realise then that where mental health provision in north Wales is concerned I do actually know what I’m talking about.
Your exhortation (warning) to Blue is a bit strange? First his contribution cannot possibly be described fairly as negative? A valuable contribution to the facts would be a better description? As for not posting under the guise of a pseudonym is strange when most of your contributors do exactly the same, including you! Excuse me?
Can’t find any facts in the content to which you refer. I accept that Leanne and her advisers may have written some insightful stuff but their subsequent reluctance to act on that insight( as commented by DrSally ) is the bit that undermines the entire position ( or posture as it might be termed).
As for McEvoy and any Equality mission, I suspect that he is more likely to get something done by virtue of his practical application and presence whereas those who are busy writing position papers and addressing assorted symposiums are seldom found out on the mean streets tackling the injustices inflicted on ordinary members of the public. It is that willingness that makes McE popular with the rough & ready public who sldom if ever get a hearing from our more aloof distant politicians.
Excellent, Dafis.
No denying Leanne’s “big interest” in mental health and indeed its root may lie partly in some personal tragedy. That article shows that she and her advisers have the capacity for scripting articulate positions on health matters. However there is a huge gap between what gets written and what gets done. As stated earlier many of our finest and upstanding just can’t bring themselves to see that that there is any thing wrong with the NHS’s current approach to many health issues, including mental health. There is no denying that NHS is short of resources i.e cash, but not one of these politicians have showed any willingness to tackle waste, competence issues and other performance defects, preferring instead to go “all Cameron” placing NHS staff on a pedestal when the grim reality is that the service harbours defectives and delinquents just like any other service or business. That naive omission spills over into negligence when matters are bought to their attention and they persist with mouthing platitudes and not lifting a meaningful finger.
You’ve summed it up very neatly there Dafis. However I would just add that it is now very easy for a politician of any hue (or indeed anyone in the public domain) to mouth the right platitudes on ‘mental heath’ – one only has to read the Guardian Society pages and you’ll learn what to say within an hour. But talk to the people who have experienced these ‘services’ who are not compromised by a career in politics or in a third sector mental health organisation and you’ll hear a very different slant on the whole subject and a very different opinion on our caring, upstanding medical establishment. The reality is that politicians are terrified to take on the NHS even when its behaved as it did in Mid-Staffs. They all remember the Kidderminster effect. Furthermore, in north Wales the local politicians have all those thousands of comparatively well-paid NHS staff on there doorstep, employed in places like Ysbyty Gwynedd – the politicians fear their fury much more than they fear the fury of the people whose lives have been ruined by the mental health services. And those NHS employees have a lot to lose – if they lost their secure, comparatively well paid jobs and remained in Gwynedd, it’d be a labour market brimming with zero hours, casual badly paid work for them as with the rest of the county. No wonder they invite the local politicians every time they want to ‘showcase’ yet another ‘initiative’ or promote their ‘research’. Its a photo opportunity for the lot of them. Sian and Hywel aren’t going to dare step on their toes. And its really great, because as long as everyone just keeps maintaining that mental health is one of their ‘interests’, they can all show how caring and enlightened they are.
By the way – if I was a politician who had a personal distressing experience involving a mental health issue, the last thing that I would be doing is plastering a foolish smile on my face and maintaining that I support the NHS in the face of knowledge that people were dying because of the incompetence or neglect of the mental health services. Personal experience would make me fight harder, not collude.
Thank you drsallybaker for trying to reveal the truth about the dire condition of our care and prison system, which the political classes of every shade, would rather bury their heads in the sand about. You state “Prisons these days do not contain villains, they contain people with mental health problems and people who grew up ‘in care’ and that is who will be in that prison in Wrexham.” It should be an obvious fact, that if children are let down and maltreated, that they are more likely to grow up into dysfunctional adults, with the potential to commit offences, so why has child care provision in Wales been so appalling, destroying so many young peoples lives, with the obvious destructive consequence this has on Welsh society as a whole?
The full truth about the North Wales care system scandal is still yet to be revealed, after years of cover ups. Many of those who have been abused in care are the least likely to be able to stand up against a corrupt system and fight for justice and many of those abused have also met untimely and mysterious deaths, such as those who were at Bryn Alyn and Bryn Estyn.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/child-abuse-scandal-the-bryn-estyn-home-wasnt-fit-for-children-it-has-made-my-life-since-leaving-a-1306165.html
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/north-wales-care-home-scandal
Children deserve the very best of care and this must be a necessity, if we want a functioning, healthy and happy society. The disastrous history of abuse at care homes in Wales, needs to be dealt with by the political establishment and not buried as they have done in the past. Perhaps William Hague could get the ball rolling and explain why the Waterhouse Inquiry became such a very expensive cover up?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3104107/Hague-faces-cover-row-Thatcher-ally-s-link-care-home-abuse-scandal-Former-foreign-secretary-said-aware-Sir-Peter-Morrison-s-connections-working-Welsh-secretary.html
https://paddyfrench1.wordpress.com/child-abuse/
Myfanwy, thanks for supplying a link to Paddy French’s blog – Paddy has posted some really important stuff up on there which unbelievably has been completely ignored by the mainstream media (which is entirely consistent with Big Gee’s observations below). The cover-up regarding the abuses in the north Wales mental health services, which overlapped with the cover-up of the abuse in the children’s services, was conducted by the Welsh Office. I have letters in my possession that my lawyers obtained dating from the late 80s and 90s between the mental health services and the legal dept at the Welsh Office describing the ways in which they were going to refuse to investigate any complaint of mine and worse still, prosecute me and have me labelled as ‘dangerous’, although they admitted in writing that I had not committed the offences that they were alleging. The lawyer involved was one Andrew Park. The mental health services were writing to him directly, there were references to telephone conversations and Park even came up to north Wales to meet with psychiatrists from Bangor and Denbigh to discuss the ‘problem’ that was me. Park was involved over a number of years and then another lawyer from the Welsh Office seemed to take over his role – but Park was the main player. In terms of Gwynedd Social Services attempts to criminalise me, I have letters between Lucille Hughes, Director of Gwynedd Social Services, and Ron Evans as well as one H. Ellis-Hughes, both lawyers at Gwynedd County Council demonstrating exactly what was going on. Lucille Hughes of course was named in the Waterhouse Report as knowing about the paedophile ring that was operating in the children’s services but failing to act. If only those witnesses to the child abuse ring had lived I very much suspect that if they had been able to obtain their files they would have seen very similar correspondence about them written by the same people. All political parties have been involved in concealing this – my problems with that lot began when Thatcher was in office but as the years passed, things remained exactly the same under John Major and then New Labour. On a local basis, Dafydd Wigley was one politician who tried to help and a Tory politician did too, but below the radar, so I’m not going to name him here. No other politicians even replied to my letters – except for Brian Gibbons who wrote me the most insulting letter telling me that ‘this correspondence is over’ as I produced evidence pointing to NHS and Social Services staff committing perjury and perverting the course of justice – until Edwina Hart put the boot into the north Wales NHS many years later. Not many people come out of this with clean hands.
Wow, thank you drsallybaker, for your very enlightening reply! How do those who are complicit in the cover up of abuse of the most vulnerable people in Society, actually sleep at night? Their actions have protected offenders and put vulnerable people at further risk, they should hang their heads in shame. I have the greatest respect for brave whistle blowers like yourself and Liz Davies and Peter Mckelvie, who have dedicated decades to the protection of the most vulnerable people in Society and in the face of such pressure and corruption. How dare Gwynedd County Council and the Welsh Office, criminalise you, when you are conscientiously doing your job, it is they that are acting like criminals by perverting the course of justice! The truth needs to come out and radical changes need to be made to a rotten system!
The mainstream media has certainly been complicit in the cover up, in this context it’s interesting to know that Murdoch’s Sun Newspaper, apparently has a vault full of ‘eye popping’ material on public figures, that are not intended for publishing purposes, but are obviously being used instead for blackmail purposes, so we can go figure where the real power lies!
https://www.byline.com/column/2/article/925
As Big Gee has mentioned many times, more people are waking up, thankfully and questioning the MSM and the establishment line. I have the greatest admiration for journalists like Paddy French in this awakening, who have spent years, tenaciously researching the North Wales abuse scandal and corruption, to shine the light on the truth.
Hi Myfanwy, I don’t recognise the names that you mention ie. Liz Davies and Peter McKelvie, but just to clarify- I wasn’t a whistleblower who was employed within, when that lot came after me I was a patient who was daring to ask questions. It began when I was an undergrad in Bangor and they literally pursued me down to London where I was doing a PhD at St Georges Hospital Medical School – Laurie Wood, the manager of the North Wales Hospital Denbigh, had connections down there and Dr Dafydd Alun Jones, who’s abuses that I had complained about, had contacts in London as well. I didn’t know this until very recently, I had always presumed that I had been horrendously bullied at St Georges because it was a very dysfunctional institution that treated people very badly. Indeed it was and it did, but I have now obtained letters written by people in north Wales and at St Georges detailing the connections between them all and discussing me no less. The full details are on my blog – some people who are now very big figures in the medical establishment were up to their eye-balls in it and knew full well what was happening in north Wales. I have named all the people involved on my website.
Trust the British Bullshit Corporation (Wales) to wade in. Even the photo (in the link that Nigel Stapley provided above) that they published of NM with his barrister has been carefully picked to convey a certain image of the people involved. It’s as obvious as the nose on your face that this is a witch hunt based on fresh air, but moulded by politicians and the media into something that is akin to the crap we have become used to in the mainstream (false) media. It truly stinks.
The frightening thing is that if those behind the scenes get someone in their sights, they can manufacture a situation like this with impunity, with the guarantee that they will get their result in a kangaroo court. And we live in a fair democratic society? My arse!
What really rankles is the fact that SERIOUS wrongdoers, fraudsters, corrupt politicians, paedophiles etc. just get overlooked, or when complaints are made they are smoothed over, ridiculed, dumbed down, ignored or swept under the carpet by powerful and influential people (remember Operation Midland?).
What was that, that Neil McEvoy was accused of again? Oh yes – an ambiguous reference to his suggestion that he looked forward to a council reshuffle – now that IS serious stuff!
I was at Neil’s tribunal on Thursday morning and all day Friday, I was not allowed in on Thursday afternoon. Having allowed 30 people in the morning the public gallery was cut to 11 in the afternoon. The verdict and summing up on the Friday afternoon was reminiscent of Kafka’s “The Trial”. Neil’s barrister caught the main witness and the victim of Neil’s “bullying”, Debbie Carter, out in a direct lie and a half truth and 2 misrepresentations which she had actually told in an eviction hearing in a court. Yet the judge Claire Short found her a credible witness whose evidence was consistent.
I can smell the stench of a stitch-up all the way from Caerdydd to here in Aberaeron. It’s like a decomposing rat under the floorboards. However, the big mistake is that Joe Public has been assumed to be totally stupid and easily fooled. Because the kangaroo court stitch-up is so obvious & pathetic, the perpetrators of this clumsy plot have shot themselves in their own feet at point blank range. Anyone with half a working neuron can see that.
I think in the long run that NM is going to be the net (personal) benefactor in this nutty episode, whilst Plaid & Labour have been exposed for what they truly are beneath their veneer.
A brilliant comparison to Kafka’s ‘The Trial’ Judith – well spotted! For those not familiar with this book click on the image below.
If you can’t be bothered to read the book – check out this link, it tells the story beautifully (you’ll have to excuse the ‘hip-talk’ – but it ain’t the way you say it, it’s the way you tell it!)
CLICK HERE.
You can download it for free from here. Always worth looking on Project Gutenburg for those long out of print, (and out of copyright) titles that are classics.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7849
For my part I wrote to my AM and Leanne making the case for not suspending Neil this morning.
Here is what I wrote
“I am writing you because I am concerned about the McEvoy situation. I
respect the email sent yesterday to party members asking not to rush
to judgement. If he truly is a bully by nature then its a risk for
sure. However when Llafur go after someone with such venom I start to
think he is doing something right in some respects.
Combative politicians stray over the line at times, but they are also
useful tools. Not everyone is as articulate or thoughtful as a
Jonathon Edwards or Adam Price. Plenty of thoughtful and articulate
people lose elections to those with a simpler outlook! Hopefully he
can be a useful tool for Plaid. From what I read he speaks for a
certain class and community, the kind of community that the media is
now focusing on as the disadvantaged and is the kind that always voted
Labour and is now voting UKIP. Instead they should be voting Plaid.
From my reading Cardiff is a Llafur boys club which needs
shaking up. If half that city united for Plaid the possibilities for
Wales are endless!”
I could have gone on and on and included more but chose not to.
I may not always agree with you Jac but keep up the good work!
I believe that Neil McEvoy has done Wales a wonderful service because, not only has he exposed the corruption and hypocrisy that underpins the Labour Party, but he has also laid bare the weaknesses of Plaid Cymru. Making more people realise that to get rid of Labour we need a Plaid Cymru containing more Neil McEvoys and many fewer compromising weaklings.
I shall keep up the good work. Thank you for your support.
My guess is Jac is right as to where the blame lies. At least the BBC website says:
“Meanwhile a group of domestic violence survivors and women’s activists has written to Plaid Cymru calling for the party to review its support for Mr McEvoy.
The signatories include Rachel Williams, an ambassador for Welsh Women’s Aid and a survivor of domestic violence herself.
The letter called on Plaid Cymru to “take the necessary measures (including suspension pending the investigation of fresh complaints) to ensure that he has no platform to attack the already fragile position of women in Wales”.
Ms Williams told BBC Wales that she is a member of the Labour party.”
The remark we are meant to be discussing is: “I can’t wait for the Council restructuring to happen ” .
That has nothing to do with domestic violence, or even “the fragile position of women in Wales”.
If Rachel Williams really believes the position of omen in Wales its fragile, she might take the matter up with the people who have been running Wales rather than Neil McEvoy.
Exactly, this has been turned into a feminist issue and used to paint Neil McEvoy as the kind of man women need protecting from. An ogre like that has no defence. This comes from the Labour Party but too many prominent women in Plaid Cymru buy into it.
Ironic really that McEvoy stepped in to act for a female tenant who was being harrassed by the local council’s bureaucratic blunderers ( of whom one or more was also female) . Nothing is said about the predicament of the tenant yet all the focus is switched to the alleged abuse of a council officer ( who happened to be female). No manipulation ? Come on Leanne get your claws out and start hacking into the Labour party’s “untouchable” self regard.
Neil McEvoy was actually defending one of his female constituents from eviction as a result of the ‘bedroom tax’, when he made the “offending” comment.
Perhaps Rachel Williams of Womens Aid should familiarise herself with the real plight of her clientele. Working mums who have successfully had an abusive partner removed from the family home, and as a result of the ‘bedroom tax’ and councils hounding tenants for rent arrears end up evicting vulnerable women.
Rachel Williams and Womens Aid should be championing the activities of Neil McEvoy not attempting to undermine him. McEvoy is championing the rights, security and safety of women in Cardiff, least of off preventing them being thrown onto the streets.
But it’s not a feminist issue. This is the point I was trying to make. A few females who have gripes with Neil in PC, along with Labour’s guard dogs piling on, doesn’t mean that women are against Neil. If anything, some of his most vocal supporters are female.
You’re giving more credence to the vocal anti-Neil brigade and a disservice to the majority of females, just because they happen to be the same sex. If a couple of males questioned one of PCs AMs, would you made this an issue of gender? I doubt it very much.
How you brought sexuality into this is just beyond me. Best keep to the issue instead of randomly chucking people into come camp or other, based on their genitals.
Next you’ll be saying all left-handed gingers hate Neil.
you protest too much. Feminists are at the vanguard of this campaign and played a major part in airbrushing the original “victim”, a woman threatened with eviction,out of the debate and switching its focus to an entirely different matter and agenda.
Nowhere do we claim that ALL women are involved , indeed it is encouraging to find increasing evidence that there are women out there on his patch who are happy to have McEvoy act for them in his usual enthusiastic robust style. Most likely we will also find men who are quite passionate in their support, and there will be men who are against McEvoy.
The real crime, the offence against the community at large, is that Cardiff Labour with the connivance of others have succeeded in a massive deflection/ manipulation exercise and Plaid have compounded the offence by their submissive drippy response when presented with enough evidence to turn the whole episode on its head.
It is borderline whether a comment like “I can’t wait for the Council restructuring to happen ” is bullying. It is certainly not correct to argue that this is equivalent to saying that the Council Official would be out of a job. Int is just as possible the official would be promoted in the restructuring!
The verdict of the Adjudication Panel should be appealed, and Plaid Cymru should be arguing this robustly.
(Incidentally, when I wrote to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales on another matter, I found him to be another representative of the inert bureaucracy that smothers Wales).
When John Prescott thumped someone (actually thumped, not a marginal case of bullying), the Labour Party rallied round. Nobody in the Labour Party said John is a violent thug, he needs to be thrown out of the party. They looked for reasons to support him. John will be John. John was provoked.
Whatever we might think about Labour, their support network is second to none.
Compare this to the treatment of Neil McEvoy. It does look very much as though Neil’s envious & spiteful opponents in Plaid Cymru want to drive him out of the party.
I resisted for a long time, but I am coming round — sadly — to Jac’s opinion that Plaid Cymru is not fit for purpose.
It needs to be bought a one-way ticket to the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland, so a proper party for the people of Wales can emerge.
This is where Plaid has undermined itself. The case against McEvoy was so flimsy, so obviously cobbled together by his Labour enemies putting pressure on the council official involved, that the obvious thing to have done would have been to defend him on those grounds.
But no, because the case was hijacked by the lesbian/feminist wing of Plaid which hates McEvoy with a vengeance and always makes common cause with the ‘sisters’ in Labour and elsewhere. These bitches play sexual politics and they don’t give a fuck about Wales, or the ordinary people that Neil McEvoy has managed to swing over to Plaid. Which is another reason Plaid’s leadership would like to get rid of him.
For the party never expected to make serious gains in the cities of the south, too many in the party think of the people living in these cities with some contempt. What McEvoy has done is mobilise a whole new electorate that Plaid’s leadership does not understand, and now they fear him.
What’s more, given that Plaid Cymru is compromised, and must not succeed, McEvoy, who could be the key to success, must be discredited, undermined and excluded.
Jac, I 100% agree with what you say about the party, and Neil. In fact, I’m in agreement with you on most issues.
I was a little annoyed reading comments such as “hijacked by the lesbian/feminist wing of Plaid which hates McEvoy” because a lot of women have voiced support for Neil, and a lot of feminists. All the lesbians I know in the party are supporting Neil.
My point is, you’re undermining the argument by making such unfounded comments. I agree with what you say, so please don’t force me to think you’re a dickhead!
We can then go back to hating the Labour party together.
I remain to be convinced.
My point is, just because there’s a few vocal, straight, women in the party making noises against McEvoy, it doesn’t follow that you conclude that all feminists/lesbians don’t like Neil. That’s quite the leap.
A few people with issues with him, don’t represent half the population.
Though I don’t agree with Jac on many things, I do happen to think his general stance re: Wales and Plaid Cymru is about spot on, however, with his intemperate outburst he is being just a bit of a dickhead. Jac, use your big head, not your little one! (or indeed your ‘backhead’)
To which “intemperate outburst” do you refer?
Claiming that the ‘lesbian/feminist’ wing have hijacked Plaid. I don’t think any of them are real feminists, as Caru Cymru has it, they are faux feminists who have hijacked feminism, (if you actually talked to true feminist women about it you’d know!) for their own particular agenda.
Just as some men seem to have issues with women and are prepared to use their position of power to undermine women, so the reverse is true, (though granted, more contraversial to point out).
Why you had to even mention lesbians I don’t know, unless you’re only experience of them is of the (misogynist) stereotype. Whilst there are certainly a few who think that men are the devil’s spawn, (just as there are a handful of Welsh speakers who regard English people the same way) most are fine about men in most contexts, apart from the obvious, which I’m sure you will understand if you consider your own reaction to the idea of sexual intimacy with a man! (n.b: your reaction shouldn’t be so much one of shocked horror, (unless you are truly so insecure in your own identity) as one of just, ‘no, not my thing’). And of course, less than positive reactions towards the antics of men from any woman should be no surprise, given men’s general behaviour towards them.
You then topped it off by referring to that group of women as ‘bitches’, which is not only derogatory, but misogynist too – and does nothing to progress the debate, merely giving the opposition useful ammunition to divert attention away from the real problems.
Why do I get the strong impression that you are a woman?
OK, maybe there was no need to use ‘lesbian’, but those “faux feminists” in Plaid Cymru putting the boot into Neil McEvoy and joining in a Labour campaign, are deserving of the term ‘bitches’. Though I’m not sure that asking me to imagine my “reaction to the idea of sexual intimacy with a man” was really necessary.
Yes, I’m straight, but I’ve had lots of gay comrades in the fringe nationalist movement, men like Pedr Lewis, imprisoned in the ’50s for his activities with the Republicans, Dafydd ‘Y Dug’ Burns (/Underhill), imprisoned in ’69 with the FWA, Ronnie ‘Brigadier’ Williams and many others. The irony is perhaps that despite the FWA and other groupings being on the political right a man’s sexuality was his own business, sure, we could joke about it with terms like ‘shirt-lifter’, but there was never any discrimination and these men were quite open about their sexuality in ways that would have been impossible in other – more ‘liberal’ – company. There may be a lesson there.
More recently, I made my position clear a short time ago, maybe on this blog, where I said something along the lines of, ‘It (homosexuality) doesn’t bother me at all, but what pisses me off is gays making a career out of it. It’s the hand you were dealt, just get on with life.’
“…making a career out of it ….” just about sums it up. We have other “oppressed” minorities howling about rights, get those rights acknowledged, then crank it up another notch by demanding “affirmative action”. What’s not to dislike ?
I remember way back in the 80’s recruiting a woman into a senior Purchasing Manager role in manufacturing. She was tough as old boots but also very feminine in a nice way, not a pushy tart but classy. Apart from a few males who thought they had a duty to try it on with her she reckoned that the worst harrassment was from women who thought that she was getting ahead of herself and needed bringing down.
So in the end it’s not gender, it’s not orientation, lifestyle or preference, it’s about people. And that’s where the “bitches” thing comes in, and it applies equally to males and females who have an opportunistic outlook on events twisting and manipulating a narrative to suit their own deviant objectives.
Looking back, McEvoy never stood a chance because of the unhappy coincidence of the assorted deviants looking for a half decent chance to stick it in him. Good job it was done with words and not blades. He’ll recover from this while time will tell what fate awaits his assailants.
Jac, I can assure you that your strong impression is wrong! I’m male, in my late 50s and straight.
My comment about your reaction to sexual intimacy with a man was in response to what was suggested by your pejorative reference to lesbians – which though intemperate, was the result of some obvious anger on your part – justified anger at the misuse of position and power, I may add, but it’s that kind of knee-jerk response that gets us all into trouble with those who will exploit such situations to their advantage. I certainly meant no offence, and apologise is any were caused.
Whilst I agree with you about your sentiments towards those faux feminists in Plaid, and elsewhere, I still disagree with your use of the term ‘bitches’ to describe them. I suggest that a better term would be despicable, as they are certainly that, and it leaves them somewhat lost for words as there is no way they can derail the real issue by focusing on the term used, which is both sexist and misogynist.
Don’t aid them by giving them ammunition, as that only justifies the existence of such groups, and perpetuates them.
OK, despicable bitches.
Agree with sibrydion , tone it down Jac, i am a feminist bitch , not a lesbian, hey but its never too late to try, and i enjoy reading this blog and agree with a lot of what is said and sometimes don’t but despair at the wimmin bashing.
OK, I shall tone it down.
Conflating all women with feminists is cultural Marxist propaganda. It shuts down criticism of feminists through claims of misogyny. The unfounded, feminist doctrine that all women are historical victims of ‘patriarchy’ convinces many that women and feminists are interchangeable. There are however many women who recognise its divisiveness. It exercises social control over non elite males and creates idealistic expectations in non elite females that it cannot provide such as ‘having it all’ and ‘men cannot be victims’. It is relevant to Welsh nationalism because believe it or not, societies consist of both men and women in similar numbers and how they are controlled helps determine social, economic and poitical structures. This is why feminists, who ironically most likely take orders fom elite males, fight so hard to retain control. Falsehoods can be convenient when you want self benefiting policy implemented and generally accepted.
Why am I reminded of the closing scene from that great book, Animal Farm? “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which”.
Plaid can be man or pig, as could Labour. Makes no difference because for us creatures sitting outside the farmhouse they are to all intents and purposes indistinguishable.
My fear is that McEvoy has been picked to play the part of Boxer, who if my memory is correct, was despatched to the slaughterhouse by the hierarchy and turned into glue.
Julie Richards Neil McEvoy’s ex partner mentioned above works for “The Office of Future Generations”..
That says a lot. She works for Sophie Howe, Labour insider and former Deputy PCC to Alun Michael. God! Wales is corrupt.
the web of deceit is even bigger than I imagined. Amazing how dirt clusters in no time at all.
Keith – do you have any means of finding out how she got that job ? Was it advertised in the public domain, or was it passed around the Party’s inner circle as it was deemed too good a number to allow the common herd anywhere near it !
Fairly good commentary that echos you Jac.
https://ygwladgarwr.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/neil-mcevoy-and-undisguised-bullying/
As a Plaid member I received a mass e-mail from some jumped-up party lackey informing me of the outcome. I sent my response. It wasn’t exactly supportive of the party.
“Few complaints end up going this far. Last year, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales dealt with 112 complaints against county councillors and only one was passed on to the adjudication panel”
30 November 2016 – Nick Servini BBC-W
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38155910
Wow. Thanks for that link, Anon. 112 complaints yet only McEvoy ends up being judged! That’s a statistic that should make anyone sitting on the fence over this smell a bloody huge rat.
Jac — Thank you so much for your sober, timely and illuminating analysis of this depressing situation. In the past, Neil McEvoy has answered to my satisfaction many of the questions raised above about what Plaid stands for. I am a Plaid member, but I am really struggling to find reasons to continue to support the party in the light of the hostility of the leadership to McEvoy’s charismatic style and success in areas that are not natural Plaid territory. Ultimately, I have decided that, if McEvoy can find the commitment to stay loyal to the party, then so will I.
Why don’t we all join the Plaid and form a “McEvoy wing” just to show those politically correct sacks of shit that there is a better way. I reckon that a solid wedge of about 100 robust individuals, men and women, could deliver a breath of fresh air through that lot and once again appeal to the disenfranchised mass in South Wales and N.E Wales along with the traditional stamping grounds in the Western counties ( North and South) & Powys. If a bunch of fakes like UKIP can swing people then a group of genuine people with a real interest in Wales should be able to raise some real support.
Diddorol! That’s an interesting theory you’ve just put forward there Dafis.
I much prefer this approach to tearing down the good in Plaid and attempting to build again from scratch. What is called for is a “Momentum”-equivalent for Plaid. A pressure group to keep Plaid honest and committed to its founding principles. McEvoy or Rhun would be great leaders of such a movement.
Both are huge tasks JE. However, if your donkey’s dead what’s the point in putting a shiny new saddle on it? You need a new donkey!
Now this is what I call bulling behaviour, by the extreme feminists!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/neil-mcevoy-am-been-suspended-12704093
I don’t know the specific details but Neil McEvoy has for years been arguing that men are also victims of domestic abuse. (I suspect he’s speaking from personal experience.) Such a suggestion of course infuriates the lesbians and extreme feminists who are now piling into him at the behest of Cardiff Labour Party.
A party that has lost seven women councillors in recent years complaining of bullying. Yet those now laying into NMcE have virtually ignored these cases. Why? Because Welsh Women’s Aid received over one million pounds from the ‘Welsh’ Government in y/e 31.03.2016 and hundreds of thousands of pounds from Labour controlled councils, including Cardiff.
This is clearly a leftist issue, and as we know, Plaid Cymru is nothing if not a right-on leftist party.
Councillor resigns over ‘culture, attitude and sexism’ within the Labour party
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/councillor-resigns-over-culture-attitude-7609959
A Cardiff councillor has defected from Labour saying the party has a ‘culture of bullying and harassment’
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/cardiff-councillor-defected-labour-saying-11695584
‘Sickened’ Labour councillor quits alleging ‘bullying’ and ‘racial discrimination’
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/sickened-labour-councillor-quits-alleging-12247705
Plaid now sticking the knife into their own AM, absolutely disgusting!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-39191655
that party has reached a new low. The clique at the top are about as gutless as you could ever find. Stronger spines in earthworms. Plaid were said to be worried about Labour launching an attack on its feminist and anti bullying stance, well whoopie, Plaid have caved in ahead of any prospect of bullying by the Labour gangsters. As for Plaid’s feminism well it’s about skin deep, all image and posture, with no substance to it at all that adds any value to any cause. Get back to dealing with real issues or get out.
I just want to thank you for saying it as it really is. People are too quick to judge especially as they are ignorant to the backdrop.
I liked your comment on ‘Caru Cymru’ Andrea
In meetings with people discussing what to do to push the idea of Welsh Independence, I found two things.
Firstly, that far more people were willing – in and about the place, in the pubs they were held – to talk about independence as a possibility, as something to be considered, whether they agreed it would be a good thing or not than I had expected (and I grew up in the area).
Secondly, when discussing any events or literature to be produced, any line to take in talking to people, the ones who most wanted to close down any discussion of independence seemed to come from Plaid Cymru. “Oh, no one wants independence! Be *very* careful! Don’t push it! People will hate it! I don’t think I’ll see an independent Wales in my lifetime. The establishment will be on you! Be very very careful f you are thinking of doing any stalls! And for God’s sake, don’t call yourselves nationalist!”
They often seem to be the most enthusiastic at stopping anything happening – and, to be honest, seem quite effective at it. Especially to people new in to the idea (of which there seem to be more recently, from my very limited experience.) “Well, if this is what the radical nationalists (because that is what they will assume PC are) fighting for Wales are like, then fuck this for a game of soldiers. I’m not going to bother with all this nonsense.”
With limited other contact I have had with them on other related issues, they have often seemed not just to be useless, but to be an active hindrance to the idea of independence – at a time when more people than ever seem willing to talk about it (at least, as I say, in my limited experience).
Instead of taking advantage of the will in Wales for more devolution, of the increased level of noise about independence which is happening despite them, those I have had contact with seem to be beating it back, whether intentionally or not.
And yes, independence for Wales does seem to the ones (the few) I have any real contact with to be an unimportant add-on when compared to the politics of attacking Brexit, Trump or other issues.
I have argued for years that Plaid Cymru is the biggest obstacle to independence. This can be traced back to the 1980s when the party was ‘compromised’ by the British intelligence community. From then on it became a party of ideological allsorts, saving the planet, gay rights, etc., etc., and anything but nationalism and Wales.
There was one terrible moment around 2000 when it looked as if Plaid might become a nationalist party and actually succeed, but the danger passed when Dafydd Wigley was stabbed in the back.
Now Neil McEvoy will suffer the same fate. Why? Because he’s made a breakthrough with ordinary people, the sort of people who would never have voted for Plaid Cymru if it wasn’t for him. Plaid doesn’t want popular support, it wants to cwtsh up to English ‘progressives’
Plaid Cymru as we know it will have to go before Wales can progress.
We all know what plaid are against, but it’s what they’re for is where they really let nationalists down. That’s as passive as you get.
I’m going to see how they deal with McBoy, then decide whether or not to carry on paying membership. I’m a member to gain independence for Wales. No special issues.
Last summer, the right sounds were made about Independence. Then 9 months of, I think I’ve seen it referenced here, ‘sofa hiding’. Silence. Silenced?
It might be they don’t think people can deal with it & brexit at the same time, but anyone with half a clem, would cease on a period of turmoil & weakness – just as Ire did 100 yrs ago.
Having seen how they’ve dealt with him, what is your reaction?
If he’s expelled, not another penny. Wait and see.
Shame, as we’re not blessed with choices.
Cantre’r Gwaelod – ” I think I’ve seen it referenced here, ‘sofa hiding’. Silence. Silenced?”
Dafydd Wigley, Seimon Glyn, moi and many others! Been there, done that, got the ‘T’-shirt & got a six inch dagger in the back as a memento of PC’s hierarchy appreciation! Some things never change. It makes you truly wonder about Jac’s comment about infiltration, and their influence on the feeble & impressionable minds of the spineless naive ones who started off as nationalists e.g. Cynog Dafis & Co. Until they got wooed away by the spells of the pipes of the Greens & Socialists. No room for straight talking nationalists who tell the truth as it is – regardless of how unpalatable that is for ‘yr estron’.
The word ‘nationalist’ is like their kryptonite.
Very good & sadly true – I wish I’d thought of that! LOL
You did prompt it G!
Well thank you CG!
Jac, you mention that Plaid Cymru were ‘ ‘compromised’ by the British intelligence community’, in the 1980s, could you elaborate a little more please?
For obvious reasons, it’s difficult if not impossible to provide evidence, one can only look at changes that have taken place, and certain specific events, to come to the conclusion I have: Plaid exists nowadays a) to pretend to be a national party, the Welsh equivalent of the SNP, and b) to act as a block on any party truly emulating the SNP from emerging. Plaid Cymru in 2017 is a dog in the manger party serving the Unionist agenda not Welsh interests.
I shall expand on this in my next post.
Then your next post promises to be a cracker!
Broadly, a clear and justified calling out of the travesty of justice this farce is. A Labour councillor makes a complaint, not the employee I note, an ex Advisor to Carwyn Jones in his new guise of Ombudsman refers petty non issue to unelected, appointed, non judicial, adjudication board, I understand made up of ex politicians? That’s a strange form of justice? Welsh public should be horrified by this carnival!
However, to take the opportunity to savage PC and the left in the process is a cheap shot. Particularly when the whole process was instigated by the right wing of Welsh Labour? The charge of not putting independence to the fore when PC suffered badly under the leadership of a thoroughly nice but weak leader, is old history. Leanne has always unashamedly and incontrovertibly put Indy as the first priority of PC!
So, great expose of the slimy, sneaky bunch of self seeking ‘Britlanders’ (thanks for the great new term, going to use it often) but marred by a little too much ancient axe grinding!
8/10 must try harder,
For God’s sake, if Plaid Cymru had balls, if Plaid Cymru was the party it pretends to be, Labour couldn’t get away with the things it gets away with.
So do you believe that independence is the first priority of Plaid Cymru?
I’m sure he can answer for himself, but I believe that independence should be the objective for Plaid Cymru.
I see that your old adversary Martin Shipton has written and published a defence of Neil McEvoy. Given that you approved of your friend, Keith Parry’s, support of McEvoy, how do you feel about an endorsement by Shipton?
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/neil-mcevoy-defence-one-wales-12701152
As a highly intelligent investigative journalist I’m sure that you can come up with some theories as to why Shipton likes McEvoy so much and why, it is rumoured, that McEvoy is similarly fond of Shipton?
I wouldn’t be so intrusive as to inquire into the relationship between them. But I’m sure you have a theory, and I’m sure you’re going to tell us . . .
I suspect part of the reason Shipton likes McEvoy is part of the reason I like him. Shipton is a journalist, and the Welsh Assembly can be very boring. McEvoy isn’t boring. I’m not sure there’s any conspiracy there.
Shipton’s chumminess with McEvoy goes back well beyond his becoming an AM, so that blows your theory out of the water. Maybe Shipton does like McEvoy because he is exciting, or a hero even? Here is an excerpt from McEvoy’s speech to conference on Saturday:
“I want to tell you a real life story that illustrates my attitude to politics and life.
When I was younger I had some fights, but I never started them. Most were in response to racist abuse and I realised at an extremely young age that bullies would stop when you hit them back. Attack is sometimes the best form of defence.
I remember the first school trip I organised as a young teacher, the 14th July 1995. It’s a day I’ll never forget, because we had had a great time, until we found ourselves in a highjack situation.
A group of men… two in particular, decided that they wanted to abduct the children and managed to get control of the coach. I remember the fear of something bad happening to the 50 children in my care and I ran in front of the coach as the highjackers started to drive away.
Thankfully, they stopped and I jumped on board and tried to talk them down. They didn’t listen and then started to push me down the aisle to the back of the bus, then one of the men head butted me. Decision time. I knew that if I let them hit me again, I might not be in a position to be able look after the children so I punched them both as hard and as often as I could and I didn’t stop until I had hit them off the bus.
My momentum carried me out with them and the driver got on, secured the door and drove the children to safety. The highjackers later went to prison.
The main thing about that night was that I did what needed doing. I did my job and the children were safe. That story is relevant to politics.”
Not sure what point you’re trying to make. Are you saying he’s a liar – with 50 witnesses? Or are you accusing him of blowing his own trumpet (something we don’t expect from politicians)? The issue is bullying, and the incident he quotes is therefore relevant.
If I’ve got it wrong, what are you trying to say?
i am a bit confused with all this McEvoy business and that story has confused me even more- I am also confused as to why McEvoys would be picked on by racists, as he isnt black is he?There seems to be too much noise from both sides, but I like the fact that he challenges the satus quo . wish they all did
One of his grandfathers came from, I believe, Somalia; certainly somewhere in that region. He has recently described himself as “brown”.
Martin Shipton is aware that the dwindling readership of his scribbles is the Echo sold with a can of Tizer and a Mars bar from the newsagents of suburban Cardiff. He does not write for the Guardian or the Telegraph and is aware of who his circulation is. This is a common interest with McEvoy.
McEvoy is very much having the desired effect within Plaid Cymru. Plaid has always suffered from infiltration from ‘comfortable’ third sector parasites. These luvvies with an adoration of royalty and glow at the pomp of the three feathers, who spend a career on the boundary between the education sector and some taxpayer funded cultural organisation. A kind of taffy of the bed-chamber of the British establishment. Those who visit art galleries, the ‘yeah right-on man’ types who would balk at the idea of seeing real Welsh history and culture if it means getting their shoes dirty.
One such specimen is a Mr Havard Essex.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/essex-havard-70201613
Thankfully, he’s just stood down from being a Plaid candidate in Llandaff North.
This will provide an opportunity for Plaid to select a real candidate for the area concerned. Someone who’s primary objective when they get up in the morning is to brave the traffic to get to work, perhaps struggling on a mortgage and to feed the kids rather than vex themselves on what museum seminar to attend. Plaid Cymru is not an additional badge to attach to the Qashqai next to the National Trust emblem. It’s a political party whose goal is independence. In doing so it represents the ordinary citizens of Wales. Those need be the candidates.
that chap you dug up is Essex Havard, but either way round it’s a classic name for an imported suburban Plaider with ambitions to represent a middling level ward in the City. The name alone would have aroused considerable mirth among the locals, as many of the longer term residents are real Cardiffians as opposed to the assorted faux aspirational muppets that have moved in over recent years en route to their next address in nearby Llandaff or Whitchurch. The real natives of that ward would probably be drawn to a genuine lump like McEvoy, cut from similar cloth, no airs and graces. Instead they were about to be offered a wonk, a professional occupying that strategically vital zone linking museums to educational consultancy.
Bois bach, what are we doing to ourselves ? Will they have the sense to find a local tradesman or even a graduate professional doing a real job in the real world ? Are there any engineers or similar available ? or will it yet again be an events administrator with a track record of innovation in LGBT parades and fairs ?
Picking up on your tweet column – the concept of “family of nations” sounds very grand but of course it only gets trotted out when the ruling clique needs to deploy it in the face of any challenge to their god given rights over the rest of us. Indeed with N.Ireland getting a bit volatile again, and Ms Sturgeon stirring the pot daily we in Wales at at severe risk of being left with a runt’s share of the goodies. With a compliant Labour government too fuckin’ lazy to do any original thinking except for those situations where they need to look after their own vested interests, and opposition made up of sundry unionists and limp wristed alt-pseudo lefties there’s little chance of anyone really fighting for this little corner.
Our lot are in freeze frame mode again accepting crumbs off the Heathrow table but dressing it up with yet another pipe dream of job creation and god knows what other benefits arising from an investment in Heathrow ! FFS if they want to lie then they better start getting good at it. How the Scots rigged it to get 200million would stand scrutiny but given the London crowd’s distaste for any kind of fight with wee Nicola they probably said “oh FFS give her some of that cash Wales should have had as they won’t miss it”. And when Carwyn goes up the big smoke for a chin wag they will open a new pack of biscuits so that he can feel important. Twat !
Dafis, 200M that should have come to Wales? I haven’t heard that one, do tell.
But more seriously there is now a real chance, in the fallout from Brexit (even perhaps if in the end B. never comes about) of an Independent Scotland, a United Ireland or even both. This will leave Wales joined at the hip to an isolated and very irate England still harbouring Delusions of Empire. There is already concern in Scotland that if independence isn’t achieved this time around, London will begin stripping powers from Holyrood, and certainly has no intention of passing on anything significant that comes back from Brussels. Potentially Wales has (had?) a window of opportunity where it might have hitched a ride on the bandwagon, but instead voted for Brexit and even UKIP. Surely that’s nothing less than an open invitation to London to begin dismantling Welsh devolution and who knows re-incorporating Wales back into ‘Greater England’. Unlike Scotland you have no separate legal system and religion isn’t what it once was, so what’s left to shore-up your separate identity? Yr Hen Iaith wrth gwrs, but that could easily be used for divide-and-rule.
Sorry to sound alarmist, but better that than complacently going “gentle into that good night”. Time for a little more rage mebbie?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-39157615
Funny I was just reading this Wings blog*, warning the SNP to avoid getting tangled in what you’d call Special Interest side issues, things we can argue about after independence. Anyways, one of the comments contrasts Plaid, so let me quote :
—-
@ 6 March, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Nigel Stapley says:
“… It might be instructive to remember why Plaid Cymru (I originally types ‘Palid’ there; paging Dr. Freud…) has failed so wretchedly to achieve any breakthrough remotely equivalent to that of the SNP. In the mid-80s, it was taken over by a clique of Marxist pseuds around Dafydd Elis Thomas who pushed the party far to the left and, by so doing, alienated those who weren’t on the left but who were in favour of independence. This (and the later cosying up to the Greens who – in contrast to Scotland – are part of an Englandnwales set up rather than an autonomous body, and are consequently made up largely of arrogant and patronising Good Life fantasists), has meant a consistent fear-induced inability even to utter the word ‘independence’ in public.
If this was intended to try to gain electoral support from the traditional Labour areas, it has been a bust, leading instead to Plaid doing little more than shoring up minority Labour administrations. Scarcely any wonder then that – in the elections for our pretendy parliament (which we’re not permitted to call a ‘parliament’, in case it gives us ideas), people disillusioned with Labour’s misrule over decades switched in their thousands to the KIPpers instead, and also voted to yank us out of the EU (always a more beneficial relationship than the one with the Imperial Parliament in London) and leave us utterly without ammunition with which to defend ourselves …”
—-
TBH I can’t recall when (if ever) Plaid said anything about Welsh independence. But then what are they for?
* http://wingsoverscotland.com/a-flock-of-albatrosses/
Unfortunately, above a certain level Plaid Cymru is nothing but a collection of special issues. Independence or standing up for our nationality, or the language, is far too ‘divisive’, because Plaid has attracted too many of the wrong people.
who is nigel stapley ? has he showed up on here at all ? His insight regarding the recent history leading to Plaid’s sorry state today closely aligns with yours – not using another name Jac ?
Never heard of him. Either he’s been reading what I’ve written here and elsewhere, or else it’s a case of great minds thinking alike.
Or fools seldom differing! (I have commented here before, but not – as far as I recall – under my own name).
Thank you for your kind remarks. I’m more to the left of youse, Jac (who isn’t?), but I would happily put my socialist/social-democratic notions to one side if we could just get independence and then decide which way we go. Plaid’s abject failure at being a genuine nationalist party is a danger to the very existence of our nation as a meaningful entity, and it was that warning that I was trying to draw to the attention of our cousins to the north. I don’t think it can be reformed from within; it has to be replaced and if I were twenty years younger and in far better health I’d do the bloody job myself, so I would!
socialist/social-democratic notions
You cannot be a socialist and a social democrat. It’s thinking along those lines that is the root cause of Labour’s self-destruction in England.
You speak for yourself, Flag. Some of us have socialist elements in our core thinking but reject some of the other gibberish that’s been spun by the advance guard of right-on socialist thinking because it just leads to unnecessary interference in people’s daily lives. That’s what eventually leads to the corporatist state where every other slogan talks about “people this” and “people that” but the poor old people get nothing other than an occasional glimpse of a party goon lording it big style. Democracy implemented within communities is socialism at work when people get a chance to express their wishes and aspirations through the ballot box AND regular contact with elected representatives.
I’m in the same boat as you dafis. I also have what you refer to as ‘socialist elements’ in my core thinking – but I prefer to call them ‘social justice’ and a ‘social conscience’, it’s what you have when you’re from a working class background that understands hardships and you have a strong sense of injustice. SOCIALISM or SOCIALIST is not what these feelings are. They are terms that have been hijacked by the Labour party – more especially New Labour (pink Tory ‘Blairites’) in particular. They hide behind it and use it as a shield.
The problem is that ‘socialism’ has become synonymous with the Labour party, consequently, that has undermined the core values that used to be associated with ‘socialism’. This is also why I bang on about the invalidity of what’s termed ‘right’, ‘centre’ & ‘left’ wing crap when it comes to defining politics. It doesn’t work like that, but it serves the purposes of the establishment to create this perception in people’s minds.
It’s all so annoying, when you’re pigeon-holed incorrectly. I would call myself a patriotic nationalist with social values, however, that immediately summons up in people’s minds such derogatory terms as ‘far right wing extremist’ or even ‘fascist’ which makes my blood boil.
I despise PC because they mimic Labour and ignore their nationalist roots – after all, what was the party created for in the first place? As for the Tories – don’t get me started – the very vision of elitist, ‘silver spoon in the mouth’, public school wankers with posh accents and greed orientated, psychopathic tendencies just make me feel sick when I hear the term ‘Tory’.
Complicated little world we live in isn’t it? But worse than complicated, it’s a ‘dog eat dog’ encouraged society where greed and callousness rule supreme.
As you say, deep in the Welsh psyche – especially since the aristocracy and gentry Anglicised themselves – there has lain this desire for social justice. It manifested itself in countless ways in the 19th century, long before the arrival of the Labour Party; we saw the Chartists, Ceffyl Pren, Scotch Cattle, Rebecca, Merthyr Rising, Tithe Wars . . .
Where Labour was clever was in appropriating this tradition and pretending that it was the natural inheritor of the values expressed. But of course it wasn’t, because there was a distinctly Welsh element to all these movements that a strictly British party like Labour couldn’t handle.
Rebecca, Ceffyl Pren and the Tithe Wars were almost exclusively rural with most participants being monolingual Welsh. But even in the industrial areas, the Scotch Cattle were inspired by earlier, agrarian protests. The Chartists who came down the Gwent valleys in 1839 were demanding a ‘Silurian Republic’, in other words, an independent south Wales. Dic Penderyn spoke only Welsh.
Yet to believe Labour leaders like that cunt Kinnock we were savages paying homage to ‘brigands’ before we saw the light of socialism and were led to the Promised Land by BritNat Labour.
I may be on the political right, but I too believe in justice and social justice, call me egalitarian; and I will always fight against the stultifying faux socialism of the Labour Party of Englandandwales and the corruption and hypocrisy that it has introduced into Welsh political and public life.
So let’s coin a new name for people like us then Jac (dafis & others) and stick to it. No revamping of old labels, but find something catchy and totally new, that sums us up. It’ll stop people calling us ‘Nashies’, ‘Plaidies’, ‘Tories’ or worse ‘Fascists’!
Got to put an end to this relentless pigeon-holing, it’s undermining, misleading and downright wrong. Let’s not allow others to put a label on us – according to their whims or to serve their erroneous and ignorant arguments.
Maybe you could arrange a competition on here to find a name that fits our politics!
I was going to say that the three of you (at least) should get together and write a book explaining all of this. But then again maybe it’s a manifesto you should be writing. Certainly any party that could contain you three would be unstoppable and a gift to the nation 🙂
And no, I’m not being sarcastic, something like this has to happen PDQ else Wales will be left stuck to England after Scotland and NI leave the UK. In that not unlikely situation, I really fear all the disgruntled BritNats would gang up on Wales and accelerate its ‘evolution’ into Westanglia, turn the assembly into even more of a parish council (is that possible?), reduce the language to a bit of cute window-dressing for tourists … well you don’t need me to tell you how it goes.
“You cannot be a socialist and a social democrat. It’s thinking along those lines that is the root cause of Labour’s self-destruction in England.”
It’s thinking along the lines that there isn’t a continuum of political thinking, and that instead there are self-insulating, discrete positions which has been the root cause of the factionalism which has rendered the Brit ‘left’ the most ludicrous sight in modern politics.
spot on Nigel. You summed it up better than my effort.
Just like to confirm that Nigel is very real and have known him for 20 odd years. Agree with his every word.
Thank you, I wasn’t really questioning his existence, it’s just that I hadn’t heard of him.
Rhun ap Iorwerth has consistently and very publicly said he is a nationalist and wants independence.
Maybe he should be in charge.