Brexit, Boris, Nigel . . . and independence!

PLEASE APPRECIATE THAT I GET SENT MORE INFORMATION AND LEADS THAN I CAN USE. I TRY TO RESPOND TO EVERYONE WHO CONTACTS ME BUT I CANNOT POSSIBLY USE EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION I’M SENT. DIOLCH YN FAWR

CONFESSIO

Regular readers will know that I voted for Brexit back in June 2016. I did so for the reasons I set out in EU Referendum: Why I Want OUT! which was followed in celebratory mood with Brexit, Wexit: Things Can Only Get Better!

The clue to my motivation lies in my use of the word ‘Wexit’, for I believed then, and I believe even more strongly today, that Brexit, especially a disastrous and damaging Brexit, can lead to Welsh independence. And Welsh independence is my priority; more important by far than membership of the EU.

In addition to voting for Brexit I confirmed my trip to Tartarus by supporting Trump, and more recently, by voting for the Brexit Party in the recent EU elections. Then there’s my backing for Neil McEvoy, and the regular criticism of Plaid Cymru.

Oh, yes, and of course I attack the Labour Party on a regular, almost daily, basis.

So, all in all, I suppose I’ve made a few enemies.

My rap sheet is enough to reduce certain people to bouts of carpet-chewing rage. These, it should be said, tend to be Plaid Cymru members and supporters; more especially what some call the ‘Leannistas’, the woke left, currently nursing their wounds after so many recent defeats and now lashing out blindly at people like me.

Which is ironic in a way, for I am only following Lenin’s dictum, “The worse, the better”. By which he meant that the population at large will be more receptive to revolutionary change when the system they’re familiar with starts disintegrating.

It may be cruel, it may be cynical, but old Vlad was spot on. For the Bolsheviks would never have come to power if Russia had stayed out of World War One and the Czar had introduced adequate reforms.

BY THE LEFT

There are no half measures with these people who attack me.

If you don’t support Extinction Rebellion bringing cities to a standstill then you’re a climate change denier. Vote for Brexit and you’re a fascist/racist/white supremacist. Refuse to accept that ‘chicks with dicks’ are 100% women and you’re a transphobe. The list of crimes people like me can commit – without even knowing it! – is endless. And these ‘crimes’ increase by the month.

Though many of my critics are happy to engage in rational debate, and there’s even banter. But then there’s the darker side, those who just want to screech at me.

Here’s a recent example from Twitter of what I’m talking about.

Click to enlarge

I don’t know who Aled Gwyn Williams is (is he the one in the cap?), and I’ve no idea what motivated him to put such ugly slanders on social media for my grandchildren to be teased about.

I shall deal with the first paragraph in a minute.

As for the second paragraph, I am none of the things he lists. Though perhaps he’s trying to say the same thing with “fascist”, “racist”, and “authoritarian & white-supremacist”. (I can almost hear the spluttering as he repeats himself.)

As for being “homophobic”, well, just ask my gay friends.

The final smear is that I am a “defender of violence against women”, but I have no idea what the hell he’s trying to say. Does he think I stand outside windows listening to domestic arguments and shouting, “Go on, pal, punch her!”

Displayed here we see the absolute self-belief of the true fanatic (political or religious); convinced that he/she is right and anyone he/she disagrees with is not only wrong, but evil.

Which makes them no different to those they claim to oppose. For the right, we’re told, is intolerant, that it ‘others’ people, who can then be vilified and humiliated. Precisely what Aled Gwyn Williams tried to do to me in that tweet.

Support for the old axiom that says there’s no real difference between the extremes of left and right. They operate in almost exactly the same way.

But yes, I did vote for Brexit; and yes, I did support Trump; and yes, I did vote for the Brexit Party in last month’s EU elections; and yes, I certainly want Boris Johnson to become prime minister: and yes, I did help form Ein Gwladbecause I want Welsh independence!

An increasing number of people across the political spectrum now agree that Brexit delivered by Boris Johnson with his head up Trump’s arse will threaten the Union.

‘Welsh’ Labour leader Mark Drakeford has said it. His predecessor Carwyn Jones conceded that the “shambles” in Westminster was making more people in Wales think about independence. Former Liberal Democrat leader and deputy PM Nick Clegg knows the Union is under threat. Former PM Gordon Brown agrees with him. I could go on, but you get my drift.

The exclusive English nationalism preached by Boris Johnson makes many more Scots, Irish, and Welsh question the English connection.

This is a good thing. As this Irish tweet I picked up over the weekend understands. (Though I’m not sure about Wales as a fifth province!)

Click to enlarge

When Johnson is announced as new Tory Party leader and prime minister tomorrow he will face a choice. Either to soldier on with a rebellious minority in his party capable of derailing his plans, or to call a general election in the hope of removing his critics and increasing his majority.

Despite the obvious discord in the Labour Party there’s no guarantee that Johnson could increase his majority, that’s because any election will be fought on the issue of Brexit, which will see certain parties standing aside to give a single anti-Brexit candidate a clear run at the Tory opponent.

His best option then might be an electoral pact with the Brexit Party. The Tories could concentrate on the suburbs and the shires, while Farage’s crew could focus on those ‘left behind’ areas that voted for Brexit in 2016.

Such a pact will confirm the split in the Conservative Party.

For as I’ve said somewhere before, in recent decades ‘Europe’ has been to the Tories what Irish Home Rule was to the 19th century Liberal Party. The Liberals split in 1886 with the breakaway Liberal Unionist Party eventually merging with the Conservative and Unionist Party.

A victory for the pact would give Boris Johnson – and his thirsty deputy, Nigel Farage – the majority needed to turn the UK into an offshore tax haven where everybody whistles The Dam Busters tune before settling down to yet another meal of chlorinated chicken.

A LITTLE BIRD

While it’s difficult to understand the unprovoked attack from Aled Gwyn Williams, he is not alone. Not so long ago a very similar assault was mounted by someone called Huw Marshall who, again, is a complete stranger to me.

Ifan Morgan Jones also came out swinging with a ludicrous charge of Antisemitism over something I’d written that included George Soros. But in my piece I never mentioned that Soros was Jewish. To which I might add that, as a good conservative, I support the state of Israel because it’s an ally of the West.

But why would complete strangers want to attack me, and do so by telling lies? I mean, if you don’t like me, or you don’t agree with me, then don’t read this blog, don’t follow me on Twitter, etc. Am I that influential?

Which makes me wonder whether we are really dealing with a few individuals who’ve taken an intense dislike to me/my views or if there’s more to it.

Let’s think about it for a minute. I criticise Plaid Cymru. I helped form Ein Gwlad. I continually attack the Labour Party. I am an outspoken supporter Neil McEvoy. I regularly refer to Cardiff Bay as ‘Corruption Bay’ (or “a cess-pit”). For years I have exposed the corruption, cronyism and waste of public funding in the third sector . . .

Thinks . . . who might share my interest in those things, but from a perspective opposite to mine, and might be able to influence, directly or indirectly, people who don’t know me?

One obvious suspect is Deryn Consulting, the lobbying firm that acts as a link between Labour, Plaid Cymru, the third sector, and others that together make our country a corrupt and impoverished laughing-stock and a magnet for crooks and chancers.

At this point I should add that I’ve also attacked Deryn more than once.

To understand how Deryn operates – they are lobbyists and ‘influencers’ after all – just think of Welsh public life focused on Cardiff Bay as a web, with Deryn as a fat, hairy-legged spider at the centre.

Click to enlarge

Deryn was instrumental in the sacking of Carl Sargeant and must bear considerable responsibility for his suicide. Deryn also co-ordinates the unremitting campaign against Neil McEvoy.

If you doubt how influential Deryn is in Welsh political life then read this piece by the lawyer representing the Sargeant family at the resumed inquest the week before last into Carl Sargeant’s death. There are passages there that almost jump off the screen.

Particularly the section below.

Extract from Dr Neil Hudgell’s account of the Sargeant inquest. Some might argue that Deryn set itself up as accuser, judge and jury. Click to enlarge.

Why would Carwyn Jones make TWO phone calls to Deryn almost immediately after hearing of Carl Sargeant’s death? Was it, ‘Oh, dear, ladies . . . tell me what to do now.’ 

Maybe I should explain that the Cathy Owens mentioned by Dr Hudgell is the leading director of Deryn, while the other woman also figured in Guido Fawkes’ coverage of December 2018, where we read: “Jo Kiernan: Deryn employee and named at last week’s Inquest as co-ordinating a bullying campaign against Sargeant when she worked as Carwyn Jones’ chief SpAd.”

Carl Sargeant complained about this bullying at the time it was happening, in 2014, other AMs also complained on his behalf, but of course Carwyn Jones later denied that any complaints had been made. But then, Kiernan was a powerful woman, she was even allowed to deal with complaints made against her.

One of those who stood by Carl Sargeant was his friend and former AM Leighton Andrews. For standing up for his dead friend, and pointing the finger of guilt in the right direction, Andrews himself became a target for the extended Deryn network.

I’m not saying that Aled Gwyn Williams, Huw Marshall, Ifan Morgan Jones, and the rest of my critics are taking orders from the nest (or maybe it’s the bunker nowadays) but they seem to share the Deryn mindset that will not tolerate critics or divergent views.

And never forget that Deryn is a creation of devolution, prospering thanks to weak and malleable politicians in a devolved system still controlled from London. Deryn would not survive independence.

‘HIS NAME IS ROYSTON JONES AND HE’S NOT ON OUR SIDE’

Is what Aled Gwyn Williams wrote in the first paragraph of his tweet.

His tweet is addressed to “Welsh Self-determinationists”, which I assume to mean those who want Wales to be independent. But I have been a nationalist all my life, check with anyone who’s been around since the 1960s.

It follows, then, that when he says I’m not on ‘their’ side, he must mean some grouping other than those wanting independence. As Williams is a hard-line socialist he can only be alluding to the comrades.

I am a lifelong opponent of socialism.

So my real ‘crime’, in Williams’ eyes, is being hostile to socialism.

Williams seems to be active in YesCymru and supports All Under One Banner Cymru. Two groups some fear have become too close to Plaid Cymru.

All of which fits together, because despite the humiliating defeat suffered by Leanne Wood in the party leadership contest last year those who share her views still control the party.

The small increase in membership in the wake of Adam ‘Soundbite’ Price’s victory may already have been offset by resignations over the party’s treatment of Neil McEvoy, which will of course only strengthen the influence of the ‘Leannistas’.

I’m not the only one who sees this drift to the left. Here’s a tweet put out a week or so ago by writer Siôn Jobbins, asking if he’ll be welcome at Plaid’s Summer School, seeing as he’s not a socialist.

Click to enlarge

Though it could be that not all the leftists trying to capitalise on the increase in support for independence belong to Plaid Cymru, there may be even more exotic elements trying to muscle in.

Below we see a picture from a recent AUOB Cymru tweet showing some kind of street furniture or utility box in Cardiff presenting an interesting display. In the centre we see nationalist hero, John Jenkins, leader of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, who was sent down for 10 years in 1970 for his role in a 1960s bombing campaign.

John, now 85, has lived in Wrecsam for many years.

We also see a couple of YesCymru stickers, a football fans for independence sticker and Wrexham fans against the Sun (newspaper). But it’s the other three that intrigue me.

Click to enlarge

On the top left we see the Starry Plough of the Irish Citizen Army, led by James Connolly in the Easter Rising of 1916. This was a socialist organisation that fought alongside the larger, and nationalist, Irish Volunteers led by Padraig Pearse.

The one at the bottom right carries letters printed backwards to look Russian, a communist red star, and the slogan ‘Free Wales’.

Finally, the black one on the left reads ‘Wxm (Wrexham) Antifa No Pasaran!’ Antifa are left wing thugs who first took to the streets of the USA following Donald Trump’s victory, ostensibly ‘fighting fascism and racism’.

Now they resort to bombing and attacking anyone who doesn’t agree with them. A recent victim was journalist Andy Ngo, who wrote: “Antifa operates by a very broad definition of ‘fascists.’ By ­antifa’s telling, fascists include mainstream conservatives and even centrist journalists who dare criticize them.”

I know exactly how he feels.

You have to wonder what’s going on when the self-appointed promoters of inclusivity beat up the gay son of Vietnamese boat people. I hope to God we don’t have any nutters in Wales preparing to emulate Antifa.

And I’m disappointed to see AUOB Cymru apparently endorse Antifa.

So on a Cardiff street we see a collection of stickers linking independence with socialism, with some pretty hairy and intolerant expressions of socialism at that.

THE CRUCIAL EIGHTEEN MONTHS

Partly due to events beyond our control Wales will soon be closer to independence than at any time in the past five hundred years. But the mood is also being influenced by what is happening here in Wales.

Our homeland is deprived and exploited because devolution has been a miserable failure. For what has devolution given us – Deryn! This realisation has resulted in the Labour Party losing credibility by the day; but I fear Plaid Cymru will be reluctant to take advantage of the opportunity presented by Johnson in No 10 and Drakeford in the Bay.

Instead, Plaid Cymru will chase rainbows and form Englandandwales anti-Tory or anti-Brexit alliances. This loss of focus is due to the party’s leftward drift coupled with the ephemeral appeal of being ‘taken seriously’ by appearing on TV with Caroline Lucas.

And when Johnson makes his move, Plaid Cymru will rush to support the Labour Party in defending ‘the devolution settlement’.

I say, fuck the devolution settlement. It wasn’t worth having in 1999 and it’s been seriously devalued over the past two decades. All our efforts now must concentrate on independence. And to achieve that goal we must reach out to as many as possible of our people.

This cannot be done by demanding a socialist feminist republic (as was heard at AUOB’s first rally on May 11). And if balaclava’d Antifa thugs start beating up people they disagree with, then any hope of independence will be lost. Wales may have a radical past but most of us today are socially conservative.

It should go without saying, therefore, that Wales needs a broad-based movement for independence that must either be ideology-free or else it must accept all ideological standpoints.

And so I’m asking All Under One Banner Cymru if there’ll be a welcome in Caernarfon on Saturday for people who don’t support Plaid Cymru, and people who are not socialist; for those who would have fought alongside Pearse rather than Connolly, who don’t obsess over a second referendum and who regard Antifa thugs no differently to the thugs who follow Tommy Robinson.

I ask because there are clearly some who feel that the drive for independence should be controlled by the left; and maybe they’ll only accept independence on their terms. Either way, it’s insulting and offensive to those holding different views who have worked for independence for over 50 years.

♦ end ♦

 

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Dafis

Spot of bile from a BritNat commenting about May on the Guido site :

This humourless, flat-footed woman did as much damage to Britain as Neville Chamberlain. Except without the decency and the honesty. It doesn’t matter how she attempts to portray her herself as honest and doing her best. She was both inept and deeply dishonest. She should be reviled. No one should be under any misapprehension of the damage this properly stupid woman did to Britain. The key point is that she was too dense to understand. What has Britain done to deserve so obvious a succession of the hopeless and the cretinous in No. 10. Beginning with Major. Continuing with the No. 1 Spiv Blair. Then Brown, bitter and barmy. Then Cameron, the spiv re-invented. And then May, the clod-hopper personified, determined to the very end to betray her country.

Obviously expects a lot of “redemption” from Boris ! Seeing that lot crumble should be quite entertaining.

David Smith

What’s that saying, about when someone uses a lot of words but doesn’t actually say anything? This guy has not laid bare one iota of wrongdoing by May that has him seemingly so rankled. He’s just having a scatter-gun rant from what I can see.

IantoDdu

This is a reply to Brychan’s point, which for some reason I can’t do. Why do some points not have a “reply” button? Anyhow, yes, the situation in Scotland with the SNP and Yes Scotland and AUOB on the one hand is very different to that in Wales between Plaid Cymru and Yes Cymru and AUOB Wales on the other. But the non-bias of Yes Cymru (Or Yes Scotland) is not determined by Plaid Cymru or the SNP. It is determined by the members and actions of Yes Cymru (and Yes Scotland). The whole point is that Yes Cymru should be a movement not aligned or derived from Plaid Cymru. How Plaid Cymru feel about this should not affect the matter. The fact that Plaid Cymru do not wish to keep things at arms length should have no affect if Yes Cymru does not wish it to. To talk of it in terms of how the SNP feel and what they try to do, and how Plaid Cymru feel and what they try to do as being the most important thing is to lose the most important point that Yes Cymru should be independent of party politics whatever is happening in – well, party politics. ‘They’ in one party or wing may be trying to control, to affect Yes Cymru – or others may be trying to control or affect Yes Cymru (and I can assure you that in my experience it is not just AM’s who were officially in Plaid Cymru who were trying to throw their weight around in this fashion), but the point is have any of these people succeeded? In my view they haven’t. Yet. Thankfully.

Dafis

Your tweet re Catherine Z.J caught my eye. Her accent has drifted mid Atlantic ( or somewhere well west of The Dingle) but she remains a damned sight more grounded than the panto dames that inhabit Y Cynulliad.

IantoDdu

I was in school with her. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t remember me at all!

IantoDdu

Aled Gwyn Williams is indeed the person who runs the Yes Merthyr social media sites. How “active” that makes him (or Yes Merthyr) is another matter, of course.

I don’t know if the group has meetings or members, or does stuff (he did go out leafleting when asked to by central, other than that don’t know), and/or if he has any position within the group (at least he doesn’t seem to call himself “president” like the one who runs the Yes Myfyrwyr social media sites!).

I was a member of the Yes Maesteg “closed” group rather than the page, but having the temerity to suggest on a different Facebook group that Ein Gwlad (and incidentally yourself) were not “fascists”, whatever else one disagreed with them over, and that there was “a place” for them in the independence movement. (something he has said there was not. Not that I understood completely how he gets to decide that.)

He threw me out of the Yes Maesteg Facebook group. Being effectively chucked out of a Yes Cymru group for not going along with his political beliefs. Not even for supporting Ein Gwlad, which would be bad in itself, but for disagreeing that they were fascist.

He is of course, someone who goes on about the importance of “inclusivity” and “tolerance”!

Yes, there are Yes Cymru Twitter accounts and Facebook groups groups in Yes Cymru which, like him, are not inclusive in their support of independence.

But that can be deceptive.

I know plenty of people in the area who are “active” in Yes Cymru, Aled Gwyn Williams would not be someone who leapt to the top of that list. It is quite easy to set up an account and start posting/tweeting without having any other members in the group or doing anything else. (Not to particularly do that down – it’s how many groups start off before growing!) The people in Yes Abertawe, and in the groups I’ve had contact with in the the area (including a fair few people more “active” than Aled G W, are – on the whole – enthusiastic about working with anybody for the cause of independence.

IantoDdu

Don’t think there are too many as such – I certainly don’t come across that many of them in our group or local groups. (That is, people obviously doing es Cymru stuff to serve a Plaid agenda). There is a lot of work and “stuff” being done by a lot of people in local groups which is far from supporting the Plaid agenda. To my mind it’s the fact that more politically active people are more likely to “exploit” stuff such as setting up a social media group to “add weight to a wing” rather than aiming at getting something on the ground, or exploit “media friendly” stuff such as AUOB rather than stuff on the ground. It’s true also that “Central” don’t talk about this much, more concerned with supporting what local councils are doing and AUOB (neither of which are Yes Cymru things!) than pushing, encouraging and supporting local groups. But not always pro-Plaid.. I mean, good to see the chair Sion Jobbins saying that about Plaid Cymru, for instance. I hope it carries over into his attitude as chair of Yes Cymru. And though Aled Gwyn Williams is foaming at the mouth anti- Ein Gwlad, he was particularly reserved and stand-offish on the only occasion I have met him. Not sure he has any effect “on the ground”. And it certainly isn’t general Yes Cymru “policy” to push anti-Ein Gwlad stuff. (Though of course, the blurring of the lines between Yes Cymru and AUOB complicates matters, and is something that Yes Cymru don’t seem to be too eager to counter.) It’s as if Yes Cymru started off genuinely wanting and asking for grass-roots people to get involved. But when this happened, they were unsure how to deal with it. And retreated into supporting local councils and marches as their comfort zone. Nothing wrong with them supporting such things, of course – it’s the fact it is done to the exclusion of Yes Cymru stuff that is odd. However, as groups I know that we ourselves are just getting on with it. Pushing the idea of independence and open to working with anybody who wishes to do that.

IantoDdu

Well, it’s always been a bit – obscure – as to who is actually running AUOB! And many people seem to think that the marches are run by Yes Cymru rather than AUOB, a misconception which Yes Cymru sometimes doesn’t seem overly keen to counter. Yes, there was a bias in AUOB’s choice of speakers towards Plaid Cymru in Cardiff, towards the “progressive” side, towards the “official list of supporters” and against eg Ein Gwlad, which was a Bad Thing. But as I’m not a member of AUOB, nothing I could do apart from call it out. But yeah, there was a weird reluctance to say who was running it, a blurring of lines unofficially which was worrying. Don’t like it. Especially when it goes with Yes Cymru central not supporting- well, Yes Cymru stuff as much! Well, as far as I can see they have reigned back on asking politicians – no Plaid Cymru members. No Undod or similar. Which is good. They may well be all from one wing as well though, I don’t know. But it’s not as much a mistake as asking obviously political parties and groups to have a speaker and not others. I think a march could do without a rally at the end, myself. I just want to go off and have a beer after marching round anyway. Not that marches have ever been “my thing”. Anyway, on a vaguely related point, good to see that Yes Rhydaman were called out by other Yes Cymru accounts, including central, for pleading with people to vote Plaid Cymru earlier today. They were told it wasn’t appropriate in no uncertain terms. To the extent that the account (Yes Rhydaman) itself has disappeared over the last hour or so.

Brychan

SNP have a policy of ‘arms length’ relationship with AUOB in Scotland. They see it as a ‘mass movement’ to raise the consciousness of people not otherwise engaged in ‘party politics’. Not seen as a threat, just as another knife in the drawer. Essentially, if Westminster close down Holyrood and send the troops in, the AUOB will take the streets. Same applies to YES Scotland in an official or otherwise referendum. It was an innovative approach founded many years ago after a long period of electoral stagnation.

Plaid Cymru seek a ‘direct and control’ relationship to AUOB in Wales. They see it as a dangerous competitor to the comfy position Plaid Cymru have settled into in the weak devolution settlement. Same applies to YES Cymru. There are many within and outside of Plaid who would rather the Scottish approach and I doubt if this will be resolved under the current ‘clique’. There are many more people in Wales that support independence, who have never been Plaid members or ever increasing, are ex-Plaid members. Let them thrive.

Dafis

AUOB need to keep focus on the real goal otherwise All Under One Banner morphs into Another Useless Obstructive Bunch. The more influence Obsessive Orthodox Plaid has on anything the more likely it is to be rendered absolutely ineffective.

To another topic with bags of scope for confused thinking – Talk today that our Esteemed government is reviewing free bus passes. Very egalitarian when big shots at Y Cynulliad and County Halls all get ferried around at public expense in top quality motors. Now this could be a bogey aimed at scaring people and leaving them relieved when a decision to stick with the policy is announced despite its cost but to ensure fairness, mobility and of course the integrity of our sacred “green” agenda. Fact that most buses still chugg around spouting ghastly diesel fumes hasn’t registered with dimwits down the Bay or in assorted County Halls all over the country. Time for some creative innovative thinking about electric for short radiuses and dual fuel for longer hauls.

Dafis

I see from your tweet that you visited Frongoch, I’ve never been there. Are there any buildings left, can the site be developed ? Just a thought that Y Cynulliad could be relocated there or at least the more useless members ( almost 60 of them…, did I say that ? tut ) for reorientating their view of life. A reminder of what people went through 100 years ago to gain freedom would challenge these plonkers to reassess their commitment.

David Smith

I’d be interested to hear your reasoning for support of Israel “like a good conservative”. Is it because Palestinians are seen by those on the left as a marginalised people (rightly or wrongly)? I would argue that political movements align more naturally with some ideologies than others. It can be no accident that the Conservative and unionist party does what it says on the tin, whereas the SNP are centre-left.

My take on it is that any sort of popular movement to overthrow a status quo or an elite is going to come like you say, from those marginalised, who feel they have nothing to lose in the manner you foresee from a disastrous Brexit. How many revolutions have sprung from the mercantile, established class who are quite fine and dandy, having done well from the free market capitalist system, social inequality, entrenched privilege etc? A genuine question that is by the way, I’d be interested to know if such a thing has ever happened.

But as big a tent as is possible is needed to get to our end goal. Like you describe with the Irish revolutionaries putting their ideological differences aside in pursuit of the big goal. I’m also curious as to your opposition to socialism. Is it its unworkable nature in anything beyond a commune in the woods? How it creates a self serving political class by its very nature? Or how forced equality is by its nature repressively authoritarian, as manifested by supertaxes on achievers and the like? I’m in favour of a mixed economy myself with public services and private enterprise in their proper places, where go-getters can prosper if that is their goal in life but no man is left behind.

Wynne

Well said Jac. I think Wales would now be in a much better place if your policies had been implemented during the last 15 years. Now we have to deal with the legacy left by Carwyn.

Dafis

A neat summary of a soundly balanced foundation for nation building. All it needs now is a party to adopt it. Oh I think there’s a new one out there that thinks along much the same lines give or take a few lines.

Wakey wakey Plaid. These are the sort of grounded ideas that will appeal to that common herd you find it increasingly difficult to tolerate and relate to. We the common electorate have had enough of your pontificating and posturing so bugger off to some ivory tower to discuss trendy ishoos and leave the real heavy lifting to those with an appetite for it.

Big Gee

Which is basically what Ein Gwlad’s Manifesto says Jac!

David Smith

There is an important distinction to be made between USSR style socialism and whatever we call this manifestation in the bay bubble. For a start uppity wimmin and out homosexuals, transgenders and any other sorts of characters who could be seen to be disturbing the doctrine would be on a fast ticket to the siberian gulags. Similarly unless I’m mistaken there is a big misuse of the word “socialism” to describe what corbyn is advocating for. He isn’t for abolishing private property nor enterprise. I’d have called it a mixed economy on the continental, or more specifically Nordic model. Happy to be corrected on any and all of these points BTW, I’m still learning 🙂

Brychan

History.
I think you’ll find that in 1917, the communist party in the Soviet Union legalised homosexuality, along with no-fault divorce. The first country in Europe to do so. All laws relating to ‘lifestyle of the person’ were revoked. The first Gulag, the Solovki camp was where special status was awarded to ‘political prisoners’ were not made to work and it was a prison of significantly better conditions than elsewhere in the world, most notably in the British empire, and significantly better conditions than the Katorgas (forerunner of the Gulag) that operated before their revolution. The rot set in when a small group of pseudo Bolsheviks, a kind of dispossessed middle class with an entitlement agenda gained and cemented their power. The laws relating to ‘lifestyle of the person’ were re-introduced and homosexuality was again ciminalised in 1933 by Stalin. It was known as article 121. It was only in the late 1920s that a full programme of Gulags was introduced. By the 1930s, this slavery institutionalised into the economic plan.

Our Legacy.
First hand correspondence of the above events, with minuted discussion, held with the Communist Party and the South Wales Miners Federation, were stored in the library section of the Miners Welfare Hall in Maerdy, Rhondda and a simlar one in Ceiber. These records were subsequently donated to the National Library. Of particular note were provisions to prevent undue influence over checkweighmen and party officials by agents of coal owners that was dealt with by a ‘lists of agents’ (lobbyists) and the need for declarations of contact with these, and banning them from party events. There was also provisions such as election candidates only being able to draw the salary of the average miner once elected, and primacy of candidates from a local lodge to prevent ‘parachuting’ of candidates for election. The only specific exemption to this was in 1919 for Arthur Horner, a specific resolution was required, as he was on hunger strike in Carmarthen Jail for fighting for independence in the 1916 Easter rising in Ireland.

Current Situation.
It’s important to distinguish between those genuine persons of the ‘left’, and the type of socialist who wears it was a badge of convenience for their own ends. Such provisions are essential regardless of ‘position’ on the political spectrum and is as applicable today as they were 100 years ago. This is one of the important cultural and political legacies of Wales, uniquely Welsh, and deserves recognition and implementation, currently so far removed from the current devolution settlement, and must be enshrined in a constitution for independence.

Conclusion.
Put simply, if the pseudo socialists of today were around in the Rhondda 100years ago, they would be thrown into the slurry lagoon below the colliery and given the ‘go to Slough telegram’. Those Maerdy resolutions are the real traditions of the ‘left’ of our country and needs to be enshrined in the national party, and our constitutional settlement. It arose from the experiences of the ‘genuine’ left in Wales, not that of the ishoo bandits of the ‘comfy’. Unfortunately, Leanne Wood can no longer visit the our miners library. It was demolished by a Labour council. Only English castles in Wales are regarded as heritage. She can, however, see the documentation at the National Library in Aberystwyth, a suggested change of scene from the avocado toasties at third sector networking events in the Bae.

Finally.
We need to put a cat amoungst the Deryns.

David Smith

I appreciate where you’re coming from with keeping those we could do without, out, but any sort of filtering or checks necessitates a check-point, which necessitates a border post, which is that devilish hard border conundrum again as with Ireland. Alright it won’t ever have the same toxic baggage but we all know how roads, railways and geography warp and weft over the E&W border, almost as if it was an arbitrary line fixed on a map by act of parliament (!). Some of our Anglo interdependence is no doubt by design (A55, M4, Beeching’s decimation of north south railway routes) but I can’t see how it wouldn’t be economic suicide to engender a situation where two border posts have to be passed to get from the North Wales coast to Wrexham, for example, both by rail or dual carriageway.

Brychan

On the railway, the French border with England is at St Pancras, in the reverse direction the English border with France is at Gard du Nord in Paris. Trains remain ‘French’ well into English territory and visa versa. Any policing or border administration is done if and when you board or alight from the train.

Plenty of examples of this elsewhere in the world too. It seems reasonable that a similar ‘Welsh platform’ should exist in London Paddington. In the north, I see no problem with Welsh trains having a stop at Crewe to alight in England or transfer to the ‘Scottish Train’ bypassing entry into England altogether. Other examples of this arrangement are Lille Europe (France Belgium), Hyllie Station (Sweden Denmark), and Innsbruck Central (Austria Germany).

Such an arrangement would also have the advantage of ‘Welsh Trains’ not being abused, by priority or capacity, as a commuter facility for Didcott and Reading. Inside of Wales we need to reopen the western corridor, starting with Carmarthen to Aberystwyth as a standard service and eventually establish a concurrent high speed service with limited stops as a loop taking in the easterly as well as the westerly routes.

David Smith

I’m sorry but while what you say is reasoned and well thought out, I can just see the “Border checks to go shopping in Chester” headlines screaming out from the red tops.

David Smith

There’s obviously a reason why the courses that exist were taken?

David Smith

This is in reply to your comment below Jac, it won’t let me reply directly to it. You make good points, especially about affluent Marcher settlements. I’ve mentioned it before on your Twitter I’m sure, the definite frontier of affluence between the English counties and Welsh ones that straddle the border is like night and day. Why is this the case when for centuries there was no real administrative divide, nor is there any geographical one like a valley or wide river. In this scenario wouldn’t one expect affluence to gradually peter out rather than just drop off like a cliff edge once you leave Cheshire (to be said with a hard “I” for extra snooty effect).

Red Flag

We need a dual carriageway starting at the A55 at Llandudno Junction, banging through Snowdonia – and it’s not that difficult to bore tunnels through mountains , China does it all the time, running down to the M4 between Cardiff and Swansea. At the same time we need a two-track rail line running parallel.

Then extend the M54 all the way to Aberystwyth along with a rail line from Birmingham.

Develop the coast road running down the west coast, link up the rail line from Bangor, via Caernarfon, down to Aberystwyth. Fishguard and Pembroke Dock.

Wales will never develop to it’s full economic potential without decent infrastructure. And if you draw all that on a map, you’ll realise that Hol;yhead to Cardiff becomes a two hour drive (same with train) and that virtually everywhere is no more than a 3 hour drive from anywhere else. And a decent train route that follows a logical plan encourages people off the roads. Northern Ireland has a better road and rail network than Wales.

Eos Pengwern

David,

For Ein Gwlad’s take on this, see https://eingwlad.wales/NewsPortal/index.php/2019/01/03/the-cross-border-economy/

Also section 13 of our Mainfesto, an excerpt of which is:

Complete freedom of movement with unrestricted, document-free travel across all land and sea borders. In particular:
No restrictions to be placed on English or Irish residents commuting to jobs in Wales or vice versa.
No tolls or customs to be placed at land or sea borders.
Welsh companies to bear responsibility for correct import/export documentation and payment of any tolls or customs applicable on individual transactions, over a threshold to be determined (likely to be similar to the current UK duty-free threshold of £390). It is anticipated that this will be no more burdensome than current self-assessment requirements for VAT and Corporation Tax.

This is of course the answer to the post-Brexit Irish border conundrum as well, which is a non-problem blown out of all proportion for political reasons if ever there was one.

David Smith

You say no tolls then proceed to flesh out the tolls. Elaborate?

Eos Pengwern

The important point is that there would be no tolls at all to pay at the border itself, hence no need for ‘infrastructure’ with customs posts, inspections etc.

For individual small transactions – the vast majority of cross-border transactions undertaken by individuals or small businesses – there would likewise be no tolls to consider.

The only circumstance under which there may be tolls or duties to pay is on large purchases, predominantly business-to-business transactions. Such transactions already generate a certain amount of admin, since they’re subject to VAT. Even a small business which is VAT-registered will have the infrastructure in place to account properly for them (certainly I did when I ran a business myself).

The extra burden of handling any tolls or duties at the same time would be minimal, and any half-decent accountancy software (I used to use Xero) should in practice be able to reduce it to nothing.

Brychan

REMAIN.
The EU single market means that a business only has to pay VAT once, in the country where the end sale is made. If you import from another or multiple other EU states then you do not pay VAT in those member states on any good or services you buy there. Input and Output VAT is accounted for in any one state. Any business in the EU can, and does this.

LEAVE.
Outside the single market it will be necessary to establish VAT registered companies in all the member states in which you do business. The balance between the input and output VAT has to be done in each state, and pay the liability in each county. The best method to minimise this is to establish a chain of cross border invoicing. Global multinationals do this anyway, and usually add value in the supply chain from each member state. Financial transactions have ‘passporting’.

Effect of Brexit on SMEs.
Currently there is no barrier to small businesses buying and selling anywhere in the EU. It’s a single market, and this applies to VAT liability, however, after Brexit, they will need to either establish subsidiaries registered for VAT in each member state they trade in order to invoice both for goods and services across borders, an additional overhead, or factor out the invoicing to specialists who do this for you, for a fee.

Other THIRD countries.
Typically, like Japan and the United States, operate a ‘Sales Tax’ regime rather than a VAT regime. The ability to buy stuff from and by unanimous arrangement, exempt from member state VAT. It is part of a ‘trade deal’. The tax department of the home state pays the EU a fixed or variable amount depending on the commodity, and also operate different protection rules on the rate of sales tax that applies in the home state.

Note – Beside EU states, there are countries that have opted into the single market. These are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Serbia and Montenegro (separately) are due to join in 2020, and Macedonia applied but Greece objected. Similarly the ‘backstop’ for the northern counties of Ireland is opting to put this ‘province’ inside.

David Smith

Oh and I have read that article before, twas a good read.

Wrexhamian

Aled Gwyn Williams, is, in fact, on your side, Jac – he got an apology from Virgin Trains after he complained about their policy of English-only announcements on their trains from Chester to Caergybi/Holyhead). It’s exactly the kind of thing you would have complained about yourself. So I don’t understand why he is coming out with the usual shite regarding you. His comments are offensive, unfounded, and incorrect, according to my lights.

Explanation: he belongs to a political party that is becoming less concerned with Welsh issues and more concerned with ‘progressive’ name-calling and largely irrelevant virtue-signalling. I refer to Plaid Cymru post-Wigley.

It’s also a stab at Ein Gwlad for occupying Plaid’s turf; I predicted six months ago that anyone in the public eye who has even tenuous links with Ein Gwlad would get the ‘fascist’ treatment, both from Guardian-reading BritNats and from Plaid, before many moons had come and gone.

Gwilym ab Ioan

All par for the course Jac. You may me miffed, but I really wouldn’t lose sleep over it. It’s a bit like being insulted by a six year old, because you bought the child the wrong flavoured ice cream.

We’ve had this unfounded nonsense hurled at us from day one in Ein Gwlad. What becomes increasingly evident is that these types started off as a miniscule, but very vociferous little bunch, and they’ve been shrinking ever since. As their support against us diminishes the insults and accusations have got louder and more personal from the shrinking few that’s left.

It reminds me of a child (possibly the one that’s eaten too much of that ice cream before bedtime!) suffering a nightmare, and who’s running away screaming and throwing anything it can find at the monster that’s chasing it – which of course only exists in the child’s head.

I could partially understand the knee jerk reaction when we first appeared on the scene. The hysterical assumptions followed by unfounded accusations were expected. Due to the public living in a single dimensional political world, where everything is labelled as left or right, then in the narrow mind of the brainwashed, any nationalist party that arises MUST be right wing and therefore potential fascists, because Plaid is a progressive left wing party isn’t it?

Gradually the more sensible and intelligent stop to think about the concept of politics having far more dimensions than the single axis right/ left paradigm. It’s called syncretism. People are learning what this new political concept is about, and are quietly settling back down.

Since we published our Constitution and Manifesto, those who have bothered to read them quickly realise what fools they made of themselves with their premature assumptions and accusations at the beginning.

Thankfully, people are waking up. Those still in the throes of their nightmare will also wake up, and mammy will be there to tell them it was just a nasty dream and will comfort them with a “there, there, there . . . . It’s all right baby . . . . it was just a nightmare . . . nothing to worry about . . . go back to sleep . . . . yes, mammy will leave the light on for you, and no I promise Big Gee and the other monsters are not hiding under the bed!

Tim Roberts

Jac , i don’t support Independence, however i read some of your stuff with interest , I also saw some of the abuse you receive a few weeks ago , i support your right to express yourself and also to inform people as you see it . However personal abuse is a low underhand way of disagreeing with you . We can read your articles and form an opinion , reply to them or disregard them , the choice is the same for us all .

Dafydd

Jac it is a sign of the times that you cannot voice a contrary opinion without being labelled a traitor by Brexitiers if you are a remainer, and a fascist by remainers if you are a Brexitier. I disagree with you about Israel not because it exists but because it is continuously stealing land from the Palestinians. Ring a bell about another country? They did not cause the holocaust but Europeans who gave away their land did. Lastly the Antifa originated in the fight against Franco and then the Nazis (and the U.K. was teaching members of the royal family the Heil salute) they were also the first inmates of the concentration camps (1933) along with other ‘undesirables’ most were Germans. If someone calls themselves an Antifa then it does not mean they are.

Dafydd

They probably not aware of it

Red Flag

(and the U.K. was teaching members of the royal family the Heil salute)

That was diplomacy. All politicians etc had to give the salute when meeting German officials. It was the official formal greeting. Even the UKs pacifist movement did it when German officials met them in London. And the 1938 World Cup ( https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/78nbgd/the-day-englands-footballers-gave-the-nazi-salute ). The Great Britain soccer team in the 36 Olympics refused to do it (although most of the rest of the GB team did) although they did all shake Hitlers hand. They were also given a dressing-down by the Olympic Committee for being disrespectful. Aston Villa’s team caaptain and a couple of others also did it when playing Stuttgart ( https://appeasement.blog/aston-villas-double-nazi-salute/ ).

Some though took the piss. When Boothby met a high ranking German official, the official snapped his arm up and said Heil Hitler to which Boothby snapped his arm up and said Heil Boothby.

phil williams

Jac, are you a bit slow on the uptake on this one? (Which is not like you). You recently told us about the memo sent out to Labour activists in Cardiff West to up their game. This is what upping their game looks like…… a policy of, admit nothing, deny everything and make counter allegations.
The allegations against you are similar to those directed at Carl Sargeant and Neil McAvoy.
You must be getting to them, keep it up, and wear those allegations as a badge of honour

anon

Anonymous complaints about a persons attitudes towards women. Impossible to defend against as the ‘crimes’ are never defined. Where have we heard that before?. You are right to feel pissed off. Imagine what it was like for Carl Sargeant. This evil needs to be confronted. Labour know that if Cardiff West goes then the whole rotten edifice of Labour in Wales will collapse. A hundred years of absolute power gone, never to return. They will play dirty to keep what they have

Harri Ap Otter

Not so long ago there was a big fuss about some graffiti in Cardiff. The press had a field day, blogs were written, questions asked in the Senedd, people ranted about anti-Semitism and raged about the rise of neo-Nazism in Wales.
By all accounts legions of black-suited, jack-booted storm troopers were about to descend on us, imposing their right wing ideology and sending people to the death camps.

Then it turned out it was just some nutter from England with a spray can. Yep! – just the one (nutter not spray can).

This sort of stuff happens all the time.

Just because the occasional idiot posts some pretentious tweet, or churns out a couple of posters on his second hand ink-jet, it’s not a reason to brand whole organisations, to which he/she/it may or may not belong, with the same philosophy.

And as we all know there are various malicious individuals, and organisations, who will do all they can to stir up division and dissent.

Jac is at his best when he attacks the enemies of Wales with well-researched and probing journalism.

When he starts over-reacting to every silly comment on the web, and blasting away with his scatter-gun in the general direction of anybody who has a different philosophy on the path to independence, then it just looks like he’s getting a bit tetchy in his old age.

Dafis

just now you said ……” because there is no Fourth Reich waiting in the political wings. (But the left wants us to believe there is because that then justifies their excesses.)” Wrong, very wrong.

There are several clusters of arrogant supremacist “thinkers” who would just love to inherit the mantle and establish a 4th Reich. In amongst them are the pseudo-left whose behaviours are often copied from the original guide book written by Adolf and adopted by Benito. The pseudo left is a fragmented International web of dangerous people whose groupthink is only held together by a very elastic band. Remove their assorted opposition, mostly normal people, and these pseuds will start to hack each other to bits for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

Brychan

It appears all these attacks come from the ‘comfy people’. It’s important to understand that the ‘comfy people’ are not ‘the left’, although they like to “position” themselves as such. Socialism springs from the liberation of the economically deprived not from the crocodile tears of guilt from trendy middle classes.

Those attacks come from the petit-bourgeois who derive large salaries from the public or third sector. People who’ve never done a night shift, faced unemployment, lived in social housing, never been economically deported, never got their hands dirty with real work. They are the people who see devolution as an end and see independence as a threat but wear it conveniently as a ‘virtue’ badge. Those who big-up anti-racism but sneer and ostracise the man with darker skin from working class parts of Cardiff.

In their world of shiitake mousse on ciabatta, where they discuss the merits of tacking homelessness (as long as these dirty people are not housed anywhere near their own modest estates), who’ twitter feed says ‘look what I’m like’ rather than ‘look what I’ve done’, those strive to be seen with the ‘in-crowd’ rather than explore real world solutions.

The cry foul over Brexit because it takes away their income stream and lifestyle. Why do people ask me why are we are still poor after 20 years of EU regional funding? The answer is that the cash has all gone to the ‘comfy people’. Wales voted Brexit because they never see the benefits of the EU. Those who advocate the EU ignore these people.

Note – Fascism springs from and is a resort of dispossessed comfy people. It takes traction from their abandonment by the owners of capital usually in an economic crisis. Perhaps those who throw such words around, those who have sense of entitlement because of “who they are”, and now throw around the F word, should take a long look in the mirror.

Dafis

Comfy ? Good word, describes the situation well, and certainly suits the kind of people we see sponging off the less well off by drawing their silly salaries for adding no value whatsoever. Much like that corpse in the armchair that I keep referring to – that was a good ‘un there Gee.

Brychan’s analysis/diagnosis is spot on. The more one sees of these arrogant posturing pseuds the more I wish some real old style hardcore socialists dropped among them for a few hours just to scare the shit out of them.

By the way that news item about Cardiff West could be the first nail in Plaid’s box in that part of the world. Put McEvoy up as an Independent Cymro ( if he won’t sign up for Ein Gwlad !) and watch things develop especially as he would have nearly 2 years to work the grass roots like no other lot can do.

Brychan

The fist cracks in that dam are starting to show in Rhondda. It’s not just that Plaid Cymru fear Neil McEvoy winning the Cardiff West seat for Plaid Cymru, it’s also so that he cannot be a ‘regional’ candidate in South Wales Central. He is currently elected as such. Plaid are very much aware that Leanne Wood may well lose the Rhondda seat in 2021, and she seeks to secure top spot of that list regionally. She also seeks to prevent Heledd Fychan gaining a position on the regional list.

In 1999, Plaid won both the Rhondda seat (Geraint Davies) and two regional AMs, Owen John Thomas and Pauline Jarman. In 2003, Pauline was replaced by Leanne on the regional list. In 2007 we saw Leanne and Chris Franks elected as regional AMs. In 2011, the Plaid vote fell further so only Leanne was elected as regional AM, their second seat being taken by the LibDems. In 2016, when Leanne won the Rhondda seat (with 1667 less votes than Geraint Davies had previously) it not only resulted in one less regional AM, that being Neil McEvoy, but it also let in Ukip, who won the ‘second’ regional seat.

Preventing Neil McEvoy winning Cardiff West, leaving it in the hands of Labour, also secures Leanne Wood a regional spot. They are making contingencies for her loosing Rhondda. She put a knife in the back of McEvoy in order to secure the lifestyle that she has become accustomed. It’s a real shame that someone with such promise has been reduced back-stabbing and puts internal schisms and party manoeuvring before Wales and the struggle for independence.

Dafydd

Whilst I agree that Wales should not have remained an economic basket case after 20 years of EU funding, it is interesting that the West and North West of Wales voted Remain.

Red Flag

And the Gwynedd Remain majority was mainly from Bangor Uni students.

Red Flag

Anglesey/Ynys Mon – the most north westerly part of Wales, voted Leave. Why do Remainers continually peddle nonsense.

CapM

“Wales voted Brexit because they never see the benefits of the EU. ”
Never see – or is it – don’t realize.
Whether you agree or not Wales is going to find out. Maybe sooner rather than later.

Eos Pengwern

To compare Antifa to Tommy Robinson is grossly unfair to Tommy Robinson. The latter has made plenty of mistakes and, no doubt, when he was young and stupid he was young and stupid.

But I don’t believe he’s either a fascist or a racist; in his biography, he writes about how his biggest headache in the early days of the EDL was keeping fascist nutters from the National Front and other fringe organisations at bay. There’s one story where he got into a fight with some National Front thugs who were trying to join an EDL march. As this was happening some of his Muslim mates were looking on and cheering (you may be surprised at the fact that he has Muslim mates – I certainly was, but there we go). His response to them was “this is how we deal with our extremists – how do you deal with yours?”

The strongest Tommy Robinson supporter in my social circle is a Sikh.

Antifa, on the other hand, are on the same level as the NF as far as I can see, hate merchants who simply seek to use violence to shut up anyone who disagrees with them. The recent Andy Ngo incident encapsulates everything that they’re about.

Eos Pengwern

I haven’t noticed any of their stickers around here, though the road sign that I walk past on the way from the station to my office every day is festooned with all sorts of pro-independence stickers – I briefly thought of adding an ‘Ein Gwlad’ sticker into the mix but decided against it since it is, at the end of the day, defacement of public property.

I’ll take a closer look on my way home today.

Red Flag

Robinson was also part of the Quilliam Foundation against extremism alongside the LBC radio presenter Maajid Nawaz ( a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and imprisoned and tortured for such by Egypt).

What many people also don’t realise about Robinson is that he’s a self-made millionaire.

Eos Pengwern

I hadn’t heard he was quite at that level, but he’s worked hard and done well. From what I’ve read, he did an apprenticeship in aircraft maintenance at Luton Airport, but didn’t get a job at the end because he completed it just after 9/11 and the airline industry was in a slump (although some less charitable people point out that he had his first conviction around this time, for getting into a fight with a police officer).

He retrained as a plumber and regularly worked overnight shifts in central London, which I imagine must have paid pretty well. In due course it seems he did some property investment, buying properties in Luton, doing them up and selling them on. As I understand it, his main source of income apart from those who fund his political activities is a sun tanning salon business, again in Luton, which came about when he had the opportunity to buy and refurbish the building. In his book (which I’ve read, hence my knowledge of the above), he says he’s very proud of the fact that from the day it opened he had all the signage done bilingually in English and Polish, the local Polish population forming the bulk of his customer base. Once again, hardly the actions of a racist.

I’m still not entirely sure what to make of Tommy Robinson. Without doubt he’s a bit of a loose cannon. But I really do not believe he is a racist, far less a fascist, and I’m appalled at the way that he’s been treated by the legal system and the media.

Oh, by the way, I did look at the sticker-encrusted road sign near my office in Wrexham and couldn’t see any Antifa stickers there. I think most of the stickers were put on it when Wales were playing Trinidad at the Racecourse Ground in March – a great night for the town. I’m hanging on to my Plaid Ifanc anti-fascist sticker from Caernarfon last Saturday – which was stuck to my flag rather than to my person, so it was defacement of property rather than assault. I just wish that Plaid would be serious about opposing racism and distance themselves from the Labour Party, whose anti-semitism makes them the only openly racist party in these islands.

Dafis

Bore da Jac and readers, even the hostile ones !!

Good interesting read there as ever highlighting the self defeating obsession with conforming to ideological purity and the ensuing rush to create even more weird splinters.. My attention was drawn in particular to that Cardiff rubbish bin ( very appropriate !) and the presence of some very novel secterian identities. I have nothing against secterian identities as this ensures a variety of alternative theories, opinions, predispositions and the occasional downright prejudice.

However the old Dafis hackles rise when the name of Connolly is usurped. Granted he was a hard core Socialist but given his history it was a perfectly natural position for him to adopt. What really matters is that when the chips were down and lines were drawn he had the courage and vision to make common cause with Pearse and others to confront the British Empire in the Rising. He saw it as a critical step to take before moving on later to pursuing the narrower goal of a Socialist Ireland of 32 counties. That did not happen and remains a vague future goal which dear Boris and others may yet facilitate.

However returning to my irritation. This smacks of a bunch of silly pseudo socialists who have possibly read 1 or 2 obscure texts not wholly favoured by the mainstream orthodoxy and quickly moved to a ..” we are more pure in our Pseudosocialism than you…”. They do the memory of Connolly a great disservice and should move onto using as their idol that Smith character so entertainingly portrayed by Robert Lindsay some decades ago.

So we now reach a point where the self labelled Left that can’t stand anything that doesn’t wholeheartedly share their current edition of daft thinking is already spinning off splinters that will be ever so willing to start some philosophical in fighting. Highly likely that such distractions will be given priority over the liberation struggle and for that reason alone they would earn nothing but contempt from a great warrior for liberty. Connolly was a complex thinker but he was able to channel all that positively. Not much hope of that happening among all those labels on the bin. Perhaps they should have put them in the bin instead.

Dafis

Maybe things were different way back in early 20th century. Today all we get from most of our “politically active” community is how they differentiate themselves and how intolerant they are of alternative thinking.

Look no further than the schisms in the UK Tory party and the narrowminded groupthink that now inhabits Plaid’s inner circle. There are probably numerous dissenters within Plaid but they risk being suspended or chucked out if they voice a radically different opinion or act against the hard core orthodoxy. “Thought police” along side “behaviour police” within one small-ish party. Not much point in any creative imaginative people joining such a rigid authoritarian regime, better off joining another party one that is labelled as “racist”, “fascist”, “authoritarian” in an Orwellian parody that only right on conformists can enact without having a sense of shame.

If the likes of Pearse, Connolly, Plunkett, Clarke, Ceantt, MacDonagh, MacDiarmada, and the young Collins walked into Cardiff Bay today they would be howled out on the grounds of their non conforming ideals. So much for the tossers we have today.

Brychan

Have they have learnt nothing from Llanelli? Ostracise and demonise the local candidate that has the respect of the community, parachute in a hand-chosen mannequin, and then leap from a close second at a previous election down to an ‘also ran’ behind the Tories.

Brychan

Jac asks about Aled Gwyn Williams.

This is an anachronistic character, originally from Ynys Môn, who currently resides in the Llynfi valley and regularly commutes, presumably to Cardiff, by train. While he’s not tweeting abuse about you, he can, when pressed, come up with very good statements like..

Faint mor wych fyddai petawn ni gyd yn cytuno i beidio â chamdrin/casáu pobl LGBT, lleiafrifoedd ethnig a ieithyddol, menywod, pobl o grefydd wahanol i ni, jyst am fod yr hyn ydyn nhw?

Then he goes on to extol the virtues of Helen Mary Jones. The AM who calls transsexuals ‘male bodied females’, champions the obstruction of the Pride march in Swansea and seeks to ‘compartmentalise’ people according to bodily function and sexuality. Typical of the ‘comfy’ set, who sees the plight of people in Wales as ‘positions’ or ‘ishoos’ no matter how contradictory.

I was wondering what IS a 100% woman?

HMJ defines it as someone who was born with a functional set of ovaries, a theory based on seeing women as a ‘flesh object’ as her particular definition of what a woman is supposed to be. One the same level, there are some others who define a ‘proper woman’ as someone with shapely tits and statuesque figure. What I cannot understand is why there’s a new breed of ‘ultra feminists’ who define a ‘woman’ according to body parts. Perhaps it’s just me who sees people as individuals in their own right, not judgement on what their body looks like or flesh or function.

When Aled makes evidently false slanders against the editor of this blog it’s quite evident he does not base his politics on experience, or of necessity, or of evidence. He then just shouts the gossipy in-crowd rants of bubble politics, a kind of ‘we’re better than you’ and then just throws in some rather nasty slanders. It’s not true, and not necessary. Silly spatting, and expression of sixth form common room spites, a devaluation of ALL the people of Wales that diverts energy from the political struggle for independence.

Dyma pam annibyniaeth yw’r peth pwysigach na unrhywbeth arall yng Nghymru heddiw yn fy farn i.