BRIEF HISTORY OF PLAID CYMRU

Early Years

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales remained a small party from its formation in August 1925 until the 1950s. During this period the dominant figure within the Party was Saunders Lewis who was President from 1926 until 1939. Saunders, a lecturer at University College, Swansea, was a noted writer and dramatist. However he was no ivory tower academic, and on 7th September 1936, along with two other leading party figures, Lewis Valentine and D. J. Williams, took part in the celebrated burning of the Penyberth bombing school. This symbolic gesture sought to highlight the evils of militarism and to draw attention to the threat posed by military developments to the cultural and linguistic integrity of the Llyn peninsula. The 'Penyberth Three' stood trial in Caernarfon but the Welsh jury was split. To secure a conviction the Conservative Government had them tried again at the Old Bailey in London. This time the English establishment had its way and the three were sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

The trial proved a watershed for many reasons. In response to the condescending attitude of the judge and the Court, a petition with over 350, 000 signatures protested strongly against such arrogant ignorance of the culture and language of Wales. But the seeds were being sown in other ways too. From now on there would be a growing number of committed articulate people seeking to give Wales the voice it deserved. Under the guidance of the Party's General Secretary, J E Jones , Plaid Cymru evolved into a professional political party. Its annual summer schools providing a focus for its members to learn and debate, while its two newspapers Y Ddraig Goch and The Welsh Nation helped to spread the message further afield.

The Party fights its first Parliamentary Election

The party contested its first ever parliamentary election at the General Election of May 1929. The party's candidate, the Reverend Lewis Valentine, polled 609 votes ('the gallant six hundred'), in the Caernarfon constituency. Just over forty years later Plaid Cymru was to take and hold this seat with a convincing majority.

The 'gallant six hundred' was the first of a growing flood of supporters for the party. After World War II, the presidency of Gwynfor Evans proved a catalyst to the Party's development. In the General Election of 1950 Plaid Cymru fielded seven candidates, by 1964 this had grown to 23. Today Plaid contests every single seat for the European Parliament, Westminster, and the National Assembly along with an ever-increasing number of local council seats.

Plaid Cymru wins it's first Parliamentary Seat

On the 14th July 1966 a by-election was held in Carmarthen. Its victor was Gwynfor Evans, President of Plaid Cymru. Another important milestone had been reached. Wales now had its first independent voice at Westminster, an MP whose only concern would be to fight for the best deal for Wales and all its people. Membership of the Party grew rapidly during the late 1960s. Constituency organisations were formed in many new areas, and Plaid came within a whisker of breaking the Labour stranglehold in two key valley by-elections at Rhondda West in 1967 and Caerffili in 1968. In 1970, the party contested all seats in Wales for the first time and polled over 175,000 votes in total.

Plaid Cymru wins two more seats

In the General Election of February 1974, Plaid Cymru gained Caernarfon, where it had fielded its first ever candidate in 1929, and Meirionnydd. During the 1970's the party made significant gains at local government level in the south Wales valleys, winning control of Merthyr Borough Council in 1976.

The Party takes stock

The closing year of the seventies was to provide a profound disappointment with the defeat of proposals for a Welsh Assembly in a nation-wide referendum held on St. David's Day. Analysis of the causes of this defeat are still discussed but the deep unpopularity of the crumbling Labour Government of James Callaghan was obviously a major factor in this outcome. More ominously the election brought Margaret Thatcher to power. The need for a voice for Wales was to become more acute than ever!

The eighties were not fruitless ones for the party. The party's conference in 1981 incorporated the concept of 'community socialism' into its formal aims, and elected Caernarfon MP, Dafydd Wigley as President in succession to Gwynfor Evans. After a strenuous campaign in which Evans threatened to fast to death, the party forced the Government into a major concession and secured a Welsh-medium television channel. In 1987 Election, the current leader of Plaid Cymru, Ieuan Wyn Jones, captured Ynys Mon from the Conservatives.

During 1990, Plaid Cymru played a leading role in resisting the Poll Tax and successfully opposed the construction of a giant military radar base at St David's in west Wales. The party also stepped up its bid to secure self-government for Wales in the European Union. In 1991, Plaid scored its best performance since the 1970s in Wales' district and community council elections.

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales moves centre stage

If the eighties had been a time to take stock, the nineties were to show the prudence of such a policy. Support for the Party grew tremendously. The General Election on 9th April 1992 saw Plaid Cymru's Cynog Dafis gaining Ceredigion and Pembroke North from the Liberal Democrats. The party had four MPs and, following the elevation of Dafydd Elis-Thomas, its first and probably last member of the House of Lords! The Election also witnessed a popular revival in support across the country, which was confirmed in subsequent local elections.

A similar pattern emerged in the June 1994 European elections, in which Plaid Cymru notched up it's highest ever share of the popular poll taking 17.1 per cent of the vote. In north Wales the Party's President, Dafydd Wigley, came a very close second and almost took the seat. Despite a tough battle, the elections for the new 'unitary' county borough councils on May 4th 1995, saw Plaid Cymru consolidate its position as Wales' second party. Plaid Cymru finished up with 114 seats, more than the Tories and Liberal Democrats, and also won outright control of the new Gwynedd County Council.

The Referendum

Ask almost anyone about the referendum that brought the National Assembly into being in 1997 and the main thing remembered will be the closeness of the result. The first Welsh political assembly since Owain Glyndwr was won by less than 7,000 votes. But the significance of the 'Yes' victory is far deeper than the closeness of the vote suggests. Earlier in the same year in the General Election the people of Wales had elected candidates exclusively from the three parties committed to some measure of devolution. The Tories, the only party to oppose any decentralisation of power from London, were annihilated at the polls and failed to return a single MP. The campaign to secure a 'Yes' vote in the referendum was a cross party affair and saw co-operation between Plaid and the Liberal Democrats and Labour. The effectiveness of the campaign is best seen by the fact that in the twenty years since the previous referendum on devolution in 1979, a crushing defeat of four to one against had been transformed into a narrow victory. Young people in particular had realised the importance of a political manifestation of the sovereignty of the people of Wales.

The first Welsh General Election.

In May 1999 the people of Wales voted in the first ever Welsh General Election. The results for Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales were stunning. The party won seats in north, south and west - in every single region. Rhondda, Islwyn and Llanelli were snatched from Labour. Overall Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales won 17 seats and nearly 30% of the vote, confirming its position as the second largest party in Welsh politics.

On the same day as the Assembly vote the party made sweeping gains in local government too, and large areas of the country now enjoy the services of young and energetic Plaid councillors. Later in the same year Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales secured two out of the five MEPs allocated to Wales, and came within 13,000 votes of overtaking Labour as the largest party in that election in Wales.

The 2001 General Election

In June 2001 the People of Wales voted in the first general election since the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales. Many of the candidates who had previously stood for Westminster Elections were members of the National Assembly and so Plaid saw a new wave of talented and enthusiastic candidates.

Plaid gained control of the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr seat when Adam Price was elected with 42.4% of the votes. This was a particularly significant achievemnt, evoking memories of Plaid's first ever Parliamentary breakthrough when Gwynfor Evans was elected in a 1966 by-election. Disapointingly, Plaid lost the Ynys Mon seat but retained Ceredigion, Meirionydd Nant Conwy and Caernarfon.

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales increased its overall vote by 4.3% and gained large swings across Wales. In Merthyr there was 11.8% swing and 11.5% in Neath, a clear sign that Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales is the only Party committed to the people of Wales.

The 2003 National Assembly Elections

Following the Assembly Elections of 2003, Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales secured its position as the official opposition party in the Assembly by retaining 12 seats, and obtaining over 20% of the vote.

The 2005 General Election

Plaid Cymru kept control of the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr seat with 46% of the votes. It also kept control of Meirionydd Nant Conwy (51%), and Caernarfon (46%). Disappointingly Plaid lost the Ceredigion seat by only 219 votes.

The Future

Following the General Election Plaid Cymru is now working towards Building a Better Wales with the National Assembly Elections in 2007.

AIMS

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales was formed on 5th August 1925. Its aims are:

1. To promote the constitutional advancement of Wales with a view to attaining Full National Status for Wales within the European Union.
2. To ensure economic prosperity, social justice and the health of the natural environment, based on decentralist socialism.
3. To build a national community based on equal citizenship, respect for different traditions and cultures and the equal worth of all individuals, whatever their race, nationality, gender, colour, creed, sexuality, age, ability or social background.
4. To create a bilingual society by promoting the revival of the Welsh language.
5. To promote Wales's contribution to the global community and to attain membership of the United Nations.

ORGANISATION

Total membership of the party is about 8,000. Our logo is the Welsh Poppy. The image itself is simple, striking. Plaid is the only innately Welsh political party. Like the poppy, it too has strong, sustaining roots. It too has been nurtured – and continues to grow – through winter storms and summer breezes. Members of Plaid Cymru join the party either via its national office in Cardiff or through one of over 200 local branch organisations.

At local level the structure of the party is organised into branches and rhanbarthau - committees made up of branch delegates with boundaries corresponding to Westminster constituencies or local government boundaries.

At national level the party structure includes:

• The Annual Conference - which decides policies and changes in the party's Constitution
• The National Council - which frames policies between conferences, approves election manifestos, and amends Standing Orders. This body is made up mainly of rhanbarth and branches delegates,
• The National Executive Committee - which controls party management and finance, and guides policy formation and strategy. It has around 25 members
• Sections for women, young members, students, trades unionists and local councillors, all of which play a significant role in the national work of the party.

REPRESENTATIVES

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales currently has three MP's:

• Adam Price (Caermarthen East & Dinefwr )
• Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy) The party's Leader in the House of Commons
• Hywel Williams (Caernarfon)

The Plaid Cymru MP's form a single parliamentary grouping along with their Scottish National Party colleagues at Westminster, following a formal pact signed in 1986.

In the National Assembly, Plaid Cymru has 12 AMs

• Ieuan Wyn Jones (Ynys Mon)
• Helen Mary Jones (Mid and West Wales)
• Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)
• Janet Davies (South Wales West)
• Dafydd Elis-Thomas (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy) Presiding Officer of the National Assembly
• Leanne Wood (South Wales Central)
• Elin Jones (Ceredigion)
• Dai Lloyd (South Wales West)
• Janet Ryder (North Wales)
• Rhodri Glyn Thomas (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr)
• Owen John Thomas (South Wales Central)
• Alun Ffred Jones (Caernarfon)

In the European Parliament, Plaid Cymru is represented by Jill Evans MEP.

Along with the SNP, Plaid Cymru is a member of the European Free Alliance of European (EFA) a grouping of left-leaning regionalist and nationalist parties in the EU. The EFA MEP's form a single Group within the European Parliament with the Green Party MEPs.

Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales publishes two newspapers every two months, Y Ddraig Goch and Welsh Nation, and also produces a monthly internal bulletin, GWEITHLEN, for branches and rhanbarthau. The party has also published many other important contributions to debates and discussions concerned with Wales and the wellbeing of all its people.

The Party’s national office is located in the capital city, Cardiff, at Ty Gwynfor, 18 Park Grove, CF10 3BN. At the National Office the party has 8 full time staff members; the Party’s Chief Executive, National Administrator, National Organizer, Policy Unit Director, Policy Officer, Campaigns and Policy Officer, Membership Officer and Information Officer, and also has two part time staff members; Finance Officer and Administrative Assistant.

There are currently 14 other staffed (some part-time) offices in Wales. The party also has an office in the House of Commons with 3 full time staff members serving the 3 MPs. The MEP also has an office in Brussels. All the Party’s MP’s, AM’s and the MEP also have constituency offices throughout the country.

FINANCE

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales receives no handouts from the fat cats of industry nor do the Trades Unions fund it. It relies almost entirely on voluntary contributions. National turnover in 2002-2003 was around £500,000, with some constituency organisations also having a substantial income and expenditure.

52% BACK INDEPENDENCE FOR WALES

WELSH voters are pleased with the new powers handed to the National Assembly - but more than half want it to be a stepping stone to independence, a poll by a Welsh Newspaper has revealed.

Seven years after the establishment of the Assembly, 70 per cent of Welsh people say they are happy with the new law-making powers signed off last week.

But 52 per cent of those polled think it is time to break from the Union - suggesting the new powers are viewed as a stop-gap with full independence the real goal. In the poll, a quarter were unhappy with the Government of Wales Act with five per cent unsure. Forty-six per cent were against Welsh independence and two per cent said they did not know.

The Act, passed last week after opposition Lords backed down, gives the Assembly the power to draw up its own laws for the first time - provided Westminster agrees first. A Scottish-style Parliament could be created after a referendum, which will happen if two-thirds of AMs and a majority of MPs want one.

After having the powers explained to them, a large majority of those polled say it was the right move. But more than half still said they wanted independence altogether.

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said: "It is much higher than any figure we've had in the past. It does show a more general trend towards people becoming more confident about themselves. Whether people actually support everything that independence stands for I don't know, but I do think people are more prepared to consider making decisions for themselves. What is fairly obvious is there is much greater support for moving the Assembly forward.

"If you ask people whether they are happy with the performance of the Assembly Government they'd say no, but they also don't want to go back to the days of pre-devolution. It's, 'Let's make it work, let's make it stronger.'"

A total of 420 respondents were interviewed on the telephone on behalf of Wales on Sunday.

Welsh and Scots are going to break up Britain

01/08/2006

Dear SIG,

England has treated Wales with contempt for far too long. Not only are the British Government still refusing Wales a Scottish level of devolutionary powers but suddenly Wales requires a further 'are you sure' referendum if such a decision is made in the future!

 The new Welsh 'adjusted devolution' bill offers slightly more powers but with a very disturbing caveat, Labour have fixed the PR system for Wales to improve their own chances! 

Suddenly no candidate will be allowed to stand in both the list and FPTP elements, thereby avoiding a fair fight between Labour and Plaid Cymru. Expect this for Scotland next school term unless we take urgent action.

The very idea that somehow Wales deserves less powers than Scotland is completely absurd. Like Scotland, Wales is a nation and she has the same rights under international law to independence that Scotland has.

Thankfully it now looks like Wales is going to deliver her own answer to the devolution question! A poll a few days ago by a Welsh Sunday paper shows an absolute majority for independence of 52%! This follows a whole series of polls showing similar results in Scotland.

As the British imperialist state looks like drawing to a close, it is now perhaps appropriate to consider what it actually was.

The British Empire could be easily likened to a Vampire. It has survived by literally sucking the lifes blood and resources of other countries who it 'colonised' or more accurately 'controlled' through it's past military might. Luckily most have seem through it's disguises and have forcably (and democratically) rejected it's advances.

In reality the Empire is stone dead however it survives as an invisible phantom in the imagination of our Prime Minister King Tony the first and his royal courtiers whose powers he upsurps to award his wee rich cronies with blood stained 'honours' and membership to an absurd fraternity of British imperial fantasists. Who really wants to me a member of a non-existant empire?

Perhaps the sobriquet 'Sir' should stand for Still Insane Really!

England as a country has sucked billions of oil from Scotland while claiming, in Orwellian fashion, that Scotland is actually bleeding it dry. This lie is repeated so often that even the English themselves now appear to believe it along with the more gullible of our fellow Scots.

In truth Wales and Scotland are rich nations with a valuable and distinctive contribution to make to the world as free and independent sovereign states. No matter how many drug filled crumbs are thrown in our direction and no matter how many lies are told, we have the absolute right to rule ourselves.

Britain will find that out next year. A stake will be driven through it's heart and England will emerge to equality with it's brother nations and the reality of the normality that all deserve but none need to surpass.

Blair and Cameron offer a future hanging onto America's new bloody imperial coat tails, that is no realistic future for anyone and we need to end their control over Scotland to stop it. There is one sure way to stop English Conservatism and pseudo Conservatism and that way is independence.  

Both Scotland and Wales are wakening up to that easy option no matter how much our respective 'national' papers avoid it.

Yours faithfully,

Joe Middleton

Edinburgh, Scotland.

Plaid Cymru leader - Ieuan Wyn Jones

PLAID JUBILANT AFTER WINNING 15 SEATS IN WELSH ASSEMBLY

Plaid Cymru have made a net gain of 3 seats taking the party up to 15 seats in the Welsh Assembly. The Tories only managed a net gain of 1 seat (a total of 12) in the Assembly and the Liberal Democrats remained stagnant on 6, whilst Labour fell by 3 to 26 seats.

Plaid Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people in Wales who voted for Plaid and all the volunteers, staff and candidates who worked so hard during the campaign.

“This is a fantastic result for Plaid. We are the party that has truly gained during this election with the Tories only up 1 seat and the Lib Dems stagnant on 6. As in Scotland it appears that the “Cameron effect” has had little or no impact in Wales.

“I am very excited at the potential of our new team in the assembly. We have made ground all over Wales and have got a diverse group of Assembly Members mixing youth with experience and covering all areas of the country.”