Plaid Cymru

Plaid, also known in full as Plaid Cymru (pronounced IPA: ) – The Party of Wales, is the principal nationalist political party in Wales. It used to advocate the withdrawal of Wales from the United Kingdom and the establishment of an independent Welsh state, and the growth of the Welsh language and its associated culture, but its policies have become more ambiguous of late. Support for Plaid is historically concentrated in the rural Welsh-speaking areas of north and west Wales. In the United Kingdom general election, 2005, the party's share of the vote in Wales was 14.3%.

Plaid Cymru has 1 of 4 Welsh seats in the European Parliament, 3 of 40 Welsh seats in the UK Parliament, 12 of 60 seats in the National Assembly for Wales, and control of 1 of 22 Welsh local authorities. According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission for the year of 2004, the party has an income and expenditure of about £500,000 Electoral Commission: 2004 accounts. Its website claims a membership of about 8,000.

Aims of the Party

Plaid Cymru has five stated aims.Our Aims: Plaid website. Retrieved 08 June 2006.

To promote the constitutional advancement of Wales with a view to attaining Full National Status for Wales within the European Union.
To ensure economic prosperity, social justice and the health of the natural environment, based on decentralist socialism.
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.
To create a bilingual society by promoting the revival of the Welsh language.
To promote Wales's contribution to the global community and to attain membership of the United Nations.

History

The party was founded as Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru (Welsh: National Party of Wales), on 5 August 1925, by members of Byddin Ymreolwyr Cymru, a nationalist party of north Wales, and Y Mudiad Cymreig, an underground nationalist movement. Early members included the noted writers Saunders Lewis, D. J. Williams and Lewis Valentine, all of who were imprisoned for the burning of the Penyberth bombing school in 1936. .The party soon changed to the more familiar name, Plaid Cymru. In informal contexts, and spoken language, the name was regularly shortened to simply Y Blaid or the "Welsh nationalist party". On February 24, 2006, the word "Cymru" (Wales) was effectively dropped from the party's name. BBC news: Plaid image change a 'new start' 24 Feb 2006. The name Plaid simply means "Party".

Plaid Cymru contested few elections in its early years, preferring to concentrate on the promotion of the Welsh language and its culture, reflecting a split in Welsh nationalism over the question of whether to prioritise the constitutional separation of Wales from the United Kingdom or the promotion of the Welsh language.

In 1966, however, Gwynfor Evans (then the party's President) became the first Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament, capturing the largely Welsh-speaking Carmarthen constituency from the Labour Party in a by-election. Evans lost the seat by three votes to Labour in 1970, but regained it in October 1974, during which time the party had gained a further two MPs from largely Welsh speaking areas.

Plaid Cymru retained this level of representation until 1979, when Carmarthen was again lost. More significantly, however, a referendum on Welsh devolution (or 'home rule') was heavily defeated. Despite Plaid Cymru's ambivalence toward home rule - as opposed to outright independence - the referendum result led many in the party to question its existence.

In 1992, the party added a fourth MP, again from a Welsh speaking area. In 1997 a further referendum was won, establishing the National Assembly for Wales. Plaid Cymru became the main opposition to the ruling Labour group. In so doing it appeared to have broken out of its rural Welsh-speaking heartland, and captured supposedly strong Labour areas in industrial south Wales. At the second Welsh Assembly elections in 2003, however, all of these seats were lost to Labour.

Plaid Cymru in the Assembly era

The 1999 elections were seen as a breakthrough by the party, gaining seats in places where little or no Welsh was spoken — such as in the Rhondda and Islwyn. Many attributed this surge in support to the travails of the Labour Party, whose nomination for Assembly First Secretary, Ron Davies, was forced to stand down in an alleged sex scandal. The ensuing leadership battle did much to damage Labour (and thus aid Plaid Cymru who, by contrast, boasted a popular and high profile leader in Dafydd Wigley) after the UK Labour leadership was seen to interfere in the contest and deny the popular Rhodri Morgan victory.

Plaid Cymru's success, however, was short-lived: the Party's President, Dafydd Wigley resigned, citing health problems and amid rumours of a plot against him. His successor Ieuan Wyn Jones struggled to impose his authority, and political opponents have tried in the past to demonize Plaid Cymru as having anti-English sentiment but without any hard evidence to back up their claims.

In the 2001 General Election, Plaid Cymru lost Wyn Jones' old seat of Ynys Môn to Albert Owen, but gained Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, electing Adam Price. The Assembly elections of May 2003 saw the party's representation fall from 17 to 12, with the spectacular 1999 gains such of Rhondda, Islwyn, Llanelli and Conwy reverting to Labour. Plaid Cymru narrowly remained the second-largest party in the National Assembly ahead of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Forward Wales.

On 15 September 2003 folk-singer and county councillor Dafydd Iwan was elected Plaid Cymru's new President. Ieuan Wyn Jones, who had resigned from his dual role as President and Assembly group leader, was re-elected in the latter role. Elfyn Llwyd remained the Plaid Cymru leader in the Westminster Parliament. Although the party's constitution formally designated the post of President as "the Registered Leader of the party", in practice the three were promoted as joint leaders of the party, leading to some confusion. Some senior Plaid figures called for the party to find a single leader in the Assembly who could be presented to the electorate as a clear potential First Minister of Wales. ^* Under Iwan's Presidency the party has formally adopted a policy of independence from the United Kingdom.

In the General Election of May 5, 2005, Plaid lost the Ceredigion seat to the Liberal Democrats, the result was a disappointment to Plaid, who had hoped to gain Ynys Môn, whilst holding its four seats thus leaving them with their smallest parliamentary representation for a generation.

Plaid's 2006 rebranding

At its spring conference in Carmarthen in February 2006, the party unveiled the most radical change of image in its history. It was announced that it would in future use "Plaid" as the party's name, although "Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales" would remain the official title. The party's colours were changed to yellow from the traditional green and red, while the party logo was changed from the 'triban' (three peaks) used since 1933 to a yellow Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica).

The party has also called for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Policy on peace, justice and a sustainable world Plaid Cymru website Retrieved 1 June 2006

At the same time the party voted constitutional changes to formally designate the party's leader in the assembly as its overall leader, with Ieuan Wyn Jones being restored to the full leadership and Dafydd Iwan becoming head of the voluntary wing of the party.

European Free Alliance

Plaid retains close links with the Scottish National Party, with both parties' MPs co-operating closely with one another. They work as a single group within Westminster, and were involved in joint campainging during the 2005 General Election campaign. Both parties are part of the European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, a self declared nationalist and regionalist bloc of parties.

References

External links

Plaid Cymru — official site
Key dates for Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru — Official 2007 Pre Election Website

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