The English Socialist Plaid Cymru Attack List

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You know even when you blog regularly there are days when nothing happens, or nothing that is bloggable happens, or nothing that you want to blog about happens. So you think. "I'm not going to post about anything today what's on TV?" That was yesterday. A bank holiday. (and the answer to the TV question? Nothing.)

And then....late in the day.....along comes Twitter.

I found myself entering into an argument with a Labour party member living in England with regard to Plaid Cymru and the political situation in Wales in general. I'll go through the gist of his arguments in a moment but the question I kept asking, and it took a long time for him to respond, was how long was it since he was last in Wales. The answer, was TWENTY YEARS AGO.

The Twitterspat with him though got me thinking. There probably are many English socialists out there who have either never been to Wales or like my friend haven't visited in decades and yet feel they can comment on the Welsh political scene and/or attack Plaid Cymru directly. These people have clichés about the country (which probably I had before I moved in 1997) and feel confident in pontificating about it (something I never did). The fact that they are socialists have nothing to do with it, they have this Celtic image and that's it. ("Plaid Cymru dare to criticise Labour. How could they with our history" ?) and they feel the instinctive urge to fight back with tired out of date arguments  You could even argue that it's racist, though I think ignorance is closer to the mark.

So, based on my Twitterspat (though let me stress I've elaborated on some arguments and added others I've heard outside it - so this not all spawned from yesterday) here is The English Socialist Plaid Cymru Attack List:

That the Welsh are not voting Labour as much as in the past because of Jeremy Corbyn : Now I've heard this argument within Wales too though when the first minister suggests that "London" needs to get its act together. Jeremy Corbyn it's argued is responsible for Brexit, the decline in the Welsh Labour vote and of course the downpour that affected me and my family as we drove home from a bank holiday day out.

Of course what this misses is the experience the Welsh have had with Labour running the National Assembly and most local councils. People were not happy with Labour before Jeremy Corbyn became leader. But to those people who still believe that it's Corbyn's fault, well there are dark clouds outside my window as I'm writing this so you can blame that on him as well.

That Plaid Cymru are pursuing "A Separatist Agenda" along with the SNP:  This is of course a Tory argument as well. To which you can only say....."who knew?".

That only Labour can form a government in Westminster. Plaid Cymru are an irrelevance: Labour of course who failed in the last two attempts and who probably could only form a coalition government now at best, which could include Plaid. And if you think they wouldn't do it the current Education Secretary for the National Assembly for Wales.....is a Libdem.

That Plaid will have a coalition government with the Conservative Party: That was an actual argument that my Twitter friend gave yesterday. I couldn't give a proper response because was too busy laughing. Nothing has changed now.

That the Welsh should be grateful to Labour: And so as I've often said in this blog they should. But as I've also said past glories should not hide their current rule in the Assembly and local government being best described as arrogant incompetence. Plaid Cymru are the party what Labour used to be and they know it.

That Plaid Cymru are a "Pick and Mix" Party consisting of various types such as farmers and industrial workers:  This is probably true. But there was a time when Labour were happy to describe its membership as a "broad church".

That Plaid Cymru discriminate in favour of Welsh speakers: That encouraging the Welsh language means that non speakers are discriminated against is a constant weapon used against Plaid. And yet there are no examples of this.

Incidentally the tweet from my Twitter friend was as follows: "Is removing English from the School curriculum in Glamorgan visionary or regressive"? Of course no such thing occurred...least of all because Glamorgan council doesn't exist which he would have known HAD HE LIVED IN WALES.

So there you have it. Probably incomplete but do feel free to add anymore to it.

Until the next time.