Plaid Cymru's Unexpected Problem

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let me say first, before I say anything else, that this post is about the Simon Thomas situation as it relates to Plaid Cymru and that alone. No way am I seeking to undermine or belittle the allegations put against Mr Thomas. But as there is an ongoing police investigation I don't feel comfortable about discussing those at this particular time.

When the news first broke regarding Mr Thomas' resignation from the National Assembly and Plaid Cymru yesterday morning, there was in the beginning no background as to why. My and other Twitter reaction was one of shock. But if there was one thing I knew immediately it was that there was no political motive to the resignation. Because if that had been the case he would have waited until after the Plaid Cymru leadership election had completed.

Not in a million years though would I have assumed the background to his resignations was what it's turned out to be.

With regard to Plaid Cymru the Twitter reaction from supporters was one of shock (that included me). From non supporters there seemed to be something approaching tempered glee. I saw a tweet that suggested Plaid were "in disarray" at the moment.

Plaid Cymru is not in disarray. But like all parties with a forthcoming leadership election it is in a state of flux. Whilst I've made it clear in this blog that I feel the leadership election is unnecessary and that I'm a supporter of Leanne Wood nobody could have foreseen this turn of events (except possibly Mr Thomas himself). In terms of timing this probably could not have come at a more difficult moment for Plaid. Though of course that's unimportant given the seriousness of the issue.

So Plaid Cymru might receive a short term hit on this given the obvious bad publicity. But in politics the party is eventually always more powerful than the individual. What the membership will need to do though is once the result of the leadership election is known is to show immediate and genuine loyalty towards the person elected as leader. It will be that unity that will see Plaid through a difficult patch which the Simon Thomas situation has added to.

And it will be that unity which will make us face the main enemies of Conservative and Corbyn colonialism with confidence.

Until the next time.