Wednesday 17 June 2009

Plaid vs. The Secretary of State

Elfyn Llwyd has issued a harsh attack on the recently reinstated Peter Hain in which he accuses the Secretary of State of being out of touch with the Welsh Labour Party, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Assembly.

Mr Llwyd says: “Only a matter of days after being re-installed as Secretary of State Peter Hain is continuing where he left off with his one-man campaign to stall the devolution process, and undermine the One Wales Government which he always opposed.”

It comes after Peter Hain said that the referendum on full law making powers is unlikely to be held before the 2011 deadline.

Dewi Tri

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7 comments:

Unknown said...

it shouldn't be Plaid against the Sec'o'State, it should be Plaid, Labour and Libdems (the Tories probably love his rhetoric). Its about time our elected representatives in the Senedd stood up for US, and stopped cowering before the London arms of their parties.

Anonymous said...

Elfyn i right. Peter Hain was against One Wales from the start and he is very much out of touch with his own party. If I remeber he made a bit of a fool of himself saying that Plaid and Labour would never be in coalition only for the party membership to vote very strongly in favour of the proposals. Totally isolated.

Sweet and Tender Hooligan said...

The problem I feel is out dogs trying to settle old scores on both sides here.

Plaid cannot bring themselves to admit that even they are not sure that the next referendum is winnable. Believe me, I am praying we can get far more powers down the bay, but the Plaid’s sensible lot know that 2011 is arbitrary and it is clear ENOUGH that we can win. Indeed, Plaid HQ know that 2011 was ’50/50’, they will just spin it as Labour’s fault – even if the commission paints a mixed picture.

The problem is that the ‘dipstick clause’ is open to debate in the One Wales agreement. I believe this was necessary because none of us who want further devolution want to lose the next referendum. Of course there are dogmatists in both parties, but sensible voices are wary of the fact that the 2011 referendum may become engulfed in the ‘anti-politics’ mood.

Fronted by politicians, some of whom are targets for those wishing to wring the expenses scandal for all its worth, the ‘yes campaign’ is in danger. True Wales can turn this into guerrilla war fare rather quickly, particularly in the wake of expenses.

Labour’s next Welsh leader needs to get a handle on the conflicting messages we are sending out in my view. Personally I would like to see a clear support, of its own volition to look properly at the future of Wales’ devolution for a generation – that means a solution that will hold for that long. This may mean facing down nay sayers in the party, but ultimately Labour needs that solidified.

kairdiff West Kid said...

Well, yes Marcus, but the problem is that it's a failure of the political class to lead, i.e. by starting the debate,, and this failure is due mostly to Labour party self-interest: avoid party splits, and keep the whole country in uncertainty while you - Liebour - drive us poor and shivering (thanks to long-term failure of your policies) into the arms of the next Tory government.
If Plaid had any sense they'd be taking the Vote Labour Get Tory line, because when the general election comes and the tories win, Labour will have shafted us yet again, like they did in 79, because the tories are hardy going to give us a referendum are they?
Come on man, when Labour get voted out in 2010, the tories will be in power for 2 terms. At least 8 years. If we don;t get that referendum under a Labour government, we won;t get it until my grandchildren are doing their A levels (in some Cardiff welsh-medium 'ethnic cleansing' school so reviled by Labour councillors.)

kairdiff West Kid said...

forgot to add - and I'll probably be dead.

Anonymous said...

Elfyn is cross that Hain has revealed their private converstaion. It was clearly him he was referring to in the Western Mail yesterday

Sweet and Tender Hooligan said...

Exactly Anon! Basically Plaid knew what Hain is saying is the reality.

Plaid are playing all coy, when surely the DFM knew about this? If not, then he would be tampin.

KWK,

But, who is to lead that campaign? I mean any Nat that fronts it is easy pickings – ‘not shit sherlock’/’slippery slope’/telling something we do not know.

Politicians are scum at the moment, can you imagine a welcome on the hillside for politicians at the moment for a technocratic debate on more powers and the bloody LCO system?

Come on, you are misguided, but not stupid.