Game Of Thrones actor urges voters to back Plaid Cymru or the Greens to Stop DARC Radar in Wales.

Stephen Price

Pembrokeshire based Jerome Flynn has publicly spoken out in an impassioned plea for voters in the ‘Ceredigion Penfro’ constituency and in Wales to vote for Plaid Cymru or The Green Party to help block the proposed US military DARC Radar from being built at Cawdor Barracks in Pembrokeshire.

This comes after Labour first minister Eluned Morgan recently called for a ‘pause’ to the project while Trump leads in the US but did not call for an outright stop to it.

Flynn, is known for his roles in Soldier Soldier and Game Of Thrones, and currently lives on the Pembrokeshire coast within a few miles from the proposed radar site.

He entered the fray surrounding the controversial DARC Radar via a social media video released on Tuesday 5 May –  just two days before Welsh voters go to the polls to decide the political make-up of the next Welsh government.

In the video Flynn describes voting in the upcoming Senedd election as; “probably the most crucial vote we’ve made in 25 years”, explaining that whoever gets into the Senedd will have the power to block DARC Radar, referring to the project as;

“The most unspeakably abominable planning application led by the US military, backed by Donald Trump to place 27 radar dishes right on the edge of our beloved coastal national park”

The Game Of Thrones star is known for speaking out on matters of ecology and the environment and has previously thrown his weight behind the campaign to devolve the Crown Estate in Wales. In his video released on the official campaigns Facebook page, Flynn refers to St Davids as “the spiritual home of Wales” and expressed his belief that DARC radar is not a ‘done deal’ as some are saying, encouraging both local and Welsh voters to take meaningful action by voting for the only two parties who have pledged to stop DARC, saying;

“I’m here to say, it’s not a done deal because Plaid Cymru and the Greens have both made party-led decisions to say no to Westminster. We’re not having such a thing on our beloved coast”

The MOD submitted their planning application for the US Radar to Pembrokeshire County Council earlier in April and the application is currently open to the public for objections or comments to be submitted during the publicity phase which will expire on May 20th.

Fighting back

PARC Against DARC, the campaign which was set up in 2024 to oppose DARC radar welcomed the local celebrity’s comments and say they have been very busy in the last few weeks delivering 22,000 leaflets around the Pembrokeshire area which convey a very similar message.

Campaigners shared: “While Eluned Morgan, who is obviously spooked and worried she’ll lose her seat over this issue, has come out in the final hour to call for a pause on DARC, we fear this doesn’t go nearly far enough as she is not calling for an outright stop to the US project. With such a low level of demonstrable commitment from Morgan we also fear there’s nothing to stop her doing another U-turn if re-elected.”

“Plaid Cymru and The Green Party however, have both made it their national party policy to oppose and stop DARC so we have no doubt of the authenticity of their commitment. Therefore, we also urge voters to give their vote to the anti-DARC parties and to urgently send in their objections with our one-click tool at www.parcagainstdarc.com/planning to Pembrokeshire County Council before May 20th.”

Whichever Party or Parties form the next Senedd administration following Thursday’s election will have at their disposal a mechanism known as ‘Calling in’ the planning application. This mechanism applies for planning applications of national significance such as DARC as the next layer of governance above Pembrokeshire County Council is the Welsh Government who have the power to override and take responsibility for the application. It will then be down to the Cabinet member for planning to adjudicate on the application.

Campaigners also point out that under the new proportional voting system there is far less need for tactical voting, saying: “If you want to stop DARC you can vote for either Plaid or the Greens because under the new proportional system there is a far greater chance of people’s votes resulting in elected members.”

With votes for 16 to 18s and an increase from 60 to 96 MSs under the new system, campaigners told us that they are confident a more progressive and anti DARC government will be elected if enough people follow their advice back those parties at the polls.

Vulnerability

Campaigners have previously warned that if built, DARC radar would make Pembrokeshire a first priority military target and would give Trump and the US the capability to dominate space from Wales.

“With a Chinese government-aligned source calling DARC a ‘significant escalation’, the US in yet another illegal war this time in Iran, and DARC confirmed by the US as the ground radar part of a weapons system designed to target space assets, there’s little sign DARC would be for anything else but fuelling decades of U.S. aggression that Wales should have no part of. This time they’re trying to use our peninsula to weaponise space, as if Earth isn’t already weaponised enough.”

Flynn concluded his moving video with a powerful call to action, saying: “Vote with your heart because we can make a difference here, we could put in a government that cares about our land, our people and our environment, thank you”