Neil McEvoy appeals suspension from Plaid Cymru Assembly group
Neil McEvoy AM has confirmed that he has appealed his suspension from the Plaid Cymru group in the National Assembly.
Plaid Cymru’s AMs voted unanimously to suspend the South Wales Central AM last month.
Under Plaid Cymru standing orders, an Assembly Member suspended from the Assembly group can make an appeal to the party’s National Executive Committee to be reinstated.
The National Executive Committee will hear Mr McEvoy’s appeal on the 18th of November.
Neil McEvoy AM said: “I have made an appeal to Plaid Cymru’s National Executive Committee to be reinstated to the National Assembly group. I’ve also informed the Chair, the Chief Executive and the Assembly group’s Chief Whip of my decision.
“Through this appeal I hope to make a positive return to the Plaid Cymru group.”
Plaid Cymru’s conference will be taking place in Galeri, Caernarfon this Friday and Saturday, October 20 and 21st.
‘Respect’
Party leader Leanne Wood had accused Neil McEvoy of undermining the party’s unity when he was suspended last month.
In a letter to party members, she said: “As we embark on a new term in the Senedd, the work of our Assembly group is more important than ever.
“The Labour Welsh Government’s poor record of running our public services requires intense scrutiny and the case must be made for protecting our nation from the UK Government’s damaging EU Withdrawal Bill.
“Unity and mutual respect within the Group are crucial factors if we are to carry out this work with success and fulfil our duty to the people of Wales. It is true, however, that the past few months have seen those values undermined.
“That is why, today, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend Neil McEvoy AM from the Plaid Cymru Assembly Group for clearly breaching rules he and all Group members had signed up to regarding our expected conduct as Plaid Cymru AMs and representatives of the party.
“His breach of numerous Assembly group standing orders and our agreed Code of Conduct has caused distraction and disruption.
“As leader, I cannot allow elected members to act in a way which is detrimental to the party.
“We are a party and most importantly, a team. It is my duty not to allow behaviour which undermines its unity and integrity.
“I now look forward to the Assembly Group being able to move on strong and united, fully focused on the task of holding the Labour Government to account and offering people effective representation at every level in all parts of Wales.”
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Presumably McEvoy feels that Plaid’s National Executive Committee will treat him more favourably than the Assembly group has. Why on earth he decided to publish his harebrained plan for council housing on this website only he knows. Given that his support for right-to-buy was what precipitated his latest suspension his decision to publish looks like a severe provocation of his erstwhile colleagues. He never came back to me when I asked him, in the comments section of that article, a few pertinent questions – which confirms my opinion that he is a blowhard with little intellectual capacity to grasp the… Read more »
Really, not nice to say about someone you may not have met, based on his non replying to your correspondence. Mind you, I have to hold my hands up, I am chomping at the bit from the moment I send out questions to politicians knowing that they rarely answer! McEvoy, is approachable, you can talk with him whether you agree with him or not. In the few dealings I have had with him, I may have been just lucky, he has responded and found him very approachable at #IndyFest for example. Now, I guess you or someone else will say… Read more »
No party or group can obtain power without discipline, and to hold it for more than one election requires unity built up on top of it whilst honing efficiency to develop morale amongst voters and supporters.
I take no side with Neil McEvoy. If he is willing to not fight against his own party so openly, and to cease making demands which are above his position, he should be allowed back in.
Maybe he’ll be the first serving politician to join the new as-yet-unnamed movement that’s being created by Royston Jones & others. Major coup for them if Neil pops up among the leadership group.
For an AM to voice an opinion differing from his/her Party on his personal Facebook site is no disciplinary offence. Leanne made it clear in the Press that she “cannot work with” McEvoy. Appears to be some personality clash more than policy clash. Search her statement for any any material reason “behaviour which undermines (the Assembly group’s) unity and integrity” is the only one that makes sense. Yet Bethan Jenkins’s attacks on McEvoy hyping up false bullying allegations and now hyping up his disagreement over selling Council houses (under tight restrictions) looks much more seriously to harm unity and integrity,as… Read more »
[Deleted – Ed.] Anyway, it seems that no-one in the Assembly group, or any other elected politician from Plaid for that matter, is willing to publically back McEvoy. That list seemingly includes McEvoy’s fellow Fairwater councillors Keith Parry and McEvoy’s own sister, Lisa Ford. Why Ms Ford has been silent when her brother is in such trouble is open to interpretation. Could she give some clues as to why McEvoy is so unpopular with his peers? [Deleted. Please keep comments civil. Unfounded allegations, possible libel and/or references to the families or children of your political opponents will be deleted. As… Read more »
3 tries for a Cymro.
The Ombudsman was independent until Adam Price said he wasn.t http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-41581470
Now there are “question marks” over the Ombudsman’s future. That means there are question marks over the whole investigation into Neil McEvoy, brought about by the Ombudsman
To conflate the issue about the Ombudsman’s gambit regarding the Welsh Language Commissioner with his fitness to investigate the wrongdoing of elected officials is laughable. Adam Price was effusive in his praise of Mark Drakeford, the AM whose Cardiff West seat McEvoy covets. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/plaid-cymru-should-let-leanne-13335225
Conflate that Dean.
I do conflate them. That’s two people elected as Plaid AMs questioning the Ombudsman’s independence. They might both be onto something. Also, not sure about you conflating Adam Price’s comments on Drakeford. Seems completely irrelevant to the Ombudsman and whether he’s independent.
his “bullying”….was telling a corrupt Labour councillor that he hoped she lost her seat at the next election…….a labour councillor trying to throw out a family from their homes for no good justified reason…Shame on labour and the elites of Plaid
Time the editors of Nation Cymru stopped people publishing in other than their own names. I am happy to say Neil McEvoy should be re-instated as a member of the Assembly members group. He has been the victim of a prolonged smear campaign egineered by the Labour Party and people in Plaid Cymru who should know better. I have worked closely with Neil McEvoy in particularly hard local election campaigns over the last ten years. I have never known him to be a bully indeed far from it. He goes out of his way to help the under dog and… Read more »
Why should people be compelled to make comments under their own name? It is the fear of persecution that has always been behind pseudonyms. Tell me why you want to know who I am. Curiosity or the desire for revenge? I notice that you do not refute a single point that I have made, apart from your belief that McEvoy isn’t a bully. I beg to differ and so do many, many people. As for McEvoy’s fitness to lead Plaid or Wales….hahahahaha. He has proven that he can’t get along with people in Labour or Plaid. To lead you must… Read more »
Dear Pun
What worries me is that what you say is indeed true!
If the future of Wales is being decided on the basis of grudges, partners, meddling in broken relationships, Heaven help us.
As for Neil McEvoy getting justice from the Panel (appointed by Labour, women only) or an Assembly Group led by Leanne Wood (with the background you describe). Well.
As someone once said –
“If that’s justice, I’m a banana!”
References to my daughter should have no place on this site. This is not an attack on the hard working editor, but a comment on anonymous smear artists like PUN. I have every confidence the comment will be edited. The last person who brought my daughter into politics and published details paid a heavy financial price through my legal action. RE: my unpopularity: this was said in 2015 and our team doubled my vote, in 2016 we almost did the same, this year the Plaid Fairwater team of councillors all got over 2,000 votes in the Council election. My total… Read more »
Ederyn exaggerates the non-episode of “bullying”. The Labour Cllr (McEvoy’s rival in Fairwater) who originated the complaint was not present, though he did lose has seat (to Keith Parry). The Council officer who reported McEvoy’s remark had just led on the Court case for evicting a single mother; Council officials refused to accept late payment of rent arrears, being apparently determined to make an example in this eviction. McEvoy’s remark – I can’t wait till Plaid takes over and restructures the Council – did not affect that official but top staff with Cardiff Plaid’s policy to eliminate salaries above £100k.… Read more »