Party campaigning to abolish Senedd to stand in General Election
Emily Price
A party who’s sole aim is to abolish the Welsh Parliament and hand over all devolved powers to Westminster will be standing candidates in the General Election for the first time.
Rishi Sunak called the election on Wednesday night (May 22) in a rain-soaked press statement in Downing Street, with the date set for July 4.
Shortly after, the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party – often referred to as ‘Abolish’ – announced its intention to field candidates.
In a social media media post they said: “So it has started, election called. For the first time Abolish will be standing candidates in the general election.
“You will hear from all the main parties about more doctors and a better NHS,
more teachers and schools. On how they make things better, but in Wales this is governed by the Senedd.
“Let’s send MPs to parliament that’s wants to put an end to devolution in Wales. Come the 4th of July and Vote Abolish.”
In a pinned post on X, formerly Twitter, the party warns: “If you want the same old shit show, please don’t vote for us.”
Row
Abolish was launched in November 2015 but was later struck off the electoral register in 2020 after its registration lapsed.
It followed an internal row with former leader David Bevan who failed to renew the party’s paperwork
It was then re-registered as the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party even though the Welsh Assembly had been renamed Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament.
Abolish is a single issue political party that calls for the Senedd, the devolved Welsh Government and the position of First Minister of Wales to be axed entirely.
The party says that scrapping the Senedd will turn Wales into a “land of milk and honey”.
UK Government
They believe that all executive powers should be handed to the relevant departments within the UK Government in London instead.
The party’s website states: “The Assembly is another expensive tier of Government which is totally unnecessary. We in Wales already have Councillors and MP’s. How many tiers of government does Wales need?”
Key points in the party’s 2021 manifesto included stopping compulsory Welsh language in schools and teaching the National Curriculum for England in schools instead.
It also called for the re-introduction of prescription charges for people in Wales aged between 17 and 64 as is the case in England and for NHS Wales to be integrated with NHS England.
Abolish has also called for the requirement for public services in Wales to be offered bilingually in the Welsh language to be scrapped.
Leader Richard Suchorzewski says his members find “it very difficult” to see any benefits of devolution.
During an interview with BBC Politics Wales in 2021 on whether ‘Wales was a country’ he stated, “I don’t understand the premise behind that question” – but later confirmed that Wales is a country.
Abolish has never had a candidate elected to the Senedd but it gained two members there through defections from the UK Independence Party.
It lost both of its seats in the 2021 Senedd election and in 2022 lost its only councillor Claire Mills when she announced she would be running as an independent at the 2022 local elections.
In a statement, Abolish candidate Paul Ashton said: “Our manifesto pledge is straight forward – 25 year of devolution has failed the people of Wales and we need to hand back all the powers to Westminster.
“Through this campaign, we will be highlighting to the public what the role of an MP does and what powers are devolved to the Senedd. We will be holding all the other parties to account on this issue. We will also be supporting voters to register.”
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Say what you want about Abolish….they are good comedy value!!
“our email bounced straight back” Chumps!! 😀
Standing in a general election? Are they brain damaged? (Yes)
Who gets lost deposits? Are they kept locally or do they go to Westminster?
Well that’s at least one far-right racist party that’ll be standing candidates in Wales.
I dare say UKIP/Voice of Wales will also be fielding candidates. Hopefully they, Abolish and Reform UK will tear chunks out of one another. I dare say Gwlad will field some candidates too, if we want a far-right Welsh perspective as well.
Gwlad is hardly far right especially when you consider the rantings and ramblings of others. Socially conservative with small “c”, embracing some policies to provide a foundation of community services found among more “socialist” thought. Definitely an unthreatening mix.
You forgot the Hywel
So Richard Suckawhisky will be parading his offering around our country over the next 6 weeks. Good luck to him, he’ll need it to just get home with his skin intact. Evidently a man with Eastern European heritage yet doesn’t understand the value of identity. No doubt his forefathers fought against all sorts of imperial aggression from likes of Germany, Austria Hungary and more recently Russia. Ironic that he should just want to wash away anything resembling our identity. A four latter word is sufficient to describe him.
The existence of richard suchorzewski and his party should be banned in my opinion but while they do exist my desire for independence is strengthened and reinforced!
At least if they’re operating out in the open we know where they are and can keep an eye on them and disrupt them when they threaten to become too organised. Ban them and they go underground and goodness knows where they, or what they’re doing then.
Don’t worry Padi, my granny’s ready for them!
Lets be honest. They are offended at the very idea of the existence of Wales as a nation, anything like the Welsh language they oppose. If they had it their way then Wales would be nothing more than a region of England.
Furthermore they act as though as if the failures of the Welsh Labour Government are also the failures of the Senedd. This is disingenuous for so many different reasons, because not only does it neglect the failures of the UK Government, but it also gets Welsh Labour off the hook.
Yep, Turning Wales into a county of England has always been The Germanic/Anglo plan. Afterall, we are the Native Britons and while We have a nation they can never truly claim their Prize! All of Britain.
This is great news – im sure they will pick up thousands of votes indeed perhaps a seat in the colonial legeslsture 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧.
Bit early to be pished isn’t it? Even for a Sais in a pish helmet.
Are you the same dick as the other dick?
Loads of “ Dicks “ around my friend. 😄
Jog on Pom!
Abolish is clearly a racist English Nationalist/Imperialist party. They want Wales to be entirely ruled by UK governments (Labour or Tory) having huge majorities of English MPs (always over 80%) with dreadfully bad PMs such as Boris Johnson and Truss. Many of these governments have been complicit in the appalling Infected Blood and Post Office scandals as well as the Suez debacle and the 2nd Iraq war – justified by lies. Moreover, they are responsible for perpetual discrimination against Wales and many broken promises – a list would be as long as your arm. Wales fully controlled by the UK government – No thank… Read more »
Ych a fi!
Backed by money people from who support the true ENGLISH NATIONALIST PARTY the SCUM CALLED TORIES
Nice deposit or 2 lost then. They stand for nothing Welsh at all. All the policies I like about or Senedd, would be gone. Westminster serves nobody
According to abolish, “scrapping the Senedd will turn Wales into a land of milk and honey”. Ye gods, various legislative bodies had 700 odd years to enable that to happen so that ship has well & truly sailed if that’s going to be one of their main selling points. The voters of Cymru have given their verdict over the last few years of these type of anti Welsh single issue parties. They’re political thrush but can & will be eradicated quite easily at the ballot box in six weeks time I’m sure.
What you have written in inverted coma’s Alan was similar rhetoric used by Kinnock and Abse in 1979.
Tried, tested and failed.
Hopefully they’ll put up candidates in all 32 seats in Cymru, and lose their deposits in EVERY ONE of them!! 😂😂
I’m sorry but those who seek to use a democratic institution to undermine it should not be allowed to run. If it is, doesn’t it run counter to what democracy is, if they are given the power to get rid of the very institution in which they ran? Parties like this should not be allowed to form, let alone run for office. The continuation of Wales having a voice, even a small one is not up for debate. EVER!!!!
“those who seek to use a democratic institution to undermine it should not be allowed to run. “
Aren’t the SNP and Plaid doing just that in Westminster.
No they are not. They are not advocating that Westminster be abolished. I wish they were out of there and in their own independent nations’ parliaments and they may have to go through a period of election and non attendance like Sinn Fein in not recognising its’ authority but what we have here is a pop up party which stands on one issue which is to abolish Y Senedd and with it, our language, existence and identity. Compare and contrast.
The similarity is in the seeking to undermine.
If the SNP and Plaid achieve their aims then Westminster as the Parliament of the UK ceases to be .It changes and becomes the Parliament of England.
This is creation of three autonomous parliaments.
Jagman and co’s party seeks to undermine the Senedd but they don’t want it to change but cease to exist altogether.
This is destruction of one partially autonomous parliament.
“Leader Richard Suchorzewski says his members find “it very difficult” to see any benefits of devolution.” So that’s three so far.
You are Welcome TO HAVE YOUR OWN COUNTRY AND EVERY THING THAT IS WELSH AND IF YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE GETTING A SQUARE DEAL THEN GOOD LUCK. BUT REMEMBER THAT THE ONLY WAY TO BE ON PAR WITH WESTMINISTER TO GET CHANGE WITH YOUR GOVERMENT.