Plaid Cymru leader’s viral take on Welsh flag

A comment made by Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth that the hoisting of the Welsh flag ‘is not the way’ he does ‘Welshness’ has gone viral on social media.

Speaking to the host on BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, the party leader expressed that, recently, he has thought a lot about the popular practice of hanging flags in public.

The clip was uploaded to social media early on Saturday, 15 November, and quickly garnered 1,300 likes and 650 comments.

Following on from conversation about “butcherings” of Rhun ap Iorwerth’s name during his time working as a BBC Wales reporter, Robinson began to speak about how Wales has, at points, been patronised.

Ap Iorwerth responded: “It’s something that we’re used to … what I see as part of my mission in politics is to make us more confident, and to understand that we’re not a particularly small nation, that we’re not a particularly disadvantaged nation, but that we’re a nation that holds back, and we can stand up to that kind of patronising attitude.”

The pair then spoke about Plaid’s policies, and whether ap Iorwerth considers himself a nationalist.

The party leader explained: “In effect, I’m only a nationalist to people who look in from ‘outside’. To me I’m an internationalist, for whom the building block, the centre of that belief in countries working together closely, is Wales…

“But we have to remember that nationalism takes many, many forms. There are very, very ugly faces of nationalism that we would have nothing to do with.”

Robinson then asked ap Iorwerth: “But if people want to put the Welsh flag on lampposts, on buildings, is that an expression of cultural identity? Or is that, as some claim for the English flag, for St George’s flag, somehow an expression of nationalism that’s uncomfortable?”

Ap Iorwerth responded: “You know what, I’ve thought a lot about this over the past few months with the raising of the flags. Plaid Cymru doesn’t really wrap itself in the Welsh flag much. Our Welshness and our belief in our communities is deeper than that.

“I was looking at photographs of a Labour conference recently, where there was an unfurling of a massive Welsh flag on stage by the First Minister. It’s not something that I’ve ever felt the need to do.

“And I see the populist right trying to take ownership of the flag, be it through the hoisting of them up and hanging them by cable ties on lampposts. It’s not the way I do Welshness.

“Yes, of course, I’m hugely proud of our flag, but that’s not the expression of my Welshness. It’s about building a society and building a future for my country.”

Viewers took to the comments of the Facebook post to share their thoughts. Many were in agreement with the Plaid Cymru leader, one such commenter writing: “Well said, Rhun. We don’t need to wave the Draig Goch to know who we are.”

Engaging with the nuance of the conversation, another commenter shared: “I’m with Peter Ustinov. ‘Before I respect a flag, I look at who’s waving it’.”

While another added: “I fly numerous flags on a flagpole in my garden. The Dragon, St David’s Flag in March, Owain’s Flag in September, Remembrance in November, the Welsh Football Flag when they play. All flown with Love NOT Division “

Of course, not everyone was happy with ap Iorwerth’s answer. “Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean those that do are wrong or even far right,” one shared, while another said, very simply, “Cachwr”.

To listen to the full interview with Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, visit the BBC Sounds site here.