Three Plaid Cymru councillors in Cardiff resign from party over McEvoy expulsion
Three Plaid Cymru Councillors in Cardiff have announced that they are resigning from the party.
Cllr Keith Parry, the Plaid group leader on Cardiff council, and Cllrs Lisa Ford and Andrea Gibson said they would now sit as an independent group.
They said their decision to leave was motivated by the treatment of former Plaid Cymru AM, Neil McEvoy, who had been expelled from the party.
They said that they have kept quiet “in the interests of unity” but could not continue to do so.
“After coming within 1,000 votes of defeating the current First Minister in Cardiff West, after the hard work of so many fantastic members, our AM, Neil McEvoy, was expelled from the party,” they said in a statement.
“His application was then rigged to prevent his re-entry to Plaid.
“And during our historic win in the Ely by-election, the current Chair and Chief Executive went out of their way to prevent our victory. We managed to win by defying their orders.
“The final straw was the South Wales Central regional representative announcing at Plaid conference that he would support any candidate that had not been nominated by Cardiff West.”
Cllrs Keith Parry and Lisa Ford represent Fairwater alongside Neil McEvoy, while Cllr Andrea Gibson represents Ely.
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “We thank the councillors for their contribution and wish them well for the future.”
‘Toxic’
The three councillors added that new leader Adam Price had been unwilling to intervene in any way to try to achieve a way forward.
“It is regrettable that ongoing personal vendettas now seem the most important thing for the Plaid Cymru leadership,” they said. “Members are encouraged to make complaints against other members and a toxic atmosphere within the party has been allowed to take hold.
“It is our belief that many at the top of Plaid Cymru have become far too close to Labour and are more interested in cosying up to them than beating them. As elected Councillors who have all beaten Labour, we find this unforgivable.
“We will now continue to represent our communities to the best of our ability, without the stifling hand of the Plaid Cymru leadership.”
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A fitting end to what has been a very difficult saga to endure for so many of us within Plaid Cymru. Gwynt teg.
Shooting ourselves in the foot then Sion
Always sad to see anyone leave but how do the trio think their decision to walk out on plaid will advance the cause they presumably joined plaid to pursue ie to create a progressive independent Wales.
Adam seems to be becoming very polarising to many Welsh Im finding in my community but now in his own party…… Plaid Cymru dissent against UK rule but don’t tolerate dissent from within….this is contradictory and hypocritical
I hope you all have stopped the civil war I found myself in. I don’t think I can join Plaid Cymru in Cardiff again after what I endured.
What did you endure? Why cant Plaid Cymru have people with different opinions around a core of shared values
Actually we did NOT say we are resigning from Plaid Cymru… we are withdrawing the Whip.
You should now resign from your seat
Will you now have bi-elections and you can stand as independents? It’s the decent, democratic thing to do. I don’t expect neil mcevoy to, as his circumstances are different, however you must allow plaid the opportunity to gain these seats. This is also something Neil Mcevoy has called for previously when labour councillors resigned. Don’t be hypocrits and respect democracy in Cardiff
Not leaving the Party but withdrawing the Whip. You didn’t quote that vital bit.
You should not resign the party otherwise the campaign for an independent Wales is lost. The other groups for independence are small: Gwlad Gwlad are too right wing, Undod are too left wing. If Plaid Cymru breaks up after a long history, an independent Wales will be lost for at least a generation and perhaps for ever. The best time would have past. As for other parties, the Liberal democrats would provide the closest match policies but it is still a unionist party at the moment although giving maximum devolution and powers to national and regional assemblies it plans to… Read more »
Here we go again – “too right wing, too left wing” You are obviously too wedded to the linear 2D model, I suppose you are also a flat earther to boot ! Have a good look at all around you and you will note that that most things are 3D so apply the spherical model to politics and stances therein. You will find that extreme “left wingers” in flat earth lingo turn up very close on the sphere to extreme “right wingers”. Best quit the labels and start examining the merits of policies and track record. although the new bodies… Read more »
Gwlad, Gwlad don’t seem to be a right-wing party to me. I thought they were a pro-independence party (or nationalist party, if you prefer). ‘Left-wing’ parties have by and large abandoned the campaign for re-distribution of wealth and advancing the working class who were once their primary focus, and have turned their attention to ‘issues’ that by and large do not impact on the traditional working class. Since Gwlad, Gwlad have given lower priority to the newly-created issues and have focused instead on what they consider to be best for the future survival of Wales and the wellbeing of its… Read more »
You’re right Rhosddu. There may well be some people in Gwlad Gwlad who are right wing. So what. Others will have different views. I’m a member and i’m certainly not right wing. The important thing is that we ALL want Welsh independence. When that is achieved there will probably be an almighty punch up (the verbal type) about the type of country we want Wales to be. But it’ll be Welsh people making the decisions. As it should be.
well said ( or written in this case !)
Slagging off of those whose opinions and values don’t tally with their purist stances has become the default behaviour of a lot of these ishoo driven people. As for Fascism and “right wing ” misconduct you are more likely to encounter it among those pseudo-socialists who embrace ishoos vigorously but can’t be bothered to address the real problems confronting communities all over Wales. Shame they don’t dress up in the old brown or black shirts so favoured by their ideological ancestors so we can spot them at a distance.
I would have thought that “resigning the whip” would lead either to resignation or expulsion from Plaid Cymru? However, it’s a pig’s breakfast from whoever’s perspective
A good post, so I suppose you will now help Yes Cymru, as it gives us what Plaid should have? Once again, we see why Gwlad Gwlad had to exist. Though fairly right wing myself I can’t support them because they think the EU is an evil entity, LOL! They could all do with spending some time actually living on the mainland. Junker’s farewell speech was given in German, though he could have done it in English or French. Way more culturally sophisticated than your average Brit politico. As for Royston, he has done amazing work exposing corruption in Cymru… Read more »
I so wish there was a credible, serious alternative to Plaid, whom I would never vote for again. Ein Gwlad are not that, and seem to be imploding anyway!
What are the plans for Propel, I wonder?!
Perhaps ‘Libdems for Welsh independence’ – not official Welsh LibDems policy.
That would need to convince people such as Jane Dodd and Kirsty Williams.
Or that the UK can be reformed into a devolled commonwealth rather than a failing centralised regime.
The independence movement needs Plaid Cymru and should incorporate the whole of the democratic Welsh independence movement.
Ive lost all the plaid voters in my area I got on board due to the extremist brexit position the higher elites in Plaid Cymru are trying to espouse