Watch: Plaid Cymru won’t win because they ‘run down’ and call places ‘awful’ says Mark Drakeford
Plaid Cymru won’t be electorally successful until they stop running down and calling “awful” places they hope will vote for them, the First Minister has said.
Responding to a question about Rhondda Cynon Taf by mid-Wales Senedd Member Heledd Fychan, Mark Drakeford had a rare pre-election swipe at the Welsh Government’s cooperation agreement partners.
Asking about flooding, food banks and Covid, Heledd Fychan has said that “the situation of many residents of RCT is deteriorating rather than improving”.
Mark Drakeford responded: “We’ve heard a very traditional Plaid Cymru slogan here this afternoon. Their message on the doorstep in RCT appears to be, ‘Vote Plaid Cymru in RCT. Isn’t it awful?’
“They don’t have a good word to say for the places that they seek to represent, and they’re at it again here this afternoon. It’s just a run-down of the places where they seek to persuade to vote for them.
“They tried it last year, and they surely have seen the result, and I fully expect that people in RCT will deliver the same verdict on that sort of campaigning again this year.”
‘Improve lives’
Heledd Fychan, who is a a councillor on Rhondda Cynon Taf council, had asked how the Welsh Government was going to ensure that the voices of the people of Rhondda Cynon Taf “are heard and help to steer the changes that are so desperately needed?”
“More people have to turn to foodbanks for support, more children are living in poverty and the COVID deaths have been among the highest in Britain,” she said.
“A number of reports on the 2020 floods still haven’t been published. It’s clear, therefore, that what the Government and the council have been doing is not sufficient.
“We have a whole host of voluntary and third sector organisations that are active across the county, that do important work and have all sorts of ideas in terms of how to improve the lives of the residents of RCT, but tell us time and time again that they aren’t included when plans are drawn up.”
Labour currently have 47 councillors on Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, while the opposition parties have 28 between them, with Plaid Cymru the largest opposition group with 17 councillors.
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If the cap fit, Mark…
That should tell Plaid it’s time to stop propping up this dopey regime. They might have had a small balance of favourable sentiment over the Covid curfew period but their lack of action on all other matters is a major symptom of their incompetence. Withdraw now and let them stand or fall on their own efforts.
Any Plaid deals with Unionist parties should be non-starters from this point forward. sincerely thinking of joining the party in order to have a say from within – this weird, ideological bromance between the Welsh Labour upper echelon and Adam Price needs to end. If Price doesn’t do the right thing and begin advocating for a positive view for Welsh indy, separated from his personal political proclivities, applying broadly to the whole citizenry. That doesn’t mean bland centrism, it means he needs to start acting like an actual national leader. Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales, not a clutch… Read more »
How much money did Wales lose when you called that nasty, vengeful man Fat Shanks Johnson ‘awful’ Mark ?
What an absurd comment from Drakeford. When Labour politicians complain that people in the UK are having to go to food banks because of Tory policies, does that mean that the Labour Party are “running down” the UK?
Should the FM be using his privileged position to run down his party’s opposition this close to an election ?
Yes. Frankly it is refreshing to see Labour in Wales acting as though they are hungry for votes, and not taking things for granted.
It might be refreshing but I believe he is abusing his position as FM from the podium in the Senedd…
Yeah, I have to agree here. I won’t be voting for this unionist party, but they are of course well within their rights to fight for their cause. Bit of a vacuous dig though, solely designed to smear (but all’s fair in love and political war). Plaid should sever all ties, ties built on some vague notion of aligned 20th century politics with little relevance to our constitutional future or, for this election, our local issues.
Well, well, the Prifathro gives the Plaid rowdies at the back of the class a good public telling off…two days before the country goes to the polls. The mask is off and the smile has gone with it…
What doesn’t Mark Drakeford like the truth to be told? Is It no surprise some of the poorest areas and communities in Wales are in Labour voting constituencies. Sadly Labour doesn’t want to end poverty in Wales, they prefer to manage it.
Its not just RCT you ‘dont know’ about – you dont know about Plaid either! You are not ‘ex plaid’ – youre a trolling fake
How’s the NHS doing under Labour in Wales, Mark?