Welsh National Party can’t use Welsh language name, Electoral Commission rules
The Electoral Commission has decided not to allow Neil McEvoy’s new Welsh National Party to use the Welsh-language name Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru.
It decided that the Welsh language name, despite being a direct translation, was too close to the name of the already-existing parties and could confuse voters.
A source within Plaid Cymru said the decision could raise questions about why the Electoral Commission allowed the Welsh National Party to use the English name.
“The Electoral Commission decision shows that there’s only Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru exists and it will continue to serve the needs of the people of Wales,” the Plaid Cymru source said.
But Neil McEvoy said he would continue to use the name Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru “whatever appears on the ballot paper”.
“We are delighted and excited to be the Welsh National Party, attracting new members from all over Wales,” he said.
“We will be known as Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru in our national language, whatever appears on a ballot paper. It seems a strange decision for the Electoral Commission in London to deny a Welsh party a Welsh name on the ballot paper. Welsh is supposedly equal to English in law after all.
“It is also absurd for the Commission to suggest that people may confuse us with the Welsh Communist Party or the Welsh Christian Party, ‘Plaid Gristnogol Cymru’ and ‘Plaid Gomiwnyddol Cymru’. This is another example of London just not getting or respecting our language.
“Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru is the direct translation in Welsh and that is what we will be known as in Cymraeg.”
Group
Independent Assembly Member Neil McEvoy registered the new Welsh National Party last month, and Monday the Welsh National Party announced its first political group in Wales on Cardiff Council.
The new group will be led by Cllr Keith Parry, with Cllr Andrea Gibson serving as Deputy Leader. The Group also includes Councillors Lisa Ford and Neil McEvoy AM.
All four were elected to represent Plaid Cymru but after Neil McEvoy was expelled the others announced that they are resigning from the party in October. Cllr Keith Parry was the leader of the Plaid Cymru group.
Neil McEvoy, who was originally elected for Plaid Cymru to represent the South Wales Central region before being expelled in 2017, is listed as the party’s leader.
Assembly Member Neil McEvoy withdrew his application to re-join Plaid Cymru in July of last year.
He cited an “absence of natural justice” and “due process” as the reasons behind the move.
Plaid Cymru’s AMs voted to suspend the South Wales Central AM in October 2017.
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It makes sense.
No one uses an English name for Plaid Cymru, it’s Plaid Cymru. Having another party on the ballot as Plaid X Cymru would be absurd.
I see the Valleys shift and the wrecking in Wrexham. All omens point to another, not yet born.
Cyd-fynd yn llwyr / Agree entirely!
Except that many other Parties do use Plaid X Cymru on the ballot. Plaid Lafur Cymru, Plaid Gomiwnyddol Cymru, Plaid Diddymu Cynulliad Cymru, Plaid Werdd Cymru, Plaid Geidwadol Cymru are all accepted as valid descriptions. Plaid’s registered name does include English – the official name is Plaid Cymru The Party of Wales (the only truly bilingual name, all the other Welsh names are noted as “translations” of a party’s “official” name).
Enw gwreiddiol Plaid Cymru yw Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru, fel y gŵyr Neil McEvoy yn iawn. Mae 3ei ymdrech i’w ad-feddiannu i’w hunan yn dangos o ba radd y mae’i wreiddyn.
Plaid Cymru’s original name is Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru as Neil McEvoy knows full well. The attempt to register it for himself shows the nature of the person
No it doesn’t, it’s just as likely to be a genuine oversight on McEvoy’s part. We don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Stop trying to score cheap political points, you’re like kids.
My advice to Neil, though, would be to think of a Welsh equivalent that doesn’t sound like Plaid Cymru, even though it wouldn’t be a direct translation of ‘Welsh National Party’. If the new Party reaches the parts Plaid have failed to reach, they’ll win seats in the Senedd, and that’s what matters.
Cymru Newydd?
Iawn. Pam ddim?
As you say, the parts Plaid don’t reach are monoglot, spritually Welsh, and downheartedly not voting. The Welsh National Party will reach this 50%.
The prospect is awe inspiring, really.
You are out of touch!
In Gwersyllt North , Wrecsam, 10 miles from the English border, Plaid Cymru won a Council seat on Thursday night.
I doubt whether the Welsh National Party will win anything outside of Cardiff
Chwarae teg, it was a great result for Plaid — they polled almost as many votes as Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems combined! Thats good news. But give the Cardiff boy a chance, eh? After all, he’s taking on Drakeford. All I’ve heard so far is unfounded slander and doomsaying. He’s pro-Wales, for Heaven’s sake, just as Plaid purports to be.
Well, I am. Congratulation to Carrie and the team in Wrecsam!!!
Seconded. Dw i’n caru Carrie (sorry, couldn’t resist that one).
Can I suggest for Neil:
Plaid Ryddhad Genedlaethol Cymru
Wouldn’t a literal translation be Plaid Genedlaethol Cymreig? Just a thought, Neil.
Plaid Cymru should put their own house in order before they try scoring cheap political points. The electorate have seen through The Plaid Cymru Crachach and Leanneists. Unless Plaid Cymru sort these factions out they can forget about any thoughts of winning The next Senedd elections outright.
Don’t know him, don’t want to. Certainly gives off the aura of a sleazeball and his policy statements paint him a Tory. Top expenses claimant though.
Re: expenses. Incorrect. I employ more people than others. Most temporary, using end of year budget. Plz check your facts. Re: sleaze. I go home to my family after work. Maybe ask other AMs what they do? Diolch.
May I suggest:
Plaid Ryddhad Genedlaethol Cymru ??
Walesonline did a piece on AM spending with Neil McEvoy – Independent at the top with £115,865: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wales-national-assembly-politics-ams-16640796
He also earns two salaries as an AM and cllr earning £77,300, but he might need it to pay his legal fees of £120k
But he says that he goes home to his family after work so he must be a great guy, totally trustworthy
Efallai petae PC di stico at ei gwreiddiay bydde y sefyllfa bresennol di ‘i hosgoi ?
Exactly. Had they done so, the entire independence movement would still be behind Plaid Cymru, including supporters of Gwlad, Gwlad and the WNP, and Neil McEvoy would be challenging Drakeford on Plaid’s behalf. Plaid cannot dilute its message with wokery and then see its supporters level spurious criticisms at new Parties that are sincere about real sovereignty.
How can they allow Plaid Cymru which is in Welsh but not Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru?
Because it’s so similar to ‘Plaid Cymru’ that it’d be liable to create confusion. At least, the Electoral Commission prevented a guy who sought to register a ‘Literal Democrat Party’ some years back for that reason.
But the same problem doesn’t arise with the English version because Plaid chose ‘The Party of Wales’ rather than ‘The Welsh National Party’ as its English name. Which I presume they think is sufficiently distinctive, whereas ‘Plaid Cymru’ rather resembles ‘Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru’,
There is also another Welsh National Party called Gwlad as well.
https://gwlad.org/en/
Indeed there is, and I remember how painful the task of choosing a name was… Welsh National Party was one of many we considered, but we decided against it in case it put people in mind of the British National Party (BNP). Wales First came up as well, but was rejected to avoid association with Britain First. Welsh Independence Party ditto. In the end we went for Gwlad because we thought a Welsh party needed a name in Welsh, and we thought Gwlad would be the single most familiar Welsh word to the typical non-Welsh-speaking Welsh person, at least if… Read more »
What is a commission based OUTSIDE our country being allowed to determine what WE as a nation use as OUR party names ?
Decisions should rest with commissions based within our country.
Why not have an electoral commision in Cardiff; Too many decisions that affect our country are taken outside our counry without our consent.
Damn right! But all “brits” are incredibly docile. Remember those millions marching against the Iraq War? So nice and peaceful, then the latest against Brexit, at about a million per march…………..and they all went home on the misery bus. They should have marched on Westminster and jammed the joint till they got another vote! And here we are, stuck with Spode and his Blackshorts!
Plaid Cymru uses “The Party of Wales”in its Electoral Commission registration, as an electoral descriptor, not an English translation. This is to give information on the nature of the party to voters, as a description following the party name column on the ballot form
After recent developments, perhaps it should change “The Party of Wales” descriptor to the literal English translation of Plaid Cymru –
“A Party of Wales”
“A Party of Wales” is not a literal English translation of Plaid Cymru, that would be like translating “gwraig Wil” to “one of Wil’s wives! “
People outside of Wales must think we’re a strange lot. I can imagine them saying something like this.
‘Surely by now Welsh people should have worked out that, as they’re a small country of just 3 million the only way they’ll achieve anything is by working together. But no. I keep reading these articles in websites designed to promote Welsh Independence but instead of working together to achieve that they just argue amongst themselves. What a bunch of plonkers’.
Ha! Thank goodness for YES CYMRU, then. Did good work after the floods and mopping up continues.
I hope that this “hands-on” approach will move on to other things, designing homes, future projects, etc.
Well done!
Summed it up in a nutshell. Digon o amser i squabbling ar ol annibyniaeth.
McEvoy registers Plaid’s original name for his new party, refuses to remove the PC logo from his office after his expulsion for quite some time, and still uses Plaid colours for his fictitious leaflets locally. But of course, none of this was intended to be provocative in any way (Aherm). UKIP and Brexit party supporters love his work as if it was their own