Beyond the Wall: Reclaiming politics through community

Beth Winter – Former Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley

Put on the Wall.

Shortly after being elected as the Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley, I was told that a senior person within Welsh Labour had said their mission for the Parliamentary term was “to put Beth Winter on The Wall.”

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the Wall is a place of terror, symbolizing oppression, power and control in a society that has descended into authoritarianism.

At first, I brushed it off. But in time, I came to see the harsh reality behind the comment. The political establishment including, to my deep sadness, the Labour Party did not want people like me.

I have often spoken about the political establishment’s detachment from the majority of people – its arcane systems, intimidatory surroundings, politicians’ sense of entitlement sitting comfortably in their ivory towers.

But beneath that surface lies something far more sinister and toxic: a political establishment determined to retain the status quo at all costs.

Toxic culture

There was an initial welcoming period. My priority was to fulfil the privilege of representing the people of Cynon Valley. I worked collaboratively and sought to build alliances. I participated in Labour Party meetings and events. I accepted a role as PPS to Rachel Reeves MP.

But I wouldn’t compromise my principles and values and did not allow myself to get sucked into the establishment. And so, slowly, the tide turned.

The truth emerged: a toxic culture of bullying, gaslighting, and exclusion targeting those who didn’t conform. I witnessed and experienced this within the Labour Party—at a UK, Wales and local level.

I witnessed shocking behaviour by MPs in Parliamentary Labour Party meetings: banging tables, shouting, mocking, jeering, bullying behaviour.

The tone could be similar on online WhatsApp groups. Swearing. Sneering. Derogatory comments about colleagues. Calls for purges: ‘We must stick together. [MP name] must go. As do their team and supporters’

On a personal level I was bullied. Gaslighted. Shunned. Ignored. Humiliated in my own community. Shouted at in public. Cut out of photographs. Excluded from constituency visits by my own party. Left out of social gatherings. And the name calling, lies and spin persist.

I sought help and pursued Labour Party and Parliamentary processes available to raise my concerns. But it became clear that these internal processes were there to serve the interests of the establishment.

Serious issues I raised were met with delay, dismissal, inaction and even a failure to inform me about all processes available to me.

It all took a profound toll on my mental health. I suffered with severe anxiety, loss of confidence, depression and an overwhelming feeling of isolation. Counselling and medication have helped but couldn’t address the root cause of the problem.

It is only since stepping away that the fog has begun to lift.

The power of community

So why am I speaking out now? Because I finally have the strength to do so. It is the right thing to do – speaking truth to power.

It’s also about thanking those who’ve helped and supported me, giving me the strength to carry on.

And that is my family, friends, colleagues. The wonderful people throughout Cynon Valley who are filled with love, kindness, compassion and do extraordinary, inspirational work for the benefit of all who live in our communities.

It is all down to community, the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness week. My strength comes not from the political establishment, but from the community that lifted me when politics tried to grind me down, the community that held me, helped me to heal and continues to give me hope.

A new kind of politics rooted in community

Across the South Wales Valleys and beyond people are struggling with increasing inequality, economic injustice, democratic decay and climate collapse. People feel disconnected and are searching for something new, for a sense of belonging and purpose that will improve their lives.

This vacuum is being exploited by the far right under the guise of Reform – a party entrenched in the political establishment – which is promoting a divisive and hateful agenda scapegoating migrants and social security claimants.

This cannot be allowed to happen. The change must begin with us.

And it is community that will be at the forefront of the change needed. Because community is the heart of politics. Where social power – real power – lies.

This is where hope resides. And where transformation begins.

And the seeds are all around us: here in Cynon Valley in community projects like Lee Gardens Pool, Age Connects Morgannwg, Hirwaun YMCA and many more.

In local campaigns – to save Rhigos primary school, stop care home closures in Rhondda, to preserve home to school transport and other public services. And through the cymunedoli work that I have the pleasure of doing alongside Leanne Wood across our Valleys.

These are not footnotes to the political story. They are the story. They are the spark and the glue that bind us together. We need to turn those sparks into electricity and spread that glue throughout our communities.

To build a movement from the ground up. To create a new kind of politics.

A politics that draws strength from our shared histories but which also resonates with the world of today and offers hope for the future. A politics of belonging, that honours the richness of our many cultures and the dignity of our shared humanity.

One that is rooted in care, freedom, tolerance, love and justice. That puts people, planet and peace before profit or political positioning.

Yes, I was “put on the Wall.” But I will not hang in silence. Community will never be silenced.

So let us rise, not with bitterness, but with bravery. Organise, not in isolation, but together.

Let us turn the disillusionment into positive action, this moment into a movement.

A community movement that will tear down the Wall and transform society for the benefit of all.