The tears on a laughing emoji are turquoise

Ben Wildsmith

Nigel Farage! Dan Thomas! Richard Tice! Welsh Dave! Vladimir Putin! Enoch Powell! Oswald Mosley! Friedrich Nietzsche! Ayn Rand! The metaphysical concept of ‘othering’! Sir Rod Stewart! Right Said Fred! Gerwyn Price! The pickled eggs in Gerwyn Price’s chip shop! Bonnie Blue! Jac o’ the North! Your boys took a hell of a beating!

The tears on a laughing emoji are turquoise, you’ll notice. Tasty!

Like many of the 71% who didn’t vote for Reform UK, my predominant emotion on Friday was relief.

Relief that Wales isn’t to be used as a loss-leader promotional government for Nigel Farage’s ambitions in Westminster; relief that Reform won’t have the status of largest party to feed a narrative of grievance; relief that my neighbours hadn’t fallen for this abhorrent, divisive political project.

We had been told a story about this election. The first part of it was true: that Wales has had a gutful of Labour. Because that aspect of prophecy was settled so far in advance of the poll, we haven’t felt its fulfilment as much of a shock.

The scrapping over Welsh Labour’s corpse has eclipsed its actual demise in the Welsh conversation, although in England, where few had been paying attention, it’s been bigger news this week. We had priced that in months ago.

Part two of the story was that ‘The Valleys’ would assuredly turn to Reform in a backlash against everything for which Labour stood. This assumption rested on the Anglocentric notion that all post-industrial communities behave the same way.

Despite the reluctance of South Walians to embrace Boris Johnson’s incursion into the ‘Red Wall’ in 2019, the orthodoxy was that this time, under unpopular Labour governments, we would fall into line with the Midlands and North-East of England.

It’s always a mistake for politicians to tell other people’s stories, and it’s one that’s made about ex-coalfield communities with depressing regularity.

Labour’s assumption that we had nowhere else to turn ended up being mirrored by Reform in this election.

Both had the temerity to assume that economic deprivation produces voters who can be motivated en masse to play a role in someone else’s dream. Both have learned differently.

Responsibility

Plaid’s success in the central and eastern valleys, however, comes laden with a heavy and urgent responsibility. Whilst the political expression of these communities couldn’t be reduced to numbed quiescence by Labour, nor a mindless howl of despair by Reform, the problems here are urgent and structural.

Many, many votes have been leant to Plaid in the sceptical hope that these will be repaid with substantive action to reverse forty years of economic and social decline.

The slim margins of Plaid’s victories in these constituencies reflect the probationary nature of their tenure.

Nobody is dancing around with flags in the street this weekend down my road. Show us the money, or at least a plan we can believe in.

More widely, Labour’s future looks precarious. Whilst Plaid needs to recognise that many of its votes were cast primarily to reject Labour, Ken Skates’ decimated group in the Senedd need to feel the import of that in their bones.

Labour was humbled across Wales and, if it is to survive at all, the party must demonstrate humility in its attitude towards the new government. They are not kingmakers, Nor do they have the moral authority to exploit the balance of power. 11.1% of the vote entitles them to offer constructive criticism, not obstruction.

For Labour to begin repairing its reputation in the shadow of the disastrous Starmer government and the wake of Vaughan Gething’s insult to Wales, they must be helpful.

New era

This could be the dawn of a new era for Cymru. The simple fact of a ruling party that is only beholden to us is a giant leap in political confidence and accountability.

That Welsh problems are best solved by Welsh people is a credo that should underpin our democracy regardless of which party holds power.

The voters have rejected a lavishly funded, external offer to co-opt us into a UK-wide shift in political culture.

Plaid’s honour is to be given the chance to prove our viability as a distinct nation. They will only do that by hearing our stories, not painting their own on to us.

Llongyfarchiadau, now get out there and do it.