Vision 20:20 – a clear vision for Plaid
Neil McEvoy
Plaid Cymru conference is almost upon us and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be holding a fringe event at the Celtic Royal Hotel at 12:30 on Friday.
Nigel Copner, who very nearly won Blaenau Gwent in the last Assembly elections, will join me at the event.
It will be chaired by Heledd Gwyndaf, the national Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, who’ll be acting in a personal capacity. Lunch will be provided, courtesy of sponsors.
That’s the information for the event out the way, but why Vision 20:20? The point of Vision 20:20 is to achieve four things:
To be really clear about Plaid’s election aims and strategy.
If you are committed to ending Labour rule in Wales, by robustly challenging them, then Vision 20:20 is the place for you.
Plaid needs to be the biggest party in the Assembly. We need to take Labour on and stop cooperating with them.
To have a clear Vision for Wales.
I’ve outlined before here and here the kind of Wales Plaid could be campaigning for.
But, for me, it really boils down to the choice between a Wales where people are dependent on the state and a Wales where the state empowers people to be free.
I think when people lead independent lives they’ll want to live in an independent country.
Vision 20:20 is about Wales getting the things we do want, rather than having the things other people don’t want being dumped on us.
But more than that it’s about being really confident in saying we want Wales to be a sovereign nation.
Avoiding the independence question hasn’t benefited Plaid. It’s always made us seem like we have something to hide and taken away that really audacious goal that we can all unite around.
Wanting a fully sovereign Wales is something to be proud of. It’s saying that we believe in our country so much that we think it can and should make decisions for itself.
We are surrounded by really talented people that deserve Wales to be centre stage.
To win big in the PCC elections.
2020 is the year the next major elections are scheduled to take place; that’s the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
I remember being one of only a handful of people calling for Plaid to stand candidates in the first PCC elections at Plaid conference in 2012. The Plaid top brass were resolutely opposed.
When we finally did decide to stand candidates we won half the seats in Wales and Dafydd Llywelyn and Arfon Jones have since become two of the best known Police and Crime Commissioners in the UK.
Policing and crime are not two areas you immediately associate with Plaid but Dafydd and Arfon have really made these roles their own and shown how innovative Plaid can be.
We need to follow this up now with a big push in 2020 to win at least 3 of the 4 seats.
To win big in the Assembly elections and become the Welsh Government.
2020 is also the year when we need to launch the biggest Assembly campaign we’ve ever run.
We need to start putting that plan in place in our constituencies now so that, come 2020, everything is ready for us to blitz Wales for the 12 months leading up to the elections in 2021.
There are thousands of civil servants in Wales and virtually all they’ve ever known is working for Labour.
We need to take over the machinery of government in our country and get those civil servants working for us. Being in the Assembly is good but being in government is so much better.
I and Nigel Copner have the experience of turning Cardiff West and Blaenau Gwent, two formerly rock solid Labour seats, into marginals that Plaid Cymru can win.
We did that by taking Labour on and putting effective campaign teams around us. If you want to hear more about how we did it then please come along.
But the focus of Vision 20:20 is the future. That’s a future where Plaid wins and where Wales wins. We’ve got to build our party up if we’re going to build Wales up.
We have a great country. What we need now is a great government. Let’s start working towards it.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Diolch yn fawr iawn for the update and all the very best for your fringe event!
May I suggest to those that comment and offer little more than the same old same old and abuse, attend to hear from McEvoy himself what he really is about and not what they ‘say’ he means and does! Otherwise don’t comment it is all fabrication!
If possible, but doubtful, I would love to attend, but we’ll all get updated on how it went, hopefully!
The big elephant in the room of course is the Rhondda – a constituency which Plaid Cymru can talk not only of big swings, but of actually winning the seat. Strange Neil doesn’t mention the constituency in his article.
And having taken on and beaten a big “elephant” to gain the seat why has Leanne been so reticent about carrying that momentum forward and really laying into this shabby government we now have in Wales. Success in analysing and publicising defects at that level would then lead almost seamlessly to a similar exercise on the abject failings of Westminster when dealing with Welsh matters. Regular critiques would educate our people about the root causes of our current condition and Plaid’s steps to remedy and rebuild the country would begin to attract voters who hitherto have been wedded to the… Read more »
Of course, all due respect to Leanne. But the Rhonddda was a Plaid seat after the first Assembly elections wasn’t it?
Rhondda was also Leanne’s seat. Playing devil’s advocate for a moment, was it a vote for her or a vote for Plaid?
Why are so many articles about Neil McEvoy? Or by him? How will McEvoy implement his vision when he faces so much internal opposition? And why has he been silent regarding Royston Jones’ new party?
He sends us stuff to publish. We’ve published everything received from other Assembly Members as well. It’s a voluntary site – a platform for those that want to use it. – Ifan
You’re a breath of fresh air Neil,and I agree with everything you have said.We need to put Indy as a priority,and rid Wales of labour
I am not interested independence if we are to go the path of Iwerddon (Ireland), and become for all intent an English speaking nation. If Plaid begins shifting towards independence and socialism and the language as something less, I shall have to consider the Lib Dems or the Tories, as a means of fighting against the emergence of an independent English-speaking Wales.
Radical change is something Cymraeg is not currently able to adapt to; it is not strong enough because Cymry do not demand as arrogantly and as aristocratically as the French to have their culture shown respect by English-speakers.
What steps are you doing personally to build a bilingual nation? honest question…small steps are better than no steps
Dwi’n cytuno’n llwyr…Welsh speakers bend over backwards for English speakers
Neil for PC leader – otherwise the party is going nowhere. Labour out!
Impressive ambition
However, can this be delivered from the fringes? Leanne seems to be going no where in the short to medium term and a change of leadership 2019/2020 would seem to be to close to the election
If leadership was going to change to launch theses ambitions it would need to happen no later that 2018 ?
Capitalist and WelshNash – surely you can’t mean this. You seem to say 1. You love the Welsh Language. Da iawn, nid chi yw’r unig un. 2. You’d really like an independent Wales to put Welsh in a strong position. Surely we all would. We already have. Welsh is stronger than Irish. Noone, noone, who favours an independent Wales wants to reduce the status of Welsh. 3. Wales would have many many benefits from Dominion Status – correct? (no I don’t like the term Dominion Status, but we are dealing with England here). And many many benefits from independence. 4.… Read more »