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Opinion

Why I’m standing for re-election as Chair of Plaid Cymru

15 Aug 2019 5 minute read
Alun Ffred Jones picture by the National Assembly (CC BY 2.0).

*English version follows below*

Alun Ffred Jones, Cadeirydd Plaid Cymru a chyn-AS Arfon

“Roedd hi’r cyfnod gorau. Roedd hi’r cyfnod gwaethaf…Roedd hi’n wanwyn gobaith. Roedd hi’n aeaf anobaith.”

Fe fyddwch chi’n cofio’r brawddegau hynny o agoriad nofel Dickens A Tale of Two Cities ac mae’n crynhoi teimladau llawer ohonom wrth ystyried ein byd heddiw. Ble bynnag yr edrychwch chi mae grymoedd adweithiol o bob arlliw gwleidyddol yn bygwth hawliau a gwerthoedd sylfaenol  ar hyd ac ar led, ac yn Ynysoedd Prydain mae galanastr Brexit wedi creu awyrgylch gwenwynig all arwain at dranc cymunedau yng Nghymru benbaladr, a thu hwnt.

Ac eto, er gwaethaf hyn, yng Nghymru mae rhywbeth cyffrous ar droed. Mae dwy orymdaith YesCymru yn tystio bod swn ym mrig y morwydd. Mae’n amser da i fod yn Gymro neu Gymraes. Mae’n amser da i fod yn genedlaetholwr cynhwysol Cymreig ac mae’n amser da i fod yn aelod neu yn gefnogwr i Blaid Cymru.

Heb adain wleidyddol ni ellir gwireddu dyhead y miloedd gerddodd trwy Gaerdydd a Chaernarfon ond, bellach, nid breuddwyd gwrach ydi nod Adam Price i ddod yn Brif Weinidog Cymru. Gall ddigwydd. Rydym fel Plaid wedi ennill nifer o is etholiadau lleol yn ddiweddar ar draws y wlad. Rydym ar dir cadarn yn ariannol ac yn drefniadol ac er y bydd angen arian sylweddol eto i wireddu ein hamcanion mae ysbryd newydd yn y rhengoedd.

Dyna pam mod i’n awyddus iawn i fod yn Gadeirydd, er mwyn cynnig sefydlogrwydd i’r Pwyllgor Gwaith, y staff diwyd a’r aelodau am y ddwy flynedd nesaf. Rydw i wedi cael y fraint o fod yn Gadeirydd i ddau Arweinydd, Leanne Wood ac Adam Price; cymeriadau gwahanol iawn ar lawer ystyr ond dau sydd ar dan dros Gymru a dau sydd wedi chwarae rhan allweddol yn ehangu apel y Blaid o fewn a’r tu allan i Gymru.

Ond nid Arweinydd ychwanegol ydi Cadeirydd. Na, ar lawer ystyr, gwas ydi o /hi sy’n atebol i’r Pwyllgor Gwaith ac i’r Gynhadledd Flynyddol ac mae yno i sicrhau ein bod yn parchu y drefn briodol ym mhob agwedd ar ein gwaith a bod ein peirianwaith yn cefnogi dyhead y tim Arweinyddol.

A’n gwaith ni yw rhoi llais i ddyheadau gorau ein cyd Gymry. Ac mae ein haeddfedrwydd cynyddol wedi talu ar ei ganfed yn is etholiad Brycheiniog Maesyfed ac yn yr ymateb cadarnhaol roedd y cyfryngau yn cydnabod bod y Blaid wedi arwain y ffordd i weddill Prydain.

Gadewch i ni ganolbwyntio ein hymdrechion a’n hegni i gydweithio i sicrhau bod y blagur hyn o obaith yn troi yn Wanwyn go iawn yn ein gwlad. Ac mi hoffwn fod a rhan fechan yn y gwaith o wireddu’r gobaith hwnnw.

Bydd y bleidlais i ethol Cadeirydd y blaid yn cael ei chynnal yng nghynhadledd Plaid Cymru ar Hydref 4ydd-5ed yn Theatr y Grand, Abertawe.

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Alun Ffred Jones, Plaid Cymru Chair and former Arfon Assembly Member

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…..It was the spring of hope. It was the winter of despair.”

Most of you will recognise the quotations from the opening paragraph of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities which express how many of us feel as we observe our world today.

Wherever we look reactionary forces of all political hues threaten basic human rights and values and in Britain, the Brexit mayhem has spawned a toxic debate which threatens to engulf communities across the country and beyond.

And yet, despite this or because of it, something exciting is afoot. Two YesCymru rallies suggest that a gentle wind of change is blowing. It is a good time to be Welsh. It is a good time to be an inclusive Welsh patriot and a good time to be a member and supporter of Plaid Cymru.

Without a political wing, the aspirations of the thousands who marched in Cardiff and Caernarfon can not be achieved. And Adam Price’s aim to become First Minister of Wales is no longer a pipe dream. It can happen.

The party has won numerous local by-elections across Wales recently. We are financially solvent, though we need to attract substantial funds to realise our aims, and a new can-do spirit is afoot in our ranks.

That is why I am keen to become Chair; to provide stability and continuity to the National Executive, to our tireless staff and to our members for the next two crucial years. I have had the privilege of serving under two leaders, Leanne and Adam; two very different characters but both totally committed to Wales and two who have widened the appeal of Plaid inside and outside Wales.

But the Chair is not an extra Leader. No, in many ways, the Chair is a servant of the National Executive and the National Conference and answerable to them. The Chair also ensures that due process is followed in all aspects of our work and that the party machine supports the aims of the Leadership team.

Our task is to give voice to the highest aspirations of our fellow citizens in Wales. Our growing maturity was apparent in the recent Brecon & Radnor by-election where our actions received a positive media response and showed the way to the rest of Britain.

We need to concentrate our efforts and energies to ensure that the buds of hope blossom into a true spring in our country and I want to play a small part in achieving that aim.

The election of the party chair will be held at Plaid Cymru’s conference on October 4th-5th at Swansea Grand Theatre.


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Royston Jones
4 years ago

In politics, many words take on different meanings. ‘Inclusive’ is one of those words, especially when used by Plaid Cymru, where it means you’re welcome as long as you’re on the left, or prepared to submit to the dictatorship of the woke.

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
4 years ago
Reply to  Royston Jones

In the fond hope that my card was yellow not red and that its time is about to expire, I venture to comment. I think poor old Alun Ffred is good at kidding himself and those who inhabit the groupthink echo chamber. Good things may have happened on his watch but us unaffiliated electorate are more aware of the self inflicted damage Plaid has suffered by adopting a narrow orthodoxy among its leadership and influencing group. Keep on kidding yourselves that all is hunky dory and be ready for some serious disappointments at the next election. Or is the democratic… Read more »

C James
C James
4 years ago

How is the Welsh nationalist movement ‘inclusive’? It is by definition exclusive as it involve separatism and splitting Wales by identity. This also goes for Plaid which says if you voted Leave – which makes you the majority in Wales – that you are some sort of English nationalist (not sure why that would be any worse than any other kind of nationalism) who is racist, economically illiterate, and susceptible to political messaging.

Inclusive? I don’t think so. Party of Wales? Certainly not.

Bryn Colion
Bryn Colion
4 years ago
Reply to  C James

“This also goes for Plaid which says if you voted Leave – which makes you the majority in Wales – that you are some sort of English nationalist” In fairness they have not said that, Leanne Wood accepted the EU result. I dont think English nationalism in Wales is better than Welsh nationalism in Wales … it makes utterly no sense. Many European countries smaller than Scotland and Wales are doing well independently …. are they also divisive?. If you think a self-ruling Wales is divisive … you must also think all national states are inherently divisive (a valid point… Read more »

Penderyn
Penderyn
4 years ago
Reply to  C James

Dont think Plaid are splitting Wales by identity … its by random borders created in the 1536 annexation by English crown … if you included Wales on historical identity it would be very tough as its basically been one long British Celtic retreat westward …. Western Herefordshire and Shropshire has Welsh speaking communities right into the 1800s but you’ll only see UK/English flags there now..
Oh btw….your surname James is from Ieuan..cant escape Welsh boi! 😉

Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards
4 years ago

‘The party has won numerous local by-elections across Wales recently. We are financially solvent, though we need to attract substantial funds to realise our aims, and a new can-do spirit is afoot in our ranks.’ And this is why Alun Ffred wants to be re-elected? Sorry but I don’t see the logical connection. Any new Chair could preside over this. Its bottom-up isn’t it? Or is Alun Ffred saying its all top down from him as Chair so he has to stay? Substantial funds: are you that indispensable fund-raiser, A Ff? No? New spirit afoot: flowing down from you, A… Read more »

Alwyn ap Huw
Alwyn ap Huw
4 years ago

“The Chair also ensures that due process is followed in all aspects of our work and that the party machine supports the aims of the Leadership team.” Is this an admission that it is the leadership team that is responsible for putting the needs of Deryn Consulting ahead of the needs of the party?

GELERT
GELERT
4 years ago
Reply to  Alwyn ap Huw

Well that is ckearly not yhe case in the
Lanelli constituency, where the Chair and his mi ions expelled 40 members and stuffed in an usekess candidate who has been re selected apparently to stand again., and she is a total embarrassment Talk about the definition of madness, …..

Penderyn
Penderyn
4 years ago

(TLDR: aren’t party members e-mail list for this type of thing)?

I think if Nation.Cymru is to be seen as a Wales wide reporting Service, it needs to be careful not to come across as a Plaid Cymru mouthpiece only.

I support most Plaid Cymru’s views and self rule for humans/communities – although worried by the polarising EU stance…………….. however I did not donate to Nation.Cymru for it just to read about internal candidates in Plaid Cymru advertising to a wider world …… arent member e-mail members list for this?

jr humphreys
jr humphreys
4 years ago
Reply to  Penderyn

( Well, Nation Cymru does a great all-round job with an increasingly cultural span I would not find in the usual media. I use this as well as the welcome posts of Gwlad as an info source.
What I dislike, is the open attitude of allowing enemies who will never pay a cent subscription to snipe.
As soon as Nation Cymru allows opinions from subscribers only (as with other publications), then I will let the
spiders free from my wallet. )
I don’t mind if NC is PC’s mouthpiece, as there are other sites, such as Gwlad’s and Sovreigner about.

Anne Greagsby
Anne Greagsby
4 years ago

One of those by-election victories was due to Neil McEvoy. A true servant of the party wouldn’t conjure up a complaint against an AM or change the rules just to to expel him. In any other party it would be called racism.
This chair has pursued petty vendettas. This isnt about serving the party, this is all about Alun Ffred control freak and dictator splitting the party and welcoming sycophants only. Sad.

jr humphreys
jr humphreys
4 years ago
Reply to  Anne Greagsby

I think Carwyn’s conversion may be due to being back out of the office, and meeting ordinary people?
McEvoy is always there, so he understands things, sees the mood. There is a sense that the people are now
leading the leaders?

Max Wallis
Max Wallis
4 years ago

“The Chair also ensures that due process is followed… ” How could Alun Ffred write this just weeks after the highly publicised suspension of the rule-book (“Standing Orders”) in order to disband a Panel chosen by due process, because they were voting 6 votes to 5 for accepting McEvoy’s application to re-join the party? Alun Ffred has never defended departing from due and fair process. But here he inserts “also” into the Chair’s duty; perhaps he thinks the Chair should support the National Executive first and foremost, National Conference and the Rules coming second. The Chair is custodian of the… Read more »

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
4 years ago

Not so much as half a syllable in reference to a policy on independence, other than a nod to YesCymru.

Dai
Dai
4 years ago

Pob dymuniad da iddo.

Wynford Jones
Wynford Jones
4 years ago
Reply to  Dai

….. yn ei ymddeoliad!

Dai
Dai
4 years ago

Pob dymuniad da iddo!

Gwynfor Owen
Gwynfor Owen
4 years ago

Unwaith eto Ffred yn sôn am ei atebolrwydd i’r Pwyllgor Gwaith, ond dim sôn am atebolrwydd i’r aelodau cyffredin. Mae’r Blaid llawer mwy na Aelodau Cynulliad, ac mae angen Cadeirydd sydd yn sylweddoli hyn.

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