Plaid Cymru leader sets the record straight on working with the Tories
The leader of Plaid Cymru – Adam Price – has put to bed accusations that his party will seek a coalition with the Conservatives. In doing so, he said the Conservatives had brought “devastation” to Wales, and “I don’t want and would never ask for people’s support for a coalition with the Conservatives”.
Setting the record straight
Suggestions Price might move Plaid closer to the Conservatives have been made since he won the battle for the party’s leadership in 2018. During that campaign, Price argued that Plaid should place themselves ‘equidistant’ between Labour and the Conservatives. Jonathan Edwards MP further added to this speculation, stating that Plaid was not “in the business of wanting to be a junior party to the Labour Party”.
But Price has now clarified the position. As reported by Nation.Cymru, Price said:
I know Jonathan Edwards pretty well, and if you think that a shop steward’s son from Capel Hendre would ever advocate a coalition with the Tories, that’s as unlikely as a miner’s son from the village next door ever advocating a coalition with the Tories, and by the way that’s me.
Price went on to explain that not only will Plaid rule out a coalition with the Conservatives, they’re also ruling out working with Labour:
But here’s the difference and here’s the new thing, which is that I’m not prepared to accept a coalition with Labour either. The Labour party have left a legacy over the last twenty years of broken lives.
Plaid’s improving fortunes
Price’s clarification comes at an important time for Plaid, and for Wales. At the party’s conference, Price set out the impact Brexit could have on Wales. In doing so, he put the case for a referendum on Welsh independence should Westminster fail to ensure the country receives funding equal to what it currently gets from the European Union.
These arguments come from a position of strength for the party. Recent polls found that Price is the most popular party leader in Wales. They also found that Plaid Cymru is on track to nearly double its representation in the Welsh Assembly elections in 2021.
Price ruling out a coalition with the Conservatives is a positive step. His rejection of right-wing politics is welcome. Let’s hope that translates into him setting out a radical vision for the future of Wales too.
Featured image via Sinn Fein – Flickr.
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Given that Plaid can’t even be trusted with the environment of Adam’s home village, where his Councillors are intent on ripping apart our fields, park and woodlands (where Adam played as a kid) in spite of widespread opposition from villagers (many of whom Adam has known since childhood), how can he/they be trusted with Wales’s future? How can we take them at their word? Nice of him to reference our village in your article, it would be better if he stopped his Councillor from ripping it apart, if he cares so much. Maybe he should question why Plaid’s vote in his own home village has dropped though the basement.
“Price argued that Plaid should place themselves ‘equidistant’ between Labour and the Conservatives.”
Sadly this is typical of ‘centrists’ and indicates a vacuum where his principles and ideology should be. Inability to define ones position on its own terms but only in relation to others is at best naïve and at worst opportunistic. He is also saying e.g. that as the Tories lurch to to right so will Plaid in order to remain ‘equidistant’. Hopefully he does not actually mean that.
He also states, “The Labour party have left a legacy over the last twenty years of broken lives.”
a. Labour has not been in power for the last eight years
b. The twelve years before that were Tony Blair and ‘New Labour’ – in her own words, Thatcher’s “greatest achievement.”
c. Corbyn’s Labour Party is obviously radically different from ‘New Labour’. Hundreds of thousands of new members and over a million voters have recognised this yet Price clearly deliberately ignores it and misrepresents Labour.
“His rejection of right-wing politics is welcome.” He has not rejected right-wing politics, he has simply rejected the Tories – that is not the same thing. He is still pro-capitalism.
Wales could do better.