Wwhat is a youth wing for, and what is it hoping to achieve?

One of the issues around Cymru-X that has been playing on mind is a wider issue of how young movements within political parties react to the digital age, but also an age where politics is not as prominent in people's lives? It is challenge that many far larger organisations (such as the parties themselves) are wrestling with, but ultimately the question for Cymru-X is put simply - what is a youth wing for, and what is it hoping to achieve?

My own view is that for too long youth movements have either sought to be independent to the point of being counter productive to its party's aims, or be too pliant and not willing to take a stand. Equally, youth movements have (naturally) merely highlighted the issues that are deemed for young people. But is that enough? While we are here to make sure young people's voices are heard within the wider Plaid movement, why are we not seeking to offer our views on far wider issues? Cymru-X should be looking to speak up on wider issues; such as the economy, child poverty and the environment. While not seeking to be different for differents sake, we must aim to be a distinctive voice within Plaid; we can also prove to be a hot bed of new ideas that should inform the wider policy debate. While a youth manifesto is a great way to engage young people, what about a Cymru-X driven policy getting on the actual election manifesto? Cymru-X should be a player in the realpolitik, we dont need stablisers to ride in the fast lane of politics.

I can understand the fine line between being a distinct voice within political debate and that distinction being used by others to distort differences within the wider party. But I sense that at the very least setting ourselves a higher targets we can at least give a true voice to the young people of Wales - young people, much like all people, as concerned with far more than tuition fees and votes at 16. They want their ideas heard and put into practice on all areas of life, the challenge for Cymru-X is to make that case for young people.

Welsh democracy suffering due to media cutbacks

by Luke James
Cymru X Vice-Chair

I have just returned from a challenging week at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) conference in Southport.

The conference was dominated by the subject of cutbacks and the effect that was having on democracy.

In many places whole papers are being lost and in others massive staffing cut backs were leaving the journalists left with just enough time to re-write press releases.

Journalists being left with no time to investigate, question and dig for stories. This leads to government at every level being left unchallenged and able to present the public with their version of accounts.

How can a reader tell who is telling the truth if there is not a journalist, an expert, involved to sift through what politicians are saying for the relevant facts and mistruths.

It would be like having Nick Griffin on Question Time again but this time gagging the audience, the media is not there to provide parties, including our own, with 24/7, 365 days a year party political broadcasts.

If the situation was bleak in England, Scotland, Ireland, France and the other nations the NUJ has members in it seems the situation in Wales is critical.

As someone living in the South it seems only the Western Mail stands between us and spin becoming king as far as papers go.

Adrian Masters and co do their bit at the BBC, but Welsh political output on the tv amounts to an hour a week, probably less, and there has been cutbacks at BBC Wales which has no doubt effected BBC Radio Cymru and Wales.

The purpose of Plaid is to nurture Welsh culture and end our reliance on London.

Well if there is anything that needs nurturing right now, it's the media in Wales. Infact replace nurturing for drastic surgery and not of the plastic sort.

We need a thriving Welsh media to uphold democracy, bring government closer to the people it's there to serve and where necesary expose failings.

If we are serious about building this nation we cannot let the Welsh media die, there can be no independent Wales without an independent Welsh media.


The fightback has already begun at NUJ Wales:http://www.nujadm.org.uk/welsh-delegates-ready-for-fightback/

A Government of our own

We in Cymru X have long believed that Wales should have its own Government, both in name and in nature. We campaigned on this issue and submitted a motion to National Conference calling for Plaid Cymru representatives to exclusively refer to the 'Welsh Government' and not use the misleading term 'Welsh Assembly Government'. Our motion wasn't really needed as its now standard practice to call it the Welsh Government- but we were in the right spirit of things.

Sir Emyr Jones-Parry made exactly the same point this week when he reported back from the All Wales Convention. He backed up our view that including the word 'Assembly' causes confusion and is unecessary. There is a very practical reason to call it what it is, which is the Welsh Government, even if it does not yet have the kind of powers most Governments do.

It's reassuring that an increasing number of organisations, different political parties and even the National Assembly itself are now using the term 'Welsh Government'. I opened up an email this morning from the Assembly's Petitions Committee where the civil servants referred to it as such, dropping out the word 'Assembly' from the Government part.

Look at the difference that has been made in Scotland where the 'Scottish Executive', which conjures up images of some kind of closed off club, has been replaced by the 'Scottish Government'. Some of that here please! As soon as we're officially out of recession we should rebrand our legislative arm as the Welsh Government- by the people, for the people.

Luke Nicholas
Policy Officer, Cymru X

IWA yn Lawnsio adran Menywod

Echnos mynychais noson lawnsio menywod IWA oedd yn cyflwyno adroddiad newydd “Mas Critigol” Effaith a dyfodol cynrychiolaeth menywod yng Nghynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Tipyn o lond ceg - ond fela ma’ merched ynte?!

Cafwyd pwt o araith gan gynrychiolydd o’r prif Bleidiau, gyda Carwyn Jones ar ran y Blaid Lafur, Jocelyn Davies ar ran Plaid Cymru, Nick Bourne ar ran y Ceidwadwyr a Kirsty ar ran y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol.

Canlyniad y noson yn syml oedd nad oedd merched yn sefyll fel ymgeiswyr ac felly yn achosi diffyg cyd bwysedd cynrychiolaeth yng Nghymru. Nid dim ond menywod wrth gwrs sydd â diffyg cynrychiolaeth deg, mae lleiafrifoedd ethnig heb gynrychiolaeth sy’n adlewyrchu’r boblogaeth. Ond menywod oedd prif destun y noson.

Daeth hi’n amlwg na fyddai na ateb i’r cwestiwn mawr ar sut i godi nifer y merched etholedig yn y Cynulliad, ond cafwyd trafodaeth ddifyr. Daeth consensws nad oedd y term anffafriaeth bositif “positive discrimination” yn gweithio ac yn annealladwy i’r rhan fwyaf o etholwyr. Yn fy nhyb i mae’n ‘chydig o oxymoron, sut allai unrhyw fath o anffafriaeth fod yn bositif? Felly awgrymodd Carwyn Jones ein bod yn defnyddio’r term “positive action” gweithred bositif. Ie, iawn ond ai dim ond siarad nonsens, meddal, di ystyr yw hyn? Y gwir amdani yw bod rhaid taclo’r broblem yma ar lawr gwlad. Dyma yn fy marn i yw’r lle gorau i hybu merched i sefyll mewn etholaeth, sir, tref neu bentref. Yn bersonol credaf nad yw rhoi blaenoriaeth i ferched ar ben unrhyw restr mewn etholaeth yn gwneud llawer i hunan hyder merched ac yn sicr ni fuaswn i yn hapus iawn o gael fy rhoi ar ben rhestr a neb wedi pleidleisio i mi fod yno.

Mae’n rhaid egin cymorth a help i ferched o’r cychwyn cyntaf, boed yn ymweliad cyntaf i’r pwyllgor etholaeth neu wrth gynnig helpu taflennu, gallaf ddweud o brofiad bod eistedd mewn neuadd bentref yn llawn o ddynion mewn teis yn siarad am bwnc am faterion nad oes gen i syniad amdanyn nhw yn ‘sgeri’ iawn.

Mae hi’n ddyletswydd ar aelodau o bob haen Pleidiau gwleidyddol wneud yn siŵr nad yw merched yn dod ar draws unrhyw anffafriaeth a bod cymorth, anogaeth ac yn fwy na dim hyder yn cael ei hybu i unrhyw ferch sydd a’i phryd ar sefyll fel ymgeisydd.

Dyma 'chydig o ferched Plaid!

Mr Pain yn y pen ol i Gymru

Sut ar y ddaear ei bod hi’n ddemocrataidd i un person bach (Mr Pain) gael penderfynu ar refferendwm yng Nghymru. Os yw’r genedl wedi penderfynu yn ôl adroddiad y Confensiwn (fydd allan mis nesa), yna sut bod yr owns wedi disgyn ar un person i benderfynu dweud ‘ie’ neu ‘na’ i ganlyniad yr adroddiad hwnnw?

Mae’r peth yn hollol warthus a chwerthinllyd. Eto fyth dyma enghraifft arall o byped i Lundain yn penderfynu ar ddyfodol Cymru.

CymruX yn Nghynhadledd yr SNP

Ar fore oer main yng Nghaerdydd daeth criw ohonom ni ynghyd i deithio’r holl ffordd fyny i Inverness i Gynhadledd yr SNP. Ar ôl glanio sylweddolais fod y tymheredd tipyn is ond yn ddisgwyliedig gan ein bod ni yn mynd i’r ddinas fwyaf gogleddol yn y Deyrnas Unedig.

Pwrpas ein hymweliad, oedd nid yn unig i gryfhau ein brawdoliaeth gyda ein chwaer Blaid ond i ddysgu ganddi hefyd. Er efallai nad yw polisïau’r Blaid yn hollol unfrydol gyda’r SNP ar y cyfryw mae ein hamcanion yn debyg iawn ac felly o’r herwydd yn golygu ein bod fel dwy Blaid yn cyd-weithio’n aml.

Difyr oedd darganfod bod yr Young Scottish Nationalists (YSI) hefyd wedi bod yn anweithredol ers cryn amser a dim ond yn ddiweddar wedi ail gynnau eu gweithgarwch. Eglurodd y cynghorydd David McDonald sydd hefyd yn Gadeirydd yr YSI fod galw cenedlaethol gan ieuenctid yr Alban ar gyfer adain ieuenctid ond bod diffyg trefn a chydweithrediad wedi achosi i’r adain fynd a’r chwâl ac ddim yn gweithio mor effeithiol ac y gallasant. Ond nawr mae’r sefyllfa yn dra gwahanol gyda’r pwyllgor gwaith cenedlaethol yn cynnal gweithgareddau ar hyd a lled y wlad. Efallai bod hyn yn gymhariaeth dda i sefyllfa CymruX tan yn ddiweddar, ond erbyn hyn yn llwyddiannus dros ben ac ar y trac cywir i fod hyd yn oed yn well.

Cawsom groeso cyfeillgar gan bawb, o’r aelodau etholedig i’r actifyddion i drefnwyr a staff. Cynhadledd fyrlymus a thipyn mwy o ran maint na Chynhadledd y Blaid ond mi roedd yr awyrgylch groesawgar yr un fath. I’w weld yn amlwg oedd cynifer yr arddangoswyr o fudiadau, elusennau, gwmnïau neu sefydliadau hyd yn oed stondin gan Coke ( falle bod gan Iron Bru rhywbeth i’w wneud gyda hynny), ond fel eglurodd un o’r aelodau i mi. “You’d be surprised how much money these organisations are willing to spend on you when you’re in Government.” Beth bynnag aethon ni draw i’r awditoriwm i wrando ar gynigion neu “resolutions” fel y geilw SNP hwy. Doedd y cynigion eu hunain ddim byd sbeshal, ond synnodd Natsaha Cody a mi ar eu dawn llefaru ac areithio. Ni chlywsom ni run aelod yn siarad yn wael ac yn achosi i’r gynulleidfa ddifalsu. Dwi’m yn siŵr iawn beth oedd fformiwla'r ddawn dweud ond yn sicr mi fyddai un neu ddau o aelodau Plaid Cymru yn gallu gwneud hefo dos neu ddau ohono fo. Diolch byth daeth Helen Mary Jones i roi araith y frawdoliaeth. Dechreuodd Helen ar ei haraith yn ddigon hyderus a deallus ac yna allan o nunlla... daeth na dân o’i henaid a’r gynhadledd ar flaenau eu seddau yn clapio ar ôl bron bob brawddeg. Roedd y gynulleidfa gyfan dan ei sang yn barod i godi ar eu traed i sefyll mewn undod a Helen, bloeddiodd y gynulleidfa gan glapio a churo dwylo yn wyllt wrth wrando ar ei haraith. Gorffennodd Helen gyda phob un o aelodau’r gynulleidfa ar eu traed ac arhosodd pawb ar eu traed am bum munud arall. A dyna Plaid Cymru wedi gadael marc ar y gynhadledd yn Inverness 2009.
Roedd araith Salmond yn dra wahanol i’r math rydym ni wedi arfer clywed ond mi oedd hyn yn fwriadol. Araith bwyllog a distaw, fe gadwodd draw o’r jocs a’r sarhau gan yn hytrach sdicio i’r ffeithiau a chydnabod nad oes diben dechrau clodfori eu llwyddiannau cyhyd - mae na lywodraeth Geidwadol ar y ffordd i San Steffan!

Mi allai gario mlaen adrodd fy hanes wrth yr awr, ond dwi’n tybio mai diflasu fydde chi a fi! Felly os am glywed am yr hynt a helynt dewch i gysylltiad, ac os am wybod beth oedd cyfrinach e’u ‘dawn dweud’- ceisiwch shot o chwisgi (Oban) gyda Iron Bru a fyddwch chi ddim yn bell o fod rhywbeth tebyg i Adam Price ar lwyfan!

I want to change the world, I'm looking for a new England

by Luke James
Cymru X Vice-Chair

I was speaking to a Labour student on Friday in the wake of Nazi Nick Griffin’s appearance on BBC’s Question Time.

Although a short conversation I think I was somewhat enlightened as to why the racist BNP are now winning national elections and consequently appearing on QT.

I dared to suggest that I thought Griffin had a point when he asked why the option to state your nationality as ‘English’ was not on the census.

To which the response was ‘all nationalism is sh*t’.

I’m not for one minute going to be taken in by Nick Griffin or the BNP and their attempts to dress race based discrimination up as ‘standing up for the silent majority.’

I know and you know that man will say anything for votes; I shudder at the thought of such a vile individual and party gaining any further ground.

However it does seem that the mainstream English/British parties’ refusal to accept an English identity and hold their own national conversation is playing straight into the hands of the far right.

At the Plaid Cymru conference in Llandudno members of Cymru X were present at the Undeb (English:Union) fringe meeting to hear Mark Perryman speak about his efforts to form an inclusive, left leaning English national identity.

Perryman is a serial contributor to the Guardian: Comment is Free and this piece outlines his vision for a better England. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/23/britishidentity



Imagined Nation: One of Mark Perrymans books.


It struck me that Perryman was so frustrated in his efforts, being hit by the brick wall of the British parties on one side who want to sweep England under the carpet and the far right hijacking English identity on the other.

And this Labour student’s response was just typical of the attitude of the British parties.

Identity is important to us all, whether that be we are a supporter of a football team, a Royal Mail worker or English.

What nationalism does is bring all these identities under a national community, as I have mentioned before Plaid’s vision of Wales is a diverse community of communities.

If the London parties refuse to wake up and accept English people want to be recognised as such and not under a false British identity then maybe we will see the civil war Nick Griffin is so eager for.

England is in such an early stage of its national development, Wales as Perryman admits is the envy of many English men and women of all religions and origins.

We have much work to do in Wales building our national future and contribution to the world and humanity, but our English friends can rest assured Cymru X and Plaid Cymru will always have time to guide you on your course too.

"Take down the Union Jack, it clashes with the sunset" - Billy Bragg

Free England!