Cymru X

Leanne for Leader

2012-01-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

I for one will be supporting Leanne Wood AM in the Plaid Cymru leadership election and I will tell you for why. I met Leanne the first time I became a member for Plaid, I think in 2008 – seems a lot longer than four years ago now; I believe it was at the Newport spring conference. Leanne was and still is a down-to-earth person, someone people can relate to and social enough that she can communicate with anyone she meets.

Since that first meeting I have watched Leanne and looked back at the work she has done, not just for Plaid or Wales, but for her local community and Leanne is one of the most hard-working politicians there are. Her grassroots attitude (a Plaid core attitude) inspires people I feel, to take on the issues that matter to them. I have never seen a politician on so many picket-lines as Leanne. Leanne is a true socialist, fighting for workers’ rights and pushing the issues that matter most to the working classes at the forefront – let’s be honest, Wales still has a very large hardworking working class people who seem to be forgotten about and the first to take the brunt of any cuts or redundancies. Without those workers there would be no middle classes, which some tend to forget. With a Wales that is working (please see Leanne’s Greenprint for the Valleys initiative) we can close the gap between the rich and poor and pull people out of poverty – creating a more equal society.

I was privileged to have won a placement with Leanne Wood in 2010; given to me by Aberystwyth University. Here I saw first-hand how busy a politician she really was; always popping off to meetings or to a rally and receiving large amount of letters from her regional voters who knew that they would receive a fast response and that she would do her utmost to help them with their issues – we must remember that it is our communities and constituents that put us in the place we aspire to be – a place where we can influence government to help them and better their lives.

I am happy to see the various actors that have come out in support of our Leanne. From our most prominent of members and ex-politician Adam Price to the other swift and hardworking AM Bethan Jenkins. She also has support from the most charismatic of AMs Lindsay Whittle ex-leader of Caerffili County Borough Council and also that of our newest MP at Westminster, who is a tough campaigner and works extremely hard for the party in the foreign Parliament, Jonathan Edwards.

It is not just people in political circles that are backing Leanne – Menna Machreth of Cymdeithas yr Iaith; proof that Leanne has worked tirelessly on Welsh language issues though she is only a learner. She can gain support not just from those of us, like me who only speak English, but those that speak the two languages of our nation. The academic Daniel Williams and the arts critic Sioned Williams have pledged their support for Leanne as well as the Chair of the Fire Brigade’s Union in Wales, Cerith Griffiths – this just shows the wide range of people that Leanne can pull in and that is just what Plaid needs – to reach out to everyone in Wales, no matter where they come from.

Plaid needs to rejuvenate itself – take a few steps back and ask itself, why are we a political party? What are our aspirations? Leanne has taken the bull by the horns and has pledged to put our main objective at the heart of her leadership role. Like the SNP, she will not push aside the aim of independence – the aspiration of nationalists around the globe. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see your nation become free and sovereign and its people to become responsible – we have a talented lot in Wales, we should be inspiring them, not rolling over and letting Westminster and the unionist-British nationalist parties bully us in believing that we are lazy and worthless. From 51 sovereign states at the end of WW2 to 193 today, many the same size or smaller than Wales, many with their own voice in the EU and UN – Plaid is not an exclusive ethnic party, but a global inclusive civic party, with the same aspirations of sovereignty as those current 193 states, including that of recent South Sudan, Serbia, Montenegro, Czech Republic and Slovakia – where were the cries from London opposing their freedom?

Leanne has proven to attract people from all walks of life and she has also changed with the times and has become a modern activist on the World Wide Web – appealing to those that use social networking sites and drawing in the youth of today – the future of Wales. Plaid will win a Welsh general election and be in government once again, but not just with votes from those old enough to vote now, but those that are coming of age. Her work in schools is inspiring young people to get involved in politics and showing them that politicians will and must listen to them as they are the most vital part of our nation.

So, when that polling card comes through my door I will be putting my mark beside Leanne Wood AM; beside the name that is the next true leader of our party; beside the name that can draw support from English and Welsh speakers, the young and the old, the private and public sector, the cities, towns, villages and valley areas – a politician that will stand up for the Wales at a time when Wales needs them the most. I hope that I have persuaded many of you to take a look at Leanne and see why I am pledging my full support to the next First Minster of Wales.

Iago ap Steffan – 29 years old
Masters student at Cardiff University, ex-student of Aberystwyth University – English speaker, Welsh learner – from Cardiff but a Pontypridd boy since 2000 – currently works part-time at the National Assembly for Wales and Plaid candidate for the 2012 council elections - Hawthorn ward; from a working-class background. : )

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

2012-01-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bob un ohonoch. Mae'r flwyddyn hon yn flwyddyn llawn potensial i'n mudiad ieunectid. Bydd etholiadau llywyddiaeth y Blaid yn gyfle i ni drafod ynglyn a dyfodol ein Plaid a’n mudiad ieuenctid, elfen allweddol o unrhyw blaid wleidyddol. Edrychwn ymlaen at gael gweithio gyda phob un ohonoch i sicrhau bod Cymru X yn mynd o nerth i nerth – rhaid i ni sicrhau ein bod yn parhau i fod yn lais radical a ffres yn ein cenedl a'n plaid.

A Happy New Year to all comrades. This year promises to be a year full of potential to our youth movement. The Plaid presidency elections will give us a chance to reflect and debate about the future of our party and youth movement. We look forward to working with all of you to ensure that Cymru X goes from strength to strength – we must continue to be a radical and fresh voice for change in our nation and party.

Leanne Wood 2012 (English post)

2011-12-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the translation of the Blog below, that I have promised to a few people!

Last week, I was heartened to hear that Leanne Wood, Assembly member for South Wales Central, had put her name forward to stand in the Plaid Cymru leadership elections in 2012. Being of Rhondda stock myself, I know Leanne well, as my family hails from the same village, Pen-y-graig. And like many a young Plaid member, I’ll be behind Leanne one hundred per cent.

Leanne is a natural choice for many on many counts. Like me, she’s a socialist, a nationalist, a republican, a keen environmentalist, and importantly she has experience of life outside politics. Her experience working for the Probation Service and for Women’s Aid shows that she understands the serious problems facing many parts of our society. Those who doubt her skills in the Welsh language may be pleased to her that she has been hugely supportive of Cymdeithas yr Iaith campaigns – much more so than many a fluent Welsh-speaking AM from the West. Leanne’s vision for a Greenprint for the Valleys that would radically change the Welsh economy puts economic regeneration and green issues on the forefront of her political agenda. Moreover, Leanne’s love towards Pen-y-graig, the Rhondda and her nation sets an excellent foundation in her bid to become the leader of our national party.

I am aware that many of the more traditional members in Plaid Cymru will be dubious of Leanne’s ability to lead our party. Even though Leanne is learning Welsh, she is not a fluent speaker, and after all, Leanne doesn’t have a traditional, rural background. Leanne is a valley girl, an area where Plaid Cymru has succeeded in becoming a credible party of opposition but has not progressed to become a first choice for many voters. But that is the exact reason why I believe that she is what we need in Plaid Cymru. What is needed is somebody who can represent the interests of everybody in Wales – not only the farmer and the Welsh speaker, but also the hairdresser from Caerffili and the Nurse from Aberdare.

As a Welsh speaker, born and bred in the Valleys, (I represent both sides of the party in that respect!) I am convinced that Leanne has the ability to lead our party into victory in the Assembly elections of 2016. This is our opportunity to change the party – not to lead our party astray, as many more traditional members may believe, but back to the radical and nationalist values of Plaid Cymru. After all, it was in Valleys that the red flag was waved for the first time – and I hope that it’ll be a Valley girl that’ll be the one to restore the radical values of our party and our nation in 2012.

This is a blog by Emyr Gruffydd, the Chairman of Cymru X Caerdydd. These views are entirely my own.

Leanne Wood 2012

2011-12-19T07:19:00.000-08:00

Wythnos ddiwethaf, roedd hi'n hynod o galonogol i mi gael clywed bod Leanne Wood, Aelod Cynulliad dros Ganol De Cymru, wedi cyhoeddi ei bod yn bwriadu sefyll am arweinyddiaeth Plaid Cymru yn 2012. Yn ferch o Ben-y-graig yn y Rhondda, rwy'n nabod Leanne yn dda, gan bod fy nheulu i yn hannu o'r un pentref. Ac fel nifer i aelod ifanc o'r Blaid, rwy'n bwriadu cefnogi ei hymgais gant y cant.

Mae Leanne yn ddewis naturiol i mi am nifer o resymau. Fel fi, mae hi'n sosialydd, yn genedlaetholwraig cadarn, yn gefnogwraig brwd o achosion gwyrdd, yn weriniaethwraig, ac yn bwysig iawn, mae ganddi brofiad o fywyd y tu allan i wleidyddiaeth. Mae ei phrofiad yn gweithio yn y Gwasanaeth Prawf ac i elusen Cymorth i Ferched yn dangos ei bod yn deall problemau dyrus ein cymdeithas. I'r rhai sydd yn cwestiynu safon Cymraeg Leanne Wood, mae hi wedi bod yn hynod gefnogol i ymgyrchoedd Cymdeithas yr Iaith - yn llawer mwy cefnogol na nifer i AC Plaid Cymru o'r Gorllewin sy'n rhugl ei Gymraeg. Mae gweleidgaeth Leanne am Gynllun Gwyrdd i drawsnewid economi Cymru yn rhoi materion gwyrdd ac adfywio'r economi yn glir ar ei hagenda wleidyddol. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae cariad Leanne tuag at Ben-y-graig, at y Rhondda ac at ei chenedl yn gosod sylfaen ardderchog i'w bwriad i arwain ein Plaid genedlaethol.

Bydd nifer o aelodau mwy traddodiadol Plaid Cymru yn debygol o fod braidd yn amheus o allu Leanne i arwain y Blaid. Er bod Leanne yn dysgu Cymraeg, nid yw'n siarad yr iaith yn hollol rhugl, ac wedi'r cyfan, does dim cefndir gwledig, traddodiadol gan Leanne. Merch o'r Cymoedd yw hi, ardal lle mae Plaid Cymru wedi sefydlu ei hun yn wrthblaid cadarn ond heb dorri trwyddo i fod yn ddewis cyntaf i nifer o etholwyr. Ond dyma pam rwyf yn credu taw hi ydy'r union beth sydd angen ar Blaid Cymru. Yr hyn sydd angen yw rhywun sydd yn cynrhychioli buddiannau pob un person yng Nghymru - nid yn unig buddiannau'r ffermwr a'r Cymro Cymraeg, ond hefyd rhai y ferch trin gwallt o Gaerffili a'r nyrs o Aberdâr.

Fel Cymro Cymraeg sydd wedi fy ngeni a'm magu yn y Cymoedd, rwy'n gwbl argyhoeddiedig mai gyda Leanne mae'r gallu i arwain ein Plaid i fuddugoliaeth yn etholiadau'r Cynulliad yn 2016. Dyma ein cyfle ni i newid cyfeiriad ein Plaid - nid i arwain ein mudiad cenedlaethol ar gyfeiliorn, fel y dywed nifer o'n haelodau mwy traddodiadol, ond yn hytrach yn ôl at werthoedd radical, cenedlaetholgar Plaid Cymru. Wedi'r cyfan, yng Nghymoedd y De y chwifiwyd y faner goch am y tro cyntaf - ac rwy'n fawr obeithiol mai merch o Gymoedd y De bydd yn gyfrifol am ail-ddeffro gwreiddiau radical ein cenedl a'n Plaid yn 2012.

>Gan Emyr Gruffydd, Cadeirydd Cangen Cymru X.Caerdydd. Dim barn Cymru X yw hyn o reidrwydd. >

This is a blog by Emyr Gruffydd, the Chairman of Cymru X Caerdydd, in support of Leanne Wood's campaign for leader. This is not necessarily the opinion of Cymru X.

Prifysgol Caerdydd / Cardiff University

2011-10-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hoffai'r Pwyllgor Gwaith Cenedlaethol estyn longyfarchiadau cynnes iawn at ddau o aelodau CymruX, sydd hefyd ar bwyllgor CymruX Caerdydd (Myfyrwyr Plaid Cymru), Emyr Gruffydd a Dan Lawrence yn eu llwyddiant yn is-etholiadau Cyngor Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd.

Pam na ddewch chi draw i noson gymdeithasol CymruX Caerdydd i ddathlu'u llwyddiant heno 'ma? Hon fydd y noson gymdeithasol gyntaf. Bydd yn dechrau am 7yh ym Mango's (Cathays, Caerdydd).

Llongyfarchiadau eto, fechgyn!

The National Executive Committee wishes to extend its congratulations to two of CymruX's members, who are also committee members of CymruX Cardiff (Plaid Cymru Students), Emyr Gruffydd and Dan Lawrence, in their success in Cardiff University's Student Council by-elections.

Why don't you come along to CymruX Cardiff's social evening tonight to celebrate their success? This will be the first social evening. It will start at 7pm in Mango's (Cathays, Cardiff).

Congrats once again boys!

Cerith Rhys Jones
Ar ran y Pwyllgor Gwaith / On behalf of the NEC

Noson Gymdeithasol CymruX Caerdydd Cardiff Social Evening

2011-10-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

Chwilio am rywbeth i'w wneud heno? Dewch draw i noson gymdeithasol CymruX Caerdydd (Myfyrwyr Plaid Cymru) am 7yh ym Mango's (yn agos at dafarn y Flora yng Nghatays, Caerdydd) i gwrdd, trafod a mwynhau gyda'ch cyd-genedlaetholwyr!

Looking for something to do tonight? Come to the CymruX Cardiff (Plaid Cymru Students) social evening at 7pm in Mango's (near the Flora in Cathays, Cardiff) to meet, talk and enjoy with your fellow nationalists!

Cynllun Polisi / Policy Programme

2011-08-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

Mae CymruX yn y broses o ddechrau ymgynghori cyn inni ysgrifennu'n Cynllun Polisi newydd.

Mae cyfansoddiad CymruX yn gofyn ein bod yn adolygu'n polisïau bob hyn ac hyn, ac yn hyn o beth, dyma ni'n gofyn ichi fod yn rhan o'r broses hon.

Os hoffech chi fod yn rhan o'n hymgynghoriad a chyfrannu at ein Cynllun Polisi newydd, cysylltwch â'n Swyddog Polisi Luke Nicholas, drwy'i ebostio ar luke_nicholas@hotmail.co.uk.

Diolch.

*****

CymruX is in the process of beginning its consultation for its new Policy Programme.

CymruX's constitution states that we have to review our policies every so often, and as such, we're asking you to be part of this process.

If you would like to be part of our consultation and contribute to our new Policy Programme, please email our Policy Officer Luke Nicholas at luke_nicholas@hotmail.co.uk.

Thank you.

=====

Cerith Rhys Jones
Swyddog heb Bortffolio - Pwyllgor Gwaith CymruX Plaid Cymru Ifanc
Non-portfolio Officer - CymruX Young Plaid Cymru NEC

The Divine Right or The Rights of Man?

2011-04-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

On the eve of the Royal Wedding and as the media frenzy intensifies I almost feel sorry for this old institution. It seems almost inevitable that it will end in the wrong way, it wont be a new surge of rationality and liberty that finally defeats it, it will be cynicism. There are some things around this Royal Wedding that I like, a sense of national occasion (British in this case however), a renewed sense of community and of course the celebration of two people committing their lives to each other. Some things that many people now seem to think are unimportant ideas.

I did initially think that the responses of most people I had talked to about it was a positive thing “I couldn't really care less” seems to be the stock phrase. But I am slightly worried that this doesn't for a lot of people relate to a concern for more democratic and republican principles but a genuine lack of respect for anything associated with the state or what one might call the establishment. If only we were sceptical of it rather than cynical, but it seems part of a wider trend.

I will watch the Royal Wedding mainly because I find it interesting and I wish William Windsor and Catherine Middleton all the best for their future together. If only that future didn't mean that one day somebody I have no choice over will have to sign off legislation created in our National Assembly. When will we finally wake up and look at this system for what it is, not only unfair on the people who live under it because of what it implies, but also unfair on those for whom it was initially constructed because of what it robs from them – a normal life.

On that point I wish William and Catherine the best of luck for the future. From the little I have seen of them they seem like good people who have a quiet strength, something they will both need in the strange world that Kate has opted to become a part of.

By Daniel Lawrence
Non-Portfolio member - National Executive Commitee

To what extent will digital technology around the home help transform political campaigns?

2011-03-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

In the past week I have finally got my hands on an iPhone4. It’s amazing that over the last 12 months my once “fashionable phone” now looks like a brick in comparison. But this has got me thinking, just how influential is mobile technology when it comes to politics? Will things like the iPad2 and Internet Ready TV’s really impact the way in which politicians communicate with voters?

A close friend of mine Mark Wray, a home automation specialist from Cardiff, was explaining just how much politics will benefit from a rise in mobile phone and digital technology. He believes that young people will become more actively involved with politics through the growth of social media, particularly with new technology around the home.

Mark Wray, Managing Director of Smarta Technology said: “The growth in internet ready televisions, smartphones and tablet devices has brought social media away from the study or bedroom and into the living rooms of households across the country. When installing home automation systems nearly every component can now communicate directly with the internet, whether it’s a touch screen control panel on a wall or a new line of 3D Televisions. This will no doubt contribute to a transformation in the way in which advertising and communication messages are received around the home. Giving political parties a fresh opportunity to communicate with voters”

With such a high usage of social media worldwide where an expected 2 billion people actively online at any one point and with nearly 1 in 5 people now a proud owner of a Smartphone, its become essential for political parties to embrace social media marketing as part of an ongoing public relations strategy. Many would argue that there has never been more communications between politicians and voters. The recent Yes For Wales Campaign successfully used online marketing tools including viral videos on Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness of the issues facing Wales in order to promote a Yes vote in the assembly election.

“In the next decade there will be a significant transformation in the way in which social media is accessed from home. With Home Automation now being pre installed into many new build houses, it’s provided a fresh opportunity for businesses, charities and political parties to interact with a range of different members of the public. Home Automation will enable markets to be segmented into different groups including age, sex and social classes, which will significantly effect digital marketing." Mr. Wray Continued.

Although the rise in accessible social media at home is likely to encourage more young people to get involved with politics in the future, social media can also be a communication tool that can significantly damage a reputation of an individual or party. With the recent case of politician Colin Elsbury whom was instructed to pay out £53,000 to town councilor Eddie Talbot after he wrongfully tweeted his rival had been thrown out of a polling station last June. Proving that a miss communication on twitter can result in significant consequences.

To what extent home automation systems will transform politics in the future may still be unclear, but it’s not unwise to consider the significant affects that internet ready televisions, games consoles, iPads, Smart Phones and even iPods are already having on politics on a regional and national level. A further growth in home-based technology will undoubtedly change politics in the future and it may be the case that the parties that are first to adapt to this change will reap the biggest rewards. For more information about social media in a smart home please visit http://www.smartatechnology.co.uk/

*This post was created by Gerwyn Holmes, a supporter of Cymru X.

Post Referendum Thoughts

2011-03-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

So its all over. All the build up (or lack of it), the expected result (maybe better than expected) and we now have a proper parliament, with primary legislative powers (almost). So why do I feel slightly deflated about it all, I certainly didn't on Friday night when celebrating our much deserved win.

I think it is possibly a number of things. Firstly that for those of us interested in politics, I'd kind of been looking forward to this referendum for some time. I remember going to a Tommorow's Wales event maybe a couple of years ago where the move from Part 3 to Part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 was the main topic of debate (it makes you wonder how a referendum on such a topic got even 35% of voters to the polls?). It was to me then as it is now such a painfully obvious choice, and thankfully we got the right result. But how could 36% of people vote No? I suppose the debate did become more about a number of other things as all such referendums inevitably do. It became a question of scrutiny, it became a question of competence (of the Government and the Welsh people), and finally it became a question of the devolution journey.

On a slight aside, the question of whether there is an agenda on the part of some towards a nationalist future was often raised by the No campaign (even though one of the parties makes that their clear aim). In the classic style of all conspiracy theorists they tried to plant in the public's mind the idea of a sinister and power hungry establishment that were itching to pull up anchor and sail the good ship Cambria away from England and to the promised land. It was rarely raised by Yes campaigners the equally obvious agenda of many No campaigners, often denied, who wished the assembly wasn't there or that it could slowly be eroded until it went away, no matter the consequences for Wales (if you watched David Williams post referendum TV program, one of them wanted to blow it up or burn it down. I don't think he was that serious, good old Len!).

So it is over, I feel I worked quite hard and played my part. But like all of the things in your life that you make a big deal, it soon becomes clear when its over that it wont make as big a difference as you first expect. Don't get me wrong, this is a major and important step forward for Wales. But for me my life wont in the short term be drastically altered. Hopefully we wont see a raft of legislation just for the sake of it, I'm sure we wont as our politicians aren't quite as daft as some make out. So I wont feel the primary legislative powers of our soon to be elected representatives add to the weight of needless bureaucracy already resting heavily on our heads.

What seemed more important was the shift in attitude that the results seemed to portray, as they were announced, followed by cheers it seemed that the unclothed zeitgeist of Wales was on display, well the zeitgeist of the 35% that bothered to vote, but it still seemed important. The speeches of the party leaders and Roger Lewis summed it up. Something that we had struggled for for centuries was happening, not that we were getting more power to legislate, but that Wales was uniting behind something. Not entirely, we cant get too carried away, but as county after county returned Yes verdicts it seemed, to coin a phrase we had one Wales, slowly uniting behind the institution that housed our democracy. The ancient sparring kingdoms and principalities united, the rural and the urban united, the welsh speaking and English speaking welsh united. The differences were still there if you bothered to look at the results closely, but it was fading. A transport network geared east to west could not hold back a shared and growing sense of shared history and culture. Only the apathetic spoiled the party. We may be coming to terms with Wales as a political nation, but the majority of the nation still gets its media and much therefore of its thought and culture from the British media. This is a dangerous problem in terms of Welsh democracy, and the low turnout in this poll is just one sign.

Unless you are interested in Welsh politics as I obviously am, then you probably would have voted in the referendum on a couple of very simplistic ideas. Both the Yes and No campaigns tried to make it about these simple matters in order to capture our imaginations, to varying effect. Laws that only effect the people of Wales should be made in Wales, vote No to the slippery slope, give our Assembly Members the tools to do the job, don't give them any more power they don't deserve it. We heard all these simplistic arguments, and the standard of debate was poor as a result. But it is hard to grip the imagination of people who don't really care much for what happens in Cardiff Bay unless it directly affects them, especially when the British media pretty much ignores anything going on in Wales which they might deem a bit too parochial, and not the fundamental battle of ideas that it could have been. The stronger the press and the media of a country the greater the potential for good quality debate. As in all referendums both sides normally have some good points or stumble on them accidentally, no matter how kooky or outlandish they seem, and we should take heed of them as we go forward. Wales needs better forums for its future debates if it is going to engage the majority of its people and come to good decisions. How to achieve this I'm not sure, but the online sphere played a vital role in this last referendum and if we can engage more people through it all the better. But the old fashioned mediums of TV and newspaper still dominate.

To come back to my original thoughts on why I quickly realised that we cannot celebrate for too long, and the long hard slog of politics and government must continue. We have to up our game, we always will. Those of us who try to steer public opinion through all mediums including politics have a challenge ahead. We now have a proper Assembly as some of us have long wanted. We will probably want more, more powers for Wales (or should that be “in” Wales, sorry Luke!), but we must use what we currently have well in the years ahead if we hope to go any further.

I think it suddenly dawned on me, that we cant sit idly by and let others do it. All of us who voted Yes on Thursday the 3rd of March 2011 have a duty to ourselves and our country to take responsibility for what we do next. Its quite a depressing thought really, I was quite happy for others to get on and do it for me.

To end with, I have been thinking over the last couple of days of a couple of quotes from 2 films I like (this time its the American media shaping my thoughts). A classic line in Spider-man is: “with great power comes great responsibility”, sorry about the obvious cliché I have just concerned you with. But in my favourite film of the moment Kick Ass we get this expansion “with no power comes no responsibility........except that wasn't true”.

Daniel Lawrence
Cardiff

Daniel Lawrence is a Non-Portfolio Member of the National Executive Committee. He writes in a personal capacity.

Swimming through the muddy waters of the referendum

2011-02-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

I havent written a post for this blog for some time, so thought I should make some sort of contribution during this important referendum campaign. I fear it has kept most of us very busy lately!

Anyway, I was writing a response to a Guardian online article which I thought merited a response (which can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/wales-referendum-welsh-assembly?commentpage=last#end-of-comments) due to some of its illogical arguments, and realised I had got slightly carried away and that it was a bit long. I thought it may make an interesting blog post, or at least something to spark debate. So here is the very edited comment highly edited to make sense as a blog post and not just a reply to an article:

There is a problem of confusion amongst a lot of welsh people with regards to what the referendum is about. Neither the Yes or No sides help the situation with some of the comments that are made by some (although I do think the Yes campaign are doing a better job of trying to stick to the facts than True Wales who seem to be purposely muddying the water). However, referendums are rarely fought with everyone knowing the full facts, and they are regularly won or lost on very different questions to the one asked (usually the popularity of the government of the day).

Firstly, I doubt the author of the post has actually read the Western mail lately, but I read it most days and I have in the last few weeks found it difficult to find a day where the referendum hasn't been mentioned. I'm suprised WM readers arent sick of it by now (I'd imagine a number are). The main problem is as she mentions that not enough people read the WM or other welsh newspapers.

I agree that speed is not synonomous with effectiveness, however it can be very important, and can be a strength of unicameral legislatures where it means there is no possibility of legislative deadlock and it can produce a simpler more efficient system (what we have at the present is neither). Other unicameral parliaments in Europe include the Riksdag in Sweden and the Storting in Norway to name just two, and they seem to cope well enough. It is not a strange or unique set up in a democracy.

It is not a question of thinking that Welsh people are the only people who can make Wales a better place, just that they are best placed to. It is a basic principle of Democracy, and it is not something to be mocked.

I believe the author is right in some of her criticisms of the lack of dynamism in the Assembly and the poor performance in a number of areas since its set up in 1999. Their is also a critique to be made of the quality of some of our Assembly members. However, the author then illogically says we should stay with the same system which has helped produce this by voting no, before ridiculing the Welsh people's elected Assembly as a child compared to its wiser older brother in London. If we want to improve the quality of our politics we first need some confidence in ourselves and our ability to learn from our mistakes.

She then moves on in the typically cynical fashion of those who want a No vote by saying that democracy wont be improved. She may be right (I personally dont think so), but what is the alternative? A No vote would send us backwards, but how far and how fast? To the days of an all powerful secretary of state who might not represent a Welsh constituency or have even been voted for by anyone in Wales. Or even further, to the days when Wales had no institutional devolution (we're talking decades here), when the rule of the majority in the UK parliament meant that a Welsh nation couldnt exist, and if it wanted to it was powerless.

This is why this referendum is so vitally important. It is not about Independence (as True Wales wants you to think) which would require a further referendum and which would probably be beaten. It is a great shame that it is not engaging the vast bulk of the Welsh populace because it is about something very important. It is about a very basic principle of governance and democracy, that it should be clear where power lie's and the people should know this and understand it. A No vote keeps us in this state of confusion, a Yes vote makes the system simpler and makes it clearer where power lie's.

It has been said before that there is nowhere else in the world where a system like this operates (for that you have to go back to 15th century Ireland), where one elected parliament has to effectively check on another parliament in areas of responsibility it has already seceded to it. It is for a very good reason that this is the case.

By Daniel Lawrence (Cardiff)

The Challenge Ahead

2010-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

The year is nearing its end and yes, it’s been a heck of a year. This time of year, we look back at the last 12 months, and look forward to the next.

In May, David Cameron and his buddy Nick Clegg came to power. A government was ‘elected’ without a mandate and the Lib Dems ditched their principles. Yes, a very interesting year.

Students were betrayed by the Lib Dems; a part all of whose MPs signed a pledge that they would vote ‘no’ to any attempt to raise tuition fees. To those of them who stuck to their word, I raise my hat and say ‘thank you.’ But to the rest, those who abstained, for shame.

But, thanks to devolution, Welsh students are safe.

Although we look back, I prefer looking forward. 2011 will be a huge year for Wales – we have a referendum in March and our general election in May.

Let there be no doubt that the referendum in 3 months will be key to Wales’ future. If we do not secure a ‘yes’ vote, we know that there isn’t much hope for our devolution for a great number of years. (Look at the 1979 referendum – and the next one almost 20 years later.)

CymruX’s priority is securing a positive result in the referendum and we know how much work we all have ahead of us. We’ll be playing our part in the coming months, working hard on this all important campaign.

After that comes the Assembly elections and let’s hope that the new Assembly – the 4th Assembly – will get to legislate without England’s consent. Let us also hope that Ieuan Wyn Jones will lead the 4th Assembly as First Minister for Wales.

Yes, there’s quite a bit of work to be done and it’s important that we don’t neglect that, or become complacent. The next few weeks and months are of immense importance to our country and our people and indeed, CymruX is ready for the challenge ahead.

But for now, we must relax... Goodness knows we’ll appreciate it!

In that respect, we hope that you enjoyed Christmas and we wish you all, our supporters and our colleagues elsewhere, a happy, prosperous and successful 2011 – Wales deserves no less.

For Wales,

Cerith Rhys Jones
On behalf of the NEC of CymruX – Young Plaid Cymru

P.S. To those of you who wish, the launch of the Yes for Wales campaign is in Cardiff on January 4th. Email post@yesforwales.com for details. Email that same address for details of how you can be part of the campaign! You can also donate to the campaign by visiting http://www.yesforwales.com/site/?page_id=46. Thank you!

Yr Her O'n Blaenau

2010-12-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

Mae diwedd y flwyddyn ar fîn cyrraedd ac ydy, mae hi wedi bod yn flwyddyn ddiddorol tu hwnt. Amser yma’r flwyddyn, ry’n ni’n edrych yn ôl ar y 12 mis diwethaf ac ymlaen at y 12 mis sydd i ddod.

Fis Mai eleni, daeth David Cameron a’i gyfaill Nick Clegg i bŵer. ‘Etholwyd’ llywodraeth heb fandad; anghofiodd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol eu hegwyddorion. Do, bu’n flwyddyn ddiddorol.

Bradychwyd myfyrwyr gan y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol; plaid wnaeth bob Aelod Seneddol ohoni arwyddo datganiad y byddant yn pleidleisio ‘na’ i unrhyw ymdrech i godi ffioedd dysgu. ‘Dw i’n codi ‘nghap at y sawl wnaeth gadw at eu gair, a ‘dw i’n eu diolch. Ond i’r eraill, y rhai wnaeth ymatal, cywilydd.

Ond, diolch i ddatganoli, y mae myfyrwyr Cymru yn ddiogel.

Er ein bod yn edrych yn ôl, mae’n well gen i edrych ymlaen. Bydd 2011 yn flwyddyn enfawr i Gymru – mae gennym refferendwm ym mis Mawrth ac etholiad cyffredinol fis Mai.

Does dim amau fod y refferendwm ymhen 3 mis yn allweddol i ddyfodol datganoli Cymru. Yn yr achos taw ‘na’ yw’r ateb, gwyddom na fydd fawr o obaith i’n datganoli ni am nifer fawr o flynyddoedd. (Edrychwch ar refferendwm 1979 – a’r un nesaf bron iawn 20 mlynedd yn hwyrach.)

Blaenoriaeth CymruX yw sicrhau pleidlais bositif yn y refferendwm ac ry’n ni’n gwybod faint o waith sydd gennym ni i gyd i’w wneud – pob un ohonom. Byddwn ni’n chwarae’n rhan ac yn y misoedd nesaf mi fyddwn ni’n gweithio’n ddyfal ar yr ymgyrch hollbwysig hon.

Wedi hynny, daw etholiad y Cynulliad a chawn obeithio y bydd y Cynulliad newydd hwnnw – y 4edd Cynulliad – yn cael deddfu heb ganiatâd Lloegr. Cawn hefyd obeithio taw Ieuan Wyn Jones fydd arweinydd y 4edd Cynulliad fel Prif Weinidog Cymru.

Oes, mae gennym cryn dipyn o waith i’w wneud ac mae’n bwysig nad ydym yn esgeuluso nac yn troi’n ddi-hid. Mae’r misoedd nesaf o bwysigrwydd aruthrol i’n gwlad ac i’n pobl ac y mae CymruX yn barod am yr her o’n blaen.

Ond, am nawr, rhaid ymlacio... Duw a ŵyr y byddwn yn ei werthfawrogi!

Yng ngolau hynny, gobeithiwn eich bod wedi mwynhau’r Dolig a dymunwn ichi oll, ein cefnogwyr a’n cydweithwyr o bleidiau eraill, 2011 sy’n hapus, yn llewyrchus ac yn llwyddiannus – mae Cymru’n haeddu dim llai.

Dros Gymru,

Cerith Rhys Jones
Ar ran Pwyllgor Gwaith CymruX – Plaid Cymru Ifanc

O.N. I’r sawl ohonoch sy’n dymuno, mae lawnsiad ymgyrch Ie Dros Gymru yng Nghaerdydd ar Ionawr y 4edd. Ebostiwch post@iedrosgymru.com am ragor o wybodaeth. Ebostiwch y cyfeiriad hwnnw hefyd am fanylion ar sut ellwch chi fod yn rhan o’r ymgyrch! Gallwch rhoi’n ariannol at yr ymgyrch hefyd - http://www.iedrosgymru.com/safle/?page_id=43. Diolch!

Nadolig Llawen! Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T02:33:00.000-08:00

Wrth bawb ar Bwyllgor Gwaith CymruX, dyma neges cyflym i ddymuno Nadolig Llawen tu hwnt ichi oll a gobeithio y cewch chi ddiwrnod bendigedig.

From everyone on the National Executive Committee of CymruX, here's a quick message to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that you have a wonderful day.

Dros Gymru!

The value of devolution - fairness for students

2010-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Cerith Rhys Jones (Executive Non-Portfolio Officer and Public Rep) writes:

"Today’s announcement from the Labour-Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly Government regarding tuition fees comes as what can only be described as a relief for students and prospective students like myself especially. One Wales has shown the value of devolution this afternoon, in declaring that Welsh students will not have to pay any more than £3,290 a year for their Higher Education – wherever they study in the UK.

"Students who are currently in University and who will go to University next year will not be affected by the announcement, meaning that they will still pay £3,290, but today’s news will affect 2012/13 students who would otherwise have to pay upwards of £6,000 for their HE – thanks very much to the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in London.

"This move from WAG really does show our commitment to HE here in Wales, and more than that: that we believe in our young people and believe that they don’t deserve such extortionate costs. Supporters of the ConDems’ plans ask why it matters – we don’t repay until after graduation anyway! Let me tell you: if I went into Uni knowing that I would leave with £30,000 or £40,000 worth of debt, I really would question whether it’s worth it.

It is.

"The difference between Cardiff Bay and Westminster is that we here in Wales have made the right decision to make it possible for students and prospective students to what is right for them in the long-run.

'We have a responsibility to Welsh-domiciled students, wherever they choose to study. We also have a responsibility to ensure that Wales benefits, economically, socially and culturally, from the investment that the Assembly Government makes in higher education in Wales.'

"That’s what our Education Minister Leighton Andrews AM had to say today. He’s darned right. A strong and accessible HE sector will benefit our country in more ways than simply meaning that more people can afford to go to Uni. What Wales needs is a strong, forward-looking and innovative economy, and a good HE sector will stand us in good stead for achieving that.

"Plaid is proud of its socialist principles and so am I. I am proud to be a citizen of a country whose government cares; whose government recognises its responsibility to ensure that education is indeed a right and not a privilege.

"Of course, on that note, we’re not quite there, but CymruX is committed to fighting for free HE because we believe that a cost of even £3,290 shouldn’t stop anyone from going to University. (Naturally, if cuts weren’t coming from every angle thanks to David and Co. that’d be a rather more realistic aim.)

"For now though, we are happy with the best that’s on offer: fairness. Something that Wales can offer, and the ConDems seem not yet to have grasped. Will they ever? Doubt it.

Diolch, Leighton, a diolch, Llywodraeth Cymru.
Thank you, Leighton, and thank you, Welsh Government.

To read the Welsh Assembly Government’s statement on-line, go to the Welsh Assembly Government's website.

And remember that you can now follow @yesforwales and @iedrosgymru on Twitter, as well as add a Yes4Wales badge to your Twitter and Facebook avatars. More powers for Wales next March combined with a successful election for us means more fairness and indeed more actions like today’s!

The trials and tribulations of S4/C continue...

2010-11-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

Cerith Rhys Jones, CymruX Non-Portfolio Officer writes:

"S4/C is having a tough time of it, of that there is no doubt. We all know about the cuts that are coming to it, and the fact that its independence is in jeopardy; and now, its former Chief Executive, Iona Jones, has filed notice to take the broadcaster to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal, after her sudden departure earlier this year.

"Let me first clarify my position on the broadcaster’s funding. From where I stand as a Welsh-speaking Welshman, having a Welsh-medium public service broadcaster is essential to the future of the Language, and the Language is a fundamental cornerstone of our Nation’s culture. Unfortunately, the Welsh language is still seen by many people as something for the ‘crachach,’ and that it isn’t a ‘real’ language. Of course, the role that S4/C plays in all of this is the normalisation of the Language and showing that she is still alive, and is still growing. With huge cuts coming its way, S4/C will find it even harder to do its job. The Coalition in London has shown a breath-taking lack of respect for our People and our Language in dropping the axe square on our national broadcaster’s head, and adds insult to injury by transferring S4/C funding to the BBC. When we as a Party are calling for broadcasting to be devolved to Cardiff Bay, the Con-Dems seem to want to bring more responsibility back to London. Dim diolch. Funding S4/C directly from the BBC will only lead to more pressure being put on the broadcaster to have English-language programmes, and will, in my view, lead to the broadcaster’s decline (or at least, the broadcaster as we know it.)

"But do we want an S4/C which broadcasts in English? Some may want that. I don’t. All those years ago when Gwynfor did what we did so that we could have a channel of our own, the purpose of it was not for it to be a bit of this and a bit of that – a mish-mash of Welsh and English; S4/C is a Welsh-language broadcaster.

"As much as I support S4/C and totally condemn (get it?) the Con-Dems’ actions, S4/C really does desperately need to have a sit down and get its act together. It’s just not good enough for many of its programmes to have been rated as having zero viewers. It isn't good enough for the S4/C Authority to announce the resignation of its Chair, only for the Chair himself to announce separately that he would stay on until spring 2011. It isn’t good enough for the circumstances surrounding Iona Jones’ departure (or is the word ‘dismissal’ more appropriate?) to be totally hushed up (and supposedly never to be spoken of again).

"We recently saw how excellent S4/C can be with Pen Talar, the 9-part series following a set of people from before Gwynfor’s election up to the modern day where we have our National Assembly. We need more of this! I sat down with my non-Welsh-speaking mother to watch Pen Talar every Sunday night for over two months, and it really did showcase what S4/C can be. After the series finished however, we’re back to the same old programmes which, quite frankly, don’t draw new viewers in.

"My message to all concerned, including Jeremy Hunt at DCMS, and at the S4/C Authority: ‘For God’s sake, wise up. The future of our Language could very well be in your hands.’

"And so the trials and tribulations (Chief Exec-orientated play on words, there) continue…"

The debt generation

2010-11-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

Posted by Lleu Williams, Non-Portfolio Officer

"We will vote against any lifting of the tuition fee cap, and campaign to get rid of tuition fees" were the importal words of the Clegg posse, aka the Liberal Democrats in the lead up to the General Election, the wording on pledges that every single on of their MPs signed and one of their parties mainstay policies. It is actually making me laugh reading about that now to be honest, as myself, like many other young people genuinely believed that this would be the case when coalition discussions were taking place.

Where are we now? The Browne Review has reported back suggesting lifting the cap on tuition fees and creating a marketisation of the higher education sector in England, and since then the ConDems have put forward proposals for tuition fees to be capped at £9000 a year.

There have been protests up and down the country yesterday, including walkouts and occupations right across Wales. This has been a great success in highlighting the issue within the media, as well as with the general public. I do not condone the small spates of violence that have taken place, but in the majority yesterday, as with the NUS Demo two weeks ago, young and old have been out on the streets voicing their concerns over proposals that will ensure that the next higher education generation will certainly be the debt generation.

I do not take for one minute the ConDems justification that their new proposals are fairer. Yes, the pay back threshold has been increased to £21,000 (a level it should be at anyway) and that the proposals make HE more attractive to part time students are to be welcomed, but how dare they suggest that the debt of £27,000 for a degree will not put off those who are from the poorest backgrounds in our society. For many of these people, their household incomes are not even that much and I don't think they could even comprehend putting themselves into that much debt, I know I couldn't!

And Mr Willetts, the Universities Minister, said that people from the poorest backgrounds won't have to pay it back until they earn at least the new suggested threshold, is he saying then that people from these backgrounds can't or shouldn't be earning more than £21,000 and thus aspiring to lift themselves out of poverty?

In addition to that, we have seen standard Tory procedure of backing their own kind by not asking for any contribution from business. Society, the individual, the economy and business reap the benefits of a world class higher education system, why aren't business asked to contribute their fair share into funding the system? They certainly aren't doing their bit by increasing the number of graduate jobs in the market at the moment....or even better, how about actually increasing the pitifully small banking levy of £2 billion to something much more substantial such as the £8 billion in bonuses this year and thus reinvesting a proportion of that funding back into teaching budgets, thus alleviating the cost onto the student? But the cyncial side of me says this would be too harsh on their friends high up in the world of business, cheers Cameron!

I am over £13,000 in debt, and I don't think I will ever clear it myself- something the government will do for me when I am 60 anyway. But the government are suggesting any debt that is left after 30 years of repayment will be wiped, I dread to think how much this will cost the government in 30 years time and create a potentially huge vaccum in the coffers at Westminster.

Here in Wales, we are lucky to have the National Assembly to shield us from such volatile and socially destroying proposals. Teaching budgets in England have been cut by 80% (forcing the plug in funding to be met by the student) whilst in Wales they have only been cut by 12%, which will hopefully mean any changes will be minimal.

But what is real is that young people will be put off by this debt, I know I would have been. It's time for the ConDems to sit up and listen to the majority here and not condem the next generation as the the debt generation.

Student Protests Nov 23rd: Defend Our Education!

2010-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Across the UK students and lecturers

are today participating in different forms

of protests in opposition to the proposed

changes to the education system.

Over 20,000 students will take part in

numerous peaceful protests much like the one being staged in Aberystwyth. Aberystwyth University is working with local schools to stage a mass student march through the town centre, and are planning a “sit out” in which students of the university walk out of classes and study sessions to do their work in public spaces. Although the Welsh Assembly Government is yet to announce its plans for the future of education in Wales, protesters in Aberystwyth, Cardiff and Swansea all fear the negative impact of London’s decisions for England on those of the Welsh Parliament. University fees will inevitably rise in light of the increase in England and students hope that staging protests against Westminster’s proposals will prevent such a sharp incline of fees in Wales.

Heralded as a “national day of action”, today highlights the solidarity amongst students of all ages who are determined to fight the government’s proposals to cut EMA, increase tuition fees and cut education budgets.

The honourable plight of students, who fiercely want to defend the education system from Con-Dem attacks, is underpinned by the fear that swingeing cuts to university budgets, and the possible tripling of tuition fees to £9000 a year in some cases, will mean the end of affordable and fair higher education. In light of government plans to remove funding for arts and humanities subjects students fear that government reforms will transform the education system into one which merely invests in individuals seeking power, rather than in society’s future as a whole. These concerns mirror those that suggest education will no longer be valued in it or as a way of enriching culture, but rather solely as a means of career based training.

The concerns that increases in fees will mean university becomes an establishment of societies privileged, thus entrenching poverty, alienation and inequality, are not to be taken lightly and certainly raise serious issues when considering the proposed cuts. However is it possible to identify a silver lining to this grey, fatalistic cloud? The fear that the proposed cuts will prevent those from less wealthy backgrounds from attending university and in this sense universities will become exclusive and favourist. In this time of financial crisis and necessary hard-line decision making for the British government is it really as inappropriate as it may initially seem to suggest that the tax payer should only subsidise courses from which they may all benefit in the future such as medicine and engineering? The ConDem government’s current proposal to continue to provide state subsidies to so called “core” subjects such as law, medicine, engineering and some areas of business, but not to subjects of a humanitarian or arts orientation, is based on this logic and in times of such financial crisis some may argue is an unfortunate but necessary compromise.

However, attempts to challenge the assumed fatality of the impending cuts are flouted when considering the context within which today’s cuts are being made, with the current job market only intensifying the severity of the education reforms. How else are students to feel other than fatalistic about the future when they are given no options of how to improve it? An imminent increase in job cuts and reforms of the welfare state alongside the changes to the education system leave many students feeling they have no job prospects and no chance of furthering their education and thus no future. The cuts in education are extreme in failing to provide any alternative for young people the Con Dems have left students with no choices and no hope.

Written by Plaid Cymru Intern

Bex Llewhellin

Whilst Camerons away.........

2010-11-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

An estimated 2000 students from Wales have today travelled to London to join fellow peers, lecturers and the general public protesting in response to the unjustly tuition fee increases the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition proposed in October this year. Reports of riots and violent scenes within Central London have occurred, with some students turning to the Conservative headquarters to make a symbolic stance against the cuts; burning banners and fighting police officers. Although NUS have stated that they are disappointed with these violent acts, the organised event has been one of the biggest in British history with around 50,000 participants joining. Those who joined the demonstration peacefully aimed to send a message to Westminster.

For many welsh students who may be disillusioned with politics, these coalition cuts are not helping the younger generation feel they can engage in politics. Their needs and wants are being distanced with uncertain futures and broken promises by many politicians, especially those of the Lib Dems who promised scrapping fees altogether in their recent manifesto pledges.

Even though the exact price tag on higher education for Welsh students has not been revealed, those seeking to study in England could be faced with debt up to £40,000.00 which will inevitably impact on the price of tutition fees in Wales. For most, this cost is simply unaffordable, creating an unfair two tier society which could increase further the inequality gap in Wales for years to come. With higher education being cut by about 40% there is uncertainty about the future spending on welsh universities with the possibilities of public spending being hit and university departmental budgets being slashed. The future performance of welsh universities is unknown with the possibility of standards falling across Wales as a result.

For Plaid Cymru the disappointment in the increase of tuition fees is apparent with us striving to create a fair and equal society in Wales which Westminster is increasingly making difficult for us to achieve.Plaid Cymru have made a clear alliance with NUS and SNP on the dissatisfaction of the Browne Proposals and have sent a letter to the business Secretary Vice Cable showing a united front between these nations. Those in the Liberal Democrat party who are intending to abstain from voting in these radical changes,should be ashamed of themselves because merely abstaining the vote will mean the proposal will go through anyway. If all the Fib Dem MP’s vote against tuition fee’s then it wouldn’t go through,

The Wealth of Nations

2010-10-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a blog for quite some time now, and I have been wondering why. I thought it was probably down to the fact I had been busy with other things, like my new job, training for the Cardiff Half Marathon, spending more time out with mates and my girlfriend. But if I'm honest I think its because I've become a bit bored with politics lately and I think I know partly why.

I think it's because politics has for some time now been all about one thing, the economy. I think if we're honest not many of us truly understand what is happening (and has happened) to the UK's financial system. I have tried to improve my knowledge of this vital subject area, but after about two minutes of getting my head stuck into 'essential economics' my eyes start to close. I have decided on a compromise with the book.... I have just read the summaries of each chapter, which to be honest are pretty useless if taken in isolation.

It can be a bit of a problem when we all think we are experts on a topic, and all those whose ideas are different are either idiots or evil. All we know is that its not going to be good for a lot of people, to say the least. Not even the experts know the full extent of what these cuts will mean for the long term strength of Britains' or Wales' economy. Most of what is offered must, like in most of politics, be an opinion. However, you don't really need to be an expert to see that Wales has been given a harsh deal in the spending review. A loss of jobs at the Newport passport office and the loss of a number of major investment projects, on top of worse cuts to our block grant than that imposed on Scotland and Northern Ireland. Not to mention the problem of Wales' small private sector in comparison to its public sector. But maybe even that is just my opinion based on what I have read in the Welsh press.

I think as we get older we all start to realise the real importance of money, it really does make the world go round whether you like it or not. The capitalistic system is one of mankind's most revolutionary ideas and can be a great force for freedom in the world, but like most things that have great benefits, there has to be some negatives. There are things we need and things we want, and money to be made by those who can supply them. Unfortunately there are also people to be exploited when making that money. In the end it is human nature to want more than we need, and there is nothing wrong with this, but it does sometimes get way out of hand, and has got us into these difficult times.

Whether Wales is suffering disproportionally or not we still have to tackle the one thing that always makes us suffer more than other parts of these islands. We need to take this opportunity and not just blame others for the harsh hand we have been dealt, but to take it upon ourselves to create the wealth in Wales that we all would benefit from. We need a Yes vote in next March's referendum on further powers for the Assembly not just so we can get more money from the UK treasury, but so that we can really start to do things more creatively here in Wales. We need a vote of confidence in ourselves to do things our own way and with our own unique talents. That is the real wealth of all nations, their ability to do things their own way and the confidence to do it.

Like most of us will learn in our lives we need to take some risks to really challenge ourselves if we wish to better ourselves. Sometimes we will get it wrong, but we will learn from it, and when we try again we might just get it right.

By Daniel Pryce Lawrence
South Wales East representative

Charity Walk

2010-10-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Iago ap Steffan (Llywydd Myfywyr Plaid Cymru Students Aberystwyth and West Wales Representative)

A big huge thank you to everyone that supported Myfywyr Plaid Cymru Students Aberystwyth in the charity walk on Saturday. A massive well done to Liam, Jeff, Owain, Michaela and myself for completing the walk.
The walk was in aid of Beacon of Hope (who takes care of people with terminal illnesses) and Wales Air Ambulance; two very important and vital charities. In terms of how much we have raised...so far it has reached over £300!!! Plenty more to collect and every penny, I'm sure, will be very much appreciated by the organisations.
It was a difficult but fun walk. We carried on through strong winds, heavy rain, bitter cold and darkness along the coastal path from Aberystwyth to Aberaeron. Including the lunch break in Llanon; it took us 10 hours and 20 minutes to reach our destination. Still feeling the strain today, but feeling good that it was all for a good cause.
On a final note: as the future of Cymru, we need to remember that politics, although is important, we must still remember that looking after each other and helping others who are most vulnerable in society is our priority...never forget our old community spirit!

An important lesson for Plaid to learn...

2010-08-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today, Cerith Rhys Jones, non-portfolio officer on the National Exec writes about an important factor that Plaid should consider, as it moves with Wales towards independence:

"A discussion with my grandfather (who, for the record, is English) got me thinking yesterday, about one of Plaid’s major challenges in the years to come. One of the biggest misconceptions people have, is that a nation is the same thing as a nation-state. People will gladly say that they are Welsh before they are British, but they will sometimes think of their citizenship as being the same thing as their nationality.

"There has been plenty of discussion about Plaid being in a crisis. As a party activist and an executive member of the party’s youth wing, I would take the view that the party is not in a crisis but rather, that it really needs some thinking time about its way forward. No matter how much Plaid members and activists say that the election wasn’t all that bad, the truth is that we didn’t do as well as we had hoped and expected and we, as a party, need to think long and hard about our message for the Assembly elections next year, and the local elections on 2012.

"In the long term however, as Wales works towards, first, a full parliament with fiscal autonomy, and eventually, an independent Wales, Plaid needs to focus on changing people’s view of a ‘nation’. (I would say that this would go for other parties too, but how keen they’d be to do this is another matter.)

"Too many people think of a ‘nation’ as a physical entity with a clear geography. To me, and I would think, to the party, a nation needn’t have defined borders and the people of that respective nation needn’t share a specific patch of land. Take Patagonia, for instance. The Welsh people who moved there to establish Y Wladfa (the Welsh Settlement), they went there with the intention of creating a ‘second Wales.’ To this day, their descendants think of themselves as being Welsh Argentine. If we look at that phrase – Welsh Argentine, that is – it can be split in two; into ‘nationality’ and ‘citizenship’. The citizenship is clearly Argentine; of that, let there be no doubt. This works in the same way with us here in Wales. I will always say that I am Welsh first, European second, and British third. As much as I may be against the British institution, I can’t escape the fact that I am a Briton, by law. Wales doesn’t have its own sovereignty (yet), so it is legally impossible to be a ‘citizen’ of the country, in the conventional way. The nationality of a Welsh Argentine person, however, is Welsh. This will confuse some people as it did my grandfather. A ‘nation’ to me, doesn’t mean a group of people who inhabit a specific piece of territory; it is a group of people (or peoples, as would probably be appropriate) who share a heritage, a history, and a feeling. So yes, while a resident of Y Wladfa may hold an Argentine passport, his or her nationality is Welsh, in so much as he or she shares our heritage and history here in Wales.

"This very principle will apply to the Quebecois of Canada. They are by law, of course, Canadian. However, in nationality, they are Quebecois. They are a group of people who share a history and a heritage. I guess this principle could go for any group of people within a nation-state, anywhere on Earth.

"Plaid’s challenge is teaching the people of Wales that although they may be subjects of the United Kingdom, they do have their own heritage and history - an Unique Selling Point, if you will - that makes them Welsh in nationality. Let them think of themselves as British, and what makes them so, and they will list things that are primarily English. As Gwynfor said, “Britishness…is a political synonym that extends English culture of the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.” This hits the nail right on the head!

"The difficulty that Plaid faces of course, is that too many people in Wales still have trouble thinking about Wales as a country in its own right; they challenge that idea, even. The question they should ask themselves though, is ‘what is a country? What makes a country, a country?’ Again, people will often think that Wales can’t possibly be a country, because it’s a ‘constituent region’ of ‘the mother-country’ of Britain. Britain, though, is not a country. It’s a nation-state. Britain is simply the entity, which contains the countries of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, which are countries and nations in their own right.

"When Plaid looks forward in terms of how it can raise support for full autonomy within the European Union and the United Nations for Wales, it really has to get people to understand that whatever their passport says, their nationality – their heritage, their history, their national persona – is different to that of Britain. If Plaid is to succeed, it needs to ensure that the people recognise Wales as a country in its own right, which is being dictated to by another country.

"Those who disagree with me (or who are unionists), will argue that we are not being dictated to by another country at all; we are part of the UK and so we are governed as part of Britain. Here again, the problem that people think of Wales as a region and the UK as a country, is raising its ugly head. Of course we’re being dictated to by another country – England! Was it not the English who annexed Wales to England, extended English laws unto Wales, and oppressed the Welsh language all those hundreds of years ago – and still do to this day? Does the British government not create laws, which apply only to England and Wales? Is it not true that Wales is treated differently to Scotland? Yes. Yes. Yes.

"The biggest challenge to Plaid, to the SNP, Mebyon Kernow, in fact, any nationalist party, is to show their people, the citizens of their respective nations, that they are their own people, and that there is a huge divide between Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cornwall – wherever – and the nation-state which ultimately governs them.

"It’s all very well and good Plaid in the short term focussing on its successes in the National Assembly as part of the One Wales government (and I wouldn’t for one minute say anything different to that) but if Plaid wants to keep itself as the Party of Wales – to keep its USP, to remain a nationalist party, which will do its best to govern in the short term, but all the while working towards an independent Wales – it has to realise that people still think that they’re country is Britain, and break down that idea.

"People may also rebut my ideas by saying that one’s nationality can also be interpreted as British, in that we as Britons share our own history and heritage. I can accept this to an extent, but here rises Gwynfor’s quote again; that what we perceive to be British is actually English.

"Plaid needs to campaign to teach people that their nation-state is Britain. They are British subjects. They pay their taxes to the British government. But as a people, they are Welsh. Their history is Welsh. Their heritage and their national persona are Welsh. When people grasp and believe this, Plaid won’t have much bother on election day.

"While our passports may tell us that we are subjects of the British crown, we are and always have been citizens of the Welsh nation. It will remain that way until we can look at a Welsh passport and see that we are citizens of the Welsh nation-state.

"The challenge for Plaid is to lead the way on that (long) road to independence, but all the while, making sure that we’re re-elected to the Assembly Government and we continue to do a good job of it."

Windfall Needed Now

2010-08-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

by Iago ap Steffan

This is definitely not a new topic of discussion, but one that does need to be talked about time and time again until it has been addressed. I'm talking about a windfall tax. This time I want to bring both the energy companies and banks to the forefront.
The other day I received a British Gas bill for my gas of £45.02! Doesn't sound that bad does it until I mention that it was for just over one month, that I was the only one living there at the time and that I had no gas cooker. Now I'm a student and money is a bit tight at the moment and every penny counts. How can an energy supplier honestly believe that a student could afford potentially a bill for £360 a year? God knows how older people, relying only on state pensions, can afford it and they probably use more energy than myself, especially in the winter months.
The other money making industry are the banks. Not only did they help bring in the recession by their attitudes towards lending, but were also raking it in with the overdraft and late payment fees; especially from those most vulnerable in society that can't keep up with repayments; again like students.
Today we hear that Lloyds Banking Group have made a profit of £1.6billion. This is a bank 73% owned by us, the people. Will this money be repaid back to the government who had to bail them out or to the people who have paid these unnecessary fees? Probably neither. Even though we paid out billions of pounds to save the banks they are still making profits and giving out big bonuses. This is why I support calls for a windfall tax on the banks and energy providers who make stupid amounts of profits to feed the fat cats and The City workers. This is something that I'm pretty sure the vast amount of the population would support and this must be implemented NOW!

Time For A Truly Welsh Curriculum

2010-07-27T14:47:00.001-07:00

by Lleu Williams, Non-Portfolio Officer

“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” Year 8 History

“The British Empire was the leading and most powerful empire in history” Year 9 History

“Powerful poetry from soldiers in the Great War” GCSE English Literature

These are just a couple of things I remember learning whilst at comprehensive school back in Llanelli, good solid British, or even more so, English related topics in a Welsh medium comprehensive in Wales. Things were worse when my Tadcu (grandfather) was educated in Carmarthen in the 1930s, all he remembers was a map of the world with the British Empire all in pink.

Much of what I remember being taught in history, English literature, leisure studies and other subjects did include many Welsh related topics, but still contained many English topics. And I remember asking myself back then, why? Why am I being taught literature by English soldiers in the Great War? Why am I learning about the Tudors? And bear in mind this was only around six or seven years ago, so we are not talking a long time.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not short sighted enough not to recognise the importance of elements of British topics in developing a thorough understanding of history, English literature and so forth. Yes the Tudors are important, due to Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536 and the way it affected Wales, whilst the British Empire played an important role in the development of the coal mines in the Valleys in the Great Revolution. Despite this, I was never once taught about Hywel Dda or Owain Glyndwr, I never studied Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas and nor did I study Welsh music in music lessons. In addition, I am not writing here to advocate a totally Welsh-only curriculum; learning about different cultures, histories and language are and will be essential for our young people if Wales is to become an independent state within the European Union.

This raises further fears for me as proud Welshman that our future generations will not learn about Hywel Dda or Glyndwr, will not have read Under Milkwood or won’t know who the Manic Street Preachers or Edward H Dafis were! I was lucky, I was brought up in a household where this information was taught to me by my parents, and I consider myself lucky, but how many others in the next generation won’t have this opportunity?

Unfortunately, despite the wonderful and sometimes academically accurate Wikipedia, we cannot depend on the next generation of internet users to look up everything on this site. It’s now time for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum, a curriculum where pupils and students in Wales know the history of their country, a curriculum where they understand the Welsh economy and a curriculum where pupils and students know who Dylan Thomas is and the wonders of his work. In the age of devolution in Wales, an age where many young people wouldn’t know life without the National Assembly and wouldn’t know school without a free breakfast, surely we should seize the opportunity for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum?

A curriculum that focuses on Welsh history (Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, Owain Glyndwr, the role of Wales in the Industrial Revolution), a curriculum that focuses on Welsh writers and poets (Dylan Thomas, Niall Griffiths and Caradoc Evans) and a curriculum that focuses on the importance of the Welsh economy (The Coal Mine Field, Industry in the Valleys, Farming in West and North Wales).

For a nation such as Wales, it’s essential now that we exercise these powers and resources that we have in Wales to develop a truly Welsh curriculum. We must work together with exam boards such as the WJEC, the Welsh Assembly Government, teaching unions and the media such as S4C and the BBC to develop a truly distinctive Welsh curriculum that neither you or I have experienced. And in time to ensure that the next generation appreciate, understand and love their history, culture and language.

Time For A Truly Welsh Curriculum

2010-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

by Lleu Williams, Non-Portfolio Officer

“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” Year 8 History

“The British Empire was the leading and most powerful empire in history” Year 9 History

“Powerful poetry from soldiers in the Great War” GCSE English Literature

Fairness for Graduates

2010-07-25T06:34:00.001-07:00

By CERITH RHYS JONES

Officer without Portfolio on CymruX's National Executive Committee

"I guess the main thing I want to look at in my blog space this week, is an e-petition that I’ve set up on CymruX’s behalf, which calls on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to resist some rather unfair plans proposed by the Russell Group of Universities – including Cardiff – to change the student loan repayment system.

Those with an interest in further education will know that the Browne Review, led by John, Lord Browne, is to report on higher education funding and student finance, this year, and that the Russell Group, a group of 20 elite universities (elite in a good way) throughout the UK, have submitted some proposals, which call (a) to lift the cap on fees, meaning that students could be forced to pay up to £7,000 in England (and of course, when English fees go up, it’s very likely that Welsh fees will do the same); (b) to change the loan repayment system, so that students pay back more money at a time, and when they’re earning less. As the situation stands, graduates start to pay back their loans when they reach £15,000 salary, but the interest rates are fluctuant. The group’s plans would see students paying back at a higher interest rate, and at a lower income level. This clearly isn’t fair, especially when the ConDem government is planning a “graduate tax” and education is expensive enough as it is.

With regard to the graduate tax, I am on the fence. If – and only if – it replaces fees, then of course, I’d rather pay a higher rate of tax than have to spend thousands of pounds on education which should, in all honesty, be free. However, if the grad tax comes on top of higher fees and unfair changes to the loan system, then clearly, prospective students from “working- and lower-class” backgrounds will be priced out of higher education.

It is my view, and the view of both CymruX and Plaid Cymru, that in the current economic climate, higher education should be invested in. We are at a crossroads in terms of where we can take our economy from here. Well, more of a junction than a crossroads, but you get my drift. We can either go back the same old way, let the banking sector and the South East of England run riot; or, we can develop a green, technological economy, one focused on need, one focused on sustainability, one focused on the modern world, and living responsibly, where every individual has the chance to flourish, be that through work-based training, being a valued part of the workforce, or going into higher education. Only with investment in higher education can the latter be a viable option.

In some respects, I can understand the difficulty that the Russell Group is facing. It’s facing huge pressure from the ConDem government, (and be under no illusion that New Labour was any better), and it has to adapt. The group has to keep up its reputation for being the leading research-based universities in the UK, but I would rather see the Russell Group working for its students and prospective students, campaigning and fighting against government plans to cut its funding, not simply give in and force the Tories’ elitist (in a bad way) principles on its students.

A similar petition, organised by new Northern Ireland Assembly Member for the SDLP, representing South Belfast, Conall McDevitt MLA, has already been submitted to the Northern Ireland Assembly for consideration. This petition, of which I am principle petitioner, but am really just a link, a liaison, between CymruX and the National Assembly, will close a week before the Petitions’ Committee sits for the first time in the Autumn Term. In 3 days, we have 67 signatories, but there’s a long way to go. Please do sign the petition, and pass it on to your family, your friends, your colleagues, your AMs and MPs (Plaid or otherwise), your student contacts, your old teachers, your neighbours, to sign. Whoever. Plaid Cymru’s constitution lists as one of the party’s objectives, “To ensure economic prosperity, social justice…based on decentralist socialism”. Anyone who believes in these principles, and cannot see sanity in those held by what are now the Libservatives, should sign the petition. After all, how could anyone who gives two hoots for students, graduates and the future of our country and the UK, support a government, a minister of whose, says that students are a burden on the taxpayer? Students, and graduates deserve better, and I am proud to say that CymruX is standing up for them."

Link to the petition: http://tiny.cc/fair4grads

O.N. Daw'r fersiwn Gymraeg cyn hir!

Ysgol Haf Plaid Cymru

2010-07-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Gan Emyr Gruffydd, Cangen Cymru X Caerdydd

Nawr ein bod wedi dad-flino wedi penwythnos hynod lwyddiannus yn Aberystwyth, da yw cael ysgrifennu gair am Ysgol Haf Plaid Cymru a rôl aelodau Cymru X yn yr Ysgol Haf.

Cynhaliwyd yr Ysgol Haf i holl aelodau Plaid Cymru ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth, gan ddenu nifer go dda o aelodau Cymru X. Cafwyd cyfle i wrando ar nifer o ffigurau amlwg yn y Blaid yn siarad ar wahanol bynciau, yn ogystal â sesiynau hyfforddi ar ganfasio, sut i ddelio â'r wasg leol,

creu taflenni ac ymgyrchu ar lein. Cafwyd sgwrs gan Leanne Wood am syniadau D.J Davies a Raymond Williams, a sut y gallai sosialaeth radical a chenedlaetholdeb y ddau ddylanwadu'n bositif ar y Blaid yn ein brwydr i greu'r Gymru newydd.

Cafwyd dadl agored ynghylch gwleidyddiaeth myfyrwyr a sut i adeiladu ein adain ieuenctid ar gampws nifer i brifysgol. Fel cadeirydd Cymru X Caerdydd, roedd yn ddiddorol cael trafod fy mhrofiad fel myfyriwr sy'n ymwneud â'r Blaid, ac fe gafwyd consensws cryf y byddai'n werthfawr i aelodau Cymru X ymwneud llawer mwy yn ein Hundebau Myfyrwyr ar draws Cymru gan gymryd safleoedd o bwys ar gynghorau a phwyllgorau rheoli'r Undebau. Er hynny, mae'n rhaid cydnabod bod rhaid newid strwythyrau Cymru X er mwyn ei gwneud hi'n haws i ni adnabod lle mae'n cefnogaeth ac adeiladu ar hynny yn briodol. Yn ogystal, trafodwyd rhannu'n mudiad ieuenctid mewn i ddwy adran; un yn delio gyda'r rhai hynny sydd yn yr ysgol, wedi graddio neu yn gweithio, ac adran arall yn arbennig i fyfyrwyr. Buasai pob cyfraniad yn help mawr yn y ddadl ddiddorol hon!

Diddorol a chalonogol oedd clywed ymateb gymaint o bobl ifainc y Blaid a ddaeth i gefnogi'r ysgol Haf. Roedd yn dda gweld cymaint o bobl ifanc yn ymddiddori yng ngwleidyddiaeth genedlaetholgar, ac roedd yn braf clywed nifer yn son mai gwleidyddiaeth radical yw'r ffordd ymlaen i ni fel ieuenctid ac i'r Blaid yn gyffredinol. Cofiwch, os hoffech chi fwynhau digwyddiadau fel hyn yn y dyfodol, neu am wybod mwy am weithgareddau Cymru X yn eich ardal, cysylltwch â ni ar postcymrux@googlemail.com.

Diolch hefyd i'r rhai hynny a ddaeth o bleidiau'r UDB yn Llydaw ac adain ieunctid Mebyon Kernow, Kernow X o Gernyw. Gobeithio y gallwn oll ddysgu wrth ein gilydd gan ymladd dros ryddid i'n gwledydd!

*********************************

It was excellent to see so many people in the Plaid Cymru Ysgol Haf (Summer School) this last weekend. Cymru X featured prominently in the Ysgol Haf with many young people attending the activities, where we learned a lot about campaigning techniques, how to strengthen our youth movement within universities and Student Unions, and on the general history of Plaid Cymru and radical politics in Wales. It was also nice to see so many people who had come over from our sister parties, the UDB in Brittany but mainly Kernow X, the Youth Wing of Mebyon Kernow in Cornwall. Thanks for coming! Let's hope that we can all learn something from each other while fighting for freedom for our nations!

If you would like to be involved in Cymru X and Plaid Cymru activities, be they at a national level like this or in your area or University, contact us on postcymrux@googlemail.com.

The Marketplace of Ideas

2010-07-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Pryce Lawrence

Tuesday night I and 2 other members of Cymru X (Emyr and Lleu) attended a meeting of the Plaid Cymru Cardiff Central Constituency at the Mackintosh Institute which featured a talk by Dafydd Trystan on 'The Road to the Referendum – Spring 2011 and beyond'. It was a fascinating talk on the challenges we face leading up to the referendum, and the struggles we face post the vote on the very soul of our party. In the style of all the most enlightening lectures it challenged the assembled members to think about and question what was offered, and to go away and really shape the future of the party.

He dealt briefly with some of the debates that will be had in the coming months on how we can convince the people of Wales that a Yes vote in the Referendum is vitally important to the future success of our nation. But there is much work to do in convincing people of the need for a change in the system and the positive benefits that would flow from that change. Two weekends ago on Armed Forces day in Cardiff, I spent 2 hours in the centre of our Capital city working for Cymru Yfory-Tommorow's Wales asking people what they thought of Wales' constitutional situation, whether they knew there was a referendum on the horizon, whilst doing my best to convince them of the need for a Yes vote. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who were very sympathetic to the Assembly having further powers and how they felt as an institution it had become the centre of national life. Out of the hundred or so people I must have talked to, only one gave me an angry response and expressed their wish that the Assembly be abolished. I came away feeling very positive about our chances, but we can never be complacent on these things, circumstances will dictate the shape of our future arguments.

Anyway, back to Dafydd's talk. Once he had said his bit about the referendum, he moved delicately to a new area. He asked us to look beyond it, past a hopeful Yes vote to where the party would be, should we have finally achieved one of our founding aims, a legislative Parliament for Wales. He asked us to think about what Plaid Cymru would stand for in that brave new world. Would we be content to, having won the long argument for Welsh autonomy, be a generally left of centre party fighting for Labours ground just with a slightly stronger Welsh language flavour? Would Independence feature more strongly in our campaigning? Where would we stand if we had just received a No vote? Could we become the only rational party of the left? What could we do that would better serve the people of Wales? What would be our vision of the future we could offer to them? And would it inspire them?

All good questions, but with no easy answers. What did seem to crop up though was, and with a perceptive question from Eurfyl ap Gwilym, that we as a party were not thinking as much as we used to. Not for any lack of effort or because we couldn't, but because we had matured into a party of Government. We have grown into a party that is ready to take responsibility for the running of our country, and now many of our brightest lights are involved in the daily, punishing grind of power. He said that it was up to the rest of us to provide those radical ideas which has for so long given our party its distinctive appeal.

We face some of the most important months in the history of our party and of Wales. With the first major test of Devolution, different parties in power on either side of Offa's Dyke, a Labour party that is trying to steal Plaids clothes and a referendum that will essentially ask people where the most important decisions on domestic policy should be taken Cardiff or London. So here is the challenge for the future, to provide the ideas and vision that can help take our party into the next stage of its life. So that the country has what it has always, and will always need - those who will speak up for it, unashamedly dream for it and shape its future progress. Where do we begin?

Gan Daniel Pryce Lawrence
South Wales East Representative

Annibyniaeth Ariannol i Gymru? Fiscal Freedom for Wales?

2010-07-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

gan Owain Rhys James

Gyda Comissiwn Holtham yn cyflwyno mwy o’i ganlyniadau heddiw fe gafodd cwfnogwyr datganoli mwy o bwerau, a’r rheini sydd yn dadlau yn erbyn y Cynulliad oherwydd ein body n dibynnu ar arian Lloegr, ddigon i gnoi cil drosto. Awgrymodd yr Gerald Holtham y dylai’r cynulliad gael y pwer i newid trethu gan arwain at fwy o bwerau i’r Cynulliad. Yn fy mhran i buasau hyn yn gyfle gwych i’r Cynulliad ddatblygu i fod yn fwy cyfrifol dros yr hyn y meant yn ei wneud gan rhoi’r cyfle iddynt ddatblygu eceonomi’r wlad yn ol anghenion arbennig Cymru. Gan a fydd yr effath ariannol yn newid llawer yn y Cynulliad buasau’r elfen gyhoeddus yn rhoi’r gallu i’r pleidleiswyr fesur llwyddiant y llywodraeth o ongl newydd.

Mae’r pwerau newydd i godi trethu yn agor y posibilrwydd o benderfyniadau anodd ac amhoblogaidd ofnadwy, ond mae hyn yn wir am unrhyw fath o bwer llywodraethu. Ers ymuno a’r lywodraeth glym-bleidiol mae Plaid wedi bod yn llwyddianus wrth lywodraethu fel y mae ei angen, gan gymryd penderfyniadau anodd, ac ar y llaw arall parhau i gadw cefnogaeth etholwyr. Buasau caniatau i’r llywodraeth newid trethu mewn adrannau arbennig yn ei galluogi i ddelio a’r torriadau brawychus i arian cyhoeddus sy’n cael ei drafod yn San Steffan.

Mae canlyniadau defnyddio’r pwer yn ddiddorol. Fe all y Cynulliad godi treth incwm gan 1c ymhob £ gan godi tua £150milliwn o arian treth ychwanegol; ond mewn gwirionedd ni ellir gwneud llawer a swm mor fach o arian ac fe all yr amhoblogrwydd arwain at fusnesau a talwyr treth i groesi Clawdd Ofa i dalu trethu yn Lloegr. Yn groes i hyn fe all disgyniad mewn treth anog pobl i ddod i Gymru gan arwain at gyfanswm uwch o dreth yn cael ei godi. Digon i’r cabinet yng Nghaerdydd ei bendroni.

O rhan Plaid, mae hyn i’w weld fel cyfle gwych i’r Cynulliad ddatblygu a phrofi ei werth yn ystod y cyfnod economaidd anoddaf ers blynyddoedd. Buasau’r annibyniaeth ychwanegol hyn yn ein galluogi i ymateb fel yr angen i sefyllfa Cymru ac yn rhoi’r gallu i’r Cynulliad fod yn atebol i’r etholwyr.

Nodyn bach arall am ddadl sy’n codi yn San Steffan. Mae’r cwestiynnau cyntaf am addasrwydd cael AS o Loegr fel Gweinidog dros Gymru yn cael ei gofyn gan Peter Hain wrth iddo gwyno fod Cheryl Gillan yn gorfod cymryd arian y treth-dalwyr i dalu am ei gwesty pob tro y bydd yn ymweld a Cymru. Er mae ond pwynt arwynebol yw hyn mae’n ein atgofa bod Cymru heb cael ei gynrychioli yn Llundain gan y llywodraeth Ceidwadywr-Ceidwadol; rhywbeth sy’n peri gofid pan bydd angen i lais y Cymry cael ei glywed yn San Steffan.

********

It’s been an interesting few days for Welsh economic news with yesterdays unveiling of a new inward investment plan and the second report of the Holtham Comission into public funding for Wales. Today’s suggestions by Gerald Holtham make interesting reading for all with an interest in Welsh political affairs and for those who have opposed Welsh devolution on the basis of the need for financial reliance on the English purse. It is that second group of people who I think will be most grateful for this suggestion.

Giving Wales a power similar to the so-called ‘Tartan Tax’ as it is in Scotland is a huge step for the Assembly. In real economic terms it will not be ground-breaking but in the electorate’s eyes this new financial responsibility will prove to be a key measure of a governments success. As Mr Holtham himself stated it will be the new requirement for the Assembly Government to consider the true cost effectiveness of measures that will be the actual result from this proposed change.

The giving of this additional power will of course bring with it the possibility of tough and unpopular decisions, but that is the downside of power. Plaid has, since joining Labour in coalition in 2007, grown used to such decisions and has been reasonably successful at securing public support in spite of difficult choices made. The ability to raise taxes gives a clear opportunity to cause unhappiness amongst various classes of people and how the Assembly deals with this will be a measure of their ability to govern independently. Allowing the Assembly to soften the cuts to some key areas by distributing their own collected monies to those areas may be one way of avoiding the 40% discussed by Westminster.

Possible results of varying taxes are very interesting. A raise of 1p in the £ would bring in approximately £150million in additional revenue; but may also lead some higher earners to cross the border and pay their taxes in England resulting in an overall reduction in funds. The contrary argument may be that lowering tax rates would persuade people to move to Wales meaning that the total collected by the Welsh Taxman would be greater.

All in all an interesting development for the government in Cardiff and London to consider, and for us in Plaid a fantastic opportunity to embrace new challenges and use these new powers to benefit the people of Wales.

A final few words which may interest some of you; the first result of having an English MP as Secretary of State for Wales has caused a mild political storm at Westminster. Peter Hain has raised the issue that Cheryl Gillan has to claim expenses for her hotel visits every time she visits Wales as she has no home here. Political points scoring this is, but it does highlight the fact that Wales is not truly represented by the Con-Dem coalition.

Scottish Government acts on domestic abuse

2010-07-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

By Luke Nicholas

One of the best things about the Plaid Youth movement, in my own opinion, is that 2 of our members are actually AMs. No other youth movement in Wales- as far as we are aware- can currently claim such an achievement. I'm sure there is research to suggest that Plaid Cymru is not necessarily the strongest party amongst young people at the moment, but it's clear that we in the future will be a very viable option for young voters who have grown up under devolution. Our appeal to the youth is enhanced by the fact that our two AMs- Bethan Jenkins and Nerys Evans- are among the most prominent of the backbenchers in the National Assembly.

One of Nerys' most significant achievements has been in driving forward the cross-party agenda on domestic abuse. Eventually the Welsh Government took action and created its own strategy and awareness campaign based on tackling the huge problem of domestic violence.

The Scottish Government has now acted decisively on this issue, becoming the first government in the UK to use the NHS to address domestic abuse. 5,000 staff will be trained to specialise in the field of prevention, so that the SNP Government is able to offer a "co-ordinated and consistent" level of service to the victims.

It would be really worthwhile if the Welsh Government took a similar step, building on the existing work that has been done.

2010-07-02T03:18:00.001-07:00

A “disrespect agenda”

Chad Rickard, Secretary / Ysgrifenydd, CymruX - Young Plaid Ifanc

It’s only been a few months of this coalition government and already the cracks of David and Nick’s “respect” agenda are starting to appear. First we have the announcement of fixed term, five year parliaments, that will cause, coincidentally, UK elections to clash with elections to the devolved bodies in Wales and Scotland. Now we have the ridiculous and thoughtless proposal to hold an AV referendum, on the same day as devolved Assembly and Parliament elections next May.

It is clear that the UK government and, in particular, Nick Clegg’s “department” know full well the implications for Wales and (to a lesser extent) Scotland. The debate in Wales will need to be about the things the Assembly has power over. The implications for legislation and government activity if a referendum on further powers results in a yes vote. The challenge of finding spending cuts in Wales. (Albeit, cuts that have been forced upon Wales by the UK government). Instead what we will have is a UK (invariably English) dominated debate, which will be focussed overwhelmingly around the campaign, for a yes or no vote on, what will be a totally pointless exercise in electoral reform. And to top it all off it won’t affect the devolved bodies one little bit. The only way in which this referendum will affect the devolved bodies, will be to confuse the issue and drag attention away from important matters of devolution and instead onto very minor reforms of Parliament.

The most unbelievable thing about all of this, is the complete lack of discussion, consultation, or consideration with either the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly. The leader of the Scottish Labour party, Iain Gray, had to “hear about this on the radio”. Such a lack of respect to the internal politics of Scotland and Wales is truly disgraceful and cannot continue to happen. It makes perfectly clear where the Lib Dem’s and Tories priorities now lie. Of course we in Wales and those in Scotland expect this kind of thing from the Conservatives. But weren’t the Lib Dems entry into coalition supposed to be a moderating influence? Were they not going to be the ones who forced the Conservatives into looking at the whole of the UK and not just the usual prism of the South and South East of England? It’s rather amusing that the Lib Dems are not claiming to be the “driving force” in this government as they would otherwise usually do. And why would they? All they have to show for selling their souls down the river are a few ministerial cars, special advisors and a record of abject betrayal and disrespect. This is just the latest, but it certainly won’t be the last case of the UK government not giving Wales a second thought.

Ghettos of poverty

2010-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

By Luke James

“I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father.

He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking 'til he found it.”

Those are the infamous words of former Conservative Secretary for Employment (presumably someone was being ironic when they gave him that title) Norman Tebbit.

They are the words that inspire the latest generation of Conservatives who say they want to help people trapped in “ghettos of poverty” to move to find work.

The ghettos of poverty Iain Duncan Smith talks about are our communities, which now lack opportunities. The Tories solution to the poverty they are massively responsible for creating is now to try and destroy families and community, the glue that helps us through these tough times.

By ‘moving to work’ the Tories mean they want to see the same depopulation that helped destroy the Welsh language when people were lured, or forced, to move to work in Liverpool or London or even in Wales’ industrial cities.

What the Conservatives are engineering is a state where community is a commodity which can only be afforded by the well off and for the rest of us to be a transient population moving around the UK, with total disrespect for culture and language, in search of work.

The message the Conservatives want young people to hear loud and clear is that we have no right to expect to live near our family and friends, no right to continue living in the place we have been brought up and no right to expect to be able to find an affordable home there.

For many people that’s not a problem, it’s great to be able to ‘fly the nest’, perhaps for those of us who are lucky enough to go to university and then to some metropolis. But that dream becomes far less appealing when it is because of the hopelessness of your home not because of your ambitions.

It amazes me that the Conservatives can still claim to be the party of the family, purely based on their out dated views that the family is still mother, father and two point four children all under the same roof.

The Conservatives objection to the Welsh governments housing LCO earlier this year is also part of their agenda to smash community and create a roving population to serve to support the needs of the free market.

None of this is the ‘new politics’ David Cameron boasts of – to be fair at least Cameron hasn’t betrayed his party’s philosophy and purpose unlike Blair and New Labour.

In many ways I’m a conservative, I want to conserve my community, our nation, our culture and language and I won’t sit back and let it be destroyed so the shareholders of Capitalism PLC can reap the rewards.

So my suggestion, for now, how about we start making bikes for the Tories to get on or say cars, in Wales, and provide people with opportunities where they live. This isn’t a new idea, it is called sustainability, but the British parties are happy enough to just pay lip service to it.

As Dylan Thomas said ambition is critical, and it is but lets have ambition for ourselves, our communities and nation rather than allow a greedy few to tell us what’s good for the market is good for the people.

“Llifed dagrau'r gwangalon a llyfed y taeog y llawr
Er dued y fagddu o'n cwmpas, ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr!”

“Let the faint-hearted keep wailing, let the serfs grovel and fawn
In spite of the darkness around us, we're ready to greet a new dawn.”

I for one am nobody's serf - bring on the referendum!

Ysgol Haf

2010-06-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Eto eleni mi fydd CymruX yn cymryd rhan blaenllaw yn Ysgol Haf Plaid Cymru ar y 9fed i’r 11eg o Orffennaf. Mae cyfleodd i ehangu ar addysg wleidyddol ac hyfforddiant ymgyrchu yn brin iawn yng Nghymru, felly mae’r penwythnos yn gyfle na ddylid ei golli.

Cost y penwythnos i aelodau o CymruX yw £25. Mi fydd CymruX hefyd yn rhoi bws yn rhad ac am ddim i deithio i Aberystwyth ac yn ôl. Ond cyntaf i’r Felin fydd hi felly brysiwch i archebu eich lle wrth ebostio post@plaidcymru.org.

CymruX Letter in the Western Mail

2010-06-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

CymruX once again has a presence in the Western Mail; Cerith Rhys Jones, non-portfolio officer on CymruX's NEC today writes about Trident:

"SIR – I was heartened to see a letter from the Chair of CymruX Young Plaid Cymru, of which I am a non-portfolio officer, in the Western Mail (June 7) regarding fairness, and to that, I would like to add my full support.

Also in that edition was an article about Trident. It was said that my party’s parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd MP had commented that Trident should come into the Strategic Defence Review (“Plaid joins the call for ‘outdated’ Trident’s future to be scrutinised”).

While I agree with that, I find myself agreeing with Parliament’s only Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who more or less called for the abandonment of the nuclear defence system.

We live in the modern world, and although terrorist threats are aplenty, is it not right to say that the world would be a safer place if we all said “actually, we don’t need these weapons, Let’s find a solution to our differences by diplomatic means”? There is no use in threatening other nations with our nukes, while all the while condemning countries like Iran for theirs.

I find the Liberal Democrats’ comments most interesting. The newly created lord, Mike German, former Deputy First Minister, noted that we should first take stock, before rushing into any decisions. How bizarre, considering the new Deputy Prime Minister was keen for us all to know that his party was anti-Trident in the election run-up.

The Lib Dem Welsh spokesperson, however, seemed to think that his party didn’t support a like-for-like replacement of Trident. Was it not the Lib Dem manifesto that said exactly that? I think so.

It seems to be, once again, that Plaid, the SNP and the Greens are the only truly progressive parties. I had hoped that Labour and the Lib Dems would join us three in some sort of an agreement to form a government after the election, but now I see that we’re better off out of it.

While Labour were happy to support it while in office and the ConDem government are happy to support it now, we progressives need to stand up for what is right, what is needed, what is moral: scrapping Trident.

We have bigger problems – the economy and climate change to name but two – other than shaking our ill-thought-of fists at the rest of the world.

CERITH RHYS-JONES
Non-portfolio Officer, CymruX Young Plaid"

List Members

2010-06-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Pryce Lawrence

A while ago, well about a year ago, after looking on the 100 Welsh Heroes website I decided to write a list of who I thought were the greatest 10 Welshmen and women of all time. It ended up being the 15 greatest (it was tough to narrow down), and unfortunately no women are featured in it, that is mainly due to fact that there is hardly any women on the list of the top 100, which I based my list on. I was going to do a new list in which the names Kate Roberts, Margaret Haig Thomas and Tanni Gery Thompson may have featured, but I thought for now I would stick with my earlier list and would ask for your opinions on that.

The reason I did the list was because I wanted to pick those great Welsh men and women who I thought had made the biggest contribution to Wales and the World. Personally, although I much admire the work of our sports stars, actors, musicians and singers I have missed them out of my list. The Tom Jones', Catherine Zeta Jones' and many other singers and actors for which Wales is famous are well known, and some of them do a great job representing Wales around the World. But in my list I wanted the scientists, thinkers and nation builders to be recognised, as I have always thought they do not receive the acclaim they deserve.

They were all born in Wales except David Lloyd George (born in Manchester), and King Arthur (no-one knows where he was born). But both have strong connections to Wales and I think can be considered Welsh for the purposes of my list. You could argue that Alfred Russell Wallace and Bertrand Russell were not Welsh, but as they were both born here (Bertrand Russell also died here), spent many years in the country and were aware of their questionable nationality I think they could be considered Welsh. There are many more people often claimed as Welsh who have far more tenuous links to the country.

Another list that I think would make interesting reading would be a list of those people of Welsh decent who have gone on to have a major impact on the World. The list would feature some of the greatest American presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, not to mention those with less illustrious careers such as Murray Humphrey's and Jesse James. But that list would prove even more tricky and is for another day.

I've always been a fan of these sort of lists, and I realise people will all have their own ideas about who our greatest heroes are. They are a bit of fun, but I also think they may (especially when voted on by the public) tell us something about what the people of Wales think is most important to them. After all, it is the standards set by our greatest heroes by which we all measure ourselves, and by which the world measures us.

So here they are, what do you think?

My Welsh Heroes:

1. Owain Glyndwr

2. David Lloyd George

3. Aneurin Bevan

4. Robert Owen

5. Gwynfor Evans

6. Bertrand Russell

7. Bishop William Morgan

8. Alfred Russell Wallace

9. Hwyel Dda

10. Llywelyn ab Iorwerth

11. Dr Richard Price

12. King Arthur

13. Gerald of Wales

14. Raymond Williams

15. Iolo Morganwg

Daniel Pryce Lawrence
South Wales East Representative

Seremoni Cofio'r Rhyfel Cartref yng Nghatalonia

2010-05-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Rhyw fis yn ol cynhaliwyd Seremoni gan gangen Cymru X Caerdydd er mwyn cofio'r Rhyfel Cartref yn Sbaen. Cynhaliwyd y seremoni ar ddydd San Sior (nawddsant Catalonia) ym mharc Alexandria, Caerdydd ar bwys y gofeb i'r Rhyfel. Bwriad y seremoni oedd cofio effaith y rhyfel a'r blynyddoedd o unbennaeth creulon a ddilynodd y rhyfel, ond hefyd i gofio'r degau o filwyr Cymreig, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt o Gymoedd De Cymru, a aeth i frwydro gyda'r lluoedd rhyngwaldol. Cofiwyd y bu iddynt frwydro dros ryddid, heddwch a sosialaeth yn y rhyfel dyngedfennol hon yn erbyn ffasgaeth Franco.

Cyflwynwyd y seremoni gan Emyr Gruffydd, cadeirydd Cymru X Caerdydd. Fe gafwyd darlleniadau gan Llion Williams, Dan Lawrence, Sian Owen a Deian Timms, yn y Gymraeg, yn Saesneg, yn Sbaeneg ac yn y Gatalaneg. Gososdodd Lleu Williams rhosod a chennin pedr (blodau cenedlaethol Catalonia a Chymru) ger y gofeb. Diolch i bob un a ddaeth i wneud y seremoni yn un llwyddianus.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Last month on St. Geroge's day, the Catalan national day, Cymru X Caerdydd held a ceremony in order to remember the contribution of the Welsh soldiers who went to fight in the international brigades. Thank you to all who came to make the ceremony a success.

At least it's not the end of the world

2010-05-24T12:38:00.001-07:00

Guest blog by Luke Nicholas

Enough dust has settled and enough stock has been taken, in terms of Plaid's Westminster election performance, that we can now move on. And in doing so, we should completely reject the idea that somehow Plaid was slaughtered or massacred at the election. This doesn't mean adopting complacency or spinning the result as a good one, but it means recognising that we retained 3 members of Parliament. Not very good, but not the end of the world. I know that Cymru X members threw themselves into the campaign. In all of the target seats young people were heavily involved. Away from the targets, it was young people that ran Chris Williams' campaign in Cardiff Central. Not an earth-shattering result, but where better for the next generation of nationalists to learn their trade than at the coalface?

We held 3 seats. We wanted more, but quite simply, not enough people decided to vote for us. The real problem isn't Plaid's loss in not having a stronger team at Westminster. The real losers are the people of Wales who will now suffer disproportionately from savage public spending cuts. Empirically, you could conclude that a larger group of Plaid MPs would have made disproportionate cuts to Welsh public finances less likely, because the likelihood of us getting reform of the Barnett formula would have been considerably higher. A larger group of Plaid MPs would have saved jobs and protected services.

The question also has to be asked, can young nationalists still hold their heads high, having failed at the ballot box so recently? I believe we can. It is not our party that is responsible for these devastating cuts. We maintained all along that you have to create better economic conditions before you reduce the deficit. We put those arguments forward and most of the people of Wales decided to reject them. That is their democratic shoice. Most people in Wales didn't want a Plaid MP this time around. We'll have to keep trying.

In Scotland the benefits of more people voting for nationalist MPs are starkly obvious. They are not only getting less cuts, but are receiving a small proportion of the fossil fuels levy. This is the first time in history that Scotland is being directly paid for the exploitation of its own resources. It represents a significant break with traditional imperial policy. In Wales all such resources have long been extracted, but it is a well-established fact that if fairness is adopted as the principle for financing the nations and regions of the UK, Wales would be due far more in funding through the Barnett formula. I do not see this as a contradiction to the long-term aim of independence, which is not possible without a period of national development similar to that which the liberation movements on the African continent used to advocate before they mostly turned to globalisation and post-colonial malaise.

On one of the shelves in Ty Gwynfor is a stack of tea-coloured pamphlets from the "Plaid Cymru Commission of Inquiry, 1981". The guys that wrote those pamphlets really were up against it. At the time, the people of Wales had exercised their right to self-determination and had resoundingly turned self-government down. Plaid faced an existential crisis and the Commission of Inquiry was a fundamental, wide-ranging and incisive examination of the party's nature, organisation, policies and future.

I've been reading the report from the inquiry and the intelligence, attention to detail and excitement in terms of proposals is breathtaking. But at the same time there is a sense of disenchantment with the likelihood of getting a resolution to the national question, of making any step towards freedom, and of seeing what they called "community socialism" ever being put into practice. Like I said, they were up against it. One passage even declares that the only forseeable way Wales could ever gain even a limited measure of self-government would be in a revolutionary situation!

A few decades on and much of what they are asking for is now reality. So Plaid flatlined on 3 MPs a couple of weeks ago. But we're in government in the Assembly. Plaid's Assembly group has steered a positive course. Further self-rule is very much on the agenda. People outside of Plaid are prepared to openly discuss fiscal autonomy as a possibility within the next decade. The people of Wales, not Plaid, will ultimately decide on these things, but we are in as strong a position as we deserve in terms of being able to argue for incremental progress and eventually national liberation.

There's alot to be learned from what the likes of Dr. Phil Williams were talking about in the pamphlet. And in learning those lessons we can also look to a national future that is more optimistic than anything nationalists in 1981 would dare to dream of. And young people have a duty to the 1981ers to fulfil this task, because it's only because of the grumpy 1981ers that our party still exists today.

We shall overcome!

Letter re: Welsh language

2010-05-18T04:03:00.001-07:00

Below is a letter by Emyr Gruffyd which appears in today's Western Mail.

"SIR – I was rather disappointed to read some of Dr Sibani Roy’s comments (Letters, May 12). I am aware that Dr Roy is a well-respected councillor for the party and works hard, especially on the issue of ethnic minority community cohesion.

However, I could not help noticing that she had fundamentally misunderstood many of Plaid Cymru’s policies on the Welsh language.

Plaid policy does not in any way advocate forcing people to learn the language to obtain employment, as Dr Roy seems to be suggesting. However, she must realise that many jobs in the public sector in North Wales ask for a qualification in Welsh as it is a region where the language is widely spoken, and a language of preference for a large proportion of the population.

As she herself will know, Plaid is strongly in favour of welcoming people of all backgrounds to settle into our communities, while at the same time increasing opportunities for people to use the Welsh language in all aspects of life, especially in the workplace and in business.

Dr Roy is also mistaken in suggesting that language policy is the cause of Plaid’s mediocre performance in the General Election; our share of the vote increased greatly in English-speaking constituencies such as Rhondda and Cynon Valley, while it suffered in the Welsh-speaking heartlands.

Dr Roy must realise that Plaid has been the only party that has cared and fought for the interests of the Welsh language since its establishment in 1925.

Unlike the Labour Party, which has thrown all its socialist principles out of the window, Plaid Cymru will never forget our core commitment to ensuring that the Welsh language is given the respect and the attention that it deserves.

EMYR GRUFFYDD
Chairman of Cardiff Cymru X – Young Plaid Ifanc"

Our Future in the Balance

2010-05-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Gan Daniel Pryce Lawrence

Well, its all over. Or is it? As it seemed likely, we are now in Hung (Balanced) Parliament territory, and predicting what will happen in the coming days and weeks is not an easy game. As I write this the talks between the parties are in full swing. But can all these parties, with their different ideologies and plans for the future of the UK form some sort of stable government? Will it be a Tory/Lib Dem government or will we see a rainbow coalition of the 'progressive' parties to fend off the Tory threat, the arithmetic is there, but only just. Can Plaid secure a good deal for Wales at the end off all this?

It has to be said it was not a great night for Plaid on May 6th, we failed to gain our main target seats of Llanelli, Ynys Mon, Ceredigion and Aberconwy, although we did put ourselves in a strong position for next years Assembly elections. But what went wrong? There certainly wasn't a lack of effort on the part of Plaid Cymru and Cymru X activists. Was it the parties campaign strategy? Plaid have always struggled in UK elections compared to Assembly elections, where it is more difficult to stress the importance of our unique message in the wider British context. But one factor that played against us must have been the impact of the leaders debates on the whole campaign.

The UK leadership debates focused minds on the 3 main London parties, and these debates essentially became the election campaign for each of the parties. Even the supposedly 'slick' media performer David Cameron suffered from these with his poor first performance, but at least he had the exposure and the opportunity to rectify it. It was argued that Plaid wasn't going to form the next government and being a relatively small player had no right to access this potential game changer. It sounds fair enough if we are looking at things from a UK wide perspective, but from a Welsh one it wasn't. British media is Welsh media to all intents and purposes, and we sadly suffer from Wales' poor media sector. One national newspaper read by less than 70 000 people will not give us a good opportunity to act on an equal playing field.

It seems that Plaid was squeezed at this election, and we struggled to really make the argument for major change that people are really screaming out for. The sad fact is that if Plaid had won an extra 4 MP's, we would have had much more of a positive change here in Wales, then a couple of extra Tories, Liberals or Labour members could ever make.

Despite all this, change does now seem inevitable, whether for the good of Wales or bad we are yet to see. The last couple of days of election fallout have been fascinating, and it is clear that whatever happens now British politics will be changed for ever. As I write this I have learned that Gordon Brown has stated his intention to step down as Labour leader and therefore Prime Minister, and a rainbow coalition of the progressive parties has become a more realistic option. Plaid could make real gains for Wales.

Let us hope in the days ahead that in the ashes of the old politics, a new more open and fair politics can emerge. I for one would be keen to see a change in the voting system, and a move towards a fairer more proportional system of electing our representatives. I have heard from a number of people since the election telling me that they had voted, but that it was a waste because their chosen candidate had no hope of winning. There can be no greater incentive for young people to vote tactically in the future (where we would find ourselves only ever voting against something rather than for something), or not to vote at all when faced with democratic choices in the future. At a time when people have less trust in political institutions and the political establishment than they have had for decades, and when cynicism rules, surely it is time we re-adjusted the system to give power back to the people. This is our perfect opportunity.

Gan Daniel Pryce Lawrence
South Wales East Representative

Pob lwc heno!

2010-05-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Luke James
Cadeirydd/Chair

(Scroll down for English)

Mae adain ieuenctid y Blaid, Cymru X, yn dymuno pob hwyl i'n ymgeisyddion a'n gweithwyr heno.

Mae'n sicr y bu pobl ifanc yn rhan pwysig o wireddu ein uchelgais i ennill seddi ar draws Cymru yn yr ymgyrch etholiadol hon.

Mae'r gwaith caled ar gyfer Cymru X yn dechrau ar ôl yr etholiad, pan y byddwn yn ciesio mynd a neges unigryw ein Plaid i Ffeiriau y Glas mewn prifysgolion a gwyliau mawr megis yr eisteddfod er mwyn recriwito y genhedlaeth nesaf o arweinwyr, gweithwyr a chefnogwyr - ac i sicrhau bod rhagor o bobl ifanc yn credu yn ein neges o Gymru rydd a theg.

Ond beth bynnag y canlyniad heno, rwy'n gwybod fy mod yn siarad dros bawb yn Ngymru X gan ddweud ein bod yn hyod freintiedig i fod yn dilyn yn ôl-troed cenhedlaethau o bobl a weithiodd yn galed dros ein hachos genedlaethol yn y gorffennol.

Yn wir, rydym yn ddiolchgar i aelodau a chefnogwyr Plaid Cymru a chwalodd ystydebau ac a weithiodd yn ddiflino i'n harwain ni i'r fan yr ydym heddiw - mewn Cymru groesawgar, ddwyieithog sydd ond fisoedd i ffwrdd o gael Senedd gyda phwerau deddfu.

Megis dechrau ydym ni wrth gwrs, ond, heb ddim rhagor i'w wneud nawr, hoffwn ddweud pa mor falch ydw i i fod yn aelod o'r unig Blaid sydd wedi ymladd dros fuddianau pobl Cymru ers 1925!

----------------------

Plaid Cymru's youth movement, Cymru X, wishes all our candidates and activists the very best of luck tonight.

Young people will no doubt have been a big part of achieving our goals and winning seats for Wales all across the country in this election campaign.

The big work for Cymru X starts after the election when we take our party's unique message to university freshers fayre's and youth festivals to recruit the next generations of leaders, activists and supporters - and more and more young people are believing in our message of a free and fair Wales as a result.

But whatever the results tonight I know I speak for all of Cymru X when I say we are priveleged to be following in the footsteps of generations of people who have campaigned hard for our national cause before us.

Infact, we are incredibly grateful to the members and supporters of Plaid Cymru who smashed through stereotypes and worked tirelessly to leave us where we are today - in a billingual, welcoming Wales which is just months from a law making Senedd.

This is, of course, just the begining but on election night, with nothing left to do for now, I want to say how incredibly proud I am to be a member of the only party which has fought solely in the interests of the people of Wales since 1925!

The Champions of Wales Hold Ceredigion Rally

2010-04-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

By Iago ap Steffan

Well, it was great to see so many people out in force on Saturday in bright and sunny Ceredigion. Plaid Cymru held a huge rally, endorsing its candidate Penri James, in Aberystwyth town centre. The atmosphere was amazing and it was so inspiring to have so much support from Plaid members and local people.

It felt like a day at the Oscars, lol, with the amount of 'celebrities' in town. We had Plaid councillors, AMs, an MP and its MEP out to meet and greet the local people. Not to mention the number of Plaid members, supporters and locals that just wanted to hear what Plaid had to offer. The biggest fans must have been the Lib Dem and Labour activists that were so interested in joining us that day, they really couldn't keep away.

A number of Plaid politicians spoke at the event (Dafydd Iwan, Jill Evans, Elfyn Llwyd, Ieuan Wyn Jones and Elin Jones), but the talk of the town was the speech from one of Wales' best known politicians and hero of devolution, ex-Labour MP - Ron Davies. Davies came to Ceredigion to back Plaid Cymru and Penri James and to shout out to the people of Wales that the death of Labour was the birth of Plaid - Labour was the 20th century, Plaid the 21st - the future!

Penri James had a great reception with loud cheers and chants from all over the square. He promised to work for the people of Ceredigion. This is what the people wanted to hear especially since they currently had an invisible Lib Dem MP Mark what's his name. Penri is a local guy who has lived and worked in the area all his life. A family man with great morals and someone who has worked hard to get round as many houses as he can to listen to what the people of Ceredigion actually want from their MP. This door to door campaign did not start two weeks ago like the Lib Dems, but for around two years now. Ceredigion needs a champion for Wales and who else to better represent them than that of Penri James!

As I said, Plaid had much support that day and everyone, after the rally, helped out and either distributed leaflets or canvassed. What I would like to say to all those who lent a hand is...DIOLCH YN FAWR IAWN; especially to the students of Cymdeithas CymruX Society Aberystwyth (CCXS) who have worked hard all year round and deserve praise. Plaid and CymruX would not have a future without the determination and hard work of people like yourselves. :)

Looking For Our Voice Again – The Undemocratic Debates

2010-04-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

By Iago ap Steffan

Well as everyone probably knows the starting gun for the ‘leaders’ debates’ has been taken. We saw our first leaders’ debates Thursday; held by ITV in Manchester with an audience who live in England only (same rules apply to the Sky and BBC Leaders' Debates to come). Now I for one did not watch the debate. Why? Well because Wales was not represented. Not only was Plaid not able to take part, but as I have read, Wales was not mentioned and most of the topics were issues only to do with England.
Now, Nick Clegg might have won the debate, which has affected the polls not only on a UK level, but here in Wales. The Lib Dems have doubled their poll rating; this is the reason why we have been asking for a voice in the UK debates. What we can be proud about is that of the Sky News Welsh Leaders’ Debate, where Ieuan Wyn Jones had won the popular vote; 55% of those polled http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/04/19/viewers-rate-plaid-cymru-leader-ieuan-wyn-jones-top-in-welsh-party-leaders-debate-91466-26268472/. I look forward to what people think of the ITV Welsh debates tonight. We must also praise the hard work of our candidates on the BBC Welsh debates, Peter Ryder in Delyn and Heledd Fychan for Mongomeryshire, who both done extremely well and gained a great reception from the studio audience. Keep up the good work.
The English media have said that this is because Plaid Cymru are not putting up candidates all over the UK; well neither are the Lib Dems or Labour who have no candidates in Northern Ireland; also if this is the case where is the Green Party and, God-forbid, UKIP? If these are Prime Ministerial debates, why is Nick Clegg there? No-one believes that he will be the next PM, not even the Lib Dems themselves. Plaid Cymru and the SNP are in government in both Wales and Scotland, whereas the Conservatives and Lib Dems are not in ANY national government. The people of Wales and Scotland are yet again ignored by the EBC (English Broadcasting Corporation), ETV (not ITV) and ESKYB (instead of British Sky Broadcasting). We need a stronger voice.
Due to the undemocratic state that we unfortunately live in today, when other European nations have reformed their systems, this is now the time to fight and work harder than ever before to make sure Wales has Plaid MPs to represent our corner of this island. We have key seats all over Wales and we need to make sure that all of us, our friends and family too, get ourselves out there and help campaign to ensure Plaid win. We can't be complacent, we all have to work hard and who knows maybe we will win more than just our key seats. If you support Wales, support Plaid, the only party that will put you and your nation first and look after those most vulnerable in our society.

Manifesto Launched

2010-04-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Gan Daniel Lawrence

Plaid Cymru has today launched its manifesto which has at its heart a commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in society during these difficult economic times. Pensioners and children are those who will suffer the most as a result of future spending cuts, and as a result it will be important that we fight this general election with them in mind.

As we campaign we should bear in mind that Plaid has a massive opportunity to make a real difference in setting the agenda after the election as we may (with the help of our allies the SNP) hold the balance of power in a hung parliament. It is important that as many young people get involved and help out in their local areas as possible. I'm helping out Chris Williams' campaign in Cardiff Central, and there are numerous other young energetic Cymru X members all across Wales helping out in their local constituencies.

This election is looking like it will be the most closely fought since 1992, and the electorate faces a real choice. The state of the economy will shape the arguments, but through it all we need to remember why a strong economy is so important, it is for the common health and wealth of the people of these nations, and it is not something Plaid will forget.

There hasn't been a hung parliament in the UK since 1974, and it would be a major shock for many people around the UK to wake up on May 7th to such a scenario. But we in Wales are a bit more used to the idea of a more balanced parliament. With proportional representation in the National Assembly, coalition government and the deals needed to achieve this are, and will inevitably be a common feature for the foreseeable future. Plaid Cymru have proved themselves skillful deal breakers, both within the Welsh Assembly (with the One Wales programme of government), and in UK elections. During the late 70's Plaid made, as the historian John Davies puts it “such skillful use of the Labour party's eagerness to ensure their support that the Queens speech in November 1978 was studded with concessions to them”. These concessions included the promise to pay compensation to quarrymen suffering from silicosis, and shows that Plaid could play an important role if given the people's support.

Elections are or at least should be a battle of ideas, and the party with the best ideas should win that battle. It is our job to take those ideas to the people and hopefully we can win their trust.

Daniel Lawrence
South Wales East Representative

Senedd Grog......... a Seidr Rhad - Hung Parliament....... and Cheap Cider

2010-04-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Gan Owain Rhys James

** Scroll down for English version **

Gyda etholiad cyffreinol ar y gorwel mae’r prif bleidiau wrthi’n gwerthu eu hunain i’r wlad, ond mae teimlad gwahanol i ymgyrchoedd eleni. Gyda’r polau piniwn diweddara yn dangos senedd grog fel canlyniad tebygol mae pwer yn San Steffan yn symud o’r ddau brif blaid at y pleidiau ‘lleiafrifol’. Am y tro cynta mewn blynyddoedd all Plaid Cymru, a’n brodyr yn yr SNP, siarad am gael pwer yn Llundain; a gyda datgeliad y cytundeb ‘4 dros Gymru, 4 dros yr Alban’ gellir gweld gwir fwriad a pwrpas y bloc Celtaidd I gael dylanwad.

Dros y tymor byr bydd effaith senedd grog yn cael ei deimlo’n gryf yng Nghymru. Fel y mae pethau yn sefyll mae cyllid Cymru ar fin cael ei dorri yn frawychus wrth I’rllywodraeth geisio rheoli’i dyled, polisi a fydd yn niweidio adfywiad yr economi, ein cymunedau a’n gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn ofnadwy. Gyda Plaid yn amddifyn diddordebau Cymru yn San Steffan bydd modd i ni osgoi y fath broblemau a dylanwadu ar y polisiau sy’n effeithio arnym ni.

Yn ogystal a hyn credaf bydd effeithiau hir dymor senedd grog eleni yn ei teimlo am ddegawdau. Bydd tirwedd gwleidyddol Prydain yn newid o’r system ddwy-bleidiol draddodiadol i un aml-bleidiol gan alluogi Plaid I fanteisio ar ein llwyddiant yn y Cynulliad a datblygu yn San Steffan. Mae pleidlais dros y Blaid wedi cael ei weld fel gwastraff mewn etholiad cyffredinol, ond ni fydd hyn yn wir yn y dyfodol. Bydd gan Plaid Cymru y gallu a’r chwant I amddifyn diddordebau Cymru ac I hybu polisiau Cymreig, gan fod yn atebol I etholwyr Cymru. Gyda llywodraeth glym-blaid yn edrych yn ansicr bydd pleidleisiau’r Ty Cyffredin yn troi’n frwydrau gwleidyddol (neu yn fargen greftus wedi’I daro yn yr ystafelloedd cefn) sy’n sicr o arwain at fanteision I’r pleidiau Celtaidd. Gyda pleidlais pob AS yn dyngedfenol mae dyddiau’r llywodraeth yn llywodraethu fel y mynnai dros Gymru wedi dod I ben.

Bydd senedd grog hefyd yn achosi traferthion I’r prif bleidiau a’r perthynas a’I canghennau Cymreig, gan sicrhau bod pleidlais dros Plaid Cymru yn golygu pleidlais er lles Cymru. Dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf gwelwyd pleidleisiau’r ASau o Gymru a’r Alban yn allweddol I allugoi’r llywodraeth I lywodraethu fel y mynnai, a hynny pan yr oedd ganddynt fwyafrif iachus. Gyda llywodraeth leiafrifol bydd sicrhau bod pob aelod yn pledileisio’n unfordd yn hanfodol; ac felly bydd cael AS sy’n barod I gynrychioli ein diddordebau ni, ein barn a’n ofnau yn fwy pwysig nag erioed. Aelodau sy’n atebol I’w etholwyr, ac nid I bwyllgor canolog y blaid, yw’r unig fordd I hybu materion Cymreig; ac dim ond Plaid Cymru all gynnig hyn.

Y pwynt olaf I drafod yw effaith y canlyniad ar system bleidleisio San Steffan. Mae adnewyddu’r ‘Cyntaf Heibio’r Postyn’ wedi cael ei drafod ers blynyddoedd, a nawr bod y Toriaid a Llafur wedi colli ei monopoli o bwer mae’n debygol y bydd y newid yn digwydd. O fewn degawd, sy’n debyg o weld dwy senedd grog arall, mae’n sicr y bydd yr etholwyr a’r gwleidyddion yn sylweddoli bod newid I system PR yn fantais I’r system ddemocrataidd. Canlyniad hyn I Gymru; ariannu cyfiawn, llywodraethu tecach a llais cryf I faterion Cymrieg… a Plaid Cymru yn arwain y gad.

Owain Rhys James
Swyddog Polisi ac Ymgyrchoedd – Cymru X

I orffen; newyddion da I gefnogwyr seidr a hawliau sifil yr wythnos yma wrth I’r llywodraeth gyhoeddi na fydd y cynnydd treth na’r Mesur Economi Digidol yn estyn y llyfrau statudol cyn diwedd y tymor seneddol.

Magners a’r rhyngrwyd heb ‘cyber-police’ I bawb yr haf yma felly!!

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With the General Election date set the main parties’ campaigning has begun, but there is a distinctively different attitude this year. With the prospect of a hung parliament hanging over each leaders head this year has opened the door for the minority parties. This will give Plaid, and our brothers in the SNP, an opportunity to yield real power at Westminster, and the revelation of the ‘4 for Wales, 4 for Scotland’ agreement is a strong signal of the Celtic block working together to ensure that the Nations get a fair deal.

The short term the effect of a hung Parliament will be beneficial for Wales. Currently the Welsh budget is pencilled in as being slashed as the Government attempts to tackle the colossal debt it faces. With Plaid protecting Welsh interests in London this extremely damaging step to Welsh communities, to our public services and to the economy as a whole can be avoided. The need to gain our support on crucial issues will give us greater leverage in securing fairer policies across the board and more importantly will ease the process of devolving powers until the referendum on Part IV powers is held.

In addition to these benefits I believe that the long term effects of a hung parliament in 2010 will be profound. The British political landscape will move from the current two-party to a multi-party system, ensuring that Plaid’s increasing success in Assembly elections can be transferred to results at the General Election. Voting for Plaid has long been seen as a wasted vote in Westminster, but this is no longer true. Plaid will be able to protect Welsh interests, further Welsh policies and, most importantly, will answer to only one master; the electorate of Wales. As a coalition government is looking unlikely each vote in the Commons will be a hard fought battle (or preferably a well negotiated agreement) which is certain to lead to beneficial concessions for the Celtic-block. With every MPs vote pivotal the days of forcing through legislation contrary to Welsh interests are gone and a new era of political bargaining awaits us.

A hung Parliament is also likely to strain the relations between the Parliamentary parties and their Assembly counterparts, meaning that a vote for Plaid really will be a vote for the best interests of Wales. Even with Labours’ majority over the last 12 years the Scottish and Welsh MP’s were constantly drafted in to ensure government success; with a hung parliament this will be of even greater importance. Therefore having MP’s who represent our interests, our opinions and our concerns will have a greater effect than ever. Making sure that the Welsh MPs are there to represent us, and not to boost whatever majority the Government will have, can only be ensured by voting for Plaid.

The final effect of a hung parliament will be on our electoral system. There has been much debate about the out-dated and unfair system of ‘First Past the Post’ currently used, and the use of PR in the devolved administrations has further fuelled the debate. With Labour and the Tories having lost their monopoly of power, now must be the time that this electoral revolution takes place. It’s likely that within a decade, which is likely to see two more hung parliaments, the people and the politicians will realise that a move to PR is the correct decision in the interest of democracy. Its result for Wales; fairer funding, enhanced governance and a greater voice for Welsh interests with Plaid leading the charge.

Owain Rhys James
Cymru X Polisi and Campaigns Officer

Finally; some good news for Cider-lovers and civil liberties campaigners alike this week as the government announced rise in duty for Cider and the Orwellian Digital Economy Bill had fallen by the wayside.

Magners [other brands are available] and web browsing free from the cyber-police for all this summer.

New Kids ar y bloc/ New Kids on the block?

2010-04-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

***Please scroll down for the English Version***

Wel, ma’r etholiad wedi cael ei alw, a heb phoeni gormod am amser, allan oeddwn i ar y stryd yn taflenni yng Nghwm Gwendraeth ar y diwrnod cyntaf. Ond beth odd yn ddiddorol tra yn siarad gyda cymydog i fyny’r lon oedd hyn,

“Wel Duw, ti bach yn ifanc i fod allan gyda’r lecsiwn? New kids ar y bloc ife?” yn sarcastig.

A wnaeth hyn i fi feddwl, ynghyd a blog gwych Dominic Hannigan ar Wales Home heddiw, odi hyn yn golygu, yn 23 oed, fy mod i yn rhy ifanc i fod yn rhan o’r broses ddemocratiaeth yn y wlad yma? Neu odi gwleidyddiaeth wedi cyrraedd y pwynt hynny lle os nad ydw i’n ddyn hanner cant oed mewn siwt, ni fyddai’n edrych fel wleidyddwr?

Yr hyn sydd yn bwysig am unrhyw ymgeisydd eithrio oed, rhyw, credodau, anableddau neu chefnidr ethnig yw y gallu i gynrhychioli pobl, ac mae hyn yn wir mewn unrhyw maes pinnau Etholiad Cyffredinol, undebau myfyrwyr neu fel llywodraethwr mewn ysgol neu choleg. Dwi’n cofio cael ebost ychydig o fisoedd yn ol gan Undeb Myfyrwyr yn Lloegr rhywle, yn gofyn os oedd unrhyw undeb wedi gosod rheolau ar ei etholiadau sabathol a oedd yn sicrhau fod gan y person etholedig radd cyn cymryd y swydd etholedig. Eto, yr ymateb oedd “peidiwch a fod yn ddwl, y gallu i gynrychioli yw’r hyn sydd yn gwneud yr ymgeisydd yn gymwys”.

Dwi wir yn poeni am hyn, gan fod yna gymaint o dalent ifanc o fewn Cymru, nid yn unig gyda Phlaid Cymru, ond gyda’r partion eraill a chyfundrefnau eraill hefyd. Y peth gwaethaf fyddai fod pobl ifanc yn cael ei troi i ffwrdd o wleidyddiaeth gan ymagweddau tebyg i hyn. Mae’n bwysig yng Nghymru i adeiladu ar, yn fy marn i, traddodiad newydd o gael phobl ifanc i fewn i wleidyddiaeth. Dwi ddim yn disgwyl a bydd y Cynulliad yn Mai 2011 yn llawn pobl yn oed i, ond mae’n bwysig cael y cytbwysedd o wahanol phrofiadau i sicrhau fod pawb yn cael ei llais wedi clywed.

Yn ol ymchwil gan y Joseph Rowntree Foundation yn 2007, y brif rhesymau dros pobl ifanc ddim yn ymgysylltu a gwleidyddiaeth oedd ei bod nhw’n ei weld yn ddiflas, nid oedd unrhyw wleidydd yn apelio iddynt ac roedd polisiau’r brif partion yn Llundain ddim wedi anelu at bobl ifanc o gwbl (ar wahan i bolisi y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ar ffioedd ychwanegol, a gafodd ei scrapio mewn tro)! Ynghyd ag hyn, pryd mae gwleidyddion yn ymgysylltu ag myfyrwyr mewn ardaloedd prifysgol, fel gwelir gan y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yn Abertawe, Aberystwyth a Chaerdydd Canolog, mae pobl ifanc yn ido am wleidyddiaeth- a mae nhw’n GALLU gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr yn y sbectrwm wleidyddol mewn ardaloedd lleol. Mae ymgyrch diweddar Undeb Cenedlaethol y Myfyrwyr ar bleidleisio dros myfyrwyr wedi cael effaith mawr, gyda phrif neges yr ymgyrch i gael myfyrwyr i lobio eich ymgeiswyr lleol i bleidleisio yn erbyn codiad mewn ffioedd ychwanegol mewn prifysgolion, ac ar hyn o bryd mae wedi gweithio!

Yn y Cynulliad, mae gennym ni Nerys Evans AC a Bethan Jenkins AC, ac fel ymgeiswyr yn yr Etholiad Cyffredinol ma gennym ni o Blaid Cymru, Caryl Wyn Jones, ac o’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Matt Smith a Dominic Hannigan, sydd yn wych! Mae hyn yn gyfle, nid yn unig i Gymru X, ond i bob barti yng Nghymru i ymgysylltu a phobl ifanc yn rhan o’r broses ddemocratol.

I gloi, beth wedes i mewn ymateb i’r cymydog busneslyd?

“We are the kids, but we are also the future, be prepared Mrs Davies”

Lleu Williams, Pwyllgor Gwaith Cymru X

Well, the election has been called, and without wasting any time, I was out on the doorstep leafletting in the Gwendraeth Valley on the first day with no hesitation. But what was interesting was the comment whilst speaking with my neighbour further up the lane,

“Good God, your a bit young to be out with this election aren’t you? New kids on the block is it?” she notes sarcastically.

And this got me thinking, alongside Dominic Hannigan’s amazing blog on Wales Home, does this mean, that at 23 years old, I am too young to be part of the democratic process in this country? Or has politics reached that stage that unless I am a middle aged man in a suit, I won’t look like a politician?

What’s important about any candidate regardless of their age, sex, beliefs, disabilities or ethnicity is their ability to represent people, and this is true within any field be it General Election, Students’ Unions or as a governor within a college or school. I remember receiving an email a few months ago from a Students’ Union in England somewhere, asking that if any union had placed any rules in their sabbatical elections that ensured tha the elected officer had a degree before taking office. Again, the response was “don’t be stupid, it’s the ability to represent is what makes the candidate competent.”

I really do worry about this, because there is so much talent within Wales, not only within Plaid Cymru, but with other parties and organisations as well. The worst thing would be if young people were turned off by politics because of such attitudes that exist. It’s important that Wales, in my view, builds upon this new tradition of getting young people into politics. I don’t expect that the Assembly in May 2011 will be full of people my age, but it’s important to get the balance of different experiences to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

According to research conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2007, the main reasons young people didn’t engage with politics was because they saw that it was boring, politicians didn’t appeal to them and that the policies of the main parties in London weren’t aimed at young people at all (apart from the Lib Dems policy on top up fees, which in turn was scrapped)! In addition to this, when politicians engage with students in university areas, as can be seen by the Lib Dems in Swansea, Aberystwyth and Cardiff Central, young people do care about politics- and they CAN make a difference to the political spectrum in local areas. The recent campaign by NUS on vote for students has had a massive impact, with the main message of the campaign focusing on students to lobby their PPC’s to pledge voting against further fees in universities, and its working!

In the Assembly, we have Nerys Evans AM and Bethan Jenkins AM, and as PPC’s in this year’s General Election from Plaid Cymru, we have Caryl Wyn Jones, and from the Lib Dems Matt Smith and Dominic Hannigan, which is fantastic! This is an opportunity, not only for Cymru X, but for every party in Wales to engage with young people as part of the democratic process.

To finish, what was my response to the nosey neighbour?

“We are the kids, but we are also the future, be prepared Mrs Davies”

Lleu Williams, Cymru X National Executive

Dydd Gweithredu Aberconwy / Aberconwy Action Day

2010-04-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mae Cymru X, Plaid Cymru Ifanc, yn mynd i ymgyrchu ar strydoedd Aberconwyi sicrhau bod yna lais cryf i'r Blaid yn San Steffan yn ymladd dros Gymru.

Rydym ni angen eich cymorth i ddosbarthu taflenni a chanfasio er mwyn gwneud yn siwr bod Plaid Cymru yn ennill y sedd.

Dydy hi erioed wedi bod gyn bwysiced i sicrhau bod gan Gymru lais cryf yn San Steffan, felly ymunwch a Chymru X, eich mudiad ieuenctid chi, a gwnewch eich rhan.

Anfonwch ebost at postcymrux@googlemail.com neu edrychwch yma am ragor o fanylion.

Cymru X, Young Plaid Cymru, is hitting the streets of Aberconwy to make sure another Plaid voice is in Westminster fighting for Wales.

We need your help to deliver leaflets and canvass support to make sure Wales wins the seat.

It has never been more important to make sure Wales has strong voices in Westminster so get involved with Cymru X, your youth movement, and do your bit.

Drop us an email at postcymrux@googlemail.com for more details or check here for more details.

Gwersi o Catalunya / Lessons from Catalunya

2010-03-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

Gan Emyr Gruffydd, Caerffili
Scroll down for english version

Fel myfyriwr ieithoedd sydd a diddordeb arbennig mewn ieithoedd lleiafrifol a gwledydd bychain eraill Ewrop, afraid dweud bod treulio wythnos yng Nghatalonia (neu Catalunya) yn ddiweddar wedi bod yn brofiad hynod ddiddorol. Trueni fodd bynnag oedd gorfod dychwelyd i dywydd gwlyb ag oer Cymru! Penderfynais dreulio dau ddiwrnod yn nhre Girona yng Ngogledd Catalonia cyn mynd ymlaen i Barcelona, prifddinas Catalunya. Afraid dweud bod y profiad wedi dylanwadu arnaf yn gryf, gan fod yna gymaint o wersi i Gymru ac i ni fel Plaid ddysgu oddi wrth y genedl ddiddorol hon.

Mae edrych ar system wleidyddol a pholisiau'r 'Generalitat', sef llywodraeth Catalonia, yn hynod ddiddorol. Efallai mai'r peth mwyaf trawiadol ynglyn â'r wlad yw ei pholisi ieithyddol, sy'n gorfodi pob busnes i ddefnyddio'r iaith Gatalaneg. Mae hyn yn gwneud yr iaith yn hynod weledol, hyd yn oed mewn dinas mawr gosmopolitaidd fel Barcelona. Y Gatalaneg sy'n cael blaenoriaeth ar bob arwydd ac ym mhob sefydliad cyhoeddus, yn enwedig mewn ysgolion lle ni addysgir yr un plentyn trwy gyfrwng 'Castellano', yr iaith Sbaeneg, bellach. Mae pob un cyngor lleol, prifysgol a sefydliad llywodraethol yn gweithio trwy gyfrwng y Gatalaneg. Canlyniad y polisiau radical hyn a osodwyd gan y 'Generalitat' wedi blynyddoedd o orthrwm gan Franco yw bod Catalaneg wedi dod yn iaith feunyddiol i bron i 64% o boblogaeth y wlad, yn ogystal a chael statws swyddogol yn Valencià a'r Illes Balears (Ynysoedd y Baleares.) Hyfryd oedd clywed yr iaith yn cael ei siarad gan y mwyafrif helaeth ar strydoedd Girona yn y gogledd.

Dywed nifer ei fod wedi bod yn weddol hawdd i'r Gatalaneg gael ei normaleiddio fel prif iaith y wlad gan ei bod yn debycach i'r Sbaeneg na'r iaith Fasceg, er enghraifft, sydd â chanran llai o siaradwyr. Fodd bynnag, yn dilyn cynllun radical diweddar gan lywodraeth Gwlad y Basg, fe fydd 55% o blant y wlad yn cael ei haddysg trwy gyfrwng y Fasceg yn unig ymhen ychydig o flynyddoedd, a 75% yn derbyn ei haddysg yn ddwyieithog. Dyma ddangos taw polisiau cryf sydd wrth wraidd adfywiad ieithoedd lleiafrifol.

Pam felly nad ydym ni yng Nghymru yn manteisio ar y cyfle i normaleiddio'r Gymraeg yn ein cymunedau Cymraeg? Dyliai'r Gymraeg gael priod le ar bob arwydd yn yr ardaloedd hynny lle mae dros 50% o'r boblogaeth yn siarad yr iaith, a'i wneud yn iaith weinyddol i bob busnes, boed lleol neu rhyngwladol, yn yr ardaloedd Cymraeg eu hiaith - a bod POB plentyn yn derbyn addysg cwbl Gymraeg yn yr ardaloedd hynny. Mae'n hollbwysig hefyd bod plant yn yr ardaloedd llai Cymraeg eu hiaith yn cael y cyfle i astudio trwy gyfrwng yr iaith (yn enwedig gyda'r cynlluniau dadleuol diweddar i leihau darpariaeth Gymraeg i ddisgyblion y chweched yn Rhondda Cynon Tâf). Dyliai fod pob cyngor yn yr ardaloedd Cymraeg, fel Ceredigion, Môn, Conwy a Chaerfyrddin yn dilyn esiampl cyngor Gwynedd gan osod y Gymraeg fel eu prif iaith gweinyddol. Os ydy hi'n bosib yng Nghatalonia - mae'n bosib yma hefyd!

Un elfen arall o'r wlad a fy nharodd yn arbennig oedd y galwad cryf am anibynniaeth. Wrth siarad a nifer o bobl ifanc yng Catalonia, roeddent ar dân eisiau hunan reolaeth i'w cenedl eu hunain. Mae'r 'Generalitat' ar y funud yn bwerus (hyd yn oed yn fwy na llywodraeth yr Alban) a'r cam nesaf, yn naturiol, byddai anibynniaeth. Mae'n destun sgwrs beunyddiol ar y strydoedd, yn y papurau newydd ac yn enwedig yn y genhedlaeth ifanc. Mae polau piniwn diweddar yn dangos fod dros 40% o Gatalanwyr yn cefnogi anibynniaeth - ac roedd refferendwm anghyfreithlon diweddar ar anibynniaeth yn dangos cefnogaeth gref i'r syniad.

Yng Nghymru, rydym wrth gwrs yn canolbwyntio ar gael mwy o bwerau i'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, a da o beth yw hynny. Fodd bynnag, byddai'r pwerau newydd yn dal yn chwerthynllyd gan eu cymharu a grym llywodraeth yr Alban a hyd yn oed yn fwy trwy eu cymharu a phwerau'r 'Generalitat'. Pam felly taw dim ond 14% o boblogaeth Cymru sy'n cefnogi anibynniaeth, i gymharu a rhyw 30% yn yr Alban a 40% yng Nghatalonia? Yn fy marn i, nid yw anibynniaeth erioed wedi bod yn destun trafod difrifol i fwyafrif y Cymry. Nid yw'n cael sylw priodol mewn papurau fel y Western Mail, y Daily Post ac ar raglenni teledu gwleidyddol. Fodd bynnag, mae llawer o'r bai arnom ni fel Plaid am guddio ein dyheuadau am Gymru rydd, annibynnol. Rhaid i ni, fel yr SNP a'r ERC (Plaid adain chwith sy'n cefnogi anibynniaeth yng Nghatalonia) ddechrau trafod y posibiliadau ynglyn ag anibynniaeth, gan ei wneud yn destun trafod ym mhob tafarn, eglwys a siop leol yn y wlad. A fel adain ieuenctid ein Plaid Genedlaethol, NI ddyliai fod yn dechrau yn yr ymgyrch - gan ysbydoli'r genhedlaeth ifanc i feddwl o'r newydd am y posibiliadau cyffrous o Gymru annibynnol llewyrchus.

Cymru Rydd / Visca Catalunya Lliure!

I don't know what this translation is like, but I've given it a go!

As a languages student with special interest in minority languages and the small nations of Europe, I must say that spending some time in Catalonia (or Catalunya) recently was an interesting experience. It's a shame however that I had to come back to the cold and the rain here in Wales! I decided to take two days to explore the town of Girona in North Catalonia, before going on to the capital of the country, Barcelona. Needless to say that the experience has had a huge influence on me, as there are so many lessons we can learn in Wales and as a party from this interesting nation.

Looking at the political system and the 'Generalitat' (the Catalan government)'s policies is quite interesting. Perhaps the most striking thing about this small nation is its linguistic policy, which obliges each and every business, be it a local one or an international one, to use the Catalan language. This makes the language very visible, even in a highly cosmopolitan city such as Barcelona. Catalan is given priority on every sign and in every public institution, especially in schools where every single child is taught through the medium of Catalan. Each local council, university and governemental institution works through the medium of Catalan - and many of them in Catalan only. As a result of these radical policies implemented by the Generalitat after years of linguistic opression by Franco, almost 64% of the Catalan population uses Catalan as their main, daily language, as well as being spoken by over a million more in Valencià and the Illes Balears (The Balearic Islands). It was inspiring to hear the vast majority using the language on the streets, especailly in Girona in the north.

Many believe that it has been easy for Catalan to be normalised as the main language of Catalonia due to its similarity to Castillian Spanish, whereas in the Basque Country, where the percentage of speakers is lower, it has been harder due to the lingustic difference between the two languages. However, following a radical plan by the Basque Government, close to 55% of children will be educated solely through Basque in the space of a few years and 75% will be receiving a bilingual education. This shows that strong policies are the key to succesful language revitalisation.

Why are we in Wales therefore not ready to take the bull by the horns and really make a go of language normalization in our Welsh speaking communities? Welsh should have priority on each and every sign in those communities where more than half the population speaks Welsh, and make it the administrative language of every business, be it local or international - and make sure that ALL children in the Welsh speaking West receive an education solely through the medium of Welsh. It's also important that children in the less Welsh speaking areas in the South East have a full opportunity to study through the medium of the language (especially with the recent controversial plans to downgrade Welsh medium provision in the sixth forms of Rhondda Cynon Taf). Every council in the Welsh speaking areas, such as Ceredigion, Môn, Conwy and Caerfyrddin must follow Cyngor Gwynedd's example and make Welsh their main administrative language. If it's possible in Catalonia - It's possible here as well!

Another thing that especially struck me about Catalonia was the strong call for independence. Speaking to many young people in Catalonia, it was obvious that they were passionate for self rule for Catalonia. At the moment, the 'Generalitat' is very powerful (even more powerful that the Scottish Parliament), so naturally the next step would be independence. It's a daily topic of conversation on the streets, in the newspapers and especially within the younger generation. Recent polls show that 40% of Catalans support independence - and an illegal referendum recently held on the subject showed strong support for it.

At present in Wales, we are concentrating on getting more powers for the National Assembly, which is of course a good thing. However, the new powers would still be incredibly weak compared to the powers of the Scottish Parliament, and even more so compared to those of the Generalitat. Why therefore is it that only 14% of the Welsh people support independence, whereas 30% do so in Scotland and over 40% in Catalonia? In my opinion, independence has never really been a serious topic of conversation for many Welsh people. It doesn't get the same coverage in the Western Mail, the Daily Post and on political TV programmes as other issues. However, a lot of the blame rests with us as a political party for hiding our desire for a free, independent Wales. Like the SNP and the ERC (A leftist, independentist Catalan political party), we must really begin to talk about independence and the opportunities it would bring, by making it a topic of conversation in ever pub, church and local shop in the country. And as the youth wing of our national party, it is US that should start the campaign for self rule by inspiring the younger generation to think of the exciting opportunities that an independent and flourishing Wales would bring.

Cymru Rydd/ Visca Catalunya Lliure

Tory's defect to support independence (apparently)

2010-03-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

By Luke James
Cymru X Chair

A new entry into the Cymru X, not so, Concise Dictionary of Welsh Nationalism today…

Internal Enlargement: a nice and fluffy phrase for independence for all the nations of Europe who want it.

I was in Venice on Friday for the conference of the European Free Alliance Youth, the European wide political party that we are in with other nationalist and regionalist parties.

A chat in one of coffee breaks came onto the phrase ‘internal enlargement’ and how it might be a useful way to put across the idea of nations, like Wales, becoming an independent state within the European Union.

A European Free Alliance conference on independence later in the year might add some more meat to this strategies bone.

It’s not a strategy I have a problem with; after all selling your ideas is half the battle. Maybe if the Liberal Democrats tried it they wouldn’t have to moan so much about other people stealing and repacking their ideas.

I know the people that are developing these ideas are firm believers in Welsh independence and that is why we are staging a conference on independence.

However I am wary that pursuing a strategy where we introduce terms like ‘internal enlargement’ sounds similar to a time when we pursued the ‘Europe of regions’ strategy.

Under the Europe of the Regions plan Wales would be part of an EU that was governed by a patchwork quilt of autonomous regions.

Dafydd Elis-Thomas appears a fan of this approach; John Osmond quotes the Llywydd in his chapter of Breaking Up Britain, Four Nations After a Union.

Elis Thomas writes: “The one thing I regret as leader of Plaid Cymru, is that my own party doesn’t seem to have understood the issues raised by devolution in the same way that other parties have done.

“Plaid Cymru has not adjusted to devolution because you have this improbable allegiance of some people to something called Welsh independence.

“Not since the seventh century was this ever a real political project.”

Thankfully since 2004 Plaid Cymru’s leadership has maintained the position that our parties long term vision is for an independent Wales within the European Union, and I don’t think that statement is contradictory.

I think I speak for most of Cymru X when I say we are not interested in arguing for our countries status as a region or motivated to hit the pavements dropping leaflets and canvassing by the vision of Wales as part of a ‘federal UK’.

We want equality, because that’s when, to quote Breaking Up Britain further, good neighbours become good friends.

But ‘internal enlargement’ could well be an asset to our arsenal.

And by coincidence I was scrolling through the Conservatives European manifesto from 2009 when I came across the section entitled “Support Further Englargement of the EU.”

Which stated: “We have long championed the enlargement of the European Union because we believe that EU membership or its prospect has been crucial in firmly establishing democracy across the continent.

“ The economic benefits are also profound: trade between the UK and the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004 increased by almost 400 per cent between 1992 and 2005, ten times the rate of growth in trade between the UK and the rest of the world. Our MEPs will support the further enlargement of the EU, including to the Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, Georgia and the countries of the Balkans, if they wish to achieve EU membership, however distant that prospect may be in some cases.”

So it seems whilst there have been notable defections to the Tory’s recently, the Tory’s have made a defection of their own, to supporting internal enlargement and Welsh independence.

Right on comrades!

Students' Union Elections not spectator sport for Cymru X

2010-03-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

by Luke James
Cymru X Chair

Since I became involved in Cymru X in 2008 I have been in a handful of members of the Cymru X executive to stand in any students' union elections.

Last year at Swansea University I was encouraged by a Labour student to stand as a part time officer and was duly elected General Secretary.

I've also been successful in the National Union of Students' (NUS) UK conference delegates’ elections and last week was elected to serve as full time Education Officer for the next academic year.

But for the records I missed out in the NUS Wales delegates’ elections, so it wasn't all good times.

And I would stress that I have fought these elections, not as a Cymru X or Plaid Cymru candidate, but independently and with only our union members’ interests in mind.

But the point is, if it wasn't for the encouragement of a Labour student, who comes from an organisation where to fight for the top positions in every students' union is a minimum requirement, I might not have thought about standing.

If you ask me, for a youth movement of the second largest political party in the country with the talented people we have within our ranks, our record on contesting students’ union elections is embarrassing.

That’s why starting with this years students’ unions executive elections we will be encouraging our members to stand for positions in their unions, independently and to serve their members, but with the values and passion they bring to Plaid Cymru and with the support of Cymru X.

And to those people who dismiss student politics – students’ unions represent a huge amount of people and uphold the right to education amongst other things.

And from a Plaid perspective if you want to see a generation of trained and motivated activists ready to take on our opponents in the battle of ideas, door to door - then this is the place to start.

Dros Gymru!

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus!

2010-03-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

Pob bendith ar Ddydd Gwyl Dewi!
Every Blessing for St. David's Day!

True Doublethink

2010-02-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days in the Welsh media we have been treated to a fresh round of debate around the question of the probable forthcoming referendum, and the question of transferring primary law making power (over the 20 “Fields” that are devolved to us) from London to Wales. Once again the No campaign has been making its case for continuing with the status quo.

But this No campaign has chosen what I think is an interesting and telling name for itself to act under. True Wales it calls itself, in true Orwellian fashion, and immediately claims the monopoly of truth in the argument. Any of us who stand on the other side of the debate must be lying, or maybe we are simply mistaken in our view of what Wales is, what it is that makes this nation, maybe if we are a nation at all.

It seems to be the intent of their campaign to blur the edges of this argument until we all forget what we are supposed to be talking about. Those of us who would take part in a Yes campaign, such as myself would do well to keep our eyes on the ball. True Wales have in Rachel Banner (their main spokesperson) an articulate lady, and most importantly someone who is not a politician, but also someone who doesn't seem to understand one of the main distinctions to be found in any democratic system of government. It might not be completely her fault, it is a problem that has been known about for a long time, and it is the distinction between a legislature, and an executive.

In Wales the Legislature is known as the National Assembly for Wales (or Welsh Assembly for short), and the Executive is the Welsh Assembly Government. A start in addressing this problem would be to take the word 'Assembly' out of the executives name, to make it the Welsh Government, hopefully then the distinction would be more clear. This would be a logical step if the Assembly does gain law making powers, as like in Scotland (where the executive is called the Scottish Government) the Welsh Government would be a government in the more proper sense of the word.

Rachel Banner consistently sites her own party's (she is a Labour party activist) policy decisions, and lack of success in government as a reason for not trusting the Welsh Assembly as an institution. The Western Mail mentioned this in Mondays comment section, and quite rightly, it is all too common in these times to level criticism at institutions rather than at the people and parties where it more deservedly belongs. We do not call for the downfall of democracy when governments get it wrong, we vote out the government or attempt to democratically change the nature of that democracy to give people greater say. But that does not seem to be what Rachel and her True Wales cohorts seem to be advocating.

For theirs is the argument for the devolution status quo, which implies that the devolution settlement we currently have is working just fine, which has consistently shown itself to not be true, just take the example of the problems which beset the Affordable Housing LCO. And it will inevitably appeal to the forces of reaction (thankfully a decreasing minority) who wish to see the Welsh Assembly scrapped and a return to the days of the Welsh Office and the major lack of democratic accountability that was inherent in that.

There are some things on which I agree with Rachel, for example that devolution of power should extend down as far as practically possible, but Rachel does not seem to think that a Yes vote would be a step in that direction. I also personally agree with her that we should not have computers in our national debating chamber and that the level of argument could be improved and could be far more passionate. One vote, one voice, amongst the 2.3 millions others that make up the Welsh electorate may not seem to count for much when expressed through our 60 elected representatives that sit in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. But it counts for more than 1 vote in UK general elections where many votes are wasted under the first past the post system, and where it is 1 voice amongst 45.2 million, represented by 40 members from Wales, competing with 606 members from other parts of the UK to have their ideas implemented. Such is the nature of representative democracy, and the principal of majority rule.

It becomes a problem especially if parts of that electorate consider themselves separate nations, as the Welsh, English and Scots clearly do. Autonomy is one way to deal with this, and it is my belief that when powers are given from a centralised state and spread around, power is wisely dispersed. True Wales don't agree with this, they believe that the power to make law on areas that are devolved to Wales (such as Health, Education, the Environment etc), is better kept in London. If they and their spokesperson really wanted the people of Wales' to have more of a say in their government they would be on the other side of the argument. Rachel Banner likes the idea of 'citizen juries', she doesn't like the idea of free prescriptions for all, she doesn't like the way Wales is underfunded (and will be increasingly so if her Labour party continues with the Barnett formula), all valid points of argument, but she doesn't trust the people of Wales to make decisions on such matters.

And why? What is the cause of all her fears? It seems it is 2 things, and is the staple propaganda of No campaigners ever since, and everywhere the idea of home rule has arisen. They are the thoughts of a sinister Welsh elite taking control of ever increasing power, and the prospect of Welsh independence. Who are these Welsh elite? Well, it seems that it is our elected representatives in Cardiff Bay, unlike their all caring and truthful MP equivalents who sit in the Palace of Westminster. These members of the political class have dark plans to take us headlong into poverty without letting the people of Wales have any say, or so True Wales might have us believe.

The problem for Rachel and True Wales is that they wont be able to play this card for long, it wont be long after the Yes and No campaigns are fully up and running after the general election, that some members of this same political class (mainly MP's and Lords I'd imagine) will join her side of the debate and start campaigning for a No vote. True Wales' stance as the anti-politics, people's choice will fall apart. Professor Richard Wyn Jones, director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University has made this very point. We certainly cannot do much worse with our chance in Welsh governance than UK rule did for most of the second half of the 20th century when Wales was consistently one of poorest parts of the UK, and in areas poorer than parts of eastern Europe.

Maybe Rachel Banner could stand for election to the National Assembly in 2011, and if she won she could help out with the “intellectual disagreements” that she quite rightly wants more of, she would certainly bring some passion to the Senedd. But would she after having had those passionate debates, and maybe won them, having convinced her fellow Assembly Members of the merits of her arguments and voted on creating a new law to see that principle enacted, want to jump through the various loops the LCO system now presented her with. To have another parliament amend her request out of all recognisable shape, potentially veto it, and wait years for the power to return. Would she not ask whether this was a sensible system of democracy and worth all the time and tax payers money? Would she not think that the Richard Commission which looked into this problem and advocated an Assembly with primary legislative powers, so that it was clear where power lay, was maybe the right and logical next step in making things work properly? Or would she still argue that bad government was better than giving one inch to an imagined elite that plotted the end of our Welsh civilisation.

Dan Lawrence

2010-01-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

We the People

Electoral reform is something we have heard quite a bit about in the last few months. It doesn't happen that often, and the electoral system in the UK is pretty resistant to alteration, but when it does it changes the very nature of politics in a society. At the start of the 20th century half of the population were denied the vote, it wasn't until 1918 that women received the privilege that so many today take for granted, and it wasn't until 1928 that women had that right on the same terms as men. But once they had the vote there was no going back, and quite rightly.

Since the recent Westminster expenses scandal those 2 words again inspire us. The blatant disregard shown by a number of our so called 'honourable members' towards the tax paying public has made us feel powerless. In a state where we are supposed to be free, the trust we place in those that govern on our behalf is being lost. We have always distrusted politicians, but what once seemed a rational scepticism of those who aspired political power, has become for many people an entrenched cynicism. Could electoral reform help us regain trust in our politics?

As we face the coming UK general election I wonder if the refreshing of the political elite alone will be enough to restore faith in the Britains system of governance. I doubt it will. We have a system which favours 2 parties that have governed for decades, and it shows little signs of becoming more flexible in the near future. It is at times such as these that it is important that those in power are reminded who put them there.

Britain is a democracy, and we are lucky to live under such a system. But it could be a lot better. In any democracy there should be a number of checks and balances that stop power being accumulated by any group or individual, and makes sure those that wield the power are accountable to the people of that society.

I think it is time that we refreshed not just those that govern us, but the system that governs us as well. Britain's democratic system has not kept pace with the times. It is notoriously difficult to affect major constitutional change in a country, despite politicians constant proclamations of “We need change” etc. But it can be done and it starts with us. In the modern age of the internet people are more connected than ever before, and the internet is showing a remarkable ability to connect people with shared political goals. Many campaigns exist which promote different ideas for electoral and constitutional reform and which try to get us to support their aims.

One such campaign is the POWER2010 campaign which gives people the opportunity to share their ideas on what sorts of political change is most needed in the UK. It is an interesting campaign, and shows that there is an abundance of ideas for reform. Many of them are ideas for electoral reform, such as proportional voting, fixed term parliaments and a fully elected House of Lords. Those ideas that prove most popular will go on to form the POWER2010 pledge on which their national campaign will focus at the coming election. If nothing else it is an interesting site for looking at some ideas for change that may lead the country to a better politics in the future. Currently the 5th most popular reform on the list is “English Votes for English Laws”, a proposal that could have major implications for us in Wales, some positive, some negative, and is a consequence of the unbalanced devolution settlement we have. I would recommend checking out the site and having your say on what reforms you would most like to see.

One argument that always stands against constitutional and electoral reform is that it is not the right time. The problem is it never is, there will always be problems with the health service, policing, education system etc., and quite rightly they should be the focus of our attention. But this misses the point on why we need reform, because it is fundamental to helping us deal with those problems. We don't want constitutional change for the sake of it, we want it because it is central to sorting out the problems in our health service, policing, education system etc. Most of the reforms suggested are geared at making the system more democratic, some of them probably will, some of them might make it worse. So it is important as many people consider them as possible.

I suspect the question of electoral reform may crop up quite a bit in the forthcoming UK general election campaigns, as the prospect of a very close result and a hung parliament looks like a possibility. The Lib Dems may hold the balance of power, and one of the parties so often stung by the first past the post system may see their opportunity. Even Labour seem to have remembered their old belief that everyone's votes should be equal, and have thus started talking AV Plus (although it is questionable how proportional this system is, and it has other problems as well). The single Transferable Vote is probably the most democratic and is the choice of the Electoral Reform Society, as they say “STV represents the best system available for guaranteeing choice and competition in our elections and producing government that reflects the will of the people” , but STV is not without problems. There is no easy answer, but we are going to have to decide sooner or later.

Democracy is our best if messy and imperfect hope, so if you believe in a government of the people, by the people, for the people, then it is your duty to get involved.

As a slight offshoot of what I have previously talked about I should also mention the crisis in Haiti. We are lucky in this country that we can debate issues surrounding the nature of power and good governance, and you can read this (I'd imagine for most of you) in a warm house where food is readily available. So spare a thought for those in Haiti at the moment who in the earthquake have lost their family, friends and their homes. They are a poor country that does not have the resources to cope with such a disaster and are relying on the outside world for support. Please give anything you can to the disaster appeal fund that you can find at this site:

http://www.dec.org.uk/donate_now/

Dan Lawrence

The Challenge of 2010

2010-01-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

2010 looks set to be a historic year for Wales, and the wider UK as a whole. We could well see the most important general election result for 13 years, and if we do have a change of UK Government, the biggest challenge for devolution and Wales' still young democracy in its history.

How should we respond to this change? Even Wales looks as if it may (in many parts) seek to end its long love affair with radical and liberal politics, tempted by the lure of David Cameron's 'compassionate' Conservatism. It is an affair that may prove short lived. But it is a long held myth that Wales never wanted Margaret Thatcher and her form of radical Conservatism. Many Welsh men and women believed (32.2% to be more exact), as they may well do now, that she was exactly what the country needed. A strong leader who would hack at all those weeds in our society that were stifling all the things that we actually wanted to grow. The only problem was, as it always is, that one man's weed is another man's flower.

The medicine the Tories prescribed tasted rather foul in many mouths, and we in Wales as a national community were helpless to stop it. Maybe we needed it? We had no real chance to choose. Just before the onset of 18 years of conservative rule, Wales had comprehensively rejected its first opportunity to take on a small amount of self rule. As Saunders Lewis put it in the Western mail 4 days before the 1979 devolution vote on the probable consequences of a No vote, “There will follow a general election. There may be a change of government. The first task of the Westminster Parliament will be to reduce and master inflation. In Wales, there are coal mines that work at a loss; there are steelworks that are judged to be superfluous; there are valleys convenient for submersion. And there will be no Welsh defence”. Wales would be a very different place 18 years later.

But this statement may have an air of familiarity about it, substitute 'reduce and master inflation', for 'cut the deficit', and we are on our way. The cuts will be applied differently this time though, the defence wont be of coal mines or steelworks, but of services. Valleys wont be submerged, but the will of the Welsh people might be, and this is where the Welsh defence comes in.

Where once Wales' 40 MPs held limited sway amongst the 646 Members of Parliament, and MPs with different idea's could pursue their cause without worry of a relatively small and divided Welsh voting block, that can no longer be the case. They face a rival legislature (albeit a weak one), and everything that brings. Which brings us on to the question of what now looks like a fairly certain autumn (possibly October) referendum on further powers for Wales.

We in Plaid Cymru have always had a pretty good appetite for a bit more autonomy for Wales, believing that greater self government will be an important part in creating a better society. The Liberal Democrats are also fully signed up to this next step in devolution. But what of Labour and the Conservatives. Firstly we must realise that the Welsh branches of both parties are not the same as the UK parties, whatever it might suit some people to think. After all we need all parties possible on side in the coming referendum if we hope to win it, and exploiting differences where there is none is to no-ones advantage, and so it must be with the Welsh Government. The Labour Party in London, will be busy analysing what its next moves should be if the outcome of the General election leaves them in opposition. They will be left in a situation where Wales is the only nation in the UK where Labour is still in power, an interesting scenario. The Welsh Labour party is still not an autonomous section of the UK Labour party, unlike its Scottish counterparts north of the border, who are registered as a separate party with the electoral commission. This may change rather quickly. The worst scenario for Wales and the UK would be if Labour exploited this to fight a proxy war in Wales to attack the Conservatives on a UK level.

What would this do for a yes vote in the referendum? It may seem quite appealing to some, to stir up trouble in Wales for the conservatives, in order to gain the Yes vote. But we would be forgetting that much of Wales had gone blue (if the last European elections are anything to go by), that a halo still hung loosely around David Cameron's head for many people, as normally always follows a change of government and lasts for several months. And that there are many prominent conservatives here in Wales on side, as a read of David Melding AM's book “Will Britain Survive Beyond 2020” grapples with, and Glyn Davies's (possible future MP for Montgomeryshire?) blog regularly suggests, not to mention their leader Nick Bourne who has had something of a conversion. To alienate such people, and play the “lets protect Wales from the Tories” card will I think unfortunately play into the hands of the No camp.

Instead we should campaign on why this move from Part 3 to Part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 will benefit Wales because it gives us the power to make choices on things that are devolved to us, like any other democratic country on earth. That in many ways it is a tidying up of the system of creating legislation, to make it more democratic, clear and effective. After all, after 2 referenda on the issue, the National Assembly will still not have as much power as the Scottish Parliament. So where we agree with other parties we agree, and where we disagree we disagree.

When we talk about the Welsh defence, as encapsulated in the rather dry sounding Part 4, we are talking about a defence of our ideas, our ways of doing things and the protection of a community which considers itself a nation, from UK wide majority rule. Any truly democratic state should recognise the rights of its constituent parts to autonomy.

2010 could be a defining year for devolution throughout the UK, as in Scotland the SNP Government look to hold a referendum on the issue of independence. Another factor we must consider will be the impact of either a Yes or a No in that referendum. We must be clear that what we are voting on in Wales is a very different proposition, a relative tinkering of the constitution compared to the Scottish question.

People naturally tend to prefer the status quo, and the job of the Yes campaign will be to argue that a change is good and necessary. It should be the easier argument to make, as the defence of the status quo in this situation seems to me (as well as the Richard Commission and The All Wales Convention), to be a defence of the ineffective and undemocratic.

This year appears to be beginning with a relatively optimistic feel for a change, as we finally come out of recession and the chance to have our say on the UK Governments performance nears. As the political pendulum takes its next swing, we cant afford to let that optimism blind us to the hard work ahead for this party and all those of us who hope to end the year with the endorsement of the Welsh people for a National Assembly with Primary Legislative powers.

Dan Lawrence

Ar aflwyddiant Copenhagen . . .

2010-01-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ysgrifenna Cerith Rhys Jones, a oedd yn Hyrwyddwr Newid Hinsawdd dros Gymru y llynedd, ac sydd bellach yn Swyddog Ieuenctid ar Bwyllgor Etholaeth Plaid Cymru yn Nwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr:

"Fisoedd cyn i mi hyd yn oed ddechrau pacio’r bagiau i fynd draw i Gopenhagen, buon ni i gyd yn pregethu mai dyma’n cyfle olaf i ddodi cytundeb deg, uchelgeisiol a rhwymedïol yn ei le, ac i achub y Ddaear a Dynolryw. Mae’r gwyddoniaeth yn glir – rhaid i ni ddodi’r fath gytundeb mewn lle yn fuan, ac rhaid i ni leihau’n hallyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr yn eithriadol erbyn 2020. Cyn i mi deithio draw at brifddinas Denmarc, ‘roeddwn i’n sicr yr oeddem yn gadarn ar y ffordd i gyrraedd y gytundeb erbyn yr amser i’r Arlywydd Obama gyrraedd, ac y byddai Copenhagen wedi ei droi’n Hopenhagen. Ond na, erbyn diwedd y gynhadledd, amlwg oedd hi mae Nopenhagen oedd y gynhadledd wedi troi i fewn i. Doedd yna ddim gytundeb rhyngwladol o werth, dim targedau lleihau allyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr, dim ymrwymiad ynghylch cymorth cyllidebol, a dim ffordd glir ymlaen ynghylch rhannu technoleg. Dim yw dim. Pam? Efallai mai’r diffyg o ewyllus gwleidyddol i gyrraedd cyntundeb oedd i fai? Neu hyd yn oed rhai cenhedloedd yn ceisio twyllo eraill allan o gytundeb? Pwy a ŵyr? ond un pheth sy’n sicr yw hollbwysigrwydd cyrraedd cytundeb erbyn dechrau 2011.

Braint oedd cael fy newis i gynrychioli ieuenctid Cymru yn y gynhadledd – rôl pwysig iawn, yn fy marn i, am ddau rheswm: a) ein cenhedlaeth ni fydd yn dioddef gwaethaf o’r newid yn yr hinsawdd pan mai nyni fydd yr oedolion, a b) Cymry ydym ni, ac mae gennym ni’r gallu i fod yn arweinwyr y byd yn nhermau taclo’r argyfwng hinsawdd. Rhagorfraint hefyd oedd gweithio’r llynedd fel Hyrwyddwr Newid Hinsawdd dros Gymru; ‘rydw i nawr allan o’r swydd ac mai’r Hyrwyddwyr newydd yn aros i gael eu cyflwyno a’u hurddo’n swyddogol gan Weinidog yr Amgylchedd. Fy mhwrpas i yng Nghopenhagen oedd i gynrychioli ieuenctid Cymru ac i wneud y gynhadledd yn berthnasol i’r Cymry.

Siom mawr i mi oedd gweld cyn lleied o drefn ar y gynhadledd – pan oeddwn i fewn yng Nghanolfan Bella, ‘roedd e’i weld fel pe tae nifer helaeth o bobl yn sefyll o gwmpas yn gwneud dim, neu eu bod ar eu cluniaduron yn hytrach na fynd ymlaen â’r gwaith o hybu ymwybyddiaeth ynghylch yr agenda pwysig hwn ac yn gweithio tuag at gytundeb llwyddianus. Wrth gwrs, ‘dw i ddim am un funud yn tynnu i ffwrdd o’r ffaith fod cyfryngau newydd yn annatod o’r cwmpawd gwleidyddol modern, ond mewn cynhadledd mor enfawr â Chopenhagen, onid cyrraedd cytundeb deg, uchelgeisiol a chyfreithlon rhwymedïol yw’r flaenoriaeth i bawb?

Felly beth am yr “Unfrydedd Copenhagen”? Llwyddiant? Ddim o bell ffordd! Am un pheth, dyw e ddim yn deg. Medd Cadeirydd y G77 mai sicrhau sicrwydd cyllidebol cyn lleied o genhedloedd fyddai’r unfrydedd ac yn bwysicach oll, yn fy marn i, dydy’r unfrydedd ddim yn dangos clirdeb ar gymorth cyllidol; nid yw’n dweud o le fyddai arian yn dod o, nid yw’n dweud faint byddai pob gwlad datblygedig yn cyfrannu, na chwaith ydyw’n dweud faint byddai pob gwlad datblygol yn derbyn. Does dim arweiniad go iawn ynddo ynghylch dyfodol unrhyw Gronfa Hinsawdd Fyd-Eang. Yn yr un modd, dyw e ddim yn uchelgeisiol. Nid yw’n gosod ei hun fel olynydd i Gytundeb Kyoto, nac ydyw’n gosod targedau ynghylch lleihau allyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr, heb son am rai cyfreithlon rhwymedïol, ac sy’n dilyn y wyddoniaeth difloesg ar yr agenda hwn. Nid oes cyfarwyddyd yn y ddogfen ynghylch rhannu technoleg newydd, ac y mae’n gyfan gwbl yn anghofio lliniaru sectoraidd, sydd wrth gwrs yn allweddol wrth i ni ymgymryd â thaclo’r newid yn yr hinsawdd! Afraid yw dweud: nid yw’r unfrydedd hwn yn rhwymedïol. Nid gytundeb ydyw, ac fe’i ddraftwyd gan ddim ond 5 cenedl o’r 193 oedd yn y gynhadledd; yn ychwanegol at hyn, dim ond nodi’r unfrydedd wnaeth y dirprwyon eraill i gyd, yn hytrach na’i fabwysiadu’n swyddogol. Aflwyddiant llwyr, felly.

Felly lle’r ymlaen o fan’ma? Er lles y Blaned hon, mae’n rhaid i ni gyrraedd dêl yng Nghynhadledd nesaf y Partïon. Rhaid i Gynhadledd Mecsico yn hwyrach elenni rhoi gytundeb i ni, neu’n ddiau, mi fyddwn yn rhedeg allan o amser i gymryd camau effeithiol er mwyn atal unrhyw newid pellach y nein hinsawdd. Beth allwn ni yng Nghymru ei wneud? Wel, mae’n rhaid i ni sicrhau ein bod ni’n parhau i newidd y ffordd yr ydym yn byw er mwyn lleihau ôl-troed carbon ein gwlad, ac mae’n rhaid i ni barhau i lobïo’n harweinwyr – yng Nghaerdydd, Llundain a Brwsel – i gofio fod ganddynt hwy ddyletswydd nid yn unig i’w hunain ac i’w gilydd, and i’n disgynyddion hefyd. Nid yw’r penderfyniadau cywir yn hawdd na’n boblogaidd ond mae’n rhaid dangos arweiniaeth ac uchelfryd er mwyn gwneud cyfiawnder i ni ac i genedlaethau’r dyfodol.

Gan orffen, rhaid nodi mai nid methiant llwyr oedd Copenhagen. Mi ddaeth ef â 193 o wledydd at eu gilydd – aflwyddiant ai pheidio – a chyrhaeddwyd unfrydedd, o leiaf. Cofiwch, nid llwyddiant oedd y Gynhadledd. Mae gennym llawer o waith i’w wneud, ac mae’n wir fod gennym ffordd hir iawn i’w deithio, ond gydag ewyllus gwleidyddol digonol, lobîo cryf, hyderus a phendant gan y bobl, ‘dw i’n ffyddiog y byddwn yn cyrraedd cytundeb er mwyn achub y Ddaear a’n rhywogaeth o fewn y ddeuddeng mis nesaf. Dyna yw’r hyn sydd angen; does dim cwestiwn am hynny."

Er nad yw Cerith yn ei swydd fel Hyrwyddwr bellach, croeso i chi ymweld a'i wefan o'i flwyddyn fel Hyrwyddwr, gyda gwybodaeth am yr hyn iddo wneud drwy gydol 2009, a thra yng Nghopenhagen.

A look into the future...

2010-01-08T09:42:00.001-08:00

by Luke James
Cymru X Vice-Chair

What better time to look into the future than the new year.

Plaid Cymru's chair John Dixon posted an interesting blog post today discussing a federal UK and how it should be financed which sparked an equally educational debate over the future of Wales and Plaid Cymru.

There was some discussion afterwards about whether Plaid was making the case for independence suffieciently and whether it should spend more time on it or whether its priorities lay in trying to control the here and now.

You have to love a bit of internal debate.

It got me thinking about what the future might look like for both when I remembered Laura McAllister, who wrote Plaid Cymru: The Emergence of a Political Party, had finished her book with a her vision of what things will look like in 2020 which she reckon's is "more than just amusing speculation."

McAllister's vision reads: "Plaid Cymru's new leader (the first women ever to head the party) has started to stamp her authority. She now leads a party that has fifty-one members (MWP's) of the one hundred seat Welsh Parliament, six MPs at Westminster (from Wales reduced total of thirty two) and MEP's in both chambers of the newly reformed European Parliament.

"Plaid's rescinding of its constitutional commitment to decentralist socialism in 2010 opened the way for the establishment of a new party, the Welsh Socialist Party, which campaigns on a socialist and nationalist agenda and which has recruited disafected members from both Plaid and Labour. It now has seven MWPs.

"The party is no longer associated exclusively with Welsh-speaking Wales (indeed, recent election results suggest that Labour has now taken on that mantle).

"Perhaps the key issue now is whether Plaid Cymru will be able to once again reinvent itself given its historic objective of Welsh self-government has been achieved."

Those are some choice cuts from McAllisters predictions, some seem more likely than others, but one thing is for sure as a party in power there will be plenty of internal debates and decisions taken which could lead the party to become less radical.

However I certainly disagree with McAllister on one point, Plaid Cymru's historic objective is not to see a Welsh Parliament within a federal UK.

As John Dixon said in the comments following his blog post sometimes Plaid is accused of looking too far into the future and concentrating too much on independence and all the decisions that would come with. Other times Plaid is accused of not making a case for independence and shying away from it.

The party has a tough balancing act trying to make a success of being a party in government and also trying to lead Wales to independence.

In Cymru X we call ourselves the independence generation, I think in year ahead we need to take some of the responsibility for making the case for indpendence.

2009 was a great year of renewel for us in Cymru X, in 2010 we need to up our game again and make our voice heard, in party debates and to the youth of Wales.

Swansea Mosque Meeting

2009-12-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

Luke James

Cymru X Vice Chair

Swansea University Plaid Cymru Society, a branch of Cymru X, and Muslims4Plaid joined up for a succesful meeting at Swansea University Mosque on Sunday.

Cardiff South and Penarth Westminster candidate Farida Aslam spoke on Plaid's response to the English Defence League and the illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other members of Muslims4Plaid spoke on why they joined the party.

Our message was well received and we have been invited back to speak in 2010.

Risk it for a biscuit

2009-12-14T06:30:00.001-08:00

Trying to do an essay so obviously I will do anything to get away from it.

Which led me to scout out some political betting - from which I have two observations.

News of our esteemed leader Caryl Wyn Jones selection as Westminster candidate for the Vale of Clwyd obviously has not reached Ladbrokes HQ because they still have Plaid Cymru at 100/1.

Actually they have Plaid Cymru 100/1 to win the Vale of Clowd, no idea where that is.

How about then 25/1 for Scotland to be independent by 2015?

Your relying on a Tory General Election win and the SNP spinning the hell out of it and creating a popular upsurge for independence. Might be worth a few quid.

Mind you I wouldn't take betting advice from me, I lost finances by backing Edwina Hart, a fiver to be specific, not as bad as some mind - spare a thought for poor Andrew Davies.

Luke James

Kernow resurgent

2009-12-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

By Luke James
Cymru X Vice-Chair

A tip of the hat to our brothers in Kernow who could be closing in on their own their own Carmarthenshire 1966 moment.

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Voting-MK-change/article-1561437-detail/article.html

This recent article in Western Morning News idicates a ground swell in support for Mebyon Kernow - The Party of Cornwall.

As Gwynfor Evans said in his post election speech nothing is impossible, gaining an MP for Mebyon Kernow would not set the nation free from foreign misgovernment but it would set them on there way.

Gwynfor's speech is as poignant now as it was then:

"Let us then, throughout Wales, exercise our will" and "will full nationhood for our land, if we will it this can be done."

"English government in Wales is a wretched failiure but although Wales is the worst governed nation in Europe Wales is not dead yet.

"There is life here, there is new life here - there is a new generation rising in loyalty to their land and the light we see today is not the light of a setting sun but the light of a new dawn.

"Together in the next few years it's possible for us to restore our national freedom and to set Wales once again where she should be, a free nation and a responsible member of the great community of nations in the world."

Beth ydych chi'n ei wneud Dydd Sadwrn? What are you doing Saturday?

2009-12-01T04:42:00.000-08:00

Dewch i helpu Myfanwy i greu hanes yn Llanelli.

Ymunwch gyda Myfanwy Davies, Helen Mary Jones a gweithwyr dros Gymru gyfan i ddosbarthu ein neges i 30,000 a dai yn Llanelli.

Dyma'n cyfle gorau eriod i sicrhau A.S Plaid Cymru dros Llanelli, er y bydd yn agos iawn.

Dewch Ddydd Sadwrn yma (5ed o Rhagfyr) i wneud eich rhan i ethol Myfanwy.

Cwrdd yn Swyddla Plaid Cymru Llanelli am 10yb.

Os hoffech mwy o wybodaeth a Dydd Sadwrn Taro Llanelli, peidiwch petruso rhag cysylltu. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gadawech i mi wybod eich bod yn dod.

**************

Come and help Myfanwy make history in Llanelli.

Join Myfanwy Davies, Helen Mary Jones and activists from all over Wales to deliver our message to 30,000 households across Llanelli.

The next election is our best ever chance of securing a Plaid Cymru M.P for Llanelli, but it will be a close-run contest.

Join us this Saturday (5th December) and do your bit to get Myfanwy elected.

Meet us at the Plaid Cymru office from 10am onwards.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be grateful if you would let me know if you are coming.

Cofion gorau/ Best wishes,

Natasha

Trefnydd/ Organiser - Plaid Cymru Llanelli
Ffon/ Phone: 01554 770345
Ebost: Email: natasha@myfanwydavies.org

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

2009-11-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T12:53:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-20T01:24:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-12T03:20:00.001-08:00

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

2009-10-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

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!

Victory over fascists in Swansea

2009-10-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

by Luke James, Cymru X Vice-Chair

Swansea stood united yesterday to send 60 fascist protesters packing from our streets.

Members of of the Cymru X Swansea University branch joined a peaceful demonstration in Castle Square, the heart of Swansea city centre, to stop the 'Welsh Defence League' from holding a demonstration there.

Myself and Bethan Downes (Cymru X Abertawe Secretary) centre with other Swansea students.

Demo

The fascist 'Welsh Defence League' could be seen 'mobbing up' like hooligans at a pub facing onto the square.

Despite this intimidation the Unite Against Fascism demonstation didn't move an inch and held Castle Square all day to prevent the facists from taking centre stage.

Our flag not yours! - Cymru X member shows fascists they don't speak for Wales.

When the WDL tried to move in they were opposed and the police stepped in and kept them penned outside the sheep shop opposite the square for an hour before they were marched to the trainstation and dispersed.

Whilst held in the street the fascist WDL gave Nazi salutes, chanted rule britannia and burnt an anti Nazi flag.

The counter demonstration and everyone present showed that when opposed Nazi's will get nowhere, and our streets belong to the whole community and not small minded rascists.

Rhyddid,Tegwch,Cymuned

At the demo I took along the Welsh republican tricolor and had a couple of questions about what it was about and what it stood for.

The green is for freedom, the white for equality and the red for community. Rhyddid, tegwch, cymuned.

That is what Cymru X and Plaid Cymru are all about, which is why I took the tricolor to fly alongside Y Draig Goch.

And I believe the tricolor represents our national future and the community of communities we are trying to build, our vision for a inclusive Welsh Republic.

Lighter moments

Although it was a day where passions ran high there were some very amusing moments.

Throughout the day UAF supporters had been playing bongo drums to keep up the atmosphere, this continued despite tensions rising when we faced down the fascists.

At one particuarly intense moment in the stand off when the police were moving people back, the ever indomitable Aled of Swansea Uni Gym Gym and Cymru X Abertawe turned round to a drummer and said "butt, try sticking in a counter rythem."

Which he did and to be fair it sounded a lot better.

Result

As a result of our actions yesterday the WDL have called off their Newport demonstration. You can read more about that @ http://welshramblings.blogspot.com/

Da iawn to everyone who went and stood their ground against fascism yesterday. Dal dy dir!

Cymru X Prifysgol Abertawe/Swansea University facebook group

cymruxabertawe@hotmail.com

CymruX yn Ystalyfera

2009-10-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

Cerith Rhys Jones a Jenny Ann Hopkin, Cadeirydd Gweithredol ac Is-gadeirydd Gweithredol Cangen Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera, CymruX Plaid Cymru

Ar ôl trafod sefydlu cangen CymruX Plaid yn yr ysgol ers amser gyda Phrif Weithredwraig y Blaid, y Cyng. Ddr. Gwenllian Lansdown. Wedi i ni gyfarfod â’n gilydd dros yr hâf, penderfynnom i gymryd y cam nesaf, sef cyfarfod gyda rai o gynrychiolwyr y Blaid yn Nhŷ Gwynfor. Yn y cyfarfod ‘roedd Gwenllian Lansdown, Bethan Jenkins AC, Caryl Wyn Jones (Cadeirydd Cenedlaethol CymruX) a Colin Nosworthy (ymgeisydd i’r Cynulliad dros Sir Frycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed). Trafodon sut yn union byddem yn trefnu’r cangen ac phan ailddechreuodd y flwyddyn academaidd, aethom ati i drafod hyn gyda’n cyd-fyfyrwyr yn Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera.

Datblygon gyflwyniad pwynt pŵer i’w ddangos mewn cyfarfod â’r ysgol hŷn – sef tua 300 o bobl ifainc – er mwyn hysbysebu’r gwaith ‘rydym yn gobeithio’i gyflawni ar ran y Blaid.

‘Roeddem yn falch iawn â’r croeso cawsom, yn ychwanegol at yr adborth rhoddwyd gan y myfyrwyr a gan y corff dysgu. Cawsom, hyd yn oed, gwyn allanol wedi ei wneud yn ein herbyn drwy’r Awdurdod Addysg Leol – o leia’ mae’n dangos ein bod yn generadu rhywfaint o ymateb, yn enwedig wrth y Blaid Llafur, mae’n debyg!

‘Rydym yn y broses o gasglu’n ôl ffurflenni ymaelodi â’r cangen, ac chyn gynted ag y bod hynny wedi ei wneud, byddwn yn trefnu’n cyfarfod cyntaf i weithio ar gynllun o’r hyn y bwriadwn ei gyflawni fel cangen.

Oes oes diddordeb gyda chi mewn rhoi cyflwyniad yn eich ysgol yna peidiwch petruso cysylltu gyda CymruX ar postcymrux@googlemail.com.

Fib Dems: A Policy Backtrack?

2009-09-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

CymruX Intern and Guest Blogger, Iago ap Steffan writes:

It beggers belief that the Liberal Democrats not so long ago were accusing Plaid Cymru of failing students in regards to top-fees. They were out with their flyers around Aberystwyth, where I study, stating that Plaid was going against their word and introducing student fees. Now we all know that Plaid Cymru are still against tuition fees and believe that eduction should be free at point of need. The fees that have been introduced are for better off students, while getting rid of fees altogether for poorer students; in fact giving an extra £35million to the scheme.

What amazes me is the campaign against Plaid by the Lib Dems and insisting that they would never think about introducing top-up fees in universities. Well it very much surprised me that last weekend at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth there were talks of ending their policy on scrapping tuition fees. Now we all know that the Lib Dems are not going to be in a position where they lead a national government, but at least we know what their true plans are. Plaid's aim is clear, we oppose tuition fees and will carry on fighting this issue right through to the end.

Not only have the Lib Dems are starting to talk about tuition fees, we also have the CBI stating that students should be paying at least £5,000 a year, while taking out commercial loans instead of the Student Loan and also scrapping grants. This would mean that those who come from poorer backgrounds will be denied university education and many others will be scared of leaving university with even greater debt. What is really insulting is the fact that most of the people who represent the CBI and Liberal Democrats didn't have to pay for their university tuition. CymruX will carry on fighting against students paying this expensive tax.

Pleidleisio ar annibynniaeth yn 16 oed

2009-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

A ddylai pobl ifanc 16 oed allu pleidleisio mewn refferendwm ar annibyniaeth i’r Alban? Ar ôl i Aileen Campbell MSP yrru llyhtyr i Mike Russell sef y gweinidog sy’n gyfrifol am faterion cyfansoddiadol yn llywodraeth y wlad, fe wnaeth ddatganiad o blaid gostwng oed pleileisio ar annibynniaeth i 16 oed.
Gobaith llywodraeth leiafrifol yr SNP yw cynnal refferendwm ar annibyniaeth y flwyddyn nesaf - ond fe fydd arnyn nhw angen cefnogaeth gan bleidiau eraill cyn gallu gwneud hyn.

Mae deddfwriaeth a gafodd ei basio’n gynharach eleni am alluogi pobl ifanc 16 ac 17 oed i bleidleisio mewn dau etholiad peilot ar gyfer byrddau iechyd Dumfries a Galloway a Fife.

Tynodd Aileen Campbell sylw i’r ffaith bod pobol ifanc 16 oed yn talu treth, yn gallu gwasanaethu yn y lluoedd arfog ac yn gallu priodi ac felly pam na ddylsant gael yr hawl i bleidleisio am eu dyfodol?

“They deserve the right to have their say on the future of the nation.”

Mae’r SNP yn sylweddoli pwysigrwydd gwneud yn siwr bod pobol ifanc yn ymwneud ac yn fwy na dim yn rhan o wleidyddiaeth. Mae gwleidyddiaeth yn gyffredinol yn tueddu i fod yn amherthnasol ac wedi gelyniaethu pobol ifanc. Mae’n bryd cymeryd camau cadarnhaol tuag at ail gynnwys a chysylltu pobol ifanc i’w dyfodol trwy wleidyddiaeth. Beth bynnag fydd canlyniad y refferendwm mi fydd y penderfyniad yn effeithio ar y bobol ifanc ac felly tydi hi ddim ond yn deg eu bod yn cael rhoi pleidlais.

Freshers' Week! Woop woop!

2009-09-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Mae Ffair y Glas yn digwydd yr wythnos ‘ma! Dyma’r trefniadau a chysylltiadau:

Dydd Mawrth Medi 22
Coleg y Drindod, Sir Gar
cysylltwch â Carl gyda carlharris785@btinternet.com

Dydd Mercher Medi 23
Prifysgol Caerdydd
cysylltwch â Emyr gyda ergruff@aol.com

Mercher-Iau Medi. 23-24
Prifysgol Abertawe
cysylltwch â Luke gyda ljames88@hotmail.co.uk

Mercher-Iau Medi. 23-24
Prifysgol Bangor
cysylltwch â Illtud gyda illtudjones@live.co.uk

Dydd Gwener Medi 25
Prifysgol Morgannwg
cysylltwch â Ioan gyda postcymrux@googlemail.com

Tues-Wed Sept. 29-30
Prifysgol Aberystwyth
cysylltwch â Iago gyda interncymrux@googlemail.com

Am mwy o wybodaeth am y Ffair ym Mrifysgol Glyndwr yn Wrecsam, cysylltwch â Marc gyda marcjones@phonecoop.coop.

Rydym yn gobeithio weld chi yno!

-------------

Freshers’ Fairs are happening this week! Here are the latest arrangements and contacts:

Tuesday September 22
Trinity College, Carmarthenshire
contact Carl at carlharris785@btinternet.com

Wednesday September 23
Cardiff University
contact Emyr at ergruff@aol.com

Wed-Thurs Sept. 23-24
Swansea University
contact Luke at ljames88@hotmail.co.uk

Wed-Thurs Sept. 23-24
Bangor University
contact Illtud at illtudjones@live.co.uk

Friday September 25
University of Glamorgan
contact Ioan at postcymrux@googlemail.com

Tues-Wed Sept. 29-30
Aberystwyth University
contact Iago at interncymrux@googlemail.com

For more information about the Fair in Glyndwr University in Wrexham, please contact Marc at marcjones@phonecoop.coop.

Hope to see you there!

Conference Round-up

2009-09-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Plaid's Conference has become a big talking point on the blogs, and we can thankfully report that Cymru X had a good conference as well. We are extremely grateful to Plaid's wonderful Chief Exec Gwenllian Lansdown and the Ty Gwynfor staff for supporting Cymru X and placing us at the heart of conference as always. Being given the opportunity to work with our leading politicians and to support their speeches is not something we take for granted.

Cymru X turnout was very strong with dozens of our members and supporters in attendance. We held a fringe meeting with Gwenllian as guest speaker, and talked about ideas of building our manifesto for the future. An animated discussion ensued in which the key issues for young people included affordable housing, public transport and the minimum wage. We will be asking our members to think about these issues, building upon the contents of our policy consultation document 'More Than Politics' (we distributed the first of these at conference and they look fab!).

We also had a stall throughout the weekend, linking up with several new young members who were visiting Plaid Conf for the first time. Another highlight was the 'Have I Got News for Plaid' social event which we co-hosted with Plaid Aberconwy. It's quickly becoming a legendary night and thanks to the participants, Cai Jones and Dyfan Powel for writing the script, and Cllr Steffan Wiliam for presenting.

Hopefully we are now armed with the ideas and enthusiasm we need to change Wales at the next election!

The Vile Tory Menace part 1

2009-09-09T01:36:00.000-07:00

Policy Officer Luke Nicholas writes:

Cymru X has recently gone through the process of preparing a policy document, which we will distribute across Wales and hopefully start some good debate about how young people can move this country forward. In writing the document we had to research the policies of other parties. As far as we could learn, no other youth movement in Wales has a proper manifesto or set of policies, so we are breaking ground there. But of the mainstream parties that could actually wield power, the Tories are unsurprisingly still hawking a set of divisive and elitist policies at both national and UK level. Scratch the surface and there is alot we can disagree with and that we need to expose as the likelihood of a UK Tory government draws nearer. This series of blog posts will hopefully shine a light on what is lurking beneath the veneer of Tory dynamism, as well as providing a regular moment of gratitude for even the limited devolution settlement we have right now.

The Tories are all about spin and 'modernisation' at the moment, but what of the substance? What kind of beast are we facing?

Firstly, the Tories have, like sheep, supported all of the worst excesses of the New Labour administrations at Westminster. Their one good position- scrapping ID cards, is obscured by a symbiosis with New Labour over their blatant support for both the failed conquests Afghanistan and Iraq, renewing Trident at a cost of billions, privatising chunks of the welfare system, slashing the amount of money given to the devolved administrations, promoting elitist academies, foundation hospitals, and a trimmed down public sector that won't be able to help any of our vulernable people and will struggle to actually run the government.

The Tories have consistently supported a public services agenda which prioritises 'choice' as its key aim. So if you can't afford to choose which hospital to go to you can basically get stuffed under the Tory agenda. For most people in society the most important thing about health services is that they are free at the point of use. The Tory appeal is to a smaller but influential layer of people who are able to pay to go to a different hospital than their local one, to make an unpleasant choice to avoid 'dodgy' hospitals who would, under Tory plans, be penalised rather than helped if they are not meeting standards. To top it off, nutters from the fringes of the Conservative party are currently touring the USA trying to undermine the NHS, which is actually the most popular social institution in the UK and was invented by a Welshman.

With education, they want to let (direct quote from their policy site) "charities, livery companies, existing school federations, not-for-profit trusts, co-operatives and groups of parents to set up new schools in the state sector". This is simply unacceptable. How could such organisations have the structural discipline and ethos to stick to the National Curriculum? Which 'groups of parents' do you think will be able to set up new schools? Rich ones of course! Under such a system the tried-and-tested comprehensive school will be at risk of being left behind. Thank goodness for devolution- which they still won't commit to fully supporting. Do you see why?

In our next installment of 'the Vile Tory Menace' i'll look at their 'social justice' policies and what they would mean for Wales.

Conference Fever Strikes ... Where Will You Be?!

2009-09-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

Brilliant, it’s conference season again! This year we’re decamping en masse up to north Wales to visit a town called Llandudno, famous for her ‘Ormes’, her pier and her donkey rides. However, from September 10-12 2009, the focus will be less on our four-legged friends and (slightly) more on the eminent politicians and members of Plaid Cymru, who ride into town ready for three days of workshops, speeches, motions, networking, fringes - and let’s face it, a bloody good night out!

CymruX will be present and correct with a stall, speakers on motions (although there’s still time to get involved, let us know if you’d like some help) and of course, our exciting fringe event

Fringe Event - Annual Conference 2009

"More Than Politics – Developing a Manifesto for the Future"

CymruX, Friday 11 September, 4.30pm

In the run up to the 2010 Westminster campaign, CymruX will be talking about our ambitions for next year. Gwenllian Lansdown, Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru, will be present to speak about “Think Different. Think Plaid”, the new slogan for a new era of Welsh politics, and we will be running a workshop on developing national and local youth manifestos and party policy. In addition, we will be launching “Future Photo Ops”, the new conference game for our most mischievous members (with intoxicating prizes!).

All this and refreshments, including delicious chocolate brownies ... where will you be?!

In the company of friends

2009-09-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Marcus Warner writes:

In the company of friends, we can afford to be a bit more willing to speak honestly about politics. Many times I have felt slightly embarrassed talking with other young people about politics – how many of your friends dismiss any mention of politics as ‘all the same’, ‘rubbish’ and ‘doesn’t matter who I vote for’? You just clam up and just not really argue back, despite what you think.

I still feel a bit weird when my football team see me out delivering leaflets before a game, no one is immune from ribbing from peers, they take great pleasure in taking the proverbial. Bear in mind these guys think I am Albert Einstein because I bring The Guardian and not The Star to football.

But what I have found is that by not being embarrassed, not trying to hide it and being positive about politics, you will be surprised the head way you can make. Previously I would shy away from talking about my politics with peers, largely because I could not communicate the weighty political books I would read into the everyday language I use with my friends. But joining Plaid provides you with many reasons to raise discussions and not hide your politics.

My friends couldn’t tell you who Gwynfor Evans is, or indeed Adam Price, but you get them onto a conversation about a Welsh sporting team and you see a sense of national pride spew out of them. You see a belief that we can stand on our own two feet in any context, that Wales is a unique and distinct place which has common culture. That might be the drink talking with some of them, but ultimately you sense those guys were onside with the notion of Wales being a proper nation. Why should it not be? Given the way we play on a sports field.

Don’t get me wrong, this was very much baby steps, they still think politics is full of liars and con artists, but there is always ways to get people to give their views on political issues without resorting to politics.

Next week it will be the new Welsh Medium school they are opening in Griffithstown next year…wish me luck.

Conservative Future's 'Erotic Party'

2009-08-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

By Luke James

With my press credentials somewhat dented recently I decided to attempt some good old fashioned digging to find the story of the day and provide me with inspiration for this blog.

I failed and ended up on Facebook.

Where I did at least manage to have a little nose at other party’s groups at universities around Wales.

Students attending Swansea Uni’s fresher’s fayre are in for a treat courtesy of Conservative Future, who are apparently hosting an ‘Erotic Party’.

Swansea CF’s Facebook event specifies the type of event as ‘Party – Erotic Party’ and the group is titled ‘Conservative Future Swansea @ Freshers Fayre’ with ‘All hands to the pumps!!!’ as a sub header.

I think it’s safest if all members of the Conservative Future keep their hands where we can see them!

The price to be included in this ‘Erotic Party’ is £5, which must be a little too much for young conservative’s judging by the mere 8 intrepid party goer’s who have confirmed their attendance so far.

But maybe they can get their Conservative Future colleague’s in Cardiff to help out for numbers, perhaps the officer titled ‘Aggressive whip’ in CF Cardiff’s group could ‘submit’ a few names for attendance.

One things for sure, I don’t want to be around when Peter Snow and his Swing-o-Meter start declaring blue gains!

The Release of the Welsh Phone

2009-08-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger and CymruX intern Iago ap Steffan writes:

The release of the new Welsh phone, which has been developed by Samsung and Orange, will be released next week. Its release date is set for 1st September 2009. It is a great new development and a big step in the right direction in getting big international companies to recognise that Welsh is a living language and Welsh-speakers have the right to services in their native tongue. The menu will be in Welsh and predictive text too. This comes as the iPhone launches their Welsh language downloadable application.

What we need now is for people to show other companies that there is a demand in people wanting services through the medium of Welsh. The big companies that do offer Welsh services should also advertise, in order to show Welsh-speakers that these services do actually exist. I mean how many Welsh-speakers know that there is a Welsh directory enquiries service (118404)? How many know that they can contact some banks through the medium of Welsh?! More money and effort must be put into promotin these services - otherwise, how will speaking Welsh become another everyday activity?

Make a Difference

2009-08-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Marcus Warner writes:

At 26, perhaps I am becoming a bit of an old timer in terms of being part of the youth wing of Plaid. But this is perhaps balanced by the fact that I am one of Plaid’s newest members, impressed by the party’s energy and willing to muck in.

Most of my friends don’t know their Marx from their elbow. They probably think Gramsci is a brand of salami, no doubt that de-centralised socialism is something that the Human Resources department deal with. The point is that many of the young people we are friends with are not political, they take very little interest in party politics, still less so in participating in politics.

The challenge for those of us who are engaged in politics is to look around you and make a difference. Your friends are an ideal starting point. One of things I try to do is get my friends to register to vote, simple. Despite some indifference most of them did register to vote, which means they get an election card every time. Many of those friends vote in every election.

Don’t get me wrong, some of them vote for different parties, Labour, UKIP and Lib Dems. But the crucial thing was that they are now into the process of considering who to vote for, of thinking about what issues matter to them, and how political parties can make a difference to those issues. They at the very least come to me and get my objective advice – normally on what issues are local, Assembly, Westminster or EU.

The first signs of my efforts are starting to bear fruit. Some of my friends are going to vote Plaid in the upcoming local by-election, many are going to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum, and even some are beginning to at least listen to my views on them becoming involved in their communities. They now feel informed and able to talk with me about politics, disagree and agreeing, all the while I take a gently, gently approach to promoting what I and Plaid stand for.

Politics doesn’t have to be about high minded ideological debate, in fact for young people it is hardly ever likely to be. But young people do have ideas and views on important issues, they care about society and the communities they live in. In Plaid we must be willing to embrace and nurture that. The politics will come later, we need to engage with a network of young people who might not be political animals, but care about issues.

Go on, ask a few of your friends.

Wythnos Y Glas

2009-08-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Mae Ffeiriau Glas Prifysgolion a Cholegau Cymru ar fin ein cyrraedd ac mi fydd CymruX gobeithio gyda cynrychiolaeth mewn nifer helaeth. Mae ffeiriau’r glas yr un mor boblogaidd ac erioed i fyfyrwyr newydd sy’n ysu am brofi pawb a phopeth yn eu wythnos cyntaf. Wnewch chi fyth anghofio eich wythnos gyntaf yn y brifysgol. Mae popeth mor newydd a chyffrous - symud i ardal newydd, cwrdd â ffrindiau newydd, setlo mewn a dod i adnabod lleoedd a phobl newydd. Mae’n gyfle i ddatblygu eich rhwydwaith o ffrindiau a defnyddio eich oriau hamdden yn weithredol ac yn adeiladol. Datblygu eich sgiliau rhyngbersonol a’ch hyder, a mwynhau ar yr un pryd.
Dyma un o wythnosau mwyaf cymdeithasol y flwyddyn, felly ymunwch yn yr hwyl a’r sbri!
Dyma’r lle perffaith i’r Blaid a CymruX gyhoeddi ei neges a cheisio denu aelodau newydd ac ifanc.
Dyma ddyddiadau a lleoliad pob un ffair y bydd CymruX ynddi.

Medi 16: Coleg Sir Benfro

Medi 21: Prifysgol Caerdydd

Medi 22: Coleg prifysgol y Drindod

Medi 23: Prifysgol Bangor
Prifysgol Abertawe

Medi 24: Prifysgol Bangor
Prifysgol Abertawe

Medi 29: UMCA, Aberystwyth

Medi 30: Prifysgol Aberystwyth

Os oes gan unrhyw fyfyriwr sydd mewn Prifysgol yn barod neu yn cychwyn o’r newydd fis nesa ddiddordeb ein helpu, yna bydden ni’n ddiolchgar iawn. Cysylltwch gyda ni ar postcymrux@googlemail.com

Dyfodol diogel i’r iaith?

2009-08-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yn dilyn cyhoeddiad Comisiwn y Cynulliad ni fyddai cyfieithiadau o drawsgrifiadau o’r Saesneg i’r Gymraeg o sesiynau llawn y Cynulliad yn cael eu cynhyrchu o hyn ymlaen, ar Ddydd Sadwrn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol galwodd yr Arglwydd Gwilym Prys-Davies am Fwrdd Iaith Statudol yn ei araith fel Llywydd yr Ŵyl.

Pam torri’r cyfieithiadau?, gofynnwch; yr ateb - i arbed arian. Yn ôl y Comisiwn, a gadeiriwyd gan Lywydd y Cynulliad yr Arglwydd Dafydd Elis-Thomas, bydd y toriadau’n arbed £250’000 y flwyddyn i’r Cynulliad. Serch y ffaith fod gan Gymru dwyieithrwydd felly, mae’r sesiynau llawn yn dilyn yr un llwybr â’r pwyllgorau.

Mae hyn yn dodi’r siaradwyr Saesneg yn y blaenllaw gan nad ydynt nhw ddim yn siarad yr Iaith ond yn anfanteisiol i ymgyrchwyr a siaradwyr yr iaith Gymraeg fyddai fel arfer yn darllen y trawsgrifiadau yn eu hiaith ddewisol nhw, sef yr y Gymraeg. Ers sefydlu’r Cynulliad, mae pob trawsgrifiad wedi bod yn ddwyieithog ond nawr, byddan nhw ond wedi eu cyfieithu i’r Saesneg os siaradwyd yn wreiddiol yn y Gymraeg, a ddim y ffordd arall o gwmpas.

Mae Prif Weithredwr Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru, Geraint Wyn Parry wedi siarad am siom y gymdeithas ynghylch penderfyniad y Comisiwn, a bod y gymdeithas “yn gobeithio na fydd hyn yn gosod cynsail ar sefydliadau yn y sector cyhoeddus i gwtogi ar gyfieithu dogfennau pwysig.” Meddai hefyd y byddai’r symudiad yn effeithio’n fawr ar ddiwydiant cyfieithu Cymru, yn enwedig yn y gogledd-orllewin, lle mae’r gwaith wedi ei gyflawni ers rhai blynyddoedd bellach.

Yng ngwyneb hyn, fel y sonnir uchod, galwodd un o brif wleidyddion y blaid Llafur, yr Arglwydd Gwilym Prys-Davies, am fwrdd iaith statudol yng Nghymru, pan ddaw Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg i ddiwedd ei yrfa, a hynny o fewn flwyddyn neu ddwy, meddai ef. Soniodd am y ffaith mai’r Capeli oedd cryfder yr Iaith eisoes ond y nawr, gyda bod cyn lleied yn mynychu’r Capel, y mae’r fro Gymraeg “yn dal i grebachu yn hynod o gyflym am resymau sy’n hysbys i ni i gyd, ond mae’n ymddangos na allwn eu rheoli, o leiaf ar hyn o bryd.”

Meddai am yr angen i agor trafodaeth ar yr hyn fyddai dyletswyddau a chyfrifoldebau’r fath bwrdd nawr ac ystyried y gwrthddadleuon yn ofalus. Gyda’r genhedlaeth nesaf, awgrymodd, y mae’r pŵer a’r gallu i sicrhau dyfodol ein hiaith. Er iddo ddweud fod dyfodol agos yr iaith yn “gadarn obeithiol”, soniodd nid oes lle eto i ystyried dyfodol hirdymor yr iaith yn ddiogel.

Ac y mae hyn i gyd yn digwydd cyn lansiad y ffôn symudol cyntaf erioed sy’n cefnogi’r iaith Gymraeg. Ar Fedi’r 1af, bydd Orange a Samsung yn lawnsio’r model ‘S5600’ gyda’r iaith Gymraeg arno, efo ryw 44,000 o eiriau Cymreig yn y geiriadur testun dyheadol ar-system.

Lansiwyd rhywbeth tebyg y llynedd lle’r oedd ffôn ar gael yr oedd yn cefnogi’r iaith Wyddelig. Bydd yr S5600 Cymraeg ar gael mewn siopiau Cymreig i ddechrau, ond yna’n ymestyn i Phrydain-oll ar sail naill ai gytundeb neu ar y cynllun ‘pay as you go’.

Efallai gellid ystyried hyn yn gam enfawr o ran hybu defnydd bob dydd yr iaith ymysg pobl ieuanc; yn aml, caiff technoleg newydd ei baru i fyny gyda phobl ifainc. Mae’n ffôn weddol dechnolegol - efo sgrin cyffwrdd a’r deunyddiau mwyaf modern megis Bluetooth, galwadau fideo, y We a chwaraeydd radio ac MP3.

‘Sgwn i os fyddai Gwilym Prys-Davies yn cytuno mai dyma’r fath o beth y mae’n son am - am bobl ifainc (y genhedlaeth newydd) yn cymryd y penderfyniad i ddefnyddio’r iaith yn eu bywydau bob dydd? Mae’n siŵr y byddai’r rhai sy’n mynnu ar feddalwedd iaith Gymraeg ar eu ffônau symudol hefyd yn mynnu darllen trawsgrifiadau o gyfarfodydd llawn y Cynulliad yn yr iaith.

Y dasg inni yw sicrhau fod y math o bobl sydd yn archebu’r S5600 Cymraeg yn ymgymryd â phroses gwleidyddol Cymru, a hynny drwy’r iaith Gymraeg ymhob agwedd o’r hyn â wnëir gan y Cynulliad.

Welsh in Cardiff?

2009-08-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

In the Western Mail it said today that nobody in Cardiff talks Welsh and nobody uses the Welsh language services on offer. I went into the post office in the Queen’s Arcade in Cardiff to post something and apart from the Welsh signs I couldn’t see anything that suggested that there was a Welsh language counter. It says in the paper that nobody uses the Welsh counter in the post office. How am I supposed to use a Welsh language counter if I can’t see where it is?

My point is if I go into a Post Office and see a Welsh language service I would use it. But if I have to ask to use the Welsh language service and wait to get served in the Welsh language, I’d be wasting my time. If the service is not in front of me and ready to use I’m not going to use it, am I? I go into Tesco to use the self service checkout machines. I use the Welsh language service on the machine and what do I find they’ve only translated half the words into Welsh. Is this acceptable? This feels to me like a second rate service compared to the English language.

The Principality Building Society has a Welsh language service but the only way to get this Welsh language service is to ask for it personally. I didn’t even know that you can get your bills through the Welsh language only if you ask them personally. I didn’t hear it through an advertisement campaign but another source. Is this acceptable? It once again shows me that Welsh language speakers are subject to a second rate service. Yes, if we want the Welsh language to survive more people need to use the Welsh language service. But not everybody feels like they want to fight to save the Welsh language and people aren’t going to use it if the service isn’t there and it lacks quality. We need a Welsh language service that is of quality and is easily accessible.

A month ago as part of a project researching into banking services in Cardiff. I found that not one bank in Cardiff except the principality was offering a completely bilingual service in both Welsh and the English languages. We asked all the banks why they didn’t operate a fully bilingual service. The answer we got from one member of staff in RSB was ‘we are a Scottish bank’!! This was staggering; the bank of Scotland didn’t have a bilingual service because they were a Scottish Bank in the capital of Wales. If this is the attitude that banks take there is no hope for the future. Will we ever get a Wales where the Welsh and English languages stand together in harmony? If banks say there is no demand for Welsh language services, maybe there is no point having Welsh language services.

After creating a questionnaire on the streets of Cardiff asking people what they though of Welsh language services, the majority of people wanted to learn the welsh language. But they said the facilities were just not there or they mentioned that they hadn’t the time to learn the Welsh language. If there are more services available through the Welsh language, maybe, just maybe people will decide to learn it. What was amazing to see was that a student from Italy had taken the opportunity to learn the Welsh language. An Italian student had come to Cardiff to enrol in Welsh lessons because she felt the need to learn more about our culture. Fascinating. Maybe this is the attitude we must take to our language. Next time we go to Spain or the Basque. We must learn their language. For the language to survive, we need a quality service. Not a second rate one.

BNP history fail!

2009-08-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

By Luke James

It’s a Monday so I won’t burden you with a lengthy diagnoses of the political scene.

In fact I am just going to lead playground style pointing and laughing at the BNP most recent and epic history FAIL!

The lovely people at the BNP merchandise department were presumably instructed by their leader, Peter Griffin or whatever his name is, to come up with some swanky new t shirts for their fashion conscious members to sport this summer whilst taking time out of being massive bigots.

And so they have come up with this:

That’s right #1 Welsh nashie himself Owain Glyndwr is being employed by the BNP as their new poster boy.

The article at the BNP website promoting these t shirts is titled “Excalibur Launches Exciting Range of Brand New T-Shirts”.

Excalibur Launches Exciting Range of Brand New Version of History might be closer to the truth.

The t-shirt exclaims “British by birth, Welsh by the Grace of God.”

Which is somewhere close to the truth actually, my passport coldly states that I am a registered citizen of the ‘British’ all powerful super state but thank the lord I was in fact born and bred Welsh and no bit of ID is going to tell me otherwise.

The school curriculum, now just another thing to worry about should the BNP come into power.

Coming soon: Sinn Fein’s new range of Rev Ian Paisley dog collars.

Camping up a storm....

2009-07-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

Calling all eco-activists, eco-newbies and anyone else who wants to join in!!

Climate Camp for Action is coming to Wales - from 13th to 16th August, in an as yet undisclosed location somewhere in South Wales, people will join together to inspire, educate, inform and take peaceful direct action in the name of Climate Change.

The camp will be a living example of sustainable and radical alternatives, providing a space for people to meet and learn new skills. Anyone can join in - just rock up and pitch your tent!

There will be plenty of opportunity to learn new stuff, with loads of workshops planned... from a session on "Grey Water and Humanure" to "Legal Training" and "Engaging Communities", it's all there!

I for one, am investing in a pair of wellies and a sleeping bag, and preparing to throw off my "nicey-bits", girly-girl cloak, push my boundaries and experience Climate Camp-ing!

Anyone for helping, I mean, joining me??

More information can be found at www.climatecampcymru.org or ring 07886719873

Posted by Natasha Cody, Campaigns Officer, eco-newbie and fearer of mud!

The Welsh Government

2009-07-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

Cymru X submitted a motion to this year's Plaid Cymru Conference, calling for the party to refer to the administration in Wales as the Welsh Government in all of its communications. The term 'Welsh Assembly Government' is unnecessary and causes confusion amongst the public who will equate the legislative and administrative arm of devolution with the National Assembly itself. This might seem like a minor issue, but in the past it has had a steady political effect on election results, with Plaid doing badly when people thought the Assembly as a whole was to blame for a bad administration (with the early devolution settlement not being a help there either). The WAG term also relegates the Welsh Government to being a lesser beast than the UK Government. While this might be true in terms of powers, it holds back aspiration and the confidence of the people of Wales in their own government.

While not calling for a formal rebranding of the Government during a time of economic recession, it is obvious that people in Wales will generally refer to their government as the Welsh Government, and when they talk about the Assembly they will be talking about the institution at the Senedd composed of 60 Assembly Members of varying parties. The distinction between the two is important to furthering a public understanding of how devolution works.

Our motion was not included in the end, perhaps understandably because it is not the most pressing issue for Plaid Cymru to be addressing, and in any case our Assembly Members, MPs and supporters routinely use the term Welsh Government, emphasising that since Plaid Cymru has entered government we have had a genuinely and independently Welsh administration for the first time since antiquity. We should be proud of this and should not have to muddle things up by talking about a second class 'Assembly Government' as if they cannot ever do the same job as Westminster. It's not as if the UK Government calls itself the 'British Parliamentary Government' is it?!

Nonetheless, it is positive that the new Annual Report by the National Assembly recognises this distinction and refers only to the Welsh Government. It shows that Cymru X is on the ball on this. The report itself also makes interesting reading and Cymru X is particularly pleased with the moves the Assembly has made to accommodate young people in Welsh democracy. You can read the report here:

http://www.cynulliadcymru.org/abthome/abt-nafw/abt-commission/annual-report-2008-2009.htm

http://www.assemblywales.org/abthome/abt-nafw/abt-commission/annual-report-2008-2009.htm

Global Warming: Fact, Fiction - Or the Truth?

2009-07-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Josh Parry writes:

As the Assembly government announces that the Welsh nation is the 13th worst country out of those it surveyed for carbon emissions. As a new recycling centre opens and the worst snow storms to hit Wales in the 21st century. Is the Welsh Assembly government wasting too much time, effort and money on the issue of global warming. Pouring millions into surveys on global warming and feasibility studies on barrages and wind turbines. When we have a vast array of coal under the valleys of this great nation which could be re started as an industry to employ the thousands of unemployed. Has the Welsh Assembly been to quick to jump on the Global Warming team and haven't looked at the other facts and figures.

The question I pose is have people jumped on the global warming band wagon before looking at the evidence. Global Warming is a theory of course not a fact. A decade ago no one believed or took any notice of the fact posed that carbon emissions were the cause of the rise in the earth's temperature. I do believe that global warming is happening but it isn't caused by carbon emissions. The earth's temperature has been rising! Is it because of carbon emissions in particular. I would very much doubt it. I'm just afraid that the population of the modern world is accepting global warming as a fact now and not a myth. Have you ever looked at the evidence to support global warming being caused by carbon emissions because if we in 100 years time find out global warming is definitely a natural occurrence. We will look like the laughing stock of time as were the people who thought the earth was flat!!!!

Personally I just want to get people thinking about global warming. Have they looked at the arguments and weighed them up properly. Is global warming really caused by carbon emissions. Is there really a need to cut down on our carbon emissions? Just an insight of graphs out there that doubt global warming and carbon dioxide are dramatically rising.

First of all if we look at this graph of the temperature from the last 500,000 years as we see there have been many ice ages and if you look at the dotted line where the temperature is at now. The temperature of the sea 100,000 years ago was actually at a higher temperature that in is now. I think this graph suggests that temperature change is a natural occurrence. The graph shows that before each ice age, ocean temperatures go sharply vertical, and then there is a rapid cool-down. Ocean temperatures at the present time are near the usual peak which occurs before the cool-down. This evidence does show that the earth is not rising in temperature dramatically at all but approaching a cool down period and the ocean temperatures should be plunging shortly.

People are confused about is the rate of increase of carbon dioxide. Some people think that CO2 is rising dramatically. This is probably because of graphs like the one above. At the current rate of increase, CO2 will not double its current level until 2255.

This graph shows no distinct pattern between rising levels of carbon dioxide and global temperatures. In fact as levels of carbon dioxide increase the earth's temperature is plunging.

This graph clearly shows that today's temperatures are nothing new and a severe global warming period did happen in the Middle ages. This does suggest that the temperature which is globally warming could be a natural occurrence as the earth's temperature has been hotter than it was now. The temperature of the all may be warming but is their enough evidence to suggest it is caused by greenhouse gases and in particular carbon dioxide. If the current global temperatures are anything to go by it is just a blot in the earth's timeline it isn't severe at all. These global temperatures are nothing new to the earth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fCP_nHRjP8

This is a video on why carbon emissions don't cause global warming all I want to do is to get people thinking and making their minds up by looking at evidence not by listening to politicians! This is a great video with some great charts!

This post might not be a great way to get to know about the ins and outs of global warming but I want to get people to think is global warming the real deal. Or have all of us jumped on the merry go round too quickly before looking at the facts with the Welsh Assembly wasting millions on surveys and renewable energies while the real problem isn't carbon emissions. Is the Assembly making a mistake by putting to many resources into renewable carbon emission problems. When global warming is a theory not a fact. Think!

Transport decisions are good for the environment

2009-07-16T02:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the first time in history that Plaid Cymru has been responsible for deciding the future direction of transport in Wales.

Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones, who amongst other responsibilities deals with transport at the Welsh Government, announced an all-Wales plan which will be in place long after the current Government leaves office. The plan has been broadly welcomed by environmental groups as it shifts Welsh policy away from road-building and towards public transport. At the same time, the existing road network in Wales will see significant safety improvements. This is good news for young people, because we need to be safe when we drive but also need access to quality public transport.

Cymru X members will be quick to welcome Ieuan's plans for transport in Wales, which see the dreaded M4 Relief Road being dropped on both economic and environmental grounds. The CBI and right-wing MP's such as John Smith are inevitably disappointed that large-scale road building will not be taking place, but they should recognise that traditional economic growth is unsustainable. It's true that we still need to use cars and that we need good roads, but a vision for the future needs to look at how our transport is affecting the planet. It needs to be long-term rather than based on what's best for the market in the short run.

The CBI wants a commitment from the Welsh Government to deliver "large-scale infrastructure projects". This is a redundant line of thinking in the age of climate crisis. Large-scale infrastructure projects are inevitably designed to serve the market rather than the environment, and interests based outside of Wales rather than our own communities. The future will be decentralised, in terms of local transport, energy production and other infrastructure. This is why projects such as the Severn Barrage also have to be thrown out.

It is very encouraging that the principles of sustainability that Cymru X supports have been taken into account and taken on board by the Plaid Minister. Plaid Cymru in government has delivered the greenest transport plan Wales has ever had- which is exactly what we expected.

Plaid a mynd i chwilio am Degid

2009-07-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

'Da ni yma ac yn ei chanol hi. Prynhawn Gwener cafwyd croeso gan Gwenllian Lansdown Prif Weithredwr Plaid Cymru a chael ein siarsio gan Huw Antur pennaeth Glan-llyn i beidio torri'r rheolau megis - bechgyn i beidio mynd i 'stafelloedd merched a.y.b.
Cyn cael swper roedd cyfle i gael dau weithdy - 'Ymgyrch San Steffan' gan Gwenllian ac 'Sut i ennill mewn tir newydd' gan Neil McEvoy. Bwysicaf oll mae'n falch gen i gyhoeddi bod y bwyd yn 5 seren ac mi roeddwn i'n gwneud yn fawr o bob pryd a phwdin!
Ni fyddai noson gymdeithasol Plaid yn gyflawn heb sing song gan icon rhif 6 Cymru gyfan- y dyn ei hun - ein Llywydd - Dafydd Iwan, ond tro 'ma fel trît ychwanegol fe'n diddanwyd gan neb llai na Geraint Lovegreen. Roedd y neuadd dan ei sang wrth i Lovegreen adrodd ei gerddi a chanu alawon hen a newydd gan gynnwys yn briodol iawn y gan Dafydd Elis Thomas. Siomedig iawn oedd y DJ (nid D.J Williams) Er mor holl alluog yw'r Pennaeth Cyfathrebu, Morgan Lloyd, mae dewis playlist allan o'i afael mae gen i ofn.
Aeth pawb am y cae sgwâr yn blant da, rhai yn gynt na'r lleill ( 'da chi'n gwybod pwy yda chi) yn barod am ddiwrnod llawn dop o sesiynau a gweithdai. Er safon uchel iawn y gweithdai bu rhaid i un neu ddau fynd am nap neu 'forty winks' er mwyn gallu para'r diwrnod cyfan. Cafwyd sesiynau megis 'Cyfraith etholiadol a Chyllid Ymgyrchu', sut i 'Ddysgu o Bleidiau Eraill' ac 'datblygu Maniffestos lleol'. Mi siaradais i gyd aelodau o'r Blaid ar sawl lefel boed yn ymgeisydd i actifyddion neu i Brif weithredwyr! oedd yn gweld budd mawr i'r sesiynau ac wedi dysgu rhywbeth newydd a fyddant yn sicr yn ei gario wrth fynd yn nôl i'w canghennau neu rhanbarthau.
Cyn cael swper roedd staff Tŷ Gwynfor wedi trefnu noson o ffug-etholiad. Dyna'r olygfa, neuadd bentref yn Llanbidinodyn, pedair plaid gyda phedwar ymgeisydd, pedwar asiant, pedwar rheolydd ymgyrch a llu o 'counting agents'.
Diben y gweithgaredd oedd tynnu sylw pawb at bwysigrwydd rôl pawb mewn count. Rhoddodd y swyddog canlyniadau sawl trap a bagl er mwyn dal rhai o'r pleidiau allan. Cafwyd achos lle bu i un o aelodau'r Torïaid ddwyn papurau pleidleisio'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ac o dan amgylchiadau go-iawn byddai rhaid ffonio'r heddlu. Roedd hefyd sawl papur pleidleisio wedi ei ddifetha ac felly roedd rhaid i fod ymgeisydd ac asiant ynghyd a'r swyddog canlyniadau fynd drwy'r rheolau gan gytuno ar y papurau hynny oedd yn dderbyniol.
beth bynnag roedd y noson yn llwyddiannus a thensiwn i'w deimlo gyda 'chydig o staff y Torïaid yn digio!
Ar ôl swper aeth pawb i newid i rywbeth chydig bach yn jazzy ac off a ni i Bala wa. Plas Coch oedd y stop cyntaf a'r unig stop. Dros beint mi roth pawb y byd yn ei le, gyda'r aelod o'r SNP yn teimlo'n hapusach mewn cynefin mwy cyfforddus. Dechreuodd 'na rai chwarae Tipit ond mi aeth chwarae'n troi'n chwerw gydag un tîm yn torri rheolau a dechrau chwarae'n fudur. Mi wyddoch chi yn iawn pwy yda' chi y Double Bants.

Bore Sul, pawb yn edrych ymlaen am sesiwn gyda Hywel Williams AS ar sut i greu tîm o ymgyrchwyr i ennill. Gyda'r pwyslais ar ennill. Sesiwn anffurfiol oedd hon gyda thasgau hwyliog tipyn o chwerthin ond roedd y neges wedi ei chario mewn ffordd gynnil. Cyn cau'r ysgol haf mi aeth pawb am ginio dydd Sul oedd bron a bod mor fawr â chinio 'dolig i rai ohona ni. Beth bynnag mae pawb wedi gadael hefo cyswllt newydd a bwysicaf oll wedi creu ffrindiau o fewn y Blaid a thu allan. Dwi'n sicr yn edrych 'mlaen at yr ysgol haf nesaf fydd heb os yn bigyr and betyr.
O.N. Mae'r Bala nawr wedi ei hysbysu ar wallt melfedaidd Ioan Bellin.

CWJ

Why Don't Young People Vote?

2009-07-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

Guest blogger Josh Parry writes:

Aberystwyth’s Professor of Politics Richard Wyn Jones met with 6th formers in Cardiff today to talk about why young people didn’t vote. It’s a very important question, when less than 39% of youngsters under 24 vote at Westminster elections and only 11% of those under 24 vote at council elections. Why don’t youngsters vote at elections? Most youngsters don’t vote at elections because they find politics to be dull and uninspiring. Young people don’t think politics is something that is going to affect them at all.

Not many youngsters can make a distinction between their own lives and Westminster and see how policies at Westminster will affect them. Youngsters can’t make any distinction between the parties as they all seem the same. No youngster really knows on what policies each party differs. There’s a lack of knowledge and understanding from us on what politics is really about.

What was interesting was when Richard Jones asked the 6th formers if they wanted the voting age lowered to 16. Only two people in a room of 100 youngsters wanted the voting age lowered to 16. I thought this was a staggering statistic. Does this show a complete lack of appetite among youngsters to vote at 16? Yes, when asked why they not wanted the voting age lowered. They said that there was no appetite to vote just yet and even though they can get married and drive a car at 17 they didn’t think policies at Westminster affect them when they were 16. When asked if they would vote at 18. The majority said they would for the sole reason that policies at Westminster would affect them.

They would vote at 18 rather than 16 because of higher education and taxes. They thought that it was important that parties would offer cheaper places at universities and help pay for the material thing that comes with universities like books and computers. Many thought they should scrap the top up fees as well. That’s the policies they said that would interest them more. Youngsters don’t here enough about policies.

One young person said there’s not enough to do and parties aren’t offering any policies that would solve that situation and more youth clubs isn’t the answer!!!Political Parties aren’t offering solutions to these types of problems that are facing the youths of today. Young people aren’t hearing about policies that will affect them now and at present. Their needs to be more policies directed at the young and young people need to be told what they are.

I think if we want more young people to vote we just need to reach out to them and be able to Connect with them and their everyday life and have an understanding between the two, because until then I think Young people just won't vote. Politicians need to engage youngsters through texts and through the internet. Politicians need to go into a mind of a teenager and find the best ways to connect with youngsters and how they want to be told about politics.

But do politicians care about young people’s opinions? I don’t think individual politicians actually engage with young people at all and don’t actually care about them. So if politicians don’t care about the votes of youngsters, why should youngsters vote? Politicians want to reach people who will vote for them so they aren’t necessarily going to target and talk to youngsters about policies if they won’t vote for these individual politicians.

So why should young people care if politicians don’t care about them? A lot of young people just don’t see that their vote would make any difference. Maybe we need to move with the times, we do everything else on the internet. Why can’t we get young people to vote online? If it was as easy as voting at a click of a button for young people maybe they would vote in their droves. We should start having more elected representatives who are as young as 18 and 19 in our parliament in order to get the youth vote across. There are a number of ways the number of young people who vote if there was voting reform, communicating political messages in more youth friendly ways, learning from best practice outside the UK, reshaping political culture inside the UK.

The simple thing is politicians need to engage with youngsters and tell them what they want to hear and keep their promises. Hopefully politicians will engage with youngsters and hopefully through schemes like the Welsh Baccalaureate youngsters will learn what politics is and will be encouraged to vote through the education system. The education system is key to youngsters learning about political parties, political system and policies. If the education system doesn’t teach them nobody will and more young people will be disillusioned with politics than ever before.

Newyddion Cymru X News! Gorffennaf / July 2009

2009-07-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Newyddion yma nawr! Os dych chi ddim wedi cael eich copi:
Newsletter out now! If you haven't received your copy:
Email: postcymrux@gmail.com

"There's no such thing as a black Welshman"

2009-07-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

The Western Mail last week picked up on BNP leader (and now MEP) Nick Griffin being quoted as saying "There is no such thing as a black Welshman. You can have a black Briton; you can’t have a black Welshman. Welsh is about people who live in Wales since the end of the last ice age.” It's clear from the elections that made Griffin an MEP that the anti-fascist strategy needs to be reconsidered, but although his comments will be ridiculous to anyone who lives in Wales we shouldn't go in for the whole let's laugh at the BNP attitude. Though their voter base in Wales is small and they are the seventh party here, we cannot ignore that their vote is growing. Internationalists in Wales should work on the premise that seventh place is too high.

But while that debate should be had, it is worth remembering these kinds of comments so that we can try and understand the world view that the BNP's leading opinion formers have. People don't vote for the BNP because they think black people can't be Welsh, or because they support the BNP's Nazi origins. They vote for the BNP for other reasons which we need to deal with. Alerting people to what the BNP really stands for is the first step towards breaking those illusions.

Of course, all the other political parties in Wales are opposed to the BNP and will have a role to play, but it can be argued that Plaid has the most specific purpose in countering them. This is because the existence of an anti-racist and multi-cultural Welsh nationalism is the biggest obstacle to British nationalism. It's no coincidence that the BNP's Welsh fringe (ironically with its most prominent figures being immigrants to Wales themselves) have adopted Wales-oriented imagery and the cross of St. David as their logo. Plaid is a constitent feature of their internet discussions. A recent blog proclaimed that "from now on Plaid are our number one target". A badge of honour for our movement.

Bring on the fun......

2009-06-30T12:45:00.001-07:00

So here it is.... for all those of you still umm-ing and haa-ing over coming to Ysgol Haf, we bring you the timetable!!

Ysgol Haf 2009 will focus on campaigning and canvassing techniques - the timetable is chockers with all those 'transferable skills' that they bang on about in Uni... with the exception that THIS WILL BE FUN!!! So, without further ado...

Friday: Ysgol Haf opens at half 3, with a welcome from Adam Price MP and an introduction to the fun by the Chief Exec. Workshops for friday include "Canvassing Techniques", "Westminster Election Planning" (note to self, MUST attend) and "Winning in New Territory". Afterwards, dinner (just typing that made me peckish) and a, as yet untitled, social event - this will be where the alcohol and bowling lanes collide I'm hoping!!

Barring hangovers, Saturday will start with breakfast at 8 (let's just ignore that, shall we??), and workshops at 9. Workshops on Saturday sound really, really interesting - take your pick from "the importance of design", "developing local manifestos" and "local press comunications" before lunch!! There will also be the Cymru X event, "Cymru X Does Glan Llyn" with the Cymru X National Exec - details to follow! I am as in the dark as you are about this, and being a NEC member I am more than a little nervous (I dont like surprises Chair!)! :S

After lunch, workshops include "Learning from Other Parties" and "Challenges & Opportunities". Evening activities include a Mock Election Night with the Campaigns Unit and more of those lovely 'social events'. Whoohoo!!

Sunday (thank the lord) starts a bit later at 10.30, with a session on Creating a Winning Team of Activists, and Ysgol Haf closes at 12.15 with lunch at half past!!

Now... am I the only one who thinks that it's going to be a blast?? ;o)

Posted by Natasha Cody, Campaigns Officer - Cymru X NEC

Confensiwn Cymru Gyfan?

2009-06-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

Mae’r daith wedi dod i ben ar ôl 6 mis hir mewn 23 lleoliad. Felly beth yw’r canlyniad?

Trafod dyfodol Cymru oedd prif ddiben y daith wrth yn gyntaf hyrwyddo’r ffordd mae’r Cynulliad yn gweithio ar hyn o bryd ac yna gofyn barn Cymry ar roi mwy o bwerau deddfu i Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Mi fydd adroddiad yn cael ei gyhoeddi yn mis Tachwedd ar yr ymateb a gasglwyd.

Ond ydy’r daith wedi meidryddu barn y cyhoedd? Ydy’r confensiwn wedi llwyddo ennyn diddordeb y cyhoedd? A’i barn y cyhoedd yn gyffredinol sydd wedi cael ei ystyried?

Mis Tachwedd fydd hi cyn cael ateb dybiwn i. Ond yn sicr mae’r daith wedi codi ymwybyddiaeth ar y posibilrwydd boed yn bwyntiau positif neu negatif ar gael refferendwm ar fwy o bwerau i’r Cynulliad. Cyhoeddodd Syr Emyr Jones Parry sef Cadeirydd y confensiwn ei bryder ar bwysigrwydd y mater o refferendwm ar hyn o bryd yng Nghymru. Mae gen i ofn fy mod i’n cytuno ac mai amseriad y refferendwm fydd yn holl bwysig er mwyn cael canlyniad teg sy’n adlewyrchu yr hyn mae Cymru wir angen.

Yn amlwg ni alla i weld unrhyw ffordd effeithiol ymlaen i Gymru os nad yw’r Senedd yn derbyn pwerau deddfu llawn. Mae’r system LCO yn wirion bost! System felltigedig o araf heb sôn am y gem ping pong nol a mlaen o’r Cynulliad i San Steffan.
Sut allai’r Arglwydd Trystan Garel-Jones gefnogi mwy o ddatganoli ond o dan yr un system LCO? Mae’n egluro’r system fel un “step by step”. Wel ia mi gytunai oni bai bod na gant a mil o stepia!

Fy ngobaith yw bod canlyniad adroddiad y confensiwn yn adlewyrchu yr hyn mae pobol Cymru eisiau, ac nad yw amseriad gwael neu anrhefn yn tarfu ar ganlyniad teg a chyfiawn.

Save the Vulcan campaign success

2009-06-22T03:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order this week for everybody involved with the Save the Vulcan campaign in Cardiff aimed at saving the long term future of one of the oldest pubs in Cardiff.

The Vulcan Hotel was earmarked for closure as part of the ongoing re-development of the city to accomodate for the new St David's 2 shopping complex. Campaigners have recently received the good news that the owner and would-be developer, Rapport are to offer a new three-year lease to The Vulcan Hotel.

While this is excellent news for the short term survival of the pub, doubts still remain over its long term future and a lot more hard work needs to be put in to ensure its survival.

Plaid's Alan Ffred Jones AM and Welsh Culture Minister deserves a special mention for his work in saving the pub, along with Leanne Wood AM, and Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council, Neil Mcavoy.

If anybody would like to get involved in the campaign or receive more information it is available here.

Toriadau o Fewn Addysg Uwch

2009-06-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

gan Jenny-Ann Hopkin

Yn ddiweddar mae’n amlwg fod llawer o bwyslais wedi bod o fewn y cyfryngau yn son am y toriadau sydd wedi ei wneud o fewn addysg uwch. Rwy’n meddwl efallai, fod rhai ddim yn sylweddoli faint o bobl mae hwn yn effeithio arno, nid yn unig yn uniongyrchol, ond yn y pen draw.

Mae toriadau yn cael ei wneud yng ngholegau a canolfannau chweched dosbarth, sydd yn meddwl fod staff yn colli oriau, neu swyddi’n gyfan gwbl. Ond mae hwn hefyd yn effeithio ar disgyblion sydd methu astudio’r cyrsau maent eisiau oherwydd diffyg arian. Mae nifer o ddisgyblion wedi gwynebu hwn yn barod wrth wneud eu dewisiadau Lefel A, a dysgu eu fod methu dilyn y cwrs maent eisiau, oherwydd fod yr Ysgol neu’r Coleg methu fforddio i gadw’r cwrs i fynd. Mae hwn yn amlygu’i hunain mewn cyrsiau nad sydd mor boblogaidd ar Lefel A, megis ieithoedd fel Almaeneg ac ati. Gall hwn effeithio’n fawr ar dyfodol rhai unigolion, sydd yn dibynnu ar rhai Lefelau A arbennig i medru dilyn ei cwrs ddewisiedig yn y Brif Ysgol.

Wrth edrych o safbwynt staff, gyda fwyfwy o bobl yn colli swyddi, mae’n amser anodd iawn, gyda pwysau enfawr ar aelodau staff. Mae rhai’n dysgu fod yr Ysgol/Coleg methu fforddio i gynnal eu chwrs, a felly nid oes swydd iddynt rhagor, neu o fewn pynicau craidd megis Y Gymraeg a Mathemateg, fod rhaid i rhai aelodau staff colli rhai oriau oherwydd does dim digon o arian efo’r Ysgol/Coleg i rhoi swydd llawn amser iddynt.

Gwyddwn fod Plaid Cymru yn ceisio gweithio i wella’r sefyllfa, a dywedodd Dai Lloyd wrth son am Coleg Gorseinon, sydd yn ddiweddar wedi gwynebu amser caled. “Plaid feels strongly that we should try and protect key educational services locally’. Mae’r Coleg wedi gorfod meddwl am cau un o’i ganolfannau oherwydd diffyg arian, ac mae pwysau mawr ar staff y coleg, i wneud penderfyniadau anodd, fydd yn effeithio dyfodol y Coleg a’i fyfyrwyr.

Newyddion dda, sy’n dod a gobaith yw’r ffaith fod gennym Aelodau Seneddol fel Bethan Jenkins, sydd yn cynrychioli’r Blaid yn cydweithio a Dai Lloyd i wella’r sefyllfa. Hefyd, fod ein Plaid ni, yn gweithio ac yn ymgyrchu dros ein Colegau a’n canolfannau Cweched Dosbarth i sicrhau fod eu staff a’i fyfyrwyr yn cael y cyfleoedd gorau, i sicrhau fod gobaith iddynt yn y dyfodol, i rhoi’r cyfleoedd gorau i’r Cymry sydd yn astudio yma.

Keeping up with the Kinnocks

2009-06-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

Os fyddai'n ddigon ffodus i raddio hâ' ma, mi fydd na bosibilrwydd go gryf y byddai yn ysgwyd llaw gyda Mr Neil Kinnock. Y fo ydi Llywydd Prifysgol Caerdydd. Dwi wedi cael y (fraint) o'i gyfarfod o'r blaen, erbyn meddwl mi gynigiodd o waith i mi yn swyddfa ei wraig ym Mrwsel. Ond mai di rhoi'r gora i hynny erbyn rwan, efallai mod i'n gwybod pam…

Mae Neil a'i wraig Glenys wedi derbyn dros ddeng miliwn mewn arian lwfans ac haeddiannau pensiwn yn ystod eu hamser yn gweithio yn y Senedd Ewropeaidd yn Mrwsel. Mae'r ffigwr anferthol yma wedi ei ddatguddio gan y grwp 'Open Europe'. Think Tank yw Open Europe sydd yn ymgyrchu am well tryloywder o dreuliau ASE'au.

Dim ond mater o amser fydd hi pan fydd rhaid datgelu treuliau ASE'au hefyd. Nid oes gan etholwyr Prydian lawer o hyder yn eu aelodau etholedig mwyach felly bydd rhaid datgelu y treuliau gan aelodau o'r Senedd Ewropeaidd.
Nid yw Neil nac Glenys wedi rhoi unrhyw ddatganiad i'r wasg ynglyn a cheisio cyfiawnhau y swm swmpus o £10 miliwn eto. Mae'r tren greifi Ewropeaidd wedi cyraedd y steshon ac mae'r ddau yn neidio ffwrdd.

Mae'n amser caled ar nifer o bobol nawr gyda di-weithdra ar ei waethaf yr economi yn araf ac nifer o weithwyr yn cael eu penisynau wedi ei cwtogi. Ac felly mae clywed am y Kinnock's yn derbyn cymaint o arian yn fy ngwneud i'n gyfoglyd. Nid ydwi'n honni am un eiliad na ddylsai'r ddau gael tâl am eu gwaith ond yn hytrach bod y tâl hwnnw yn deg.

Felly os yw Neil a Glenys eisiau cael gwared o dipyn bach o'r arian, mae gen i 'chydig o syniadau.

*Talu fy menthyciad myfyriwr. - Anhebygol
*Cyfrannu £500,000 at Gist Brwydr 2011 Plaid - Anhebygol Iawn!
*Cyfrannu ar gadw Ysbytai ac Ysgolion Cymru ar agor.- Llafur ddim yn cîn
*Cadw'r DFB rhag cau ym Mhen y Bont ar Ogwr?

Mae'r rhestr yn faith.