Thursday, 28 May 2009

Unholy Alliances like Chalk and Cheese

In Wales we have Labour and Plaid Cymru in government, and in northern Ireland we have the Unionist party and Sinn Fein in government. Is it in the best interest of either nation to have such fundamentally incompatible parties in such unholy alliance?
On the one hand two nationalist parties favour home rule for their respective nations while two parties represent out-and-out unionism and the retention of control by the United Kingdom. The situation in my view is unhealthy for both nations and if a coalition is inevitable the partners in coalition and in government should at least share similar values and aims. A more rational alliance would seem to be Sinn Fein and the SDLP in Ireland and Plaid and the Greens in Wales. Comments appreciated!

3 comments:

MECCAnopsis Cambrica said...
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MECCAnopsis Cambrica said...

Plaid are of course part of the Green coalition of parties in Europe and have 'teamed up' with the Welsh Green party in the past with Cynog Dafis as the 'Green approved' Plaid candidate for Westminster in Ceredigion. I think this is the best we can hope for in Wales, with the Green Party backing Plaid AMs, MPs and MEPS even if they continue to stand candidates of their own for local council elections. Realistically I don't think the Greens could generate even one Assembly member so the possibility of a 'One Green Wales Government' is an extremely remote possibility.

Robert said...

How did Plaid do at the last elections, whoops sorry local elections.