Plaid Cymru Leads the Way - Jones-Scully Report

What the Jones-Scully report says about the other parties

Sep 10 2007

by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

Plaid Cymru: Plaid had most reason to congratulate itself following the election campaign. While it had undoubted electoral successes, these could be seen as important tactical victories amidst an accompanying strategic failure ... failing to find a political message that could translate widespread dissatisfaction with the Labour Party into support for its candidates. The contrast between Plaid and Labour’s post-election behaviour could not have been more marked. Plaid’s leadership was determined to keep as many options as possible on the table. Whether the party made the right choice in opting to be junior partner in a Labour-led government, rather than leading a Rainbow government, will be debated for years by activists. Conservative: The Conservatives had a good election campaign, and they were very close to a very good result. In the post-election horse-trading, they were both canny and lucky. They were canny in playing their hand well: past efforts to maintain cordial relations with their potential partners in Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats were continued with the Tories contributing positively towards the negotiation of the Rainbow deal. But they were also lucky that the deal collapsed. Holding power in Wales alongside Plaid Cymru would surely have created substantial and public divisions in the Conservative Party. Liberal Democrat: “Disastrous”. Their election campaign failed to provide reasonable hope for future progress.The post-election period proved even worse. Of the four main parties, the Lib-Dems have been the most damaged, even discredited, by the coalition negotiations.

Plaid's message to the people of Wales is that Wales would do far better socially and economically if its ties to England (Britain) were severed for good. We have noted the successes achieved by other western nations of a similar size, and the great impetus created by this step would propel Wales into a new and exciting future for the nation.