Plaid Cymru's winning streak in local elections - you know, where real people vote rather than being patronised by pundits - continues.
Mansel Charles gained Llanegwad in Carmarthenshire from the Independents by 494 to 455.
This means that Plaid now has 31 councillors, making it the largest party on the county council but in opposition due to a lash-up between Labour and Independents.
yes we can do it, just lacking direction a bit. Also Uwchaled was a cock up. It beggars belief how many seats we do not contest, indeed, go totally uncontested across Wales. If we are a truly national party, we should stand in all seats everywhere, including Monmouthshire.
ReplyDeleteCouncillors are the key to making a party acceptable at higher levels of government, as AMs, MPs and MEPs.
ReplyDeletePart of Plaid's failure over the last electoral cycle was the fact that it had 20 fewer candidates standing for council election in 2008 than it had in 2004. And the -20 was an aberration because the party had fifty MORE candidates in the so called "heartlands".
In some counties in 2008 the BNP had more candidates standing than Plaid had!
Until Plaid has the ability to put up one candidate in every single ward in Wales in a council election it is never, ever going to form the main party of Government in the Assembly – fact!
Plaid should be cajoling members, even ex members, NOW to stand under the Plaid flag in next year's council elections.
The aim should be 51% of seats 75% of wards and a "majority" of all seats in every council.
Oh! The party should also make sure that there are absolutely NO unopposed seats (other than Plaid ones) in Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthen. The fact that Plaid allowed three Llais Gwynedd seats to be won unopposed in Gwynedd last time was bloody shamefully stupid!
Agreed Anon - grassroots activists that become councillors are the foundations on which the party builds.
ReplyDeleteIt's a challenge that will certainly be taken up by Plaid locally, where we aim to stand double the candidates we had last time. The party is also showing signs of rejuvenation in Flintshire following a far more vigorous Assembly campaign than last time round. I know that in Torfaen, for example, the party is also aiming to challenge far more seats than in 2007.
One hopes that the Llais Gwynedd and Llanelli People's First gains will have knocked any complacency out of the heartland areas too.
The incoming chief exec Rhuannedd Richards will no doubt ensure that the weaknesses you identify are ironed out in time and we can add to our 200+ councillors next May.
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ReplyDeleteAnon 00:08 mentions a point that affects all of the parties in Wales- there are swathes of Wales where Labour didn't stand candidates in 2008. There are vats parts of Powys where the elections weren't even contested. ALL parties seem to have a candidate problem, though it's true to say Plaid has specific weak spots like parts of the Gwent valleys and the north-east of Wales. Though in my experience, applying a blanket national aim to Wales' diverse communities as Anon 04:34 suggests is impossible. This is something that needs local solutions especially as locally sourced people are most likely to win. Plaid's advantage is that a certain local issue can win a ward against the national picture.
ReplyDeleteCeredigion is there for the taking next year. Again if ALL seats are contested. Bit harder in Carmarthen, to win outright control, but surely there must be Independents who can be persuaded to come on board. Surely Sian Caiach would come back into the fold if it meant running the council.
ReplyDeleteIf Plaid has 30 or 31 seats on Carmarthenshire county council but is still outnumbered by Labour and Independents then it shows that the woes of local government in Wales are not confined to too many small councils resulting in too many highly paid officials.
ReplyDeleteSavings must also be made by cutting the numbers of councillors.
"Surely Sian Caiach would come back into the fold if it meant running the council." Not a chance. Those bridges have long been burnt, by her behaviour and her costing HMJ Llanelli. Why would Plaid want her back?
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