Paxman’s Belgrano Moment?

When I was a member of Plaid in the 1980's I was never a fan Eurfyl ap Gwilym. Partly it was due to my Left leanings. But also because I found him a little uninspiring. Well I was wrong on the latter!


This just might be a deciding moment for Plaid in this election Last night, Plaid’s economic adviser, Dr, appeared on Newsnight with Jeremy Paxman, and slaughtered the BBC’s bully boy.

Eurfryl refused to bow down to Paxman hit him with the facts and sent him scurrying through his notes as it dawned on him that the person he was interviewing had a far greater grasp on the Welsh economy than he could ever have.

His cries of “Oh God” were wonderful and he appeared second rate, and his claim that London was not a region of England when it is the only one with devolved powers was laughable.

I doubt that the BBC will admit that this was one of the most entertaining bits of the election but it’s one for the political nerds like myself to treasure.

One of the most famous interview in a General election occurred in May 1983 during a general election special of its "On the Spot" feature. Mrs Diana Gould, a geography teacher from Cirencester, persistently challenged Margaret Thatcher about her ordering of the sinking of the General Belgrano when it was sailing away from the Falklands.

I am not saying Eurfyl ap Gwyilym's interview was on a par with Mrs Gould’s, but looking at the comments on some of the forums, he’s become a bit of a hero outside Wales and it can only enhance Plaid in the run up to May 6th. To me it was a defining moment in that the BBC has done nothing but report negatively about Wales throughout this campaign, and it shows how their attempt to exclude those who do not represent what they call “The Three Main Parties is so wrong.