Wednesday 23 December 2015

Are the Welsh Greens moving to be a real Welsh Party?


The Green Dragon Blog reporting on the Green Party leadership makes an empathises on the new leader Alice Hooker Stroud  being " Macynlleth born and Welsh speaking " and the jer deputy being " the Neath born Director of NUS Wales Hannah Pudner".

While I don't think being Welsh Born or Welsh speaking is a absolute necessity for any Party in Wales it should go some way to counter any suggesting that the Green Party here is largely one of incomers 


It will certainly be helped  with another piece in the Blog 



Another exciting development to report has occurred in the shape of the recently launched 'Seren Werdd' group. Created by Welsh Green Party members and supporters the aim of the group is to follow the lead undertaken by greens in Scotland a few years ago and bring about an Independent Wales Green party (the welsh greens are currently an autonomous section of the green party of england and wales). More information on Seren Werdd can be found here https://www.facebook.com/Seren-Werdd-1107310162612646/

This is most welcome  it has not helped Green politics to be seen as another Branch Office Party"

As what is clear I am a Plaid supporter  though  not a member because I believe this Blog should be Independent and free to criticise Plaid  when it I believe it is necessary.


In Scotland there are other Parties that back Independence rather than the SNP and it does give voters there who might disagree with their recent  commitment to join NATO an alternative.

And the Polls show that although the SNP are heading for a thumping Majority  in May ther Greens may be the only party to make sinificent gains in seats.

According to the Scotland Votes website, replicated uniformly next May, such results would see the SNP win 78 seats, nine more than they already hold in the Scottish Parliament. Labour would lose 12 seats, falling to just 25.
The Conservatives would remain steady on 15 seats whilst the Lib Dems would lose all but three of the five seats they hold at present. The Greens would pick up seven seats to get nine in total.


I don't think that Plaid supporters have the luxury of being to voter Green in  the regional list in May but it would be a sign of the Blaid's  strength that in future elections we could see a Plaid government  and a number of Green AMs committed to at the very least parity with Scotland.

So I have "liked" Seren Werdd " on Facebook and look to seeing it develop .

Wales needs all the voices against "Dark Unionism" it can get.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes this is a very interesting and positive development glyn. There are certainly greens in wales who see how much progress greens in scotland have made since they split a few years ago, and feel similar progress at the ballot box is possible in wales if they started campaigning as a welsh green party in their own right.Also devolution and the fact that even more powers are coming to the senedd makes the existing 'england and wales' green party structure virtually redundant anyway.

But more than that some of those involved tell us it's about seeing wales as a country rather than a 'region', and they feel there is no better way of demonstrating this than by establishing an independent wales green party and which explicitly supports wales right to self determination (as the scottish greens did when they supported a yes vote in the 2014 referendum).

Reality check said...

Martyn Shrewsburys Seren Werdd a fantasy campaign with 7 likes on facebook and no leading green party member in Wales giving it support - you should pick your friends more wisely. If you believe Martyn/green dragon you'd believe anything lol

Reality check said...

Shrewsburys 'Seren Werdd' is a fantasy with just 7 likes on facebook and no leading green giving it support. If you believe a word from Martyn/greendragon you'd believe anything - lol

Anonymous said...

Reality check is obviously keen to maker his or her point, but on a point of clarification the individual named isnt the author of the greendragon article glyn refers too. Also Reality check's maths would seem to be a little suspect.

Reality check obviously isnt keen to see the establishment of an independent wales green party.

Anonymous said...

The 'Seren Werdd' announcement is hardly a "development", could be termed an "initiative". Did not emerge from any founding meeting, so is it a single-person initiative.
Independence from the English Green Party sounds good, but what are they to do about the interloper Amelia Womack chosen as Green Party candidate for Cardiff Central? Amelia was of course collaborator with fashion promoter and guru, Vivienne Westwood, who had to be dropped by the English Greens as a tax dodger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienne_Westwood#Support_of_Green_Party_and_exclusion_from_UK_election_campaign_tour. No demands in from welsh Greens that Amelia come clean about her association with the fashion business.
The one declared supporter of Seren Werdd is the notorious Martyn Shrewsbury; his greendragon blog avoided mention of the Vivienne Westwood embarrassment. From him the kiss of death for Seren Werdd?

Anonymous said...

The FB group glyn mentions (seren werdd) appears to have a number of supporters' - not one as anon erroneously claims.BTW martyn shrewsbury isnt the author of the green dragon, tho some recent visitors to glyn's blog do appear to have an unhealthy preoccupation with mr shrewsbury.

We're also not quite sure how someone who was born in newport (amelia womack)is an 'interloper'? Yes vivienne westwood lent her support to the greens in the general election - she also of course backed the independence campaign in scotland.

Judging by this crude smear it would appear that anon feels greatly threatened by the prospect of an independent wales green party - all progressives in wales however should welcome such a prospect.

Anonymous said...

We can't of course know how many of the supporting personages are the various identities of Martyn Shrewsbury, particularly when he makes it a closed group.
As for proponents of an independent Welsh Green Party welcoming English politician Amelia Womack from England, one can only comment she shares the sudden interest in the Welsh Assembly with UKIP's Neil Hamilton. The latter's claim to Welshness pre-1974 is better based, being brought up in Ammanford and going to college in Aberystwyth, compared with Womack's 'born-in-Newport'. Two losers in Westminster elections spotting a political opportunity in 'List' seats in the Senedd. How interesting that Shrewsbury's resuscitated Greendragon sees no issue for an "independent" Wales Party with importing English political figures.

Anonymous said...

Sadly it would appear from their contributions to this discussion that anon is more interested in trolling and crude smears than in discussing the merits of an independent wales green party. The last time we looked Newport was in wales, which er makes Amelia Womack welsh.

Though in truth of course a person's place of origin only actually matters to ukip types.Take someone like mike parker,he might not be welsh but he's made an excellent contribution to literature and politics in wales. We are pleased to once again state that mr shrewsbury isn't the author of the green dragon.