Ukip show their true colours in betraying coalfield communities.

Yesterdays Blog on Orgreave  led to  two comments one anonymous and one by Leigh Richards  whose own blog  Rodolfo Walsh's Glasses is a must read for those  who need  a Welsh Left perceptive that doesn't contain National Left's appalling spelling and syntax.

They pointed out the views of the Odious  Gareth Bennett, elected to represent the South Wales Central region, as an Assembly Member for Ukip

Mr Gareth Bennett spoke against calls in the National Assembly for an inquiry into the behaviour of the UK state during the ‘battle of Orgreave’ in 1984.

“trying to flog this dead horse”.“The Bloody Sunday inquiry cost nearly £200m of public money, most of it handed over to lawyers,” he said.“Orgreave was 32 years ago, nobody died.“Why are Labour and Plaid Cymru so intent on handing over more taxpayers’ money to lawyers?”

Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Valleys Minister, Bethan Jenkins condemned UKIP’s stance as anti-miner and anti-valleys, stating that it showed that UKIP doesn’t care about representing voters from Wales’ industrial communities.

Shadow Economy Minister Adam Price, whose father was at Orgreave showing solidarity to striking miners, also called for the Welsh Government to work with Wales’ four Police and Crime Commissioners to release any relevant information on Orgreave. 

It is to be noted Two of the four Welsh Police Commissioners represent Plaid Cymru.

Bethan Jenkins AM commented:

“Let voters in the valleys be under no illusions about the nature of UKIP. The comments of one of their Assembly Members revealed an anti-valleys and anti-miner stance, speaking out against an issue that is close to the hearts of many of us who grew up or live in mining communities.
“UKIP Assembly Members were elected to ‘shake up the establishment’. Instead of doing that, UKIP today sided with the establishment. They spoke against justice for the miners’, and decided not to represent those people from industrial communities who previously voted for them.
“The nature of UKIP in the valleys must be firmly exposed by their refusal to support an Orgreave inquiry. They are a party which does not support working class Welsh people, but will side with the Conservatives in Westminster at any opportunity.”

Adam Price AM added:

“Plaid Cymru, in contrast to UKIP, is working to achieve justice for our people. In May we won half of the Police Commissioner seats in Wales. I am calling on the Welsh Government to work with the four Police Commissioners in order to gather and if necessary release relevant information relating to Orgreave and the entrapment and incitement of striking miners which took place.
“This would demonstrate an alternative to the establishment politics of UKIP and the Conservatives, and would show that we in Wales can use what powers we have to expose the injustices of Westminster.”

And Plaid Cymru South Wales East AM Steffan Lewis said Mr Bennett had 

“betrayed the people from industrial communities who have previously voted for them”.“Let voters in the Valleys be under no illusion that UKIP does not truly represent our communities,” he said.“Today Gareth Bennett spoke out against justice for the miners at Orgreave, an issue that is close to the hearts of many of us who grew up or live in mining communities.”

But don;t be under any illusion  that Mr Bennett's;s, word did not resonate with some Welsh people even in the valley communities.

I can't believe  that  there isn't a measure of right wing support  among Working  communities (and indeed non-working communities)  in Wales, not just seduced by anti-immigration rhetoric. 

With then, as is now  hardly Centre Left Media or Welsh Media, the fight for our Miners to save their Jobs and communities 32 years ago faced an hostile press and a cowardly Labour leadership under Neil Kinnock who fearful of "Middle England"  betrayed the Miners in order to placate voters in that mythical constituency .

Still even he also criticised Ms Rudd’s decision, saying it would

 “deepen the justified sense of injustice right across coalfield communities”.

Maybe he should address his own betrayal of these communities  to placate those voters in leafy South Eastern Constituencies who were never going to vote for him anyway.

I described Ukip Gareth Bennett as odious , but at least he's not a hypocrite.