Saturday 15 June 2019

Plaid still dithering over Neil McEvoy.

Plaid at a time when it should and could be seizing the initiative  in Welsh Politics, continues to fail to find a solution to its renegade populist problem that is Neil McEvoy which has been dogging it for years .

The BBC report that,

A disciplinary panel tasked with deciding whether Neil McEvoy should be re-admitted to Plaid Cymru has recommended the panel be disbanded after its work leaked to the press.Earlier this week it was revealed the panel would hold a second meeting after failing to reach a decision.A spokesman for Fflur Jones, the panel's chairwoman, said it regretted "two instances of unauthorised disclosure".Mr McEvoy has been asked to comment.The move, which needs to be signed-off by Plaid Cymru's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), means the process will be delayed and new members of the panel sought.A report in the Western Mail earlier this week said the panel, known as the Membership, Discipline and Standards Committee, was evenly split, but a Plaid Cymru source told BBC Wales it was possible the meeting simply "ran out of time".
It is understood the panel is looking at Mr McEvoy's behaviour during his expulsion from the party while he has been sitting as an independent AM.
The spokesman said:

"We regret two instances of unauthorised disclosure of information that have occurred in respect of Mr Neil McEvoy's applicaHe added: "At the request of the chair of the Membership, Discipline and Standards Committee, the NEC is invited to disband the committee and appoint new members to the committee who would be able to deal with the application afresh."

A source close to Neil McEvoy claimed
 
"real progress is being made towards Neil's return" and "bridges are being built"."It is regrettable that people have leaked information for political ends, when Neil has respected the confidentiality of the process throughout," the source added.
Plaid expelled Mr McEvoy over alleged disruptive behaviour at a party conference in 2017. He had already been thrown out of the party's group in the assembly.If he is readmitted to the party, Plaid AMs will decide separately whether to allow him back into their assembly group.
For those of us who are not in the "Bay Bubble" whether Plaid members or not , it is difficult  to gauge, the depth of feeling of those who will have to work with Mr McEvoy not only in the Assembly but in the party as a whole.

Certainly Plaid must still be smarting  over  its failure to control Dafydd Elis Thomas whose outburst , caused embarrassment  to the party during elections and party conferences and where he appears to have been given a "Final Warning" more than once.

Plaid are dammed if they do and dammed if they don't over Mr McEvoy, and I certainly would not like to see natural justice be displaced by what is seen as the interests of the Party as a whole.

But then what would be in the interest of the Party  regarding  Mr McEvoy.

Clearly the prospect of Plaid having a Stalinist control over its members is an anathema to many. Oon the other hand it is not a loose group of independents and must have some kind of rules, that members should obey.

It must surely come to a decision soon, but I doubt that it will resolve things .




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