Politics

AM calls for sweeping changes

Published

8 years ago

April 6, 2018

Neil McEvoy: The Welsh establishment don't want change

“IT’S BEEN a disastrous year for Welsh Democracy.”

Those were the eye-catching words with which controversial Cardiff AM Neil McEvoy spoke about the need for a new campaign group within Plaid Cymru.

Suspended from membership of his party and expelled from the Party of Wales’ Assembly group after demanding access to information held about him under the Data Protection Act after Plaid made a complete hash of an investigation into allegations made against him by a firm of lobbyists, Mr McEvoy was not talking about his own experiences.

Fed up of what he regards as nepotism and systemic corruption within the Welsh body-politic, Mr McEvoy offered a series of trenchant analyses of Wales’ political and social problems.

And he started by referring to the dismissal of the late Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Carl Sargeant.

Neil McEvoy writes: It took just three anonymous complaints about a Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary – which were not investigated, not proven, not deemed serious enough to go to the police or even written down. They led to him being sacked and judged guilty by the mob, without the opportunity to defend himself. We know the rest.

The Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service is refusing to release documents that the democratically elected National Assembly has demanded. I’ve had to invoke a clause in the Government of Wales Act used for the first time, to force the publication of the report into the Carl Sargeant leak, because I am not going to sit in our Senedd and let Wales be disrespected.

My motion is supported by the Conservatives and even UKIP, but we have to wait until after recess for Plaid Cymru to confirm if they will or will not back my motion. For the sake of the Welsh National Interest, I hope they do.

Investigations into the First Minister’s involvement into the shoddy sacking affair are being whitewashed. We’ve been hearing about a toxic culture at the heart of Welsh Government. When we campaigned for the Welsh Assembly is this where anyone thought it would end up?

Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales – has to rise above this kind of politics and lead the way.

FREE SPEECH UNDER THREAT

Neil McEvoy had strong words about the threat posed to free speech in Wales.

Nowadays, being offended is almost a hobby for some people. They’re dismissed as virtue signallers in many parts of the world. But they don’t get dismissed in Wales. They actually make it onto the news. Too many of them have made it into our Assembly. Mock outrage everywhere on Twitter from politicians who joke about the same things in private.

The reality is that we have imported America’s culture war into Welsh politics. Instead of uniting people we’re dividing people up. Some people are said to be oppressors, simply because of their gender or race. People talk about male white privilege. Are white men in the valleys privileged? Really?

In Wales, we should know where the oppressor is, because it’s been the same for a thousand years. It’s the elite in London who have taken the wealth from our country to make themselves rich while keeping us poor.

It’s the new elite in the Bay Bubble, copying their London masters.

I’m not interested in turning people against each other because of their gender, or their race, or their sexual orientation. I know what my political purpose is. It’s addressing the injustice of our country being exploited for centuries.

WE MUST DEFEAT THE ELITE

We have to defeat the elites, they are very powerful people. They’re the political elites that don’t represent us. The London media elite that doesn’t talk about us, unless they have something condescending or negative to say. The financial elite that keeps their money off shore, so we can’t benefit from it.

But where are we now? I was thrown out of the Plaid group for questioning why we can’t sell council houses so long as the money is used to buy new ones. That’s a really popular policy that has helped tens of thousands of working class people own their own home and become independent. That’s real sovereignty as far as I’m concerned, because how can you ever be sovereign when someone else owns the house you live in?

The establishment here has had warnings. The huge rise in the UKIP vote. It didn’t matter how incompetent they were. The less competent the better in order to send a message to the establishment. And they beat us in so many elections as a result.

The Brexit referendum. The establishment didn’t see it coming. They couldn’t understand that faced with voting for the status quo or voting for the unknown, then people would pick the unknown, because that risk was better than keeping things the way they are. I voted remain but I can tell you, I understand why so many people didn’t and I’m not judging anybody for that.

A lot of people voted leave because of immigration, and there is a migration problem in Wales. Our political Leaders choose not to talk about it. Because our economy is bad, our young, talented and economically active people have to leave. And they’re replaced by older, economically inactive people because Wales is a cheaper, more beautiful place to retire.

The best thing we can do about this is become wealthy. That way the young people stay and it will be the talented, economically active people coming to our country because of the opportunities we’ll have here.

DANGER FOR THE ASSEMBLY

People are crying out for change, but nobody is providing it. The establishment in Wales don’t want change. The status quo is working great for them so they’ll fight to keep it.

What we need is equality of opportunity, which means ending nepotism and ending corruption, because nothing hurts equal opportunity more than nepotism and corruption. You can see that in Cardiff Bay. Millions dished out to the third sector, who often seem to spend a lot but deliver little. Those organisations are packed with Labour members.

We’ve got lobbyists running rampant in Cardiff Bay, selling access and information to the highest bidder. Anyone who gets in their way is smeared in the most personal and damaging way. These people are poisoning our democracy and must be dealt with.

But how can we when we’ve had the same Labour party in charge in Wales for 20 years? That’s not healthy for any democracy.

I can tell you where this is heading. People will not be voting for a sovereign Wales in future. They’ll be voting to abolish the Assembly. Because they’re looking at what’s going on and they’re thinking the Assembly is too broke to fix. But too many of us worked too hard to get a national parliament to see it fail like this.

So what are we going to do about it? We are going to get organised and we are going to change the direction of this party, change the direction of its politics and change people’s minds about voting for us. We’re going to propel Wales forward.

News

Kurtz calls on Labour MPs to back release of Mandelson papers

Published

3 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Staff Writer

Opposition motion follows Epstein-linked document disclosures

A SENEDD Member has called on Labour MPs to support a Conservative Opposition Day Motion demanding the release of papers linked to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK Ambassador to the United States.

Samuel Kurtz said the motion follows the publication of new files and photographs involving Lord Mandelson, which were released as part of a United States investigation into the disgraced and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking out, Mr Kurtz said that during Prime Minister’s Questions, the Prime Minister admitted he was aware of Peter Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein at the time of his appointment.

“That means the Prime Minister knowingly appointed Peter Mandelson to one of the most important diplomatic roles in government despite his links to Epstein,” he said. “This raises serious questions about the Prime Minister’s judgement.”

Mr Kurtz went on to accuse the Prime Minister of attempting to prevent transparency over the appointment process.

“Now, instead of being open and transparent, the Prime Minister is attempting to block the release of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment in order to protect his own position,” he said.

He warned that Labour MPs who oppose the motion would share responsibility for withholding information, adding: “If Labour MPs support blocking the release of these papers, they will be complicit in covering up the process and judgement that led the Prime Minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador, despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.”

News

Welsh peace campaigner removed from court during Palestine protest case

Published

5 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Concerns raised over use of terrorism laws against silent sign-holders as Welsh activist among those ejected from London hearings

A WELSH peace campaigner was among several protesters removed from court by security staff this week as plea hearings continued for people charged under terrorism legislation for holding pro-Palestine signs.

Angie Zelter, aged 74, from Knucklas, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday as part of mass proceedings linked to the Government’s ban on Palestine Action.

Campaigners say hundreds of people across the UK – including some in Wales – have been charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 after quietly holding handwritten signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

Zelter, a long-time anti-war activist and founder of Trident Ploughshares, attempted to read a prepared statement criticising the prosecutions before being escorted from the courtroom, according to supporters.

She told the court she did not accept being labelled a terrorist for what she described as peaceful protest and opposition to the war in Gaza.

Outside the building, fellow campaigners said she had sought to argue that international law and freedom of expression should protect non-violent dissent.

Also removed from the hearing was Tim Crosland, co-founder of Defend Our Juries, who said he had tried to raise legal objections to the charges before being asked to leave.

Arrests nationwide

Organisers of the “Lift The Ban” campaign claim nearly 3,000 people have been arrested across Britain since late 2025 for taking part in silent vigils, with several hundred now facing prosecution. The offences carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

The group argues the legislation is being used to criminalise peaceful protest. It is calling on the Government to lift the ban on Palestine Action and to change its stance on military cooperation with Israel.

However, ministers have defended the proscription, saying the organisation has been linked to criminal damage and disruption at sites connected to defence manufacturing.

Welsh perspective

While most hearings are taking place in London, campaigners say demonstrators in Wales have also taken part in sign-holding protests.

Civil liberties advocates have warned that applying terrorism laws to non-violent protest risks setting a troubling precedent.

For many in mid Wales, the sight of a pensioner from rural Powys being removed from a courtroom has sharpened debate over where the line lies between legitimate protest and criminality.

Further hearings are scheduled in the coming weeks, with more defendants from across the UK expected to appear.

Business

Bid to convert office space into chocolate factory, salon and laundrette

Published

12 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for the retrospective conversion of office space previously connected to a Pembrokeshire car hire business to a chocolate factory, a beauty salon and a laundrette has been submitted to county planners

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr M Williams, through agent Preseli Planning Ltd, sought retrospective permission for the subdivision of an office on land off Scotchwell Cottage, Cartlett, Haverfordwest into three units forming a chocolate manufacturing, a beauty salon, and a launderette, along with associated works.

A supporting statement said planning history at the site saw a 2018 application for the refurbishment of an existing office building and a change of use from oil depot offices to a hire car office and car/van storage yard, approved back in 2019.

For the chocolate manufacturing by ‘Pembrokeshire Chocolate company,’ as part of the latest scheme it said: “The operation comprises of manufacturing of handmade bespoke flavoured chocolate bars. Historically there was an element of counter sales but this has now ceased. The business sales comprise of online orders and the delivery of produce to local stockist. There are no counter sales from the premises.”

It said the beauty salon “offers treatments, nail services and hairdressing,” operating “on an appointment only basis, with the hairdresser element also offering a mobile service”. It said the third unit of the building functions as a commercial laundrette and ironing services known as ‘West Coast Laundry,’ which “predominantly provides services to holiday cottages, hotels and care homes”.

The statement added: “Beyond the unchanged access the site has parking provision for at least 12 vehicles and a turning area. The building now forms three units which employ two persons per unit. The 12 parking spaces, therefore, provide sufficient provision for staff.

“In terms of visiting members of the public the beauty salon operates on an appointment only basis and based on its small scale can only accommodate two customers at any one time. Therefore, ample parking provision exists to visitors.

“With regard to the chocolate manufacturing and commercial laundrette service these enterprises do not attract visitors but do attract the dropping off laundry and delivery of associated inputs. Drop off and collections associated with the laundry services tend to fall in line with holiday accommodation changeover days, for example Tuesday drop off and collections on the Thursday.

“With regard to the chocolate manufacturing ingredients are delivered by couriers and movements associated with this is also estimated at 10 vehicular movements per week.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.