April 15, 2009

Continuing Success

Wales First - Cymru Gyntaf continued their success story by signing up its 2,000th member this week. This is another demonstration of the strength of support by people across Wales for the goal of establishing a law-making parliament for Wales. Our supporters include politicians from all parties (together with a few celebrities) but more importantly are mostly ordinary people.

We believe that our success has been due to promoting our goals truthfully and objectively, and not engaging in personal attacks. This is in stark contrast to the untruths, misrepresentations and downright lies adopted by True Wales and its campaign for the abolition of the Assembly altogether.

Congratulations to all involved.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck with your campaign, hope the people of Wales get what they deserve, more power and less Westminster.

Unknown said...

Perhaps you could start by being honest about the aims and objectives of True Wales. I’ve just had a look at its web-site. There they have published their Mission Statement,
“ •to allow the Welsh public the opportunity to hear the case against autonomy for the National Assembly for Wales and to facilitate democratic participation in a full debate about our constitutional future.
•to lobby both the Welsh Assembly and United Kingdom governments to hold a referendum, duly supervised by the Electoral Commission, regardless of the findings and recommendations of the ‘All-Wales Convention’”
There’s nothing there about “untruths, misrepresentations and downright lies for the abolition of the Assembly.”
They do. However, have a factual report on the Institute of Welsh Affairs conference of Monday 20th where Professor Morgan, the chair of the 1997 Yes campaign said that for him, the biggest disappointment of all about devolution was the low calibre of AMs. Professor Morgan also raised concerns that Wales’ economy had not improved in the way he had argued it would, he said: “I’ve spent a long time over the last 10 years thinking with intensity about that missing dividend.” He describes the absence of a link between prosperity and autonomy as “devolution’s dirty little secret”. The report is not an untruth, misrepresentation or a down-right lie and doesn’t call for the abolition of the Assembly.
The old adage is, mud sticks. If you accuse other people as being untruthful, given to misrepresentation and liars, then people can be forgiven of thinking the same of you.

Unknown said...

Thomas, I made a fair review of the TW mission ststement a few months ago - see here:

http://walesfirst.blogspot.com/2008/10/true-blue-wales.html

Please feel free to comment on my comments.

And David Davies has recently been quoted in the Western Mail argiuing for abolition.

Unknown said...

I've read your review of the True Wales Mission statement. Putting words in other people's mouths isn't an accurate review.
I recently attended a meeting where David Davies was also present. He said that there was no possible way to abolish the Assembly and that we had to make it work for Wales.

Unknown said...

Thomas,

I agree that I have concluded my assessment with an interpretation (find me a politician wh doesnt...), but I have also broken their mission statement down line by line and highlighted some of the obvious misrepresentations.

Why dont you defend TW use of word Autonomy?

Unknown said...

I didn't write the Mission Statement, I only read it. The choice of Autonomy was probably used in the wider aims expressed by people within Plaid who regard the Assembly as a stepping stone to Independence. I'm against that.

But why haven't you addressed your reply to the conculsion of Professor Morgan? He was esteemed good enough to be the chair of the 1997 Yes Campaign and he must be qualified to come to some valid conclusion of the first 3,500 days of the Assembly. I am sure that if he had said that the results of devolution had exceeded his expectations you, and others, would have been shouting it from the rooftops. But because he has come to a critical conclusion about the quality of the AMs and the result of devolution...deathly silence!

Unknown said...

Thomas,

I have not commented on the Prof Morgan comments because I largely agree with him - the Assembly has not delivered much - hardly surprising as it was emasculated from the very beginning and has never had the power to do very much. Compare and contrast with the Scottish Parliament.

He also commented on the quality of AMs - How can I possibly defend the likes of Irene James - she would be out of her depth in a Community Council!!

Draig said...

LOL. And let's say nothing about the "high calibre" of our MPs eh?