There have been a number of strange claims made over recent weeks that Welsh Labour is somehow divided between a 'unionist' and a 'nationalist' or 'Welsh' wing. This claim has been made on several occasions over the past decade, usually by Plaid Cymru members and supporters. At the margins of Welsh Labour you may find one or two people who believe it, but I know of nobody in an elected position who subscribes to the view.
Labour is a unionist party. I remember, for example, when Carwyn Jones launched his Institute of Welsh Affairs pamphlet on the future of Welsh Labour a few years ago, he said himself that Labour is a unionist party at the launch. I welcome and agree with what Carwyn said yesterday in the Western Mail:
We do need, as a party, to develop a sense of identity that we’re comfortable
with which resonates with the majority of the people in Wales, who are not in
favour of independence, who are not nationalists, who are nevertheless proud to
be Welsh, and yet proud to be British as well. We shouldn’t be afraid of
developing that sort of identity because it’s quite distinct from the identity
that Plaid Cymru would have.
Absolutely. There is a clear need, following the 2007 elections, for us to address the positioning and profile of Welsh Labour. We shouldn't let others, who have their own games to play, try to conjur some mythical divide in Welsh Labour between Labour nationalists and Labour unionists, which doesn't exist.
Comments