Thoughts on the opening of voting for Caerdydd Ffynon Taf candidates

I’ve never worked in here, not even as an intern.

In the election to come in Caerdydd Ffynon Taf, that’s an advantage.

I have worked at Cardiff Foodbank depot, and at Woodville Baptist Foodbank Delivery Hub, Cathays, and at St Philip Evans Foodbank Delivery Hub, Llanedeyrn

And all over Pentwyn, Lakeside, Llanedeyrn, and Penylan as a Census Officer.

If you really want to know how angry people are with all levels of government, get a job as a census officer.

When I was getting a 10 hour a day warm hub set up here

I visited every community hub within 30 minutes walking distance on foot to put up posters and issue free “tickets”.

I probably shouldn’t mention this one but in 1991 I helped to put on a rave here

with some boys from Llanrumney and the Crystals in Llanishen. Sorry Wenallt. In my defence I had only just turned 21, and it was a very good party.

I also worked here – the old Cardiff Sportsmail HQ on Allensbank Road. If you’re a fisherman of a certain age you’ll remember it.

And here – the old Cardiff DoSS offices.

And here -  my first job in the year 10 summer holidays, stripping back 6 layers of varnish and paint to reveal the wood when it was the Sasparilla Shop (not the original I know).

 While canvassing I’ve pounded the streets of Cyncoed, Adamsdown, Plasnweydd, Penylan, Pentwyn, Llanedeyrn, Cathays and Lakeside. And a fair few places outside the constituency too.

Cardiff Central worked hard over the years to move the position of the local populace toward Plaid from one of outright hostility to one where we were the primary challenger to Labour in two wards out of six – although still a long, long way behind.

Now as Cardiff East we have lost one of our good wards, Cathays. In one other ward, Penylan, we have a decent turnout but trail Labour and the Liberal Democrats. In none of the others, nor any of the 3 new constituencies from Cardiff South, do we have anything but paper candidates at election time – there is not the support nor the receptiveness for Plaid’s message when canvassing solely as canvassing.

Ty Gwynfor does little to help this. As a Cardiff Area Committee member, and as Secretary of Cardiff Central, and then East, it sometimes seemed to me that outside Pontcanna (aka Carmarthen Far East) Plaid HQ has little understanding of Cardiff at all and regards the existence of the party in the capital city as something of an irritation – it has to exist, but they’re not quite sure what to do with it.

If you regard cycle schemes and Welsh language schools as community issues then you are not talking about the broader community but your own – the one most of us inhabit – the middle class progressive community, which is a tiny part of CFT.  In CFT even that community tends to vote Green rather than Plaid as it is a more Anglicised community than west of the Taff.

In those council wards where we stood as Common Ground in the council election the Green candidate came top of our list – despite only being paper candidates while we were doing all the campaigning.

In the wider community our community issues are regarded with at best antipathy and at worst outright hostility.

Take a look at the Facebook community groups. Talk to people in the pubs. They are livid.

The number one local issue in Plasnewydd and Penylan is the new cycle lanes in the Rec and Wellfield Road. People are tamping.

I have lost count of the number of times I have had to explain to people on the doorstep that I am not trying “to stuff Welsh down their throats”. I regularly encounter degree educated people who are surprised I’m allowed to be a member of Plaid because I’m not fluent in Welsh. This isn’t a new phenomenon, but it is one we have chosen to ignore at a national level.

Tell people of your proud record of cooperation with the Labour Welsh Government and you are going to get two ears full and a boot in the bum.

Unless we get a handle on that – and quickly – CFT is pretty much nailed on to go the way of the Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr by-election – with half of Labour’s votes going to Reform and us picking up crumbs. Only here it is more likely to be the Greens that get the leftovers.

My point is this – if you regard the election in CFT as a springboard to hit the ground running in government, you are likely to hit the ground face first before you get there.

We will need to fight for every vote in this election. And I will.

Ymlaen.