Aled Morgan Hughes, Chair of Plaid Cymru Youth, discusses some of the gains that cannot be disregarded in the recent elections.
“A week is a long time in politics”- apologies for the cliché, but I’m sure many of you will agree that the past week since the Election Results has been an utterly bizarre emotional roller coaster. Honestly speaking, my most obvious feelings that fateful Friday morning, after the obligatory all-nighter, was disappointment. Despite Plaid keeping our 3 seats, a bitter taste of frustration existed, helped no doubt by the gut-wrenching condemnation of another five years of Tory rule, but also the creeping jealousy of the SNP success in Scotland. It seemed all those endless hours of door-knocking, leafleting, and of course, ferocious tweeting, had come to no real avail.
Such state of self-pity and helplessness would linger with me for a couple of days- like a stubborn hangover, whilst the urges of booking a one-way flight to Glasgow at times seemed to attractive to dismiss. However, slowly but surely, as the tiredness wore off, a light began breaking through the darkness- a realization things’ weren’t, and aren’t as bad as they might have seemed at first. It’s human nature to be too willing to spot ones flaws whilst ignoring the bigger picture of progress- and boy, do we have plenty to be proud of.
With Liz Saville Roberts appointed as our first Female MP, joining both Hywel and Johnny on the green benches of Westminster, it’s undeniable that we have an incredibly strong group of MPs that will continue to fight for Wales, alongside the un-ignorable voice of our Scottish cousins. Results wise, it was far from doom and gloom either, despite not quite making gains, in both Ynys Môn and Ceredigion the opposition were pushed to the brink, whilst in areas such as Llanelli, Pontypridd, Cardiff, Wrexham and Rhondda (to name only few!) incredibly strong platforms have been placed for the all-important Welsh General Election next year.
The same can also be said about the enormous profile the election has helped create for Leanne Wood- possibly the most defining feature of the Plaid Cymru campaign. Named by polls as Britain’s most popular leader, I had the privilege myself of seeing the way her appearance on campus at Aberystwyth created an unprecedented fanfare and buzz amongst both students and staff (!)- a phenomenon replayed time and time again in towns and villages all across Wales, as social media so beautiful documents. There’s no denying that with her popularity and unrivalled passion for Wales, she will prove vital organ for our success over the coming year.
Finally, the election campaign has giving Plaid Cymru Youth an unprecedented boost as well. With Glenn Page’s terrific performance on the Young Leader’s Debates, to Vice’s feature on us; our vision, dedication, but above all enthusiasm has been broadcasted all across Britain. From Llanelli to Bangor, Aberystwyth to Cardiff, our branches have experienced an impressive increase in support and activity, and all of this at a time when we are constantly reminded by the media that the today’s young people are losing interest in politics.
The road to success is never paved with gold (yet another cliché- sorry!). However, what is vital is that we use any such disappointment to help fuel our aspirations for the coming year. There’s no doubt the election in 2016 will be a defining moment for both Plaid Cymru and Plaid Cymru Youth. Despite some minor setbacks, the Westminster campaign has proven that we are still on track for such success next year, and has once again confirmed that we are the only party truly fighting for Wales.
