Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cyrmu in the Sennedd.

This weekend saw the annual Plaid Cymru conference in Swansea (Abertawe), South Wales, and according to seasoned activists, something was very different for this year in particular. Plaid have the opportunity, for the first time in their history as a party, to govern the Welsh Sennedd. However, equally present was the notion – backed up by recent polling – that Reform UK, a party built on English nationalism, is their main threat.

In Cornwall, there exists a very different situation, with some similarities. Cornwall council was almost overrun by Reform members in the local elections in May, and only a broad coalition of Liberal Democrats and independents managed to keep them from securing control. Yet the re-emergence of a movement for Cornish autonomy provides a path for enacting policies that according to campaigners, Westminster would never implement. Displayed in this year’s Plaid Cymru conference, Cornwall can seemingly learn a lot from the Welsh struggles, past and present, to build against the conditions that could bring Reform’s fascism to power in England.

The party conference was attended by Mebyon Kernow members, including Falmouth Town Councillor Sam Carmichael. Their attendance is part of a long history of cooperation and mutuality between the sister parties.

Identity and Autonomy:

The use of Welsh at the conference in speeches and in polite conversation has always been significant. This prevalence is seen as an absolute victory against the English state and their eagerness to supress Welsh identity. In the view of many within Plaid Cymru, the use of the language strengthens the sense of cultural identity that is integral to the fight for autonomy for Wales.

On this point, Cobblestone Media spoke to Lord Dafydd Wigley, who stated:

“I think the most important thing about the Welsh language – and I imagine that this is the same with regard to Kernewek – is that it’s a part of our identity; our historic identity, our cultural identity, as well as a means of communication.

“And what’s fascinating in Wales is that there has been an immense growth of the Welsh schools movement. So, now you’ve got 20 or so primary schools in Cardiff teaching through the medium of Welsh, you’ve got three large comprehensive schools in Cardiff, etc., in what was a non-Welsh speaking area largely. 
The language is gaining ground in those areas where the economy is reasonably strong still, but is losing ground in some of the rural areas where the economy has been undermined, and there aren’t so many jobs available.

“The loss of the language means a loss of identity for those communities. It may be that individuals and families are able to retain it, but the community dimension is massively important in Wales. 
It’s part of our fabric. It’s the social interplay that underpins the values that we have in terms of equal opportunities and fair play for everybody within our community. And therefore, the loss of language can undermine so many of the other characteristics that go together to make our national identity. That is something that we are very fearful of.

“In terms of building for the future, to the extent that new and younger generations see that their identity under a threat, they can make a specific bid to ensure that that is reversed and that we have the building blocks in place to get a more secure future. Then the identity, the cultural identity, and the economic opportunities go hand in hand in create that future.”

Lord Dafydd Wigley, delivers his speech to conference on Friday.

The regrowth of the Cornish language movement has also reinforced the search for economic and political autonomy from Westminster, as campaigners and politicians are seeking to reintroduce the language into civic and cultural affairs. This is seen for example in the passing of last month’s Falmouth Town Council motion, put forward by MK’s Cllr Sam Carmichael to boost the Cornish language in the town’s affairs. If Kernewek’s advocates continue the struggle for linguistic autonomy in the method of Plaid, they may be able to strive closer to greater autonomy for the Cornish nation.

Fighting Reform’s fascism, building community:

The main takeaway from much of the talk around the Plaid Cymru conference was that in order to beat Reform at the polls, a party has got to offer comprehensive material change for the working and lower-middle classes of a nation. In many of the fringe meetings as well as in addresses to the whole conference, Plaid’s supporters and movement-builders emphasised the necessity for political education and policies which impact the most vulnerable.

In a fringe committee on Monday with young Plaid campaigners, Zaynub Akbar emphasised the necessity of securing housing and political education in order to combat Reform and reaching out to minority communities in society to whom the far-right is hostile. This was strictly discussed as a matter outside of strict party-political boundaries, and focussed on civic education as a bulwark for young men being sucked in by far-right talking-points.

This notion of community building was omnipresent in the speeches by Plaid’s leaders in both the Sennedd and Westminster. Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru in the Sennedd since June of 2023, is on the verge of taking power in Wales – with this being reflected in the confidence of his address to the conference. But far from just rhetoric, his address pledged free childcare “available for all children from the age of 9 months to 4 years” as well as a welfare programme of “£10 weekly cash payment for children living in low-income households, worth more than £1,000 a year to a low-income family with two children.”

Building that infrastructure is something that experts say Cornwall desperately needs, as one of the poorest regions in the entirety of Western Europe. A diversity of approaches for the fight against the far-right is what Britain needs in general. And with greater autonomy within Britain – a campaign spearheaded by Mebyon Kernow – Cornwall could have the ability to take a greater portion of the wealth generated and reinvest it into the material lives of Cornish people.

Next steps for Wales and Cornwall

In c. 200 days, the next Sennedd elections will take place all across Wales, and it is the first chance that Plaid Cymru have to dethrone what they call their “one party” system – dominated by the Labour Party for the last 100 years, and remaining so since the formation of the Sennedd in 1999. They also have some preliminary tests of their popularity at the polls, such as in Caerffili.

The Cearffili by-election, set for the 23rd of October, is being contested by Lindsay Whittle, an incredibly popular and prominent member of Plaid Cymru. In his address to the conference, Whittle describes Reform’s rhetoric as “lies” and promised to dedicate his time to those who will be most victimised by Reform, the poorest in Cearffili. Securing a win in this by-election, many in Plaid think, will give crucial momentum to the May elections this year.

As for Cornwall, the pursuit of autonomy is being continued by many, such as those in Mebyon Kernow and their aforementioned youth branch, Kernow Rydh. The prominence of the language is also growing, as many realise the role it has played in Cymru’s search for autonomy within the British system, and the role it will play as Plaid campaign for independence from England. Ultimately, whether fighting Labour or Reform UK, Cornwall and the Cornish movement can take a lot from Wales in their search for sovereignty – which at one time seemed as laughable to those in Westminster as Cornwall’s does currently.

Images Via: Cobblestone Media.