So near, yet so far

For the first time since the days of Glyndwr, there is a realistic chance that at least some aspects of the Welsh national life will be governed by people for whom the Welsh nation is their first, last and only concern. This is not a certainty, and even if it does happen there are still plenty of other bodies in Wales that remain securely controlled by the British, but the opportunity is by far the best the nation has had for centuries.
This chance is of course the prospect of Plaid forming part of the next Welsh Assembly administration. Obviously there will be other (British) parties involved, and Plaid will probably only have four seats at the most in the cabinet, but the simple fact that there will be Plaid members in control of Welsh institutions would represent a significant advance in the fortunes of Wales. From a small meeting in Pwllheli in 1925 Plaid has grown into a credible political force whose obvious purpose, to advance the cause of the Welsh nation, has resulted in some significant (though still inadequate) concessions from the British state. All this was done when Plaid was little more than a cultural pressure group, and even with the advent of a more professional and political character which has been slowly maturing since Gwynfor’s victory of 1966, Plaid has remained a body of opposition, with the initiative and the power remaining firmly in the hands of a remote, indifferent and contemptuous British government, faithfully served by it’s British minions (mostly self-serving Welshmen, it has to be said) here in the colony.
For the first time ever, Plaid has a chance of not being in opposition, but actually in power, to be the one who makes the decisions, to be the one sitting behind the ministerial desk and not kneeling before it, begging for rights for the indigenous Welsh while the privileges of the ruling British are studiously upheld by the system, as has hitherto been the case. With this prospect however also comes the prospect of responsibility, and also accountability. While the British are free to do as they please in and with Wales, Plaid, standing as it does solely in and for Wales, cannot rely on British votes to prop up it’s authority in Wales. For that reason it must be extremely careful and take every opportunity to explain their actions to the Welsh people and respect the nation from which it grew. This may sound obvious, but political power can have unfortunate effects on a person’s attitude. In any case, it is vitally important that Plaid proves to the Welsh nation and to the world that it is fit to govern a country, albeit in a limited fashion, that it has the courage of it’s convictions to put them into effect when it has the chance to do so, and that a nation governed by it’s own people will, in the end, be in a better condition than one which is governed from beyond it’s borders.