Debating a new left challenge in Wales

At the meeting in Merthyr

Some 56 people attended a left wing gathering in Merthyr, South Wales, last Saturday aimed at creating a “movement for people, peace and planet”.

The keynote speaker was Beth Winter, the former Labour MP for Cynon Valley. She said that she had seen politics from inside and outside the bubble, but has been taken aback about how bad the Labour government has been. 

“They have done everything then can to not get re-elected and have helped to pave the way for something worse,” she said. 

To the disappointment of many, Winter seemed to indicate she was not going to stand as an independent socialist in the Welsh Senedd elections next year. 

Instead, she talked about turning disillusion in to positivity by working with “eons of community groups”. 

Winter said that the movement should be of a new kind of politics embedded in food banks and community support groups. And she said that it should bring together progressives from all parties. 

The emphasis on community politics was supported by a group of young people organised around “socialist underground network”. They were far more committed to the idea of ending capitalism. 

Attendees seemed united on the need to develop a programme in order to create a movement. 

A couple of speakers from the floor went as far as saying there was no movement of note in Wales and that it had to be created from scratch. 

Hussein from the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) pointed to Palestine solidarity. He argued that there was a movement in Wales—and that unlike the participants of the meeting it was mainly black or brown. 

He said that the key was to increase resistance and to bring the different parts of the movement together.

Adam from Cardiff called on the participants to increase their action against benefit cuts. 

Kwabena spoke from the platform for Stand Up To Racism Cardiff.  She argued that anti-racism had to be at the heart of building a movement and that the fight against Reform UK was central.

There were mixed feelings about the forthcoming Senedd elections. Some felt that a left challenge was needed, but others felt the movement should be built first. 

There was talk at the meeting of deciding whether to stand or not at conference in the autumn, but that would be leaving it very late. 

Plaid Cymru and the Greens say they can provide this voice, but in office this has not been the case.  

Everyone on the left should get behind candidates who will use the election to increase and promote resistance. 

The left could run an insurgent campaign.