Gwlad – the Welsh independence party that puts the economy first – has chosen Anthony Cook as its candidate for the upcoming Senedd by-election in Caerphilly. The vote takes place on 23rd October.
Anthony is chair of the party’s Rhymni and Sirhowy Valleys branch, the latest addition to Gwlad’s growing family of local groups
Anthony states “Having lived in the Rhymney valley for most of my life, aside from my time serving with the Royal Welsh regiment, I know from experience the challenges our communities face in these valleys.
“My family has been part of the Rhymney Valley valley’s mining history for generations, and I understand the struggles that have followed the decline of our traditional industries. I grew up in Cefn Hengoed, I live in Ystrad Mynach. Regeneration of these towns and Caerphilly and Bargoed is important to me. As a young boy I played in the shadow of Penallta colliery and caught the C9 bus to Bargoed to go shopping with my Nan in a once thriving high street. As a dad to three beautiful children I take them on adventures over Parc Penallta and Gelligaer Common. This place I call home is precious to me. Gwlad’s policies, based on Welsh nationalism and free-market economics with a light-touch government, offer a clear path forward.”
Cllr. Gwyn Wigley Evans, Gwlad leader, said:
“Hefin David’s death was very sad and Gwlad’s unreserved commiserations go to his family and friends.
Gwlad is very fortunate to have a local, young and energetic candidate in Anthony Cook for the imminent Caerphilly by-election. Anthony is locally born and bred, he’s travelled to many countries with the armed forces but settled back in the constituency with a young growing family. He wants the best for them, his county and his country.
He brings fresh, thought-through policies from the Gwlad manifesto – policies which have been informed by looking at other successful small countries and adapted to suit Wales. No other party has a vision to get Wales out of the long term decline that successive governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay have condemned it to. More of the same simply won’t work. Anthony has the vision and, with your help, can make the changes needed.”
Commenting on policies Anthony said “One issue that needs attention is the state of our town centres and the impact on the feel of the community. The problems are complex. Since the late 1940s both Labour and Tory governments have made things worse. We need to put people back in the town centres. We need to build accommodation there, for example, housing provision for single people is poor. Government services like Polyclinics (centres for GP surgeries, outpatients and minor injuries), education, Police and Fire should be in the town centre where transport services are already provided. Shops need to open in the evening when customers have time to reach them, certainly from April to October. Landlords treat tenants as though it is the 1970s where they have a monopoly. Leases need to reflect modern conditions. The Senedd has lawmaking powers for this. The reform of VAT is also needed. New build is free of VAT. Repair, the usual route to improvement in town centres, is not. So it is cheaper to build new on the outskirts than restore the old centre.
Gwlad has equally concrete ideas for actions in other areas where the Welsh Government is missing opportunities. We will be posting these to social media during the campaign.
- Health and social care is the major concern for the Senedd. 55% of spending. It affects town centres, immigration, even housing.
- The cost and governance of the Boards and Panels. A shadow government of Boards and Panels costs money and gives Welsh government ministers a way to evade responsibility. The Senedd is elected and paid to run Wales. The great and the good are not needed as well.
- The use of Welsh Government funds for politically partisan NGOs. For example, NGOs that campaign for men to access women’s spaces should not be supported.
- An end to subsidies for renewable energy like the Cwm Ifor solar farm that is destroying good agricultural land.
If elected to the Senedd I cannot deliver on all these things at once in my first term but I can make progress and hope to gain the support of other Gwlad candidates over time.”
6 thoughts on “Gwlad Selects Caerphilly Candidate”
Wishing Anthony (and Gwlad) well.
It may be difficult for some to decide who to vote; but for me joining Gwlad it was an easy decision. Rejecting the traditional left-vs-right model is the way forward. Strengthening the economy and attracting new industries to reduce our reliance on public sector employment is vital.
Farage may ‘Talk the Talk’ but time will prove that he can’t “‘Walk the Walk’.
The brave and confident are joining us now and many will join in the future
Best wishes to you Anthony
Your comments on Farage are interesting. This is why many former Reformers are switching to Advance UK. Seems many priorities of Advance UK and Gwlad overlap, except, of course, that we are a party for the entire United Kingdom.
Advance UK are not a Party as yet as are not registered with Elcom and might not even be by May 2026, The Gwlad Candidate deserves support Reform are not what they seem. Tory Mk2 attracting the Conservatives we wanted rid of.
As a former member of the UK armed forces is Mr Cook still bound by his Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown?
Now that it’s in our newly-published Manifesto, we can confirm that this isn’t an issue in any case because our immediate goal is to achieve Dominion Status for Wales: similar to the status that Ireland had between 1922 and 1949. That would give us ‘operational independence’ while retaining the Monarch as Head of State. We don’t want to confuse independence with republicanism – they are not the same thing – and in our view the transition to independence will be smoother this way.