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THE electoral arm of the British Establishment has yet again shown its contempt for Welsh democracy.
The Electoral Commission, based in London, has rejected for the second time an attempt to form a new national party in Wales.
Yesterday, it announced that it would not accept Neil McEvoy’s attempt to register his Welsh Nation Party for the Senedd Election in May.
According to the Commission, Welsh Nation Party/Plaid y Genedl Gymreig is too similar to Plaid Cymru/Party of Wales, and voters could be confused between the two on ballot papers.
Previously, the Commission had rejected ‘Welsh National Party’ on the same grounds. Both applications had been opposed by Plaid.
It’s left Neil McEvoy in a real quandary, with only two weeks remaining for him to register his party with a new name in time for the elections.
It appears that he will be forced to fall back on ‘Propel’ – hardly an inspiring name and brand for people to take notice of.
Gwlad leader, Gwyn Wigley Evans said it was another classic establishment stitch-up to try and keep the status quo.
‘It’s scandalous that an organisation in London should tell us what is, and what’s not acceptable in our Welsh democracy’ he said.
‘And it’s even more of a scandal that Plaid have aided and abetted them in this, with their childish insistence on “protecting their brand’
‘As things stand right now, they could well prevent the Welsh public from having another choice to vote for in May’.
It’s a worrying decision by the Electoral Commission in several ways.
There seems a clear distinction between Wales Nation Party and Party of Wales, and Plaid y Genedl Gymreig and Plaid Cymru.
And it’s very patronising towards the voters here to suggest they would not be able to distinguish between the two choices on the ballot paper.
It’s also as if they are saying that any attempt to use the names ‘Plaid’ and ‘Wales’ by any new parties is now completely off-limits.
Are the Electoral Commission actually quite happy with the status quo that Plaid represent, and doing their level best to keep that status quo in place on behalf of the establishment?
After Gwlad’s own epic struggle to register our party in the face of the Electoral Commission’s intransigence over a year and a half, that would not surprise us in the least.