Syniadau2: That used to make two of us, Leanne

In my previous post, I had asked Leanne why she was unwilling to make a public statement that Plaid Cymru's policy is one of total opposition to any new nuclear power stations in Wales, with no distinction between whether they are on new or existing nuclear sites.

The issue at hand is public perception about Plaid's policy on nuclear energy. A series of high-profile members of the party have made public statements in the media which are untrue, and the general public (and probably a good number of Plaid Cymru members as well) have therefore been misled about what our policy is. This is what needs to be corrected.
You as leader of the party, backed up by Llyr Huws Gruffydd as our Environment, Energy and Agriculture spokesman, need to make prominent public statements saying, explicitly, that it has not been our policy to treat a new nuclear power station on or next to an existing nuclear site any differently from a new nuclear power station somewhere else, and that Plaid's policy is one of total opposition to the construction of any new nuclear power stations.

... So please help me out on this. Is there a reason why you would be unwilling to make such a statement?

I was saddened and a little disappointed that she didn't reply, and that neither she nor Llyr has made any attempt to correct the misleading impression that has been put out by people in our party such as Rhun ap Iorwerth, Elfyn Llwyd, Bob Parry and Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

I think it might be worth repeating a comment I made earlier. The question is whether Plaid Cymru's leadership is going to cave in to the lies and misinformation put out by this narrow interest group; or whether they will stop letting this group get away with it, and speak out for what the membership of the party has decided and confirmed time after time.

If people like Leanne and Llyr refuse to do this, then it will be clear that this narrow interest group has won. The problem is that the membership have elected a leader who is definitely against nuclear power, but that the real power in Plaid Cymru does not rest with her. It rests with a National Executive that is doing everything it can to frustrate her and stop her from speaking out. She is rather like a US Democratic President whose hands are tied by a Congress with a Republican majority.

Leanne needs to remember only two things. The first is that it is not the National Executive that makes policy. As it clearly says in Clause 15.2 of our Constitution, it is Conference that is responsible for determining the party's policy. The second is that she has been directly elected leader by the same membership that only last October reaffirmed this policy on nuclear and renewable energy.

But if a democratic mandate isn't enough, perhaps this short extract from an interview between Leanne and Lee Waters at Prifysgol Glyndwr last November might help her find her voice.