The Greens Must Stand Down

This is probably intentional. The left-left have backed the hard right at Westminster for most of the last century. No-one did more for Johnson, Brexit and killing voting reform than London Labour's swivel-eyed loons. Seems it's time for the same to happen in Wales.

You make a good argument, Ben. I can't fault it. What I don't understand is why are the good Welsh folk supporting such a racist, not racist, but definitely racist party? Have immigrants really been that damaging to Wales? Do we eat swans, cats and dogs to any extent that nature and pet lovers detest us? We don't eat these beautiful animals and it is so ludicrous and yet when that guy says it, my neighbours believe him. I just feel so much despair. And I have yet to hear anything from our recently elected reform councillor in Trowbridge and St Mellons. Even an introduction of our local FB group. This seems a reflection of how seriously reform wish to represent the constituency. Get in, lay low, wait until next election, spread some false rumours, plead insufficient time but how rubbish the opposition is, how many immigrants live in the area, possibly incite some stuff and then get re elected and continue the cycle.

Reform activists are already talking about cutting back on spending on things like Welsh language provision when they become embedded in the Senedd. It has never been more important to vote for a candidate and a party that will represent the people of the constituency and our country. That is Caerphilly-born Lindsay Whittle.

I couldn't agree less with this argument. People should have the right to vote for a Green Party candidate if they so wish. They should not be deprived of that right because it suits some grander political strategy. What it does point out is the need for the next election after May 2026 to be decided via the STV system. If candidates are unsuccessful in the first round, their votes pass to their second preference and so on. That way, no-one's vote gets wasted.

Once again the most self serving and counter production of arguments. Voting for the lesser of two or more evils results in the ongoing evil of the lessers, the continuing downward spiral. How we got to where we are. Denying electoral choice reinforces Reform's victim narrative that the world is rigged by established parties and vested interests. Substantial numbers appear to be willing to vote Reform, and with some determination, address THAT AND WHY! A far more crucial social and political question than the tactics of one Welsh by-election. If the Greens are inconsequential, then they will not register. Plaid "anxiety" (and potential reach) is not a reason to keep them off the ballot. And the everlasting mainstream spin, "vote for us, because that lot are much worse" has definitely run it's course.

Nonsense. Is Plaid feeling under threat from The Green Party? Seriously? Then maybe it should start taking a look at its own environmental policies.

Reform is an existential threat not just for Wales but the rest of the UK. We can argue the niceties of various electoral sytems, but unless we get behind Plaid, they will be a footnote in history.

I'm a Green Councillor in Cardiff, and sit with the Plaid Cymru Councillors as the Common Ground group on the Council. We have dialogue and if something like this came up in Cardiff we'd talk to each other at the very least. If Plaid didn't reach out to discuss this before the horse had bolted, then publicly moaning isn't going to do anything. No one is entitled to votes, and this feels awfully like the sort of lines Labour used to put out. I have sympathy for Plaid's situation in Caerphilly; no party is in a position to match the billionaire backed spending Reform are probably throwing at this by-election and I suspect if they clinch it that will be what has actually made the difference. Perhaps the new Senedd can explore publicly funded elections, donation caps and other measures to ensure fairness.

I'm quite curious why this site is allergic to Gwlad, failing to mention our first-class local candidate despite being among the first to stand.

The very same argument was used against Plaid by Labour to stop the Torries getting in. It didn't hold water then, and it doesn't know. The electors deserve a choice.

The Greens are authoritarians with a disingenuous pitch on a sovereign Wales. It has worked. The Grangetown by-election recently was comedic in a sense. After leaving the union with Plaid, the Greens won the seat. Alone they last got 1.5%, whilst Plaid got 44%. Plaid Cymru dropped to 18% recently. Hilarious tbh. Union = Common Ground party in Cardiff, where they stood together. YES Cymru embraces the English Greens, whereas Propel &;Gwlad are excluded. Hey ho...

Happy this aged poorly. Whatever merit this argument may have had for the Caerphilly by-election has happily been proven moot. I'd caution Plaid supporters and proxies to avoid the traps Labour fell into both acting entitled to left votes and scaring voters with the reform binary. Both have failed. In any case, not only is the Senedd election PR (so any argument that it's a two horse race is a bare faced lie), but in reality, smaller parties such as the Greens or Lib Dems will, in a handful of constituencies, . prevent reform or tory seats by nabbing the sixth seat where additional votes piling up with Plaid will have no impact. So the argument is not only false, but actually potentially dangerous. If Plaid are polling around 30% in a seat and the Greens at 12%, that gives 2 Plaid, 1 Green. If Green voters lend their votes to Plaid, they still get 2 seats. But then the tories might nab that last seat or reform get a second. The disingenuous argument that progressives have to fall in behind Plaid is both arrogant and seriously risks handing a majority to a reform tory coalition.