All Wales Peace Festival 2007

Apologies for an absence from the blogosphere. I have been very very busy since Wednesday. I have been visiting projects in the South Wales West area- including BAWSO, and the opening of Ty Tawe's new extension in Swansea. I have also just arrived back from the Peace Festival in Caernarfon. The weekend was a huge success, and congratulations to the organisers in the North for their very professionally run first time organising the event. Previously it has been organised by the Aberystwyth Peace and Justice Network- which included myself for many a year, but it was good to see it set elsewhere. I hope this trend can continue. The speakers were inspiring- in that I mean the speech by Jo Berry and Pat Magee. Her father, a Tory MP was killed by Pat Magee from the IRA during the Brighton bomb. A very moving event, as was the workshop that followed. (I'll blog about it in more detail at a later point). The music at night was also great, with Gwilym Morus a highlight for me personally, as was meeting up with friends from the movement.

It's back to the work in South Wales West tomorrow. My office is getting a makeover at the moment, so we have paint and dust everywhere. It'll be worth it in the end!

(picture is of Caernarfon by night on Saturday. It was a stunning evening.)

Plaid Conference success

Newydd cyrraedd nol i Rhos ar ol bod yn y Gynhadledd yng Nghaernarfon. Wedi blino'n lan i fod yn onest ar ol cwpwl o ddyddie prysur. O'dd y Gynhadledd yn gret, a phawb yn bositif am yr ymgyrch yn arwain at Fai y 3ydd. Roedd sesiynau panel y dydd yn ffordd dda o rhannu syniadau polisi, a wnes i fwynhau y sesiwn iaith a'r drafodaeth bywiog ar rhaglennu S4/C! Roedd nifer o'r sesiynau ymylol yn ddiddorol ac mi roedd e'n dda i allu cwrdd a'r sector iechyd er mwyn dysgu am yr hyn sydd yn flaenoriaethau polisi iddynt hwy cyn yr etholiad.
Roedd stynt chep Eaglestone o gyflwyno cytundeb i Plaid yn sioe werth ei weld i ddweud y lleiaf, a poster mawr newydd Plaid at yr ymgyrch yn symbol o ddiffyg syniadaeth Eaglestone a'i ffrindiau yn y Blaid Lafur Prydeinig.

Mae ochr cymdeithasol y Gynhadledd wastad yn dda, yn enwedig tro ma 'da sesiwn canu cor Plaid yn y Black Boi yng Nghaernarfon, wedi ei arwain gan yr ymgeisydd llawn cymeriad, Allan Pritchard o Islwyn!!

Nawr rwy nol i'r ymgyrchu ar lawr gwlad ar ol fy 'top up' o gyffro o Gynhadledd y Blaid!


I've just got back to Rhos from Caernarfon. I'm shattered to be honest, after a couple of busy days. The Conference was great, and all members were positive about the imminent Assembly election on May the 3rd. The panel sessions at Conference were a great way of sharing policy ideas, and I enjoyed the somewhat exciting discussion regarding S4/C programmes during my stint on the Welsh language panel. Some of the fringe meetings were good, and a chance to meet health professionals, and learn about the issues that they are promoting in their individual manifesto's was also beneficial.
Eaglestone's cheap stunt of turning up at Conference with the contract was a show worth seeing, that's for sure, and Plaid's new billboard a symbol of Eaglestone and co's lack of ideas and desperation!

The social side of Conference is always good, especially as this time we had a Plaid choir at the Black Boi in Caernarfon led by the enigmatic Islwyn candidate, Allan Pritchard!

It's back to the campaigning now that I've had my top-up of Plaid excitement at Conference!

Cynhadledd Plaid Conference

Rwyf yn mynd i Gaernarfon heno, felly fydda ddim yn gallu blogio tan dydd sul yn anffodus heblaw bod e-cafe rhywle yn agos i'r Galeri yng Nghaernarfon. Rwy'n edrych mlan i'r Gynhadledd gan fydd e'n rhoi hwb ychwanegol i ni ddod nol i'n hardaloedd i ymgyrchu hyd yn oed yn galetach yn arwain at yr etholiad ym mis Mai.

Mae gig heno gyda Brigyn yn y dre a sesiwn trafod ffilm Al Gore ar yr amgylchedd. Rwyf ar banel 'O blaid y Gymraeg' ar brif lawr y Gynhadledd ar y dydd sadwrn yn trafod ein rhwymedigaeth i Ddeddf Iaith Newydd, a statws swyddogol i'r iaith. Mi fydd hi'n drafodaeth ddiddorol, yn sicr.
Mae Cymru X a cwpwl o syniadau cyffroes ar gyfer y Gynhadledd hefyd. Byddech yn darganfod mwy am hynny cyn hir.

Mwynhewch y penwythnos.

I'm off to Caernarfon tonight for our Spring Conference so I don't think I'll be able to blog until sunday unless there's an internet cafe somewhere close to the Galeri in Caernarfon. I'm looking forward to this Conference, if only to come back here with the energy and drive needed to carry on with the positive local campaigning in the run up to the Assembly election.

There is a gig tonight with the band Brigyn in Caernarfon, followed by question and answer session on Al Gore's film on friday. I am taking part in a panel discussion on the Welsh Language at Conference- discussing Plaid's commitment to a New Welsh Language Act, and equal status for the language. I'm sure it will be an interesting debate.
Cymru X have a couple of suprises up our sleaves as well, but you'll find out about them at a later date.

Enjoy the weekend.