Political reflections at Samhain

Its the time of the Crone, the period before Samhain. Its a good time to look back . I always catch myself at this time of year reflecting on my political experiences of the last 40 years. I think it must be the approaching AGM of the Wales Green party that sends my memories reeling and cascading through my dreams and my perceptions . Perhaps its because Robert David Ackland is coming to see me or that I just noticed a posting by Gwynoro Jones that has started it Perhaps its because I can see the pre-election frantic press campaign and activity of Peter Black. Perjaps its the launch of my blog.

Last year the death of Jeremy Thorpe has had the effect of making me reflect on that period of the late 70`s, In those days nearly forty years ago . Whatever can be said about Thorpe does not take away from the fact he understood pro to-Environmentalism, called for the bombing of Rhodesia and thought in challenging ways. He was a long way from the bland Liberal Democrats of today. When I look at Tim Farron, amongst others the blandness overwhelms me And I see the sharksuited bullies massing on the troty side of the House of Commons waiting to gobble him up just as they consumed and destroyed Nick Clegg I see the community politics that they once espoused becoming no more than a means to keep a few AMs in the Assembly. There is no existential meaning for them anymore. I see it peeping out of the eyes of Peter Black and Kirsty Williams. They are all action with no purpose or meaning.

At Christmas 1977 I was elected Chairperson of the Welsh Young Liberals. It was a difficult election I had begun as the outsider and was facing two other candidates . I stood on a Libertarian Socialist platform my main rival was a traditional Liberal from Cardigan and another candidate from Cardiff.
Leighton Andrews our minister of Education in Wales pushed the Bangor delegation my way and I narrowly won. I can't escape the irony though that when I became Leader of the Welsh Green party most of my critics came from the same area..West Wales. I must have some ancient and long lasting Karma with the area. And I cannot help noticing that another former Liberal ,one Mr Andy Chyba must also form part of this karma..I wonder if I burnt him as Witchfinder or perhaps it was the other way round. Of course all this speculation is a literary device.

I think of other events of the 70`s. Peter Hain`s aquittal on a bank robbery charge in 1975 at that time we believed that the South African Secret Service was seeking to destroy the old Liberal party to make Tory victory certain at the next election. We believed the same thing about the Thorpe allegations and some hints from Harold Wilson’s reflections made us more suspicious of intelligence plots. There is a very interesting book called the Penncourt files and I recommend itThen I remember a TV programme about infiltration of the Stop the 70`s tour by police and intelligence services. And now nearly three years short of my 60th birthday I still reflect on this role of the state in disrupting the radicals.

Even Fred Fitton of the SWP had spent some time as a Young Liberal at the time of Louis Eaks time as chairperson of the Young Liberals
I remember Dai Griffith beating the future Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans to become President of Swansea Students union. Some weeks ago I heard the same but now Nigel Evans MP lay into Tom Watson over allegations against Leon Britain. I can't help thinking that Nietzsche's observation was that our morality was based on our wounds. Young Nigel is raving about Witch Crazes and persecutions. However,I can't help thinking that it was Nigel's government that brought in Section 28 and despite his own revaluations and experiences I would simply say to him if your Party brings in legislation that allows persecution and witch hunting then your true morality and integrity should have made you resign at the time.

I remember a book written by Peter Hain called “ Radical Regeneration” in it he condemns Labour as a hack party. Having lived in in his constituency for three years I realise that he was he describing the Neath Labour party and I wonder if late at night he reflects upon that. In chapters 4 and 5 he describes a realignment of the radicals into a new political, movement. Looking back nearly forty years I realise that the time has come to see those principles in my ageing self that makes me rave at the time of the Celtic new Year.........

But to return to the book I ask you to Take a look. You will be surprised. We are there, the modern Green Party in Peter Hain`s words. Perhaps the rise of Jeremy Corbyn is also a reflection of this. However I see no changes in the bland Neath Labour Party and I reflect that in Neath Port Talbot Adult Social Services has become “outsourced” to a private company.
Now I am the agent in Neath again for the Assembly elections of 2016.. Perhaps it is the dark mornings and the experience of ageing at the time of the arising of winter ..... but then again it may be that I am now liberated from the past and can begin to tell my story. This blog will allow me to do this , there are many articles, speculations, literary and philosophical issues and a novel called “Valley of Steel”. It deals with the experiences of a leader of a small environmental party in a Southern Welsh City during the early years 21st century. It's all made up though..there never was an Edwn Salesbury...but you may know different. And Spring 2016 is coming after a long personal Winter'