REPRESENTATIVES of Plaid Cymru from Cardiff came down to Llanelli on Monday (Feb 26) to attend a meeting with members of the Plaid Cymru Llanelli branch. It is alleged that the entire Llanelli branch had been suspended by Plaid’s central office following revelations to the press of mistreatment of branch members and their lock out from the Llanelli HQ at Bres Road.
The meeting, which was held at Y Lle on Old Castle Road was attended by Plaid Cymru’s Chief Executive Gareth Clubb. Also in attendance were Dai Lloyd AM/AC, Alun Ffred and Sean Rees along with around 15 members of the Llanelli branch. The meeting lasted approximately one and a half hours.
Llanelli Online attended as we wanted to ask what the outcome of the meeting was. We wanted to put some of the allegations made by Mary Roll to Gareth Clubb and Alun Ffred. We wanted to ask if there had been any resolutions to the problems in Llanelli. We wanted to ask if the branch HQ on Bres Road would be opening. We wanted to ask if they were in the process of selecting candidates for any forthcoming elections.
Following the Llanelli meeting, all declined to comment. It came as no surprise but nevertheless we felt it necessary to explain to our young reporter that this may well be the way in which political parties choose to treat the press who are asking questions they adjudge the general public would like answers to.
We contacted Plaid Cymru’s press office and a spokesperson said:
“Meetings were held yesterday with all Plaid Cymru branches in Llanelli, in which members were invited to attend and voice their opinions.
“Discussions were constructive and we will continue to work to resolve the situation as soon as possible.”
Perhaps the following missive from Gareth Clubb better explains the renaissance approach to the press Post Donald Trump’s election.
Plaid Cymru Llanelli Branch Meeting from Llanelli Online on Vimeo.
Re: Llanelli Town Branch
Cc: Constituency Chair and Secretary, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council
The NEC met on Saturday, and among the items discussed was the situation in Llanelli Town Branch.
The NEC found that Llanelli Town Branch has broken the Party’s Standing Orders through issuing a press release:
– Damaging to the public reputation of the Party
– That is likely to cause distress or disillusionment among Party members and staff, and
– That breaches the confidentiality provisions of the complaints process
The NEC therefore resolved that Llanelli Town Branch shall be suspended with immediate effect.
Suspending the branch means:
– No further press or media output is permitted, including social media (branch accounts of which shall remain dormant for the period of suspension)
– No branch meetings are permitted until the suspension is lifted
– The branch no longer enjoys the right to participate in Party organisational matters until the suspension is lifted
Suspending the branch does not affect the membership status of any member.
In order to resolve the situation swiftly, the Party Chair is looking to convene a meeting with the Llanelli Taskforce and members of Llanelli Town Branch. I shall provide you with more details in due course.
Finally, I would suggest that branch members should exercise restraint when reacting to the situation, particularly in relation to the media and social media.
Yn gywir,
Gareth
_____________________
Gareth Clubb
Prif Weithredwr – Chief Executive
Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales
