Welsh nationalism is stirring

STREET NAMES do not often boast much political significance. But in Caerphilly they do. Lansbury Park, a 1960s council estate that sprawls through a formidable Welsh valley, is no exception. Named for the former Labour leader George Lansbury, its street names hold similar commemorations to the party’s long dead heroes. Among them are Attlee Court, named for the party’s beloved former prime minister, and Snowden Court, for Philip Snowden, a Labour chancellor in the 1920s. Their names may live on, but their politics do not. “Get Labour out,” cheers one resident when asked about her allegiances.

Another resident, a former Labour voter who supported Brexit, says he now wants an independent Wales. “If we want to be sheep and follow Westminster we might as well go and live on the mountain,” he explains. But he has no interest in voting again, since politicians cannot be trusted. That is until Delyth Jewell, the local Plaid Cymru candidate in the forthcoming election for the Senedd Cymru, or Welsh Parliament, shows up. The party is a nationalist outfit which campaigns for Welsh independence. That and the promise to reopen a local doctor’s surgery convinces the resident. “Might as well give her a go.”