The fascists are at the door. They have been enabled by many in the media and political demagogues who have an agenda and are happy to use racism, and hate, and yes even fascism, to enable their agenda (and what we are seeing is fascistic)./1 The British Empire is long gone, but some hold on to a sepia view of how the world should be and yearn for an age that never was. Britain's standing in the world has fallen thanks to poor political choices made by the government the people of the UK elected /2

Last night was a great night for @Plaid_Cymru . We had our best ever result in a Westminster election in both vote share and proportionally number of constituencies won. We saw an increase in the vote across the board. People were attracted to our positive vision for a better /1 Wales and our internationalism.

It would be churlish not to recognise the fact that Labour won the vast majority of seats, but on only 37% of the vote with a falling vote at that. It was clear when the election was called that there was no love or a surge in support for Labour/2

Late last night the Tories published a plan to re-introduce national service as part of their manifesto.

Of course it's a nonsense plan that should be roundly rejected, but let's deconstruct a little bit of what's happening here 🧵 Firstly, timing. It was purposefully published late at night in order to control the political narrative first thing on Sunday - the day when more in-depth political tv and radio programmes are broadcast, and therefore to spike stories about senior MPs like Gove standing down /2

28 years ago to tomorrow saw one of Israel's darkest days and one whose shadow still hangs heavily over the Middle East.

On 4th November 1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was cowardly assassinated by a far right extremist /1
Rabin was the first Israeli born PM. Prior to this he had a distinguished military career and was Defence Minister during the first Intifada. Yet by the 90s he craved peace.
Rabin and PLO rep. Abbas signed the Oslo Accord in 93 recognising the right of Israel to live in peace /2

There's a lot of talk again about the cost of living crisis and how various things are impacting on cost of living, notably energy and food.

But one thing gets ignored all the time and is actually the major driver of the cost of living crisis.

What is it? Housing.

🧵 Housing and the economy are symbiotically linked, but Governments have for too long viewed the link through the wrong prism.

For too long development has been seen as an economic driver in its own right, hence why here in Wales we have seriously flawed Local Development Plans /2

I have received a lot of messages from second home owners who complain about the Council Tax premium.

Sorry to break it to you, but a second home is a luxury, and you pay a premium for luxuries. Many of the people I represent can't even get a first home!
/1 Wealthy people will always complain about the working class trying to enjoy a few hard earned luxuries, like the odd pint or glass of wine, large screen TVs, Netflix etc.

Well, 'teg edrych tuag adref'. Look in the mirror. If you want a second home, then cut back elsewhere. /2

This is a perfect example of what infuriates me about the Welsh Government's rhetoric surrounding Climate Change...🧵

Last year the Government published their plan, "Future Wales: The National Plan 2040", a national development plan for Wales.

gov.wales/future-wales-n…

/1 They provide a lot of jazzy infographics and maps to make it easier to digest. Great.

Our responsibility to take action on global climate change is central, as it should be.

It shows the lack of progress made so far in tackling Greenhouse Gas Emissions /2

The reults of BBC Wales' St David's day poll, published today, have already started a discussion. In the #IndyWales movement people are asking how can it be that the % of those supporting Independence is lower in tbis poll than previous polls? Simple... /1 Wording.
It sounds innocuous, trivial, or petty even. But the words used in a question are absolutely crucial in how the people respond. The wording also reflects on those commissioning the poll. In this instance the BBC has opted for continuity /2

An interesting thread by George Monbiot. But a few things come out of it.
There's an admission that a diversity of grazing animals have a role to play in maintaining a healthy environment. Farmed animals like cattle are important. With no grazing animals another form of /1

https://twitter.com/GeorgeMonbiot/status/1365217257111044101

monoculture, just as damaging, would appear.
Yesterday George, in ignorance more than anything, attacked Plaid's opposition to the Government's NVZs, claiming that the NVZs would be better, environmentally. The scientific advice is to oppose the NVZs. The NVZ proposal would /2

🐟 Fishing has become something of a cause célèbre for Brexiteers, and is an issue used to justify Brexit.

⚓ Forty years ago UK trawlers were more than happy to sail the seven seas casting their nets far and wide for fish in other foreign seas.
⬇️ 🇮🇸 That is until the cod wars with Iceland.

🇪🇺 The EEC (as it was) stepped in, and brokered an agreement which placed a boundary around the seas, to ensure fairness and parity.

🇬🇧 The UK has the same rights as other coastal states.

⬇️

Misleading

I think the current UK Government have deliberately misled and lied, and I don't think that's how politics should be conducted.

While it might lead to short term political success, the long term effects are damaging, as it undermines trust. So, with that in mind I must try to stay true to myself and ensure that I don't purposefully or unintentionally mislead anybody either.

Last night I was listening to a debate in the Senedd about the current Coronavirus restrictions, and a comment made by Health Minister

Covid increase in Wales - the blame game

It's convenient for politicians to blame the people. It's a form of deflection. But people respond to circumstances and cues from authority.

We need to be honest about the situation we find ourselves in

Thread ⬇️

https://twitter.com/WalesOnline/status/1336598440235634688

The UK Government failed to take the pandemic seriously in early 2020. They first had months to prepare. When it was rampaging through Italy in February, they could have made preparations. Neither the UK nor Welsh Governments took action /2

With the number of MPs from Wales soon to be slashed, it's worth looking towards the Second Chamber, The House of Lords, to see how Wales performs there.

A thread
👇 ➡️There are 800 Peers sitting in the House of Lords;
➡️Of the 777 Members included in the June 2019 claims data and eligible to sit, 523 chose to include a broad location for their main residence, 254 did not.
👇

These statements are making the Unionist cause look increasingly desperate and panicky. This by Drakeford, who's an intelligent man, is illogical and demeans him.
First he wants us to use our imaginations. OK let's imagine that Wales was independent. We'd then have our /1 equivalent of SAGE, yes, but would we be so arrogant as to ignore advice from WHO and other countries?
Would we have been so late to lockdown?
Would we have had a PM that went around hospitals shaking hands with Covid-19 patients?
Would we have had a PM that refused to /2

Border control.
There's a lot of talk about communities on the Wales/England border struggling to understand the different rules, and that those differences are 'making a mockery' of the attempts to control the virus.
@DKShrewsbury was talking about it with @VaughanRoderick /1 Hands up, I don't get it. I don't understand the confusion. Are we saying that people are stupid?
There are borders everywhere demarcating different rulea. Even internally, we have borders. There are different Council Tax Rates between Gwynedd and Denbighshire /2