The Welsh Socialist Republican Movement (Mudiad Sosialaidd Gweriniaethol Cymru) was a short-lived nationalist political movement[1][2] which was born out of frustration with Plaid Cymru's failure to oppose the first referendum on Welsh Devolution in 1979 in order to map out a specific policy of arguing for Independence. It was also an attempt to develop a Welsh Socialist alternative to Plaid Cymru and it produced pamphlets and a newspaper called Y Faner Goch (The Red Flag).
Welsh Socialist Republican Movement | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Dissolved | 1982 |
| Split from | Plaid Cymru |
| Merged into | Communist Party of Britain |
| Ideology | Welsh nationalism Marxism-Leninism |
| Religion | Protestantism |
In the early 1980s, following undercover police operations targeting student circles in Aberystwyth and Bangor, several WSRM members were arrested and prosecuted under the Explosive Substances Act 1883[3] for conspiracy to cause explosions and possession of explosives.[4]
After its collapse around half a dozen members joined the Communist Party of Britain,[5] some returned to Plaid Cymru, and others became active in issue-orientated movements.[6]
The socialist remnants published a couple more copies of Y Faner Goch ("The Red Flag")[7] and then reformed in the late 1980s to create Cymru Goch (Red Wales), a small socialist political party that lasted another 20 years, publishing Y Faner Goch until 2003 and establishing The Red Poets' Society, an annual poetry magazine that is active today.
References edit
- ^ Ellis, Peter Berresford (1985). The Celtic Revolution: A Study in Anti-Imperialism. Y Lolfa. pp. 94–95. ISBN 9780862430962.
- ^ Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around the World, Vol 4. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 2050. ISBN 9780313323843.
- ^ "Explosive Substances Act 1883: Section 3", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 10 April 1883, 1883 c. 3 (s. 3), retrieved 23 March 2023
- ^ Revolutionary Communist League of Britain (June 1982). "Welsh Nationalists under attack" (PDF). Class Struggle, Vol.6, No.7.
- ^ "A Communist Christmas: In Conversation with Rob Griffiths". Soundcloud (Podcast). Desolation Radio. January 2018. Event occurs at 19:40.
- ^ Jenkins, Mike (7 August 2012). "The Legacy of Cymru Goch".
- ^ Crick, Bernard (1981). Unemployment. Routledge. p. 130. ISBN 9780416324709.
Further reading edit
- Osmond, John (1984). Police conspiracy?. Y Lolfa. ISBN 9780862430771.
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