Plaid Cymru

The party of Wales, founded in 1925, advocating Welsh self government and language rights.

Overview

Plaid Cymru began in 1925 when nationalists meeting at the National Eisteddfod formed a party to defend the Welsh language and seek Welsh self government, initially a cultural movement that developed political ambitions. Its first MP was elected in 1966, Gwynfor Evans, whose threat of a hunger strike won the Welsh language television channel S4C in 1980. The party joined Welsh coalitions after devolution in 1999, serving under First Minister hybrid arrangements with Labour. It combines social democracy, decentralization, and cultural nationalism, polling strongest in rural Welsh speaking west and north.