Putting Wales First : The Political Thought of Plaid Cymru (Volume 1)

This authoritative book traces the development of Plaid Cymru’s political thought from its birth in 1924–5 to the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. Through a penetrating study of the political beliefs of its most important leaders – Saunders Lewis, Gwynfor Evans, Dafydd Elis-Thomas and Dafydd Wigley – we follow the party’s emergence from the political fringe to the threshold of a devolved Wales. The development of Plaid Cymru’s constitutional and economic policies are examined in detail, as well as its attitude towards the Welsh language. A vibrant discussion on the nature of nationalism and nationalist ideas locates the party’s intellectual development in a broader international context. This is a book that reveals Plaid Cymru in a new and sometimes controversial light.

A thorough analysis of the Plaid Cymru Party of Wales.

This is the first book to discuss the development of the political thought of Plaid Cymru from its foundation to the dawn of the twenty-first century when the party emerged as the main opposition party in the devolved Senedd. It provides a chronological overview of Plaid Cymru’s ideological development by focusing on the influence of the party’s leaders in three different periods: Saunders Lewis, Gwynfor Evans, and the era of the two Dafydds (Wigley and Elis-Thomas). The book discusses tensions and disagreements within the party during each of these periods as well as the ideas and influence of other leading figures. In doing so, the book challenges much of the received wisdom about the party as well as its key thinkers. Widely lauded at the time of its original publication in Welsh as the most authoritative account of Plaid Cymru, its appearance in English is sure to be widely welcomed.