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It has emerged a new Welsh independence party founded by a right wing pensioner exposed by The Eye for his links to a paramilitary organisation has raised its profile.
A nationalist blog gives details about ‘Ein Gwlad’ (One Land) saying: “To quote our Aims and Values as set out in our Constitution:
“We are a new party which is committed to make Wales be the country that its people deserve it to be. First and foremost that means an unequivocal commitment to independence”.
A first ‘conference’ is to be held before the end of the year when the contentious party will be formally launched.
The nationalist blog adds: “We are a unique party seizing a unique opportunity at a unique time”.
But the man behind it, Royston Jones, is also unique.
He supports the 1960s group Free Wales Army (FWA) and it has been reported that the Official IRA (OIRA) gave or sold, most of its weapons to the FWA as part of its turn away from political violence in the 1960s.
Mr Jones writes a ‘right of centre nationalist’ blog under the psedonym ‘Jac o’ the North’ and we showed how he pledged to create the new Welsh independence party by earlier this year, with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) penciled in for March 3, yet nothing happened.
Meanwhile our revelations about it on The Eye prompted an enormous reaction.
One supporter stated publicly: “When the day for the official launch arrives, we’ll be fully kitted and armed”.
Another in November said: “Jac o’ the North says that following a successful first meeting the details of a new Welsh political party should be revealed in March 2018 once they are ironed out”.
But the delay in the official launch of ‘Ein Gwlad’ may have had something to do with disclosures on The Eye.
Mr Jones had booked a room for 50-60 people at the Belle Vue Royal Hotel, on Marine Terrace in Aberystwyth for 1pm, November 4 for his original event founding the new independence party.
But the hotel sent a message to Mr Jones notifying him: “With regards to … concerns, we have now cancelled your meeting room with full refund of payment”.
He then advertised on his blog a new venue, with the words: “I am delighted to announce that a meeting has been arranged for November 18th in Aberystwyth to discuss the formation of a new political party to defend Wales’ interests”.
The new party had a ‘steering committee’, and had even adopted the provisional name ‘Cymru Rydd’ (Free Wales), with the image registered with the Electoral Commission.
It said: “The party name of course can be changed, but more important is the three logos registered to this party which are – an outline of the map of Wales, the national flag, and the dragon as it appears on the flag.
“These symbols can be used on ballot papers and other literature, leaving no one in any doubt what we stand for, but perhaps more importantly, because they are registered with the Electoral Commission – ‘copyrighted’ if you like – no other party can use them.”
It appeared the new party had been launched with a great deal of support, but it seemed our Editor had become something of an irritant.
On November 19 Mr Jones had written on his blog: “The meeting yesterday went very, very well. I was delighted with the turnout and with the enthusiasm shown…perhaps the one disappointment – given the interest he’s shown in the new party – was that Phil Parry of The Eye wasn’t there. You could have had a scoop, Parry – ‘Shock! Horror! irritating little git thrown out of meeting”.
On November 22 he wrote after an earlier article on The Eye: “Following Phil Parry’s latest attack on me I asked for the right to reply (there has been no such request), but he hasn’t responded. I’d prefer to ignore the irritating little git but he is now making serious and misleading allegations that have to be answered”.
Mr Jones may have blamed our Editor in the past, but he has used ‘lies’ before in describing him.
More than three years ago he called Mr Parry “a lying bastard” and dubbed him “vermin”.
This infuriated his child, Gruff, and he sent him a tweet saying he was “sonofvermin”.
Mr Jones said on Jac o’ the North: “That lying bastard Phil Parry never misses an opportunity to twist or invent ‘facts’”.
He continued: “He’s a mouthpiece for the Labour Party (many of The Eye articles have been about the misdeeds of Labour politicians) and often ‘trails’ stories for Llais y Sais (we never write ‘trails’ for other organisations)“.
Yet other facts ARE true about the founder of this new Welsh independence party.
The picture on Mr Jones’s blog of a man pointing a gun at the camera was of the leader of the FWA, Cayo Evans.
He has also posted pictures on his blog of other leading members of the army in paramilitary outfits.
The FWA was a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organisation, formed at Lampeter in Ceredigion in 1963, and its objective was to establish an independent Welsh republic.
Mr Jones has praised Mr Evans as a “friend”and “comrade”, and published the picture of him toting a handgun.
The equal treatment of disabled people is viewed by commentators as a progressive mark of civilised countries, and it is seen as important to address debilitating illnesses, but it seems Mr Jones does not agree.
Families from London who took homes from a Welsh housing association were heavily criticised, and they were called perverts.
