Independence day

1
8890
Royston Jones used foul language
The Eye
Latest posts by The Eye (see all)
Cayo Evans with gun – as seen on the ‘Jac o’ the North’ blog

It is clear that the difficulties of starting a new political party are immense.

Royston Jones who writes a right-wing blog called ‘Jac o’ the North’ pledged to create a new Welsh independence party by last month, with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) pencilled in for March 3, amid revelations on The Eye which 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”.

‘They will be armed’ like the FWA was

But there has been no sign.

Perhaps it has something to do with our disclosure that pensioner Mr Jones has links with the 1960s paramilitary organisation Free Wales Army (FWA).
Or that he posted a picture on his blog of a man pointing a gun at the camera while others looked on laughing.

Or perhaps it is connected with the fact the original Aberystwyth hotel where he was to hold his first meeting in November, cancelled his booking after we uncovered the details, before he found another venue, and he seemed unhappy about our reporting of it.  

Leading FWA member Dennis Coslett – as seen on the ‘Jac o’ the North’ blog, whose death is to be commemorated on May 20

The new party has a ‘steering committee’ and had even adopted a provisional name ‘Cymru Rydd’, with the image allegedly registered with the Electoral Commission.

They 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.”

Yet it appeared the new party had been launched with a great deal of support.

Hotel – ‘concerns’

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”.

Plainly Mr Jones was troubled by our intervention, and wrote on his blog:  He (another critic of the plan) used the lies peddled by Phil Parry on The Eye”.
 
There is huge support for Royston Jones

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.

On Jac o’ the North he set out the party’s principles: “Anyone who thinks Wales needs another socialist party, or a bigger third sector, or more Englandandwales organisations, really has nothing to contribute”.

In the wrong hands guns can be dangerous

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”. 

Truth hurts

Mr Jones may have blamed our Editor, but he has used ‘lies’ before in describing him.

In the past he has called Mr Parry “a lying bastard” and dubbed him “vermin”.

Mr Jones said on Jac o’ the North:  “That lying bastard Phil Parry never misses an opportunity to twist or invent ‘facts’”.

Paramilitary organisation support is not a good start for a new party

He continued:  “He’s a mouthpiece for the Labour Party (many of The Eye articles have been about the misdeeds of the Labour Welsh Government) 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 the leader of the FWA, Cayo Evans.

Wearing a uniform is SO grown up

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.

It has been reported that the Official IRA (OIRA) had given or sold most of its weapons to the FWA as part of its turn away from political violence, in the 1960s.

But Mr Jones has praised the leader of the FWA as a “friend” and “comrade”, and has published the picture of him toting a handgun.

These words may come back to haunt Mr Jones, and it is obvious that creating a new party is problematic – as seen at a UK level by the chatter about the creation of another political party.

This time a centrist one.

Creating a new party is tricky

The entrepreneur Simon Franks has been named as the backer of the new venture which would reshape political alignment in the UK, yet pundits have rushed to pour scorn on his prospects.

It seems Mr Jones may also face problems, although of a different nature.

Royston Jones wins an award for being ‘full of shit’

The vitriolic writings on Jac o’ the North have proved controversial, and one reader told us:  “I feel like taking a bath after I read his stuff”.

 
His attempt to create a new independence party was also the subject of our satirist Edwin Phillips.
 
The equal treatment of disabled people is viewed by commentators as a progressive mark of advanced countries and it is seen as important to address debilitating illnesses, but it seems Mr Jones does not agree.  
 
One of the lines by him which caused particular offence was:  “Am I alone in thinking there’s an element of a Victorian freak show in the Paralympics?”.  
 
Mr Jones also promoted a petition calling for social housing only for people from Wales.
Families from London who took homes from a Welsh housing association were heavily criticised, and they were called perverts.
 
Royston Jones could get intelligent supporters

Readers have been dismayed by what has appeared on Mr Jones’ blog. 

 
One commentator on The Eye said:  “The man (Royston Jones) and the knuckle draggers that follow him are fascistic ethnic nationalists end of and don’t really deserve the air of publicity except to say that wales has an alarmingly high number (of) far right supremacists who have convinced themselves they have oppressed status so think its okay to demonise ordinary people like retirees from English cities who’ve moved within their own nation state”.
 
Not such a number of followers apparently that a new Welsh independence party founded by a man who celebrates his links with a paramilitary organisation is off to a flying start… 
 
Tomorrow why dance nights at a Spanish disco have been cancelled following revelations by The Eye that they were run by a crook from South Wales. 
 
 
 

1 COMMENT

  1. So Phil has been with the BBC TV political reporting team for 10 years. Is he not, like all other BBC presenters indoctrinated with terminal Far Left wing bias to the point where you have to turn away from all things BBC which you love, such as Natural World etc because just 5 minutes with a Dimbleby or Evan Davis is enough to throw objects at your TV.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here