Antony David Davies FRSA FRAS AFRHistS MCMI MIoL

By Antony David Davies FRSA

Although I now live in England, my roots run deep in Welsh soil. My elderly mother still resides in the quiet heartlands of rural mid-Wales, where I was raised on a tradition of civic responsibility, cultural pride, and community resilience. Every decision I make — from the words I write to the policies I support — is shaped by a dual perspective: that of the diasporic Welshman looking in from across the border, and the son determined to protect what remains of the Wales that raised him.

What’s at stake in 2026 is not merely a change in government. It is the very survival of Welsh political agency. For the first time in a generation, Labour’s grip on the Senedd is weakening. The party that once symbolised working-class solidarity has lost its moral clarity and electoral certainty. Into this vacuum steps Reform UK, a populist force that cloaks English nationalism in the rhetoric of anti-elitism. And standing against them is Plaid Cymru — the only party that treats Wales not as a province, but as a nation.

Reform UK: A Union Flag Draped Over a Centralised State

Reform UK did not arise in Wales. It is a political export — forged in the crucible of English disaffection, turbocharged by Brexit, and now seeking a foothold in a country it neither understands nor values.

Their rise has been swift, but superficial. In the 2021 Senedd elections, they were a footnote. Today, they’re polling close to Plaid Cymru, buoyed by frustration, economic anxiety, and a media ecosystem that thrives on outrage. But a party’s popularity does not make it fit to govern — especially when that popularity is built on misdirection and manufactured grievance.

Reform UK’s vision for the United Kingdom is one of radical recentralisation. Their 2021 proposal to abolish the Senedd and govern Wales through Westminster MPs would roll back over two decades of democratic progress. It is an act of political vandalism cloaked as reform.

Make no mistake: Reform UK is not a Welsh party. It is a party that happens to contest elections in Wales. It carries no cultural mandate, no grounding in our history, and no understanding of our constitutional development. Their narrative of “common sense” is drawn not from the valleys or the slate quarries or the post-industrial heartlands, but from right-wing media studios and fringe think tanks.

This isn’t conservatism. It’s disruption for disruption’s sake — a wrecking ball aimed not at elites, but at the devolved institutions that give Wales any semblance of control over its own destiny.

Devolution: A Hard-Won Struggle, Not a Technicality

Wales’s democratic journey has been gradual, hard-earned, and often underestimated. From the establishment of the Welsh Office in 1964 to the narrow victory in the 1997 devolution referendum, every inch of progress has been fought for — not given.

The Senedd is not perfect. No parliament is. But it is ours, shaped by our values and our needs. It has delivered:

* Bilingualism in public services.

* A distinct approach to health and education.

* Protection from the worst of Westminster austerity.

To abolish or weaken it would not simply be a policy decision — it would be a rejection of Welsh democratic legitimacy.

Reform UK’s plans, if enacted, would make Wales the only UK nation without its own legislature. Scotland would keep Holyrood. Northern Ireland would keep Stormont. Only Wales would be told, once again, to sit down and be quiet.

Plaid Cymru: Not Just for Nationalists, but for Realists

Plaid Cymru is often dismissed — wrongly — as the party of separatism. But to vote Plaid in 2026 is not to vote for an immediate referendum on independence. It is to vote for self-respect, self-government, and long-term national renewal.

Plaid understands that Wales will not flourish by mimicking Westminster. It offers:

* A publicly-owned green energy company, generating jobs and revenue for Wales.

* A national housing plan to address the crisis that drives young people out of our communities.

* A radical democratic agenda, not to secede from reality, but to invest in it.

During its cooperation with the Labour government, Plaid delivered:

* Free school meals for all primary pupils.

* Expansion of childcare.

* A publicly-owned construction company.

In a political culture increasingly defined by slogans and scapegoats, Plaid Cymru remains policy-driven, culturally rooted, and ethically serious.

History is Watching

Let us be clear-eyed: the 2026 Senedd election will shape Wales for a generation.

A vote for Reform is not a protest. It is an act of surrender. It is to endorse a party that would reduce our Parliament to rubble, strip Wales of its political voice, and govern us as a colonial outpost of a resurgent English state.

A vote for Plaid is a vote for Wales — not just as it is, but as it could be:

* Fairer.

* Greener.

* More confident in its language, its culture, and its people.

Plaid is not perfect. But it is the only party in this election that speaks to the Welsh condition, not as a soundbite, but as a responsibility.

Conclusion: From Protest to Purpose

In 1282, Wales lost its native government to conquest. In 1997, we voted — narrowly — to reclaim it. And now, in 2026, we must decide: do we move forward in self-governance, or backward into irrelevance?

This is not about flags. It is about futures.

I may now live across the border. But my heart, my history, and my hopes remain in Wales. And from where I stand, the choice is painfully, powerfully clear:

Only Plaid Cymru offers the vision, the discipline, and the cultural intelligence to lead Wales through the storms ahead.

If you believe in Wales — truly, historically, structurally — then in 2026, vote not in anger, but in aspiration.

Vote for the Wales we deserve. Vote Plaid Cymru.