I really hope Plaid are all over this and will be visible in and around Port Talbot from now until the Senedd elections. Reform have an achilles heel here because of Tice's actions in the north east of England. Welsh Twitter is fucking *raging*.

My home town. I, like you, hope Plaid step up and gain traction there. Coincidence my eldest visited the Senedd a few weeks ago as part of his college course and was impressed by the 2 Plaid members they met and talked with as he felt the conversations went both ways rather than a party line response. Fingers crossed, eh.

It's totally inexplicable to me how Plaid don't win - most of the councillors and MSs and MPs I've seen are impressive and are usually local to their constituency. None of the English parties give a shit about Cymru, except as a convenient resource extraction point. You only have to look at the way the rail network is set up to understand that.

Without wishing to get all cod-psychology I think it's the industrial working class seeing Plaid as outsiders with a desire for independence and not a lot else. Certainly when I was growing up in Port Talbot in the seventies and eighties, Plaid were seen by many as a bit weird. I appreciate things change, but some attitudes take decades to evolve and change.
Reform appeal to some as they appear to be equally upset with the current main political parties, but fail to mention they want to retain things as they are, just with them in charge instead of Labour/Tory. Of course when people spot the scam, it's too late.
I assume part of London Labour's calculation is that Reform do well in the English council and Senedd elections and proceed to self-destruct with in-fighting and more of the same, so Labour can then win the next GE. High stakes and hugely cynical.