22/10/2020
The gay leader of the Welsh Nationalist Party, Plaid Cymru has given his broad endorsement to the decision of the Labour led government of Wales to implement its “circuit breaker” lockdown to the country from Friday evening, 23rd October, until Monday 9th November. Adam Price, who is Plaid’s first gay leader in nearly one hundred years of the Party, is noted for his social activism which included initiating proceedings against Tony Blair over the Iraq War of 2003 and also working with pacifist groups who wish to see their taxes donated to non-military initiatives. Mr Price told the BBC News Channel on Monday evening: “A firebreak should only be used in an emergency and we in Wales are now in that emergency”. He also told the Prif Weindog, or First Minister, that the opportunity afforded by the closedown of non essential servi ces, travel and gatherings, should be used to build up an efficient trace and test system. Wales is closing businesses such as non food selling shops, most pubs and restaurants, hairdressers and schools for the mini-lockdown. Paul Davies speaking for the Conservative Party in Wales said that the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, was not reacting proportionately. Rural parts of Wales, including the Welsh speaking areas, are much less impacted by the coronavirus virus and Mr Davies said that business would unnecessarily suffer due to the nationwide lockdown. For our overseas listeners who may not be aware of the set up of the governance of the UK, Wales is a country in its own right and sits alongside England and Scotland in the kingdom. It has a strong sense of its own identity, its own very ancient language and its own fiercely independent institutions and media. LGBTQ focused groups such as Stonewall and the Terrence Higgins Trust have separate offices in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Since 1999, Wales has had some governing autonomy with an Assembly at Cardiff Bay. For LGBTQ people, it is of note that the traditional Hallowe’en celebrations will be off limits as unnecessary social gatherings are restricted. As with the UK wide lockdown during the summer, there is always the possibility that illegal raves will take place for the young and disenfranchised. Wales has had a historical tradition of such events taking place since the 1990s in difficult to police rural areas.
