The Welsh Republican Movement ( cy, Mudiad Gweriniaethol Cymru) was a
Welsh nationalist political party.
It was founded in 1949 as a split from
Plaid Cymru. The group, some of whom had previously been members of the
Labour Party aimed to build a base in industrial south east Wales by focusing on
socialism and
republicanism rather than on
rural affairs,
pacifism and the
Welsh language.
In 1950, the group began publishing a newspaper, ''The Welsh Republican - Y Gweriniaethwr''. It stood
Ithel Davies in
Ogmore in the
1950 general election, and took 1.3% of the vote.
Some members of the party were arrested for
burning
Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combusti ...
the
Union Jack, and it faced accusations of initiating violence. They also conceived a Welsh republican flag, a
tricolor with green, red and white bands.
By the mid-1950s, most members of the Movement had either returned to Plaid Cymru or joined the
Labour Party, and its newspaper ceased publication in 1957. However,
F. W. S. Craig believed that it remained active as late as 1966.
[ F. W. S. Craig, ''Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections'']
References
*Peter Barberis, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations''
Ymgyrchu! - The Welsh Republican Movement
See also
*
English republicanism
*
Irish republicanism
*
Scottish republicanism
*
Welsh nationalism
*
Republicanism in the United Kingdom
{{Authority control
Defunct political parties in Wales
Left-wing nationalist parties
Pacifism in the United Kingdom
Political parties established in 1949
Republican parties in the United Kingdom
Republicanism in Wales
Socialist parties in Wales
Welsh nationalist parties