Plaid Cymru and the challenges of adapting to post-devolution Wales

This article examines how Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, has adapted to post-devolution Wales, and the challenges it has faced in doing so. One aspect of party adaptation is focused upon, namely the adaptation of party goals. The main argument advanced is that the difficulties that Plaid Cymru has faced since 1999 - such as a declining electoral performance, internal divisions over programmatic priorities and party strategy, and leadership struggles - are not unique. Rather, they are difficulties that many political parties, regardless of their origin or ideological orientation, face when they attempt to adapt their goals to major changes in their operating environments. The article's findings provide preliminary insights into how minority nationalist parties more generally adapt as they evolve from being parties of protest to being parties in power.