CHOOSING INDEPENDENCE

Yesterday (on Saturday) at a  Special Conference on independence, Plaid Cymru members overwhelmingly backed a pledge that means that Plaid Cymru will offer a Welsh independence referendum within the first term of Government should it be able to command a majority following this year’s Senedd elections.

Now this is not simply a case of a bunch of constitutional nerds seeking to win independence for independence’s sake, but rather for the sake of the thousands of families whose futures depend on Wales becoming a fairer, more equal nation. 

This literally makes Plaid Cymru the only political party contesting the 2021 Senedd elections that will have a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum on Welsh Independence within a clear timetable. 

This is a weighty endorsement of Plaid’s unwavering belief that sovereignty lies with the people of Wales and not with Westminster. 

This means that the people of Wales can decide their constitutional future - by the middle of this decade – we all now have a clear roadmap for a free and fair nation.

The existing devolution settlement and the powers that Cymru / Wales has could be used to make things better - the problem is that they are simply being used for administrative purposes by a Labour in Wales government that lacks the will, the imagination and the vision to change Cymru / Wales for the better. 

As has been said before, we are living in very uncertain times, the only real certainty is that we can do far better than this, better than tolerating the status quo. 

More of the same is simply not an option. 

The covid crisis has shown that Cymru / Wales couldn’t have its own furlough scheme, nor could we have maximum flexibility in terms of the support we could offer various sectors throughout the crisis. 

With economic independence, we can have the freedom to tailor our response to Cymru / Wales’s specific needs, rather than the ‘square peg in a round hole’ approach forced upon us by in indifferent Westminster. 

The current Conservative Westminster government is aiming to undermine, weaken and destroy even the flawed devolutionary settlement that we have, there will  be no federalist option, and no new powers devolved to anywhere, let alone Cymru / Wales. 

The centralists are back with a vengeance - the only option as going for independence. For the first time independence and its timetable will be on the ballot paper in a Welsh General Election, reflecting the growing confidence in our ability to run our own affairs. 

To those who tired of the waffle and short-term thinking and the cronyism from Westminster, for those who want to break free from the decaying union, we have a clear offer. 

A Plaid Cymru led government which secures a Senedd majority vote will deliver an independence referendum in its first term – giving the people of Cymru / Wales the right to decide on their own future. 

With an independent Scotland and a united Ireland ever more likely by the end of the decade, the people of Wales deserve an opportunity to decide whether we too want that independent future, we deserve the opportunity to choose our future, rather than life in the past.  

WITH TRANSPARENCY COMES TRUST

Plaid repeats calls for vaccine supply figures to be made public

 

Responding to questions raised about the supply of vaccines into Wales, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

 

“Transparency is key in maintaining public trust. Everyone involved in the vaccine rollout has done a fantastic job in vaccinating 20% of the Welsh population, but we need to see the flow of vaccines into the four UK nations, to have confidence that we are getting our fair share.

 

“I have repeatedly asked for the data on how much of each vaccination is distributed to all nations, in the spirit of transparency. The Health Minister has indicated he agrees, so the question is – when will this data be made publicly available, so that we can all have confidence that distribution is as open and fair as possible?”

 

DIWEDD / ENDS

 

NODIADAU I’R GOLYGYDD / EDITOR’S NOTES:

1.     In answer to a question from Rhun ap Iorwerth about publishing the number of vaccines sent to all 4 nations, Vaughan Gething replied “When we get to agreement on being able to have those figures openly, then we will certainly do so. I'm keen that we're able to do so, but I do understand the sensitivity, particularly at this point in time, on what we're able to publish, and it would be useful if all Government figures in all four nations could respond in the same way as we are trying to do as grown-ups across all four nations”:

  https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/11176#A64236

OUR INCREASINGLY THIN BLUE LINE

The Police Federation has just surveyed its members, and has found that officers in Wales have been assaulted more often during the coronavirus pandemic than their English colleagues. The Federation found Welsh officers were more likely to have been insulted, threatened, hit or kicked, with more than a third having been insulted at least once a week, a quarter were threatened and 17% were attacked.  

The Federation’s Welsh lead said it was possible that the higher rate of Covid rule enforcement may have made a difference.  The survey is carried out every two years with 888 Welsh officers taking part, with 35% saying they were verbally insulted at least once a week, 24% reporting verbal threats at least once a week and 17% were physically attacked without a weapon. While a police officers lot may not be a happy one this is totally unacceptable, if we are truly to stand up for our Police officers then its time to devolve Policing to Cymru / Wales as Westminster is not interested. . 

Our Senedd is quite unique, it is the only devolved legislature within these islands not to have any control over its nation’s police forces. Now it’s worth noting, that control over Policing is devolved to Scotland (effectively since 1945), Northern Ireland, England, London, Manchester and even the City of London. Even the Crown dependencies: the Channel Islands, the Isle of Mann and even the overseas territories (some of which are a focus for tax avoidance / tax evasion) have democratic control over their own Police services. 

It is worth noting that back in 2017 Plaid Cymru called a vote on devolving policing during the passing of the Wales Bill through the Houses of Parliament. We should remember that given an opportunity to devolve Policing to Wales, the Conservatives voted it down and the Labour in Wales MP’s abstained. This provides yet another example of the way the Conservative Party and Labour Party happily co-operate at Westminster to disadvantage Cymru / Wales. So much for standing up for our national interests and our Police officers. 

A BOX TICKING EXERCISE

Former Welsh Government non-executive director calls their approach “box ticking exercise”, in document seen by Plaid Cymru.

In a document seen by Plaid Cymru, a former Welsh Government non-executive director has slammed the Labour Welsh Government approach to policy implementation, calling it a “box ticking exercise” without any assessment as to whether the “desired outcomes” are actually being achieved.

The document is also highly critical of its “lack of measures of progress or outcome success.”

In First Minister Questions today (Tuesday 9 February), Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price also called out the Welsh Government on failing to include in its annual report its missed targets on child poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Price highlighted criticisms levelled at the Labour Welsh government by its grassroots movement, asking the First Minister “You can dismiss my criticisms of your Government First Minister. But can you dismiss the words of the very people that campaigned to put in you in the position you are now in?”

Welsh Labour Grassroots have recently referred to the policies outlined in the 2021 manifesto as “cautious and uninspiring”, saying “they fail to measure up to the scale of the challenges that Wales will face over the years ahead.”

Crucially, they also call for “free school meals for all children”. Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for extending the eligibility criteria for free school meals, and has consistently been voted down by Labour Welsh Government at every turn.

Plaid Cymru Leader, Adam Price MS said,

“The Welsh Government’s Annual Report seems to aim to be a rubber-stamping exercise of apparent delivery but in reality, it is an airbrushing of continuous failure which has not gone unnoticed.

“This failure is no more apparent than in a damning indictment by a former non-executive government director, in which the lack of direction is clear.

“Failure to meet promises to eradicate child poverty and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions matter. Yet none of this is acknowledged in the annual report.

“When Labour activists criticise the lack of commitment to extending free school meals – something Plaid Cymru has long been campaigning for – it highlights the need for a change in approach, a change in government.

“After twenty years of standing still, Wales deserves a government that will actively seek solutions to these deep-rooted problems. Actions from a Plaid Cymru Government will speak louder than any words written in publications by the Labour Welsh government.”

 

ENDS

A WALES THAT WORKS

Plaid Leader unveils plan for “rapid recovery” post-Covid

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS has today unveiled his party’s plan for a “rapid recovery” in the wake of the Covid pandemic, outlining plans to create more than 60,000 jobs through a low-carbon infrastructure stimulus.

 

Mr Price promised an “unrelenting focus on protecting livelihoods” in a 8-point plan focused on fresh ideas and new priorities.

 

With a promise to deliver a post pandemic recovery that sees Wales “working faster and smarter than the pandemic response” – a Plaid Cymru government would guarantee employment for 16- to 24-year-olds, build thousands of green new homes and prioritise small and medium sized Welsh businesses.

 

Adam Price added that the “ambitious but deliverable” raft of measures “should have been brought in years ago had the Labour Welsh Government shown a greater urgency to build a resilient economy.”

 

Unveiling the Re-Build Wales Rapid Recovery Plan – Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said:

 

“The Welsh economy is facing its biggest challenge for a generation. With unemployment due to reach 120,000 by the summer, we need an urgent alternative economic strategy which will not only create jobs but also support the thousands of businesses facing bankruptcy as a result of the pandemic.

 

“We will learn lessons and ensure that the post pandemic recovery sees Wales working faster and smarter than the pandemic response – with an unrelenting focus on protecting livelihoods.

 

“This is an ambitious but deliverable raft of measures which should have been brought in years ago had the Labour Welsh Government shown a greater urgency to build a resilient economy.

 

“Within its first few hours, a Plaid Cymru government would announce a £6 billion green economic stimulus, creating almost 60,000 jobs through tasking the National Infrastructure Commission with delivering shovel-ready investable projects.

 

“These could include building thousands of new social homes, retrofitting existing homes, expanding and electrifying the rail network, and delivering the fastest broadband to all parts of Wales.

 

“We would introduce a Welsh Youth Guarantee giving secure employment to every 16–24-year-olds on at least a Living Wage, zero-interest loans to get businesses back on their feet, and a reskilling programme giving those who were recently made redundant a £5,000 retraining allowance.  

 

“A Plaid government would also implement a new ‘local first’ procurement policy to give preference to small and medium-sized local businesses - setting a target of increasing Welsh firms’ share of public procurement from 52% to 75% - creating up to 46,000 jobs.”

 

ENDS

 

LEARNING LESSONS?

“A year of education disruption – surely government has learnt some lessons by now?”

 

Siân Gwenllian MS calls for additional measures to keep our schools safe – and open

 

More can be done to help protect school staff and pupils, according to Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Education, Siân Gwenllian MS.

 

Ms Gwenllian says that the Welsh Government’s current approach – with community lockdown as the lever they seem able to pull – is limited in its approach, and more could be done to stop educational premises having to close. These measures include:

 

·       Vaccination: Within each vaccination priority group, move school staff and other key workers, including those that drive school transport, to the top of the list. Children are not currently on the list of those due to receive a vaccine, so school workers could face higher exposure to the virus.

·       Testing: Early identification through school-wide testing is key, particularly when children can often be asymptomatic and yet still transmit the virus.

·       Ventilation: Aerosols containing coronavirus can aggregate in the air in closed indoor spaces such as classrooms. Plaid Cymru is calling for dedicated funding to help educational settings monitor and ventilate their premises adequately. Learners and school staff shouldn’t be prevented from wearing appropriate warm clothing in addition to any uniform. If children are fully prepared for cooler temperatures, then outdoor learning also becomes a possibility.

·       Social distancing in classrooms: When community transmission is high, schools should be given all options to enable socially distanced face to face learning. Including a rota system where a proportion of the class is on-site and the rest off-site. For this to be truly effective, all learners need adequate access to remote learning. While Wales remains in lockdown, and there are unused public buildings, schools should be given the option of using these, if they provide bigger indoor spaces.

 

Ms Gwenllian has renewed calls for a clear catch up education plan, including better monitoring and measurement of digital poverty in Welsh learners.

 

Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Education, Siân Gwenllian MS said,

 

“It’s been a year of disrupted education but surely the Labour Welsh Government has learnt some lessons about how to open schools safely in the meantime?

 

“The only lever government seems to be able to pull is lockdown. When community transmission is high, they lock us down, and schools inevitably close again. Only when infection rates have dropped in the community, do schools re-open. This approach, while simple, is far too limited.

 

“Parents, learners and staff need reassurance that the school environment is safe, and there are certainly things that can be done to give them confidence, such as more extensive use of ventilation, school workers moved to the top of their vaccine priority group, and schools must be given all options to enable adequate social distancing in classrooms.

 

“With a year of hindsight, it pains me to think how much more face to face education our children and young-people could have had, if Welsh Government had used all the tools in their gift earlier.”

 

ENDS

REFORM OUR COUNCIL TAX

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS has today set out his party’s commitment to reform council tax should it win May’s election, urging the current Welsh Government to use its unspent funds to immediately freeze the tax in the meantime.

 

Referring to the £800 million of unspent funding in this year’s Welsh Government budget, Adam Price MS used today’s First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd to point out that it would cost £100 million to allow Welsh councils to freeze council tax and offset last year’s average 4.8% rise.

 

Citing the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ description of Wales’s council tax system as “out of date, regressive and distortionary”, Mr Price set out Plaid Cymru’s commitment to making council tax fairer and more progressive, adding that under such proposals 20% of households on the lowest incomes would see savings of at least £200.

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said,

 

“Any talk of the pandemic as the great leveller has been completely debunked by the harsh reality facing thousands of families in Wales.

 

“Citizens Advice Cymru have found that Welsh families have been hit by a total of £73 million of arrears due to struggling with rent, energy bills or council tax over the last year. £13 million relates specifically to Council Tax arrears.

 

“That is why I have urged the Labour Welsh Government to use £100 million of its £800 million unspent funds to freeze council tax right away, making up for last year’s average rise of 4.8%.

 

“A Plaid Cymru government would go further and reform council tax to make it fairer and more progressive. We will undertake a revaluation, increase the number of bands at the higher end of household evaluations, and ensure that council tax is more proportional to the value of properties.

 

“We expect that under our proposals 20% of households in the bottom fifth of income distribution will see their council tax fall by more than £200.

 

As stated by the Institute of Fiscal Studies which describes Wales’s current council tax model as “out of date, regressive and distortionary”, making council tax proportional to up-to-date values would lead to average bills falling by more than £160 in Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent.

 

“This would be a fairer system by far than what Labour has left in place for too long.”