Plaid4Newport

Saturday, March 6, 2021

A MATTER OF CONFIDENCE

Liz Saville Roberts MP: 'We need the confidence to build our own future'https://t.co/UmeePOabZQ pic.twitter.com/5U1jGsrfow
— WalesOnline (@WalesOnline) March 6, 2021

Friday, March 5, 2021

TIME TO VOTE FOR WALES

If you believe in the promise of our future.

If you believe there is no problem in Wales that Wales cannot solve.

If you believe we can build the future together.

We ask you to do this one thing.

On May 6th, #VoteforWales.

Vote Plaid Cymru. pic.twitter.com/cl0vo0xttI
— Plaid Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Plaid_Cymru) March 5, 2021

Plaid Cymru Spring Conference 2021

The biggest thanks we can give to health and care staff is to rebuild in a way that shows that lessons have been learnt after years of lack of investment.

Investment in the health and care workforce will be a priority for a Plaid Cymru Government after May.#VoteForWales pic.twitter.com/jIXy4D6TNo
— Plaid Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Plaid_Cymru) March 5, 2021

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Plaid Cymru, Newport West Senedd candidate Jonathan T Clark has called for a new railway station to serve Caerleon and Ponthir to be added to the the Burns Commission recommendations as a matter of urgency.

Jonathan T Clark, Plaid Cymru Newport West Senedd candidate said:

“I like many people in Newport, welcomed the commitment to build new railway stations at Tredegar Park, Somerton, Llanwern, and Magor. We need ground broken sooner rather than later to bring the new railway stations into being, to provide alternative means of getting around our city and elsewhere, once a degree of normality returns after covid. The new stations are an absolute necessity, but I have serious concerns that tno railway station to serve Caerleon / Ponthir has been included, this would a real asset to both communities.”

Jonathan concluded:

“The absence may show an alarming lack of understanding of local transport issues, or to literal linear focus on the problems of the M4 or it could be simply a glaring oversight. In this case it would ensure that the residents of Caerleon / Ponthir have little choice but to drive to Newport, Cwmbran and beyond even to reach another railway station. The lack of a proposed railway station to serve the communities of Caerleon / Ponthir needs to be revisited as a matter of urgency if the Labour in Wales government are serious about providing decent integrated public transport for all parts of Newport and cutting congestion on the M4 and around our city.”

DIWEDD / ENDS

Plaid Cymru and the SE Wales Metro

Plaid Cymru in Newport and Monmouthshire has long called for the existing railway stations to be significantly upgraded as part of the process of creating a functioning South Wales metro. Plaid broadly welcomed the report of the South East Wales Transport Commission which has recommend ways to reduce congestion on the M4 motorway without building a new relief road around Newport. Plaid has called greater investment in public transport, with a much better integration and coordination of rail and bus networks and integrated tickets across all services – with the emphasis that’s needed sooner rather than later.

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

LOOK FORWARD NOT BACKWARD

First Minister Mark Drakeford has been accused of “looking backward not forward” on the future of Wales when it comes to independence, Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS has said.

Challenging Mr Drakeford during today’s FMQs, the Plaid Cymru Leader said that it was independence – not home rule – that would solve Wales’s “democratic deficit”.

Last Friday, Mark Drakeford called for “home rule” for Wales within the United Kingdom.

Mr Price said that Wales had never voted Conservative but has had a Conservative Government in Westminster ‘for two thirds of the time’ - and that was unlikely to change “anytime soon”.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said that independence was the “only way” to ensure that all decisions affecting Wales were “made in Wales” and to ensure Wales became a “better, fairer and more equal” country.

Recent polling has shown support for Welsh independence to be on the rise. Support for Welsh independence is also growing within the Labour party with polling suggesting half of Labour voters in Wales are supportive of an independent Wales.

The head of Labour for Indy Wales Bob Lloyd, said yesterday in the Daily Express that “For the last 100 years Wales has voted for a socialist party in domestic elections yet hasn't got what it's asked for.” Sam Pritchard, Chair of the Wales Co-operative Party, said that independence was the “best way to achieve a more equal society and not be bound by the voting patterns of people in the south of England”.

The First Minister has previously suggested supporters of Welsh independence are inward-looking and inherently right-wing. Yesterday, Labour MP Chris Bryant dismissed independence supporters as ‘childish’.

Mr Price called the comments “deeply disappointing” and said Welsh independence was about looking “outward […] forging alliances, and developing relationships on these islands and beyond”.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said,

“Wales has never voted Tory yet we’ve had Tory Governments for two thirds of the time. There’s no reason to believe that will change anytime soon.

“The First Minister describes independence as a nineteenth century response to a 21^st century problem, going on to propose home rule instead, itself an idea from the 1880s. The problem is that Home rule will never solve the Welsh democratic deficit – only independence can do that.

“Westminster has never seen itself as Wales' partner in constitutional terms. Independence will ensure all decisions affecting Wales are made in Wales and to enable Wales to become a better, fairer and more equal nation.

“It is deeply disappointing to hear the First Minister and his Labour colleague tarnish one third of the population by suggesting they are ‘inward-looking’ and ‘childish’. Welsh independence is about looking outward – not inward, taking off Westminster’s blinkers and replace them with our Welsh internationalist lens - making friends, forging alliances, and developing relationships on these islands and beyond.

“With recent polls showing that more than half of Labour voters are now in favour of independence, that support is highest among our young people, on the national question is it not the independence movement but the First Minister that is looking backward not forward to the future of our country."

ENDS

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

PLAID CYMRU SAYS ‘GET ON WITH IT’

Plaid Cymru in Newport has condemned the pointless empty gesture from the Conservatives in Newport in relation to their efforts to have a referendum on the already rejected M4 Relief road - saying we need action to relieve the congestion that affects our city not empty words , waffle or pointless gestures.

Plaid Cymru broadly welcomes the report of the South East Wales Transport Commission which recommends ways to reduce congestion on the M4 motorway without building a new relief road around Newport. Plaid Cymru welcomes to call for more investment in public transport, a much better integration and coordination of rail and bus networks and integrated tickets across all services - and we need it now rather than later.

Jonathan T Clark, Plaid Cymru Newport West Senedd candidate said:

“We need practical action, not the pointless empty politics of gesture. We need ground broken to bring the new railway stations that will serve Newport into being, and provide alternative means of getting around our city, and we need it sooner rather than later.”

He said:

“Plaid Cymru welcomes the proposed railway station at Tredegar Park it’s an absolute necessity, but we have serious concerns that no railway station to serve Caerleon / Ponthir has been included, this would a real asset to both communities.”

Jonathan added:

“Its absence could be interpreted to show a lack of understanding of local transport issues, to literal a linear a focus on the problems of the M4 or a simply a glaring oversight in this case ensuring that the residents of Caerleon / Ponthir have little choice but to drive to Newport, Cwmbran and beyond even to reach another railway station.”

Jonathan concluded:

“The lack of a proposed railway station to serve the communities of Caerleon / Ponthir needs to be revisited as a matter of urgency if the commission and the Labour in Wales government are serious about providing decent integrated public transport for all parts of Newport and cutting congestion on the M4.”

Daniel Llewellyn, Plaid Cymru Newport East Senedd candidate, said:

“Plaid Cymru in Newport warmly welcomes the recommendations to create Newport East station in Somerton, as well as long overdue plans new stations at Llanwern and Magor.”

He added:

“From the perspective of Newport East, the proposed railway stations at Llanwern and Magor are an absolute necessity and with a more frequent affordable rail service.”

Daniel concluded:

“A new M48 junction connecting Severn Tunnel Junction to the east would sensibly provide direct bus access and would ease the pressure of car traffic on M4 junction 23A and the roads through Magor. In addition, adding additional bus bays outside Newport Central station would help to build connectivity.”

Plaid Cymru in Newport and Monmouthshire has long called for the existing railway stations to be significantly upgraded as part of the process of creating a functioning South Wales metro.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Welsh Government budget missed opportunity to tackle inequalities, says Plaid Cymru

Responding to the Welsh Government budget announcement, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Finance, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

“This budget is a missed opportunity. It is a missed opportunity to support local government and to protect public services – councils that have performed heroically over the past twelve months in the face of unprecedented pressures. It is a missed opportunity to provide additional support for businesses including hospitality and tourism. It is a missed opportunity to take the pressure off local taxpayers by freezing council tax. And it is a missed opportunity to help the poorest in society by extending the eligibility of free school meals to all children in homes on universal credit.

“We need to keep money flowing to help those businesses who truly need it, to help with the pressures on health and care services, and to help the most vulnerable in our society.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on public expenditure in Wales and has exposed inequalities at the heart of our society. This budget has sadly failed to get to grips with that.

“Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru is ready with a programme of investment of billions of pounds in rebuilding Wales – not back to where we were prior to the pandemic, but to a level where we can be far more ambitious in what we try to achieve as a nation of equals.”