CONSTRUCTION SECTOR VAT CUT CALL

Plaid Cymru have outlined a proposed VAT cut on home renovations, which could result in nearly 2,000 extra jobs in Wales by 2020 and over £47 million for the economy. Plaid Cymru Westminster candidates Hywel Williams and Ieuan Wyn Jones have made the case for a VAT cut in the construction sector to generate jobs and boost the Welsh economy.

Ahead of visiting a local building firm in Felinheli, Hywel Williams cited an independent report by Experian published in 2015 showing that such a VAT cut on home renovations would have resulted in nearly 2,000 extra jobs in Wales by 2020 and would have had a stimulus effect of £47m in 2015.

Ieuan Wyn Jones added that small businesses were the backbone of the Welsh economy and that this VAT cut would give the sector a welcome boost when the UK leaves the EU.

Hywel Williams said:

“A targeted reduction in VAT could bring with it many tangible economic, social and environmental benefits.

“As an independent report by Experian showed in 2015, had the VAT cut been introduced then, it would have resulted in 1,987 extra jobs in Wales by 2020 and would have had a stimulus effect of £47m in 2015.

"There is no VAT on new build, which is often the more expensive option. We have an old housing stock in Wales and renovation is a better option in so many ways – greener, more socially cohesive and less wasteful of resources.

"An expensive new build, say for well off people in the southeast of England is VAT free. A renovation of say a terraced house in Wales for a young couple on a low income is clobbered with 20 % VAT. This anomaly is clearly unfair and hits Wales hard because of the nature of our housing stock."

Ieuan Wyn Jones added:

“The construction industry employs more than 100,000 workers in Wales.

“SMEs are the backbone of our economy so increasing growth in this area would be felt the length and breadth of Wales.

“At present, we don't have the power to vary VAT rates but this will change when the UK leaves the EU.

“We must look at practical, creative ways of defending Wales and its economy as we prepare to leave the European Union. This policy is just one aspect of how we can do that.”

REMEMBER - AMBITION IS CRITICAL

Ambition is Critical

New Labour (or whatever they want to call themselves these days) are quietly hoping that we all suffer an attack of collective amnesia and by the Labour line that it's the Tories fault. It's a big simple lie, but, one that the Labour Party (both old and new) has used again and again over the years. It's also totally untrue - they held the reigns of power at Westminster between 1997 and 2010 and did nothing to curb the bankers, improve the NHS, and deliver fair funding for Wales. Lacking the ambition and the motivation to govern Wales effectively they should not be rewarded for their poor record over the past 12 years.

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones has pledged that Plaid would bring about a ‘revolution’ in the way Welsh Government works for the people of Wales.The Plaid leader labelled Labour’s lack of policy ideas during this election campaign as tragic. Mr Jones said that their dearth of ambition clearly showed how electing a Labour government in Wales in this election would allow their Ministers to continue to manage failure and halt progress.

Mr Jones listed among Labour’s failures:

• Plummeting education standards
• Poor public health and bloated bureaucracy in the NHS
• Devastating handling of the UK economy and clueless approach to job creation in Wales
• Refusal to reform the way Wales is funded

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones 

Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, the Plaid leader also said that Labour had failed to lead and unite the Welsh Civil Service behind a clear sense of purpose and a determination to deliver – and had a devastatingly poor record in providing a strong voice for Wales in Westminster. He cited their failure to ensure fair funding for Wales whilst in power in London as a clear example of why Labour cannot claim to ‘stand up for Wales.’

Mr Jones was joined by Plaid’s candidate for Caerphilly Ron Davies who said that Labour’s record on education, health and the economy had been devastating for devolution in its first twelve years. Mr Davies said that despite their arrogance in this election, Labour had failed to produce any shred of evidence that they wanted to improve Wales’s social and economic prosperity. He said that their record of decline had given them no right to ask Wales to give them a majority on May the 5th.

Plaid Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said:

“Despite weeks of campaigning we still haven't heard anything from Labour about how they will improve our education or health services, and how they plan to develop Wales's economy for the next generation. For a party which has held power for 12 years in Wales, their lack of vision and ambition is tragic. Wales cannot afford to reward Labour failure by giving them a free hand to manage decline for the next 5 years. Our people and our communities deserve so much more, and Plaid Cymru is the only party which believes that a better Wales is possible.”

Jocelyn Davies

Plaid Cymru’s candidate in South Wales East Jocelyn Davies said:

"We need to ensure that Welsh government is fit for the future and not a relic of the past. We also need a Welsh Government that can force the Conservative and Lib Dem Coalition in London to sit up and take notice of the needs of Wales. If Labour is given a majority on May the 5th the UK Government will yawn, roll over and go back to sleep again on matters relating to Wales. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Plaid’s candidate in Caerphilly, Ron Davies said:

Ron Davies

“Those who know Labour inside out understand what drives the party’s political aspirations –it's power for its own sake, rather than any ambition to make a real difference to people's lives. The Welsh Labour party lacks substance and ambition – and their claim that they will stand up for Wales lacks credibility after their failure to do so for the last 12 years. We can't go on like this. They want it to be 'business as usual’. My vision for devolution has always been of a Welsh Government which has the capacity, the solutions and the drive to really change Wales and to make it a more confident, more prosperous country. The only party in this election which has shown any evidence that it is in any way qualified to do this is Plaid Cymru.”

Ieuan Wyn Jones said that, in contrast to Labour, in this election Plaid is proposing a package of ideas to improve services and to reform the way government works in Wales. Plaid’s manifesto will be designed to

• Transform our schools, health service and economy
• Save money and increase transparency
• Devolve further key services to Wales and ensure fair funding from the Treasury
• Improve efficient working within the Welsh government and local government
• Strengthen Wales’s voice in London and Brussels by creating new formal intergovernmental relationships

THE PARTY FORMERLY KNOWN AS NEW LABOUR

The Labour Party (once formerly known New Labour) are quietly hoping that people will simply forget the terrible mess they created when they were in power at Westminster and the cuts they would have  implemented had they not been deservedly thrown out by the electorate. New (and Old) Labour were pretty good on sound-bites but well short on actual delivery, Harold Wilson, once talked about "The white heat of the technological revolution" (on October 1st 1963) yet once the dust had settled after six years of Labour Government very little had changed and very little was delivered as vested interests in the Labour Movement thwarted any real economic reform.

History has almost repeated itself, save for that now after nearly 13 years in power the Labour Party is now back wallowing in its comfort zone, safely out of office at Westminster, safely free from responsibility, they are enjoying what they love to do best – attacking the Tories. And talking up the Tory threat (as well practised by Peter Hain) in the Welsh General election is Labour's bottom line and works along the line of if you tell a simple big enough lie often enough then people will eventually believe it.

There is a long history of to the Labour sound-bite, Harold Wilson said in his 1961 Labour Party Conference speech "The Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing". It seems that the answer is that it is nothing. More recently Tony Blair said "It is not an arrogant government that chooses priorities, it's an irresponsible government that fails to choose". New Labour consistently failed to choose to act to make Wales better and consistently choose to put Party interest before principle and the interests of the people of Wales.

At one very basic level, why not? There is certainly a great deal to attack the Tories (and their Liberal Democrat little helpers) for when it comes to our public services and our economy. But do Labour, not so New, Not so New Labour or whatever they choose to call themselves actually have any real credibility when it comes to attacking the Tories on these issues?

Certainly the party formerly known as New Labour's recent history is marked by a series of of opportunities wasted by Labour in government, the things they could have done, and were supposed to fight for, but chose not to. Fair funding for Wales under Labour, so that would be a No then. Electrifying the Great Western from Swansea to London, that would be a very reluctant Yes, but only after Plaid (and Ieuan Wyn Jones) put them in a situation where they had no other option - originally they planned to electrify the Great Western from Bristol to London - perhaps they helped that we in Wales would not notice.

To sum up, Labour are the 'friends' who are never there when you need them. Labour was the friend that the people of Wales turned to for the best part of one hundred years when faced with economic and political adversity. Through strikes, recession, the Thatcher and Major years the people sought comfort from their natural political home and got scant reward for it during the 13 years of Labour Government. New Labour did nothing to curb the irresponsibility of the bankers and little to support our manufacturing industry and or small to medium sized businesses, that are the lifeblood of much of the Welsh economy.

When given the opportunity (and the Westminster majority to match) to implement real and lasting improvements to the lives of its loyal supporters, New Labour was the friend that offers warm words in opposition, but is never there when you really need them, when they actually had the power to deliver for the Welsh people, they chose not too. Come the 5th May, we all to remember New and Old Labour's failure to deliver for Wales, and cast our votes accordingly.

AMEASURE OF BALANCE (NOT)

The SNP and Plaid Cymru are absolutely right to appeal against the decision by the BBC not to include their leaders in a televised UK general election debate. Alex Salmond and Ieuan Wyn Jones have written to the BBC Trust to request an oral hearing to appeal against the BBC executive's decision.

The pair are understandably angry their parties will not be represented in three debates to be televised on the BBC, ITV and Sky. While the BBC somewhat self righteously argues it has clearly set out how impartiality will be achieved, one wonder how a measure of balance and impartiality will be achieved and maintained if the Plaid and SNP leaders in Westminster are conspicuous by their absence.

NICE ONE IEUAN – AN ELECTRIFYING VICTORY FOR WALES

We should all welcome the announcement that the main railway from Swansea to London will finally be electrified – this is very good news. This announcement follows long months of hard negotiations by Plaid Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones who has put pressure on the UK government and Network Rail to change their previously announced plans to only electrify the track between London and Bristol.

Originally it had been suggested that the electrification work on the Great Western would stop at Bristol and Wales would be left out of this plan, but after an immense amount of work by Ieuan Wyn Jones as Transport minister and as Plaid’s leader, things have been turned around. Plaid has been fighting since 1977 to ensure that Wales gets its share of rail electrification – the benefits of electrification have been proven in other countries. This will truly be one of the lasting legacies of Plaid’s first term in government.

Electrified Rail in Europe

Switzerland: 100%
Sweden: 77%
Netherlands: 73%
Italy: 69%
Germany: 56%
Spain: 56%
UK: 40%

Source: UIC Website: http://uic.asso.fr

Electrified Rail in Wales (After 12 years of New Labour Government).

Wales: 0%

So today really is a very good day for the Welsh economy after all the hard work that has been put in by Ieuan Wyn Jones. Now it is important to focus on getting the job done, ensuring that the plan is taken forward, that any disruption to services is minimised and it is important to make sure that any new government does not back out of this commitment. It is also essential that the Welsh section of this work is begun and is carried out as soon as possible in order to provide a timely boost to the economy in the South East and elsewhere in Wales. Nice one Ieuan!