HERE WE GO...

So there we have it, the devil is in the detail, the Welsh budget has been cut in real terms by 11.4%, with capital spending, money to be invested in new roads, hospitals and schools, being cut by 41%. This works out at around £4.8 billion over the next four years.interestingly enough, the previous New Labour Government, planned, this time over three years to cut Wales' budget by £3 billion. The Con Dem government now also plan cuts of approximately £3 billion over next 3 years which works out at about the same. While the ConDem cuts are a heavy blow, so would the proposed New Labour cuts have been. One thing is true, both the former New Labour Government and the current ConDem Government have no interest in making sure that Wales has a fair funding formula.

The Welsh budget, this year, is some £1.4 billion less than it would have been if we had kept pace with spending increases in England under New Labour. It's also worth noting that Spending Review also announced a further £7 billion cut from the welfare budget, on top of £11 billion previously announced over the Summer. There is a significant degree of geographical unfairness (for want of a better phrase) in this Spending Review on a number of levels. Wales, amongst the devolved nations, is worst off, and is taking a bigger hit than Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are significant if not huge differences between Wales and the south-east of England.

The ConDems are carrying on with the Crossrail, a multi-billion pound infrastructure project in London, not to mention three major science projects all of which are located in the south-east of England, not to mention continued spending on museums, galleries and culture in London.These cuts are far too deep and far too fast, they threaten Wales’s economic recovery and could expose us to the risk of a ‘double-dip’ recession. I (and no doubt many other people would expect this from a Consevative Government, but, their super keen Lib Dem little helpers should really know better.

A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES

That Plaid has focused on protecting public services, jobs and our most vulnerable people should come as no surprise. Plaid is the only party fighting in this election for the priorities of the people of Wales. With the emphasis on taking pensioners out of poverty and protecting jobs, schools and hospitals from the London parties’ cuts – this manifesto reflects the conscience, values and priorities of the people of Wales.

At the launch of Plaid Cymru’s Manifesto, which will take place later on this morning, in Cardiff, Ieuan Wyn Jones is expected to say that unlike the other parties, protecting the most vulnerable in society is the moral spur which drives the party’s vision for a stronger, more confident Wales. Quite rightly Plaid will prioritise the needs of the families and communities of Wales above all else while the London parties pamper to the “haves” of so-called middle Britain, rather than the “have nots”.

Among Plaid’s election pledges is a promise to fight for a significant increase in the state pension in order to combat poverty amongst older people. The party is also calling for a Venture capital fund to be established in order to help start up businesses, boosting the Welsh economy.

In what will be a closely fought election, with a hung parliament being a real possibility, Plaid with its partners the SNP, will be in a strong position to negotiate the best possible deal for Wales and Scotland, working to ensure that Wales and Scotland get a fair deal.


Plaid’s Manifesto will focus on 7 key priority areas.

They are:

• Protecting the Welsh Budget - including jobs, hospitals and schools - from the London parties’ slash and burn cuts
  
• Increasing the state pension to ensure that our older people have a pension upon which they can live
  
• Caring for our troops and veterans who have been shamefully neglected by this Government and bringing them home from Afghanistan
  
• Helping Welsh business grow by improving connectivity through broadband and high speed rail links as well as creating a Venture capital fund
  
• Creating a new environmental action plan to enable Wales to lead the way in the green revolution and create thousands of high-quality green jobs
  
• Having proper powers for our National Assembly to ensure that we in Wales have the tools to do the job and make an even greater difference to people’s everyday lives
  
• Tackling the deficit by stopping costly and unnecessary Government spending; closing tax loopholes and introducing more progressive taxation measures. Plaid also wants to see reform of the banks and for bonuses to be curbed immediately.