THE CHANGE THAT WALES NEEDS

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has today said that her party offers the "only real hope" of brining about and end to 17 years of unbroken Labour rule in Wales. Latest poll shows Plaid closing gap with Labour by four points in just two weeks.

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme this morning, Leanne Wood said that Plaid Cymru goes into the Welsh Assembly elections with the most ambitious, transformative and workable programme for government of any party in Wales, and is ready to lead the change Wales needs.

The last three opinion polls in Wales have put Plaid Cymru in second place, overtaking the Tories, in terms of the number of projected seats, setting up the party as the main challenger to the current Labour government before people in Wales go to the polls on May 5th 2016.

Speaking after the Today programme, Party of Wales leader Leanne Wood said:

"With just ten days remaining until people in Wales go to the polls, Plaid Cymru's message is one of hope.

"If you're fed up of growing waiting times, falling standards in our schools and a stagnant economy, use all your votes to elect a Plaid Cymru government on May 5th.

"The current administration's complacency and poverty of ambition is holding our country back, but it doesn't have to be this way.

"The Party of Wales represents the only real hope of ending 17 years of unbroken Labour rule. With the Tories slipping back to third place, we are the main challenger and have closed the gap with them on the regional list vote by four points in just two weeks.

"The momentum is firmly with Plaid Cymru. We are confident that we have the most ambitious, transformative and workable programme for government of any party in Wales, alongside the strong and united team required to deliver it.

"If people want change, they have to vote for it. This election is the greatest opportunity in the Assembly's history to chart a new course for our nation. I urge everyone in Wales to seize it."

WE NEED A NEW GOVERNMENT

Plaid's cabinet in waiting to lead Wales. 

By next May (2016) our country will have had 17 years of Labour misrule. The public record on health, education and the economy in Wales is becoming increasingly grim reading. To date we have had close to 16 years of unbroken Labour misrule the end result of which is that we have a bottom of the league legacy along with an arrogant, tired, and complacent Labour government in Cardiff Bay.

Wales needs a new government, rather that more of the same – a Plaid Government would work to reverse Labour's bottom of the league legacy. The Labour Welsh Government has failed the people of Wales at a time when we needed a government to stand up for Wales.

In every key area of responsibility - health, education and the economy - the Labour Welsh Government has failed the people of Wales. Failure and smug complacency have become the hallmarks of Labour's time in power in Wales. The need for a Plaid Cymru Welsh government under Leanne Wood's strong leadership had never been greater.

Rather than having an aspiring government we have an aspirin government – whose only answer is take two and see if things will be better in the morning. The problem is that it won’t - after 16 years of unbroken Labour rule in Wales; we have been lumbered with a bottom of the league legacy that is letting down patients, pupils and public sector staff.

We gave the NHS to the world – something we should all be very proud of - but this legacy has been tainted by Labour's shameful record of running our most treasured public service. Diagnostic waiting times have never been met, ambulance target times were not met for 11 out of 12 months in 2013-14, and Wales has fewer doctors per head than most of Europe.

We have a visionless and plan-less government in Cardiff Bay. When it comes to education, the 2012 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results ranked Wales lower than every other UK nation on Reading, Math’s and Science.

The Labour Government has always been willing to blame Westminster for Wales' economic woes. By consistently failing to stand up to the UK Government and demand meaningful job-creating powers for Wales, Labour in Wales have missed countless opportunities to boost our economy and generate employment.

We have had far too much talk, and far too little action. Despite all their talk of backing Plaid Cymru policies of setting up a Development Bank and cutting business rates, they have failed to act on both counts.

Failure has become the hallmark of this Labour Government and it's time things changed. We currently have a self-indulgent, chaotic and disunited Labour party that is obsessed with dropping and downgrading targets; a Plaid Cymru government would focus on raising standards and expectations.

Plaid Cymru - under Leanne Wood's strong leadership and an ambitious programme for government - offers that change. Plaid has comprehensive plans to transform the Welsh NHS, enable our schools and universities to compete with the best in the UK and beyond, and secure a sustainable economic revival; Plaid Cymru is ready to offer the change Wales needs.