Come on Labour - stand up for Wales

Back in 2008 I published a pamphlet called Making Our Communities Safer, which argued for the devolution of the criminal justice system. I'd drawn on the previous four years as a member of the Assembly's Social Justice and Regeneration Committee and Plaid Cymru's Assembly spokeperson as well as my previous work as a Probation Officer.

Following the bungled failed attempt in 2006 by the then Home Office to restructure the police forces, devolution of policing to the Assembly was a call supported by Assembly Members from a range of parties. On his blog in March 2007, Paul Flynn said this:

"Rosemary Butler raised the possibility of Wales running our own police forces. The idea has had the enthusiastic backing of the North Wales Police Chief and other top cops in the past. Peter Hain poured cold water on the idea. It's not up to Peter or anyone else to issue a fatwa on proposals that could benefit Wales. It's no secret that many Welsh MPs see any new devolution from London to Cardiff as a threat to their jobs. Devolution means that Scotland lost MPs, Wales did not. The fear is that providing Wales with a full Scottish style parliament would cut the total of Welsh members. It's all about hanging on to power. Issues should be judged on their merits not on the vested interests of politicians. Had the police been run from Wales, we would have avoided the waste and futility of the aborted reorganisation of the police last year. The case for continuing with the present rule from a dysfunctional Home Office is a weak one."

In the One Wales coalition agreement jointly signed between Plaid Cymru and Labour in 2007, it says:

"We want to see a fair system of youth and criminal justice, in which the people of Wales have every confidence."

and

"We will also consider the potential for devolution of some or all of the criminal justice system."

and

"We will consider the evidence for the devolution of the criminal justice system within the contexts of (a) devolution of funding and (b) moves towards the establishment of a single administration of justice in Wales."

Labour candidates must have had the same e mails as I have from serving police officers concerned about the effects of the Tory/Lib Dem cuts on their ability to provide a frontline service. They would have read things like "There is great uncertainty and resentment towards the government within the organisation" and "I could go on and on about how furious I am and how let down I feel" and "the force...is being destroyed by the non elected Con Lib Democrat government at Westminster. Authorising all these changes and cuts, job loses and redundancies to save money rather than to provide a better service..."

So this outburst from Carl Sargent as part of Labour's election campaign was odd to say the least.

Are Welsh police forces and other public services that operate within the criminal justice system safer in David Cameron's hands?

Unless of course, Paul Flynn's analysis was right. If he was, then it's safe to assume that this attack was initiated in London.

Come on Carl and the rest of you in Welsh Labour seeking re-election: stand up for Wales.

Labour voters: help stop the Tories - give your 2nd vote to Plaid

This is a message to Labour voters.

Since the the first Assembly elections in 1999, Labour has never won a seat in South Wales Central, the regional list on which I am seeking re-election.

The regional lists are Wales's version of proportional representation, providing an element of political balance. The aim is to ensure that if a party gets, say, one third of the votes in a region, it should get one third of the seats.

In South Wales Central there are 12 Assembly seats - eight constituency seats and four regional seats. In 2007, Labour held six of the eight constituency seats; and this time round they are challenging strongly in both Cardiff North and Cardiff Central. Because Labour dominates the constituency seats they cannot win regional seats here - they already have at least half of all seats in the region so already have their fair share of seats, and more. In every election since the establishment of the Assembly its been Plaid versus the Tories for the regional seats. In 2007, in South Wales Central, 70,000 Labour votes counted for nothing. In 2007, Plaid won two of the four regional seats and the Tories won the other two.

If the Tories narrowly lose the seat they hold (Cardiff North), they could increase their representation on the regional list.

Plaid policies have a lot in common with the values close to the hearts of Labour voters - for example our opposition to privatisation, support for workers' rights and working to ensure those on the lowest incomes do not pay for the debts caused by the casino-capitalist driven economic crash. Plaid is a progressive party on the left.

Labour voters can help reduce the risk of getting more Tories by voting Plaid with their second vote.

Help stop the Tories. Keep left. Vote Plaid.

PCS Union - 5 pledges

The PCS Union in Wales have asked all Welsh election candidates to respond to five pledges as part of their 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign. This is my response.

1. I pledge to oppose all job cuts and proposals to close offices - such as Newport Passport Office and the Driving Standards Agency in Cardiff - and to support the PCS ‘There is an Alternative’ campaign, which prioritises closing the annual £120 billion tax gap, along with investment in jobs & public services.

As chair of the all-party PCS group in the last Assembly, I have actively supported the PCS union in its' campaigns against job losses and office closures. Many of the office closures to date have been from non-devolved departments, carried out by a government in Westminster which places little value in strong public services with a well-treated workforce. Plaid seeks further devolution so that the people of Wales, who value public services highly, have a greater say about public services in Wales. So far in Wales, any job losses at Welsh Assembly Government level have been with the agreement of the relevant unions. I will continue to support this way of doing things and I will continue to condemn those public bodies acting without trades union support, like, for example, the situation in Rhondda Cynon Taf. I fully support the PCS 'There is an Alternative' campaign to close the tax gap. I also support the work of UKUncut.

2. I pledge to support the principle of universal entitlement to welfare services paid for through general taxation and to oppose the UK government’s cuts in welfare and housing, which target the sick and disabled, families with children, those on low incomes, and pensioners.

It is wrong that those who can least afford it, will end up paying for the the problems caused by financiers. The Westminster government works to protect the financial interests of their friends, while pushing through ideological cuts to public expenditure in the name of balancing the books. The political right are setting about reducing the welfare state, Shock Doctrine style. I support comprehensive, universal public services and I believe they should be paid for by progressive taxation.


3. I pledge to address the disproportionate impact of spending cuts on:
• groups who already suffer from entrenched inequalities – such as those covered by the Equality Act 2010;
• economically deprived areas such as Wales, especially its rural and valleys communities, and on the Welsh language.
I will support efforts to overcome the long-term underfunding of Welsh public services - £300 million annually - identified by the Holtham Commission.

I support this statement. Plaid Cymru has called for the full implementation of the Holtham Commission proposals to overcome the funding disparity brought about by the Barnett Formula. We are already seeing the cuts fall disproportionately in Wales's economically deprived areas with faster job losses, fast depreciation of wages and cuts to the benefits on which a greater percentage of the population rely. I have recently published a consultation document which proposes a green jobs creation plan for the valleys. A PDF version can be found here

4. I pledge to support the PCS campaign to protect public sector pensions as affordable and sustainable, including calling on the UK government not to increase pension contributions or make cuts in the value of pension payments.

Agree.

5. I pledge to protect public services and work alongside PCS, other trade unions and community organisations in fighting to ensure that no further services are outsourced or privatised.

If re-elected to the Senedd, I will continue to support Plaid Cymru policy and trade union campaigns against privatisation and outsourcing. I have argued on many occasions that the introduction of a profit margin into public services that previously had no shareholders to pacify, makes no sense economically. Quality or workers' terms or more ususally, both have to be reduced to plug the gap and over time and the lack of investment results in a failed service. I have opposed PFI for similar reasons. I will continue to makes these points whenever I get the opportunity.

For a Better Wales

Ambition is Critical*

Blaenllechau is beautiful. Nestled at the top of the Rhondda Fach, it is surrounded by mountains and forestry, a rural idyll with no through road. If it was in south Dorset, where I recently spent a weekend with an old friend, the houses would be worth at least half a million each. But this is the valleys, where good quality former chapel buildings, with planning permission for conversion to a residential property are on the market for offers of around £30,000.

In the last five years, tiny Blaenlleachau has lost its post office, shop, primary school and its community centre has closed. They used to have a polling station on election day, but the council has taken that away now too.

Just outside Blaenllechau, a social enterprise called Rhondda Life has rebuilt the local rugby club and have plans to promote the area to tourists as well as activities for local people.

And on the mountain just above Blaenllechau is one of the valleys hidden gems, my personal favourite of the Valleys Essentials - the Brynffynon in Llanwonno.

And Vic Doyle is linking up with the Bryncynon Strategy to turn the land at Ffaldau Farm into a permaculture food production business, training local young people in horticultural and business skills.

All of these give Blaenllechau hope. But ambition is critical.

Vic is backing the Greenprint for the Valleys because he sees the proposals as one way to stop the decline in places like Blaenllechau, a chance to turn things around, because he has ambition for Blaenllechau. And he'll have the chance to tell Wales's Minister for Economic Development all about it next week.

* with thanks to David Hughes, Swansea poet, 'Ambition is critical'.

Vote Plaid for your children

What future for our youth?

Youth unemployment rates are shocking. UK-wide, 18-24 year olds make up one fifth of all unemployed. However, in the valleys of South Wales, they make up a third of all job seekers' claimants.

According to the ONS, there are a total of 2470 people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Rhondda, 960 of whom are under 24, as of April 5th 2011. The youth unemployment levels as a percentage of the total figure for the Rhondda is 38.8%, while in the Cynon Valley it is 37.4%, Neath 36.3% and Caerffili, 35.7%. The number of job vacancies in those constituencies varies from 151 in the Rhondda to 264 in Caerffili.

The chances of current incapacity claimants finding work in the valleys are not high.

In remarks reminicient of 'unemployment is a price worth paying', Tory Energy Minister Greg Barker gives the ideological game away by telling a US audience that his government is "making cuts which I think that Margaret Thatcher back in the 1980s could only have dreamt of.”

This is not a new problem - youth unemployment rates for the valleys were shocking under the Labour UK government too.

It is safe to assume that these areas in Wales which have deep, structural and long-term economic problems are unlikely to receive any special attention from London. As the late DJ Davies, one of the founders of Plaid Cymru said in 1931, "Let us cease looking to others, or to Westminster either for help. It is Wales alone that can lift Wales from the dust."

The aim of the Valleys Greenprint is to put DJ's words into action. It is the beginnings of what I hope will be an action-based plan to create jobs, opportunities and an economic future for the valleys, by doing things for ourselves.

A willing Welsh government could help by making sure public sector purchasing power is used to help create local jobs and train people. It could bring together the various players to make finance available for people to take out no-up-front-cost loans to maximise their home energy efficiency and invest in micro-generation which would significantly reduce home heating bills and help to create more work. Government could make public land available and it could provide practical support for people to set up and run the businesses to undertake the work that needs doing. And it could make sure that the training courses are available to ensure that people have the right skills.

But a plan like this can only work if people want it to. Can we rekindle the famous community spirit and the self-belief, self-confidence and self-determination of our mining forefathers who built the institutions that were the backbone of the valleys before the days of the welfare state? Welfare halls, schools, libraries, hospitals were all built using collective resources. In previous recessions, the miners could not afford to hope that Westminster would bail them out. And neither can we.

I have already received expressions of interest from business people interested in the ideas and I have set up a facebook group for anyone who is interested in registering to help develop the job creation ideas in the Valleys Greenprint. Do you want to help turn around the economy, fortunes and future of our valleys? Why not sign up?