Broken promises and the lust for power

Plaid may not have increased our number of MPs at this election, but it was good to see significant gains made in the Rhondda and next door in Cynon. The two constituencies saw significant swings to Plaid and cuts to the Labour majority. We saw our vote improve in many other valleys seats too.

The results show that in Wales people did not embrace the Tories, despite the instructions from the London papers. UK-wide, they failed to secure the majority they needed to form a government. Despite this lack of public confidence, we have ended up with an old Etonian at number 10 due, in part, to the opportunism of the Liberal Democrats who ditched their principles in their lust for power.

All this will make for interesting Assembly elections next year. In the first post-election debate at the Senedd, Kirsty Williams and her party colleagues were noticeably squirming about the policies they’ve had to ditch for this deal. Despite warning of the dangers of Tory public sector cuts before May 6, Liberal Democrat AMs will now have to remain silent while we take slash and burn cuts which they will no doubt try to spin as 'efficiency savings'.

Plaid Cymru has calculated that cuts of £220 million will be made to the Assembly budget this year alone, despite previous assurances from Tories that the Welsh budget would be protected for 12 months under their government. If we don’t see those cuts this year, we expect them to be doubled next year.

Grass roots Liberal Democrats must be left wondering if selling out on cuts and PR for a handful of cabinet seats is worth it. Disgruntled left-leaning Liberal Democrats have been invited to switch their allegiance to Plaid.

As for Labour, their scaremongering tactics which aimed to get people to vote for Labour in order to keep the Tories out, turned out to be rubbish. When they had an opportunity to stop Cameron and his cronies by forming a 'progressive alliance', they blew it. They must therefore take a share of the blame for what happens over the next five years.

I only hope that people remember that the election promises of Labour and Liberal Democrats were broken so, so quickly.

Home Truths

We're finally in to the the last week of election campaigning, after a week of some interesting revelations. Cleverly disguised appearances have been stripped and exposed by the intense glare of scrutiny.

It was not just Gordon Brown who showed his disdain for voters and their opinions.
The Tories, who have somehow branded themselves as an all-inclusive, caring and sharing party while operating under the stewardship of these men have admitted public spending under their watch will be cut in the areas which need it the most.

Then we had a Tory candidate deviating from the official party line, saying what he really thought about gay people. Still not convinced? Then check out what this Tory idiot was saying earlier this month on Fox television in the USA. Are his views privately shared by a significant number of his party colleagues? It should at least make people question that pledge to protect health spending.

Then - Nick Clegg showed he didn’t have all the answers when under pressure. Will people see through the man who has seen his main profits coming from not being Cameron or Brown? There also remain questions to be asked about his party’s policies on restricting immigrants to certain regions and their anti-trade union attitudes.

Plaid Cymru policies have withstood scrutiny from the fiercest of television interviewers. We were denied the opportunity to show we could more than handle our own when it comes to debating the content of our manifesto pledges and their credibility on a primetime platform with the three stooges of Clegg, Cameron and Brown. This view is borne out by the reaction I am finding on the doorsteps when out knocking doors and talking people.

I only hope plaid campaigners everywhere can reach enough houses in time to bridge the gap left by the poor hand the broadcasters have dealt us.

Camer Chameleon

Beneath the shiny exterior, honed and buffed up by the slickest PR machine money can buy, the true colours of the modern Tory party have been exposed. During the course of an interview by Jeremy Paxman, David Cameron let his guard slip by admitting he would make deeper cuts where public spending is higher, referring to Northern Ireland and the North East of England.

He said:

"In Northern Ireland it is quite clear – and almost every party accepts this –that the size of the state has got too big.

"We need a bigger private sector. There are other parts of the country, including in the north-east. The aim has got to be to get the private sector, to get the commercial sector going.”

We can only imagine what will happen to our public services should the Tories take power given they have signalled a crack-down in areas of need. Tens of thousands of jobs are likely to go, all in the name of ‘efficiency savings,’ with little regard for the social consequences.

What is frightening is that the Tory cuts are inevitably going to be even bigger than those implemented by Labour should they somehow cling onto power. Research carried out by Eurfyl ap Gwilym, and the prospective parliamentary candidate for Carmarthen East, Jonathan Edwards, suggests 45,000 public sector jobs will be lost in Wales based on the latest statements made by the Labour Party. This is the equivalent of 50 Bosch factories closing. Horrific.

Four independent reports have concluded that under the current funding system, Wales receives at least £300 million less every year than we should be getting. Without reform of this system - which is not on the agenda of the Tory, Liberal or Labour's agendas. A slash and burn approach to the public sector will be a double whammy for Wales.

Those of us of a certain age can't help remembering Thatcher and the swingeing cuts that devastated too may many communities, particularly here in the valleys. The only difference between now and then is that Thatcher didn't try and dress up her elitist brand of capitalism as something it wasn’t. Yes, she was heartless, but she did little to disguise it.

Cameron, on the other hand, could be argued to be a more dangerous beast. For all his talk of a ‘big society’ and ‘protecting the NHS,’ things will be very different should he gain power. George Osbourne, who has remained tight-lipped on his talk of an “age of austerity” after it proved to be unpalatable with the electorate last autumn, has already prepared the ground for an abrupt change of direction. In what is certain to be welcomed by his party’s non-dom paymasters, Osbourne has stated he would be calling an emergency budget 60 days after moving into number 11 Downing Street. This will allow him to sweep aside all the pre-election party promises with a simple ‘ah, but we didn’t know how bad the position was until we saw the books.’ It is so predictable.

I only hope those who value public services and believe jobs should be protected, can see the political chameleon that is the modern day Tory party, and are not blinded by the air-brush. Plaid Cymru has pledged to ensure that the most vulnerable do not bear the brunt of the cuts. If Wales had fairer funding we’d be getting at least £300million extra per year and that would safeguard up to 9,000 jobs in the public sector. It wouldn't be enough to close the gap, but it would help.

There is consensus between the big thee parties that cuts will be made to the welfare state. All will deliver severe cuts in health and education and to public sector jobs. Our MPs, in their Celtic bloc with the SNP, could hold the crucial balance of power in the event of a hung or balanced parliament, which is looking increasingly likely by the day. In this scenario, we would make sure the best possible deal for Wales is put on the table before reaching any agreement. What other political party can be trusted to do that?

Nick Breakfast

In the last week or so the re-branded, caring and sharing Tories seem to have reverted to type. As the Tory party spin machine in Westminster recovers from sleepless nights over these comments, the Welsh Conservatives have now shown their mean streak by setting their sights on the popular free school breakfast scheme. Welcomed by parents and teachers alike, this initiative ensures children get the best possible start to the day by providing a decent meal. A nutritious breakfast has been shown to enhance concentration levels and improve social skills for those pupils taking part.

The Tories are now saying this money would be better spent elsewhere and that it should be the role of parents to provide breakfast. In an ideal world there is a possibility this argument could have merit but, as David Cameron likes to keep reminding us, we don’t live in an ideal world. The reality is that some children, for whatever reason, are not given breakfast at home before being sent to school and would therefore have to make it through to lunch time without having eaten any food. This not only impacts on the child’s health but also has long-term consequences for his or her education.

Of course the Tories have form for abolishing such schemes so it is not entirely unexpected that they are finally showing their true colours. However, have the Tories really looked at the benefits of this free breakfast initiative in close enough detail? Being able to leave the house that little bit earlier and drop your child at school for breakfast can, in many cases, be the crucial difference between a parent deciding whether it is worth going to work or not. Putting aside the advantages it holds for children, there are clear economic benefits to the free breakfast scheme. In their haste to slash public expenditure, the Tories seem to have overlooked this. Or is it Nick Bourne simply wants be known now as Nick Breakfast?

David Cameron on Wales

Tories oppose devolution of housing powers

My letter to Tory leader David Cameron appealing for Tory support for the development of devolution seems to have caused a bit of a stir. Two high profile Tories have responded to my letter. However, both have missed the point.

This is not an argument about affordable housing or the right to buy. Its about devolution. The time to argue about whether or not to suspend the right to buy should take place if and when the assembly government wants to change the law. At the moment, we are asking Westminster for the powers or the ability to change the law. Glyn Davies claims to support law making powers over devolved areas. Housing is devolved. Law making powers over housing should be devolved.

The Tories in Wales have made great efforts to shed their anti-Welsh devolution image. By opposing this LCO, they have failed their first practical test. Their words have been shown up as completely hollow, they clearly don't care about Welsh devolution.

Demonstrate for Women's Rights

Ann Widdecombe MP and Lord David Alton are touring to present their anti-abortion message as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill moves through Parliament. They are supported by hard-line anti-abortionists the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, Right To Life, Christian Medical Association, Care and LIFE and on 4th March, they come to Cardiff.

Worryingly, David Cameron has made supportive noises showing that these groups are gaining support from mainstream politicians.

83 per cent of people support a woman's right to choose yet abortion rights are set to come under the biggest attack in 18 years in Parliament this spring - particularly the abortion time limit. A small handful of anti-abortion MPs will succeed in removing our rights, unless there is opposition.

Women need more rights to choose, not less. Abortion Rights will be calling public events including a mass lobby of Parliament at strategic points in the parliamentary timetable to make sure MPs know women's views in the run up to the key votes on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. They are also asking people to write to their MPs.

Later abortion is rare. Less than 2 per cent of abortions take place between 20 and 24 weeks. Later abortions are needed by women facing exceptional and unavoidable circumstances including undiagnosed pregnancies, domestic violence, incest and rape, health problems and NHS delays. Lowering the abortion time limit would force such women to continue to term a pregnancy against their will or force them to travel to other countries for a termination or seek a ‘backstreet’ abortion.

It is important that MPs from all parties understand that the abortion debate is subject to misinformation on science by a vocal anti-abortion minority. The scientific evidence does not support any further restriction in the Abortion Act. It does not support a reduction in the time limit. None of the main medical bodies support such an attack.

Lets show Ms Widdicombe that we won't accept this attack on women's rights. Assemble 6.30pm outside the City Temple, Cowbridge Road East, Tuesday 4th March.