Dear friend, Welcome to Moving Forward: Renewing Plaid for Wales. This process provides us with a golden opportunity to renew and reenergise our party so that we can make the advances we wish to see in the coming years. Our aim must be to see Plaid become a party which isn’t just competing for second place in Wales, but is in a position to lead our nation. We are using a wide variety of fora to ensure as many people as possible are able to contribute to the process. Our website, social networks, as well as town hall meetings around the country are being used over the coming weeks to hear your views. The Renewing Panel will be headed by Dr Eurfyl ap Gwilym, who will be assisted by Jocelyn Davies AM, Jill Evans MEP, Llyr Huws Gruffydd AM, Elfyn Llwyd MP and Dr Dafydd Trystan. It is planned to complete the work and report back to the National Executive by the end of 2011. The process will look at five important areas: 1. Structure and Staffing 2. Membership and Funding 3. Vision, Strategy and Policy 4. Campaigning and Data collection 5. Communications We’d now like to hear your views on all aspects of the party. We’ve include a number of questions on each area for you to answer. You are, of course, very welcome to give additional comments and ideas on any aspect of the party too.
Scan with your smartphone! Download a QR reader for your iphone, blackberry, android or nokia at: www.plaidcymru.org/QR and then just point your phone at the code to take part.
Moving Forward: Renewing Plaid for Wales
www.plaidcymru.org/movingforward
Structure 1.
How effective is Plaid Cymru’s organisation at branch; constituency; county; rhanbarth; and national levels, and how can this effectiveness be improved?
2. Do you regularly attend branch meetings and if so what are the principal activities e.g. administrative matters, fund raising, political discussion? 3. Plaid Cymru centrally has a limited number of full time staff members, with other staff employed by elected members. What tasks and roles should these staff carry out which would best achieve our goals as a party? 4. Do you use electronic media, including for example e-mail, blogs, Facebook and Twitter to discuss internal party organisation, such as branch business; and to promote or discuss Plaid Cymru in a wider context. If so, are there examples of best practise for efficiency that can be shared with the rest of the party?
Our Membership 1. What is the best way of promoting interest in Plaid Cymru at a community level, especially amongst young people? 2. How do we build stronger links with organisations and campaigning groups who share many of the same aims as us? 3. The current membership fee is £24 for waged and £9 for unwaged. Would you be prepared to pay a higher fee to receive more information such as campaigning materials, for example? Do you support the idea of family membership? 4. How can we offer a high quality programme of political education and training to members?
Our Vision, Strategy and Policies 1. Plaid Cymru speaks often of having a ‘vision’ for Wales. Is this simply a medium to long term constitutional vision for the nation or do we have a broader vision that includes innovative ideas to transform our country gradually, in the context of the current as well as future, constitutional settlements? 2. Are there major gaps in our policy vision, under the current and any possible constitutional arrangements? Do we have credible, comprehensive and appealing policies in the fields that the public consider most important? How do we balance our vision with the concerns of voters? 3. Above all, as a party, is our mission to affect social and political change or to implement such changes as a party of government, or can we do both? 4. All the political party manifestos attempt to highlight the importance of a ‘message’ above policy items. Do we as a party succeed in giving the electorate a sense of an over-arching ‘message’ above the individual items of policy we adopt?
Moving Forward: Renewing Plaid for Wales
www.plaidcymru.org/movingforward
How we campaign 1. What in your opinion has been the most effective campaign that you’ve been a part of and why? (It can be a Plaid campaign or any others). 2. How would you assess the national support for a local campaign? How would you improve it? 3. Do you use Treeware locally? If you do – have you got specific suggestions on ways to improve it? 4. As you’re campaigning – how do you target voters?
Communicating our message 1. How can Plaid Cymru communicate its message more effectively to the people of Wales? 2. Many electors in Wales receive the bulk of their news from UK media which very often ignore Plaid Cymru. What can Plaid Cymru do to reach this audience? 3. How can Plaid Cymru use IT and new media more effectively to better communicate its message? 4. How can Plaid Cymru improve its internal communications and share information more effectively with its members?
How you can have your say Contribute on our website:
www.english.plaidcymru.org/movingforward
Contribute on facebook:
www.facebook.com/PlaidCymruWales
Email Eurfyl:
movingforward@plaidcymru.org
Attend a Moving Forward public meeting 1900-2100
Monday 17.10.11
Caernarfon - Neuadd Feed my Lambs
1800-2000 Wednesday 19.10.11
Cardiff - Duke of Clarence
1900-2100
Thursday 20.10.11
Ruthin Castle Hotel
1900-2100
Monday 24.10.11
Swansea - Lord Mayor’s Room (Guildhall)
1930-2130
Tuesday25.10.11
Lampeter – Church Hall - San Pedr
Moving Forward: Renewing Plaid for Wales
www.plaidcymru.org/movingforward