June 2013
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The Welsh Nation Jill Evans tops list for European elections P
laid’s Member of the European Parliament, Jill Evans, has been selected to top the party’s list for next year’s European elections. Rhondda-based Ms Evans topped the poll ahead of Marc Jones, Steven Cornelius, Ioan Bellin and Gwynfor Owen. Ms Evans, Mr Jones, Mr Cornelius and Mr Bellin will be the four candidates on the Plaid Cymru list. “The European Parliament is not perfect and it does need reform,” said Ms Evans. “However it must always be remembered that it gives more funding back to Wales than it receives from us. “Until our economic performance improves significantly and some parts of the valleys of south Wales cease to be among the poorest areas of Europe, this will continue to be the case. “Research I conducted has shown that everyone in Wales is about £40 a year better off due to our membership of the European Union. “This significant boost to the Welsh economy is what is at stake by the posturing of the Londonbased political parties. “We now need to ensure that every pound we receive from the European Parliament is put to good use and harnessed to develop our economy. “Our poverty is not inevitable, and Plaid Cymru believes Wales can do so much better than we are doing at the moment. “If the people of Wales vote for
us next year, we will ensure Wales gets a good deal from Europe.” Ms Evans, a former county councillor, was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999. Plaid Leader Leanne Wood congratulated Ms Evans on topping the poll. “This has been a keenly fought contest over the last few months,” she said. “All the candidates have performed well and I’d like to thank them for making the hustings such lively events.” Ms Wood said she expected Plaid’s record of putting the Welsh national interest first to continue when Ms Evans is re-elected next year. “Whether it has been campaigning for funding to tackle our high levels of youth unemployment, championing Welsh produce on the European
market and public procurement or defending the rural economy, Jill and Plaid Cymru have always fought hard for Wales,” she said. “We have consistently put the needs of the people of Wales before all else. After the petty pointscoring we saw in Westminster during the recent vote to shrink the European Budget, which would hit Wales hard, it is vital we have representation in Europe from a party that will always put Wales first. “We will continue to fight Wales’ corner if people continue to place their faith in us at next year’s European elections.” In addition to Ms Evans, the current Welsh members of the European Parliament are Kay Swinburne (Conservative), Derek Vaughan (Labour) and John Bufton (UKIP), who has announced that he will not be seeking re-election.
Build on Ynys Môn success for the elections to come writes Chief Executive, Rhuanedd Richards
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irst of all I want to take this opportunity to say a big ‘thank you’ to Bob, Dylan, Nicola, Meirion, Alun, Phil, Ann, Liz, Jean, Trevor, Wyndham, John, Llinos, Emrys, Ken, Elfyn, Derek, John Wyn, Vaughan, Margaret, Edward, Dewi, Richard, Eurfryn, Lewis, Carwyn and the campaign team on Anglesey. It was a pleasure and privilege to work with this great team in the recent Ynys Môn elections and to experience such enthusiasm, motivation, commitment and positivity. If I could, I would have put that tremendous thirst to win that election in a bottle and shared it with every member of Plaid Cymru across the length and breadth of Wales. Furthermore, the result of the election was very encouraging. To win 32 per cent of the vote - more than Labour, the Conservatives and UKIP put together – and to nominally double our number of councillors when the number of seats had been cut by 25 per cent was an achievement of which the team should be proud. This positive result was largely due to the following factors – the calibre of the candidates, their focus on delivering a positive message and not being drawn into negative campaigning and their smarter communication and canvassing techniques. In this election the party on Anglesey agreed to put into action many of the cleverer methods of targeted campaigning we have been developing nationally over the last year and a half, and it certainly paid off. You can learn more about these techniques at the Summer School this year in Glanllyn on 19-21st July, but it doesn’t take a psephologist to work out that it involved having a better The Welsh Nation
understanding of our potential voters along with ensuring frequent and meaningful communication with them. Unfortunately, we didn’t secure the necessary votes to take control of the Council and, of course, there are lessons to learn from that. For example, despite the immense commitment of our candidates, we only succeeded in securing enough campaigning time and feet on the ground to canvass up to about 40 per cent of our potential supporters in each ward. In future, we need to be able to mobilise more members to help in the effort to take our message to the doorstep. What’s essential in the meantime however is that in learning from the experience we don’t lose sight of what we’ve achieved in this election. We must ride that momentum created in Ynys Môn and remember the sweet taste of success as we prepare for our next electoral opportunities and the campaign to elect our members to the European Parliament.
party’s constitution, all members will be able to attend and vote in this year’s conference, making our party’s governing body more open, more participative and even more democratic. This is an opportunity to fill the Arts Centre with the lure of vibrant debates and motivational speeches. I hope you will be there. To change Wales, each and every one of us needs to do more than contribute to the virtual debate. We need people to be physically present in the rooms where the decisions will be made. ‘Cyber-Nats’ have their place, but there is no substitute for real time and face-to-face debate. For more information about the Aberystwyth conference, email post@plaidcymru.org or telephone 029 20472272.
The 2014 election will be a key focus in the year’s annual conference on October 11th/12th in Aberystwyth. The location may be familiar, but this year’s event will be a first. As a result of the changes to our June 2013
Deal between Labour and the Independents criticised The deal between Labour and the Independents was criticised by Coun Parry and by Assembly Member Ieuan Wyn Jones. In a joint statement, they said: “We are naturally disappointed that Labour has decided to form a coalition as the junior partner with the Independents, something they said during the election that they would not do. “However, we wish the new administration well. They will be judged by their performance with regard to care services, education, services for the elderly and vulnerable, and other vital services provided on a local level. “The Plaid Cymru group on the council will play its part in ensuring that the people of Anglesey have a responsible opposition. We will hold the new administration to account and the electorate can be sure that we will always seek to ensure the best for the people of the island. “Our view is that Anglesey needs a stable administration to ensure that the island retains its own identity as a separate council. The Independentled administration needs to demonstrate that it is up to the task, something previous independent groups have failed to do.”
Excellent result for Plaid in Ynys Môn P
laid Cymru candidates did well in the Ynys Môn council elections, increasing its representation to 12 councillors.
in the name of good governance, bringing to an end a difficult chapter in the history of the Council.”
Independents won 14 seats, Labour three and the Lib Dems one. Plaid previously had eight councillors on the 40-strong Council, which was reduced to 30 members for this year’s elections.
Plaid’s Group Leader, Coun Bob Parry said: “The interests of the people of Ynys Môn must be placed before all else. There is a lot of trust to be rebuilt between the local authority and the people of Ynys Môn and I know our excellent team on the island has the integrity, determination and work ethic to achieve this.
Hopes for a Plaid-Labour coalition to run the Council were dashed, with Labour deciding to co-operate with the Independent group instead. Plaid Leader Leanne Wood said the results reflected the hard work of local candidates and members and also the desire of the electors to consign the local authority’s chequered history to the past. “This is an excellent result for Plaid Cymru,” she said. “Winning 12 seats on the council and increasing our representation is a definite sign that we are winning support up and down the country with our positive policies to boost the economy. “I’ve said from the beginning of my leadership that the Welsh economy and job creation are the priorities. I hope we will be able to implement this ethos on Ynys Môn because it is something that was said to me by voters on the doorstep time and time again. “What is most important of all for Ynys Môn now is that political point-scoring is put to one side
“At the beginning of this election campaign we urged voters to make ‘Anglesey/Môn proud again’ and that is what our councillors will be focusing on over the next few years.” The campaign was praised by Ann Griffith, Plaid councillor for Bro Aberffraw, who was standing for the first time. She said: “On the doorstep it was so encouraging to meet people who were initially very angry and didn’t intend to vote at all but by the end of our conversation were seeing Plaid Cymru as an option and an alternative to everything staying the same.” “The campaign was fantastic. From the start the whole team of candidates was shown support and goodwill from party members from all over Wales, including Assembly Members and MPs. I’m so pleased that I took the step and decided to join Plaid Cymru.”
Meet Charlotte Britton who chairs Plaid Youth been a member of Plaid since 2010 and active since the 2011 Yes for Wales campaign. I’m currently the Chair of the Youth Section, and the Vice-Chair of the Women’s Section. What is your favourite book?
Could you give a brief summary of your life to date? Born in Hackney and raised just outside Bristol and in the Midlands, I came to Wales to study history at Swansea University. Since then I’ve never looked back, serving as the community and then the welfare officer at Swansea Students’ Union and as a member on the National Union of Students Wales Executive Committee. I’ve
The Secret Garden by Frances HodgsonBurnett. It sparked a compassion and respect for animals and nature that has stayed with me since I was very young. It’s a beautiful book about learning about yourself and how you’re connected to the world around you, and taught me to always focus on trying to make things better. Your favourite film? I think romantic films are
Jill Evans ASE | MEP 45 Gelligaled Road, Ystrad, Rhondda, CF41 7RQ T: 01443 441395 E: jill.evans@ep.europa.eu
cinematic escapism at its best! So probably Sliding Doors or The Notebook. I do sometimes have highbrow tastes - I like modern German cinema - but mostly I just like to eat popcorn, laugh and cry. Your favourite TV programme or series? The BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was epic and I don’t think I’ve seen a better portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. More recently, I’ve enjoyed Borgen a lot, although it did get a little stressful at some points! Your favourite quotation? Dyfal donc a dyr y garreg - a steady tapping breaks the stone. It’s a quote that reminds me that persistence and hard work is key to getting where you want to be, even if you do have to tap the stone in a few different ways. What are your hobbies and interests? I love cooking, and recently set up my own recipe blog notjustpasta.blogspot.co.uk I’m a keen reader and especially love history and Terry Pratchett books. I’m also trying to get into running, but that is literally an uphill struggle in Swansea! Who or what inspired you to join Plaid Cymru? Reading the manifesto for the 2010 UK General Election. Plaid was the only party that actually chimed with my beliefs. I got involved because I saw lots of strong women in the party and hearing them speak made me feel that maybe that was something I could be capable of one day. Plaid Cymru has a lot of fantastic role models for young women, and I’m very proud of that. What would you say to someone considering joining Plaid?
jillevans.net youtube.com/jillevansasemep twitter.com/jillevansmep flickr.com/jillevansasemep The Welsh Nation
We’re what you want a political party to be - centred around community and fairness.
June 2013
Plaid Youth looking forward positively to the challenges ahead
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s Wales and England reached the final whistle in the Six Nations championship, the rain and high winds were far from the minds of Plaid Youth at their annual general meeting. No-one in the Swansea University Students’ Union’s Refectory gave a thought about the weather. Watching the game and celebrating Wales’ victory was the end of a very successful day. There is a tendency sometimes to be a Cardiff-centric organisation, possibly because so many members of the National Executive Council live in the city, so Plaid Youth makes every effort to hold its AGM elsewhere. About 20 activists gathered at Swansea University to discuss various policies and to take part in debates and workshops. The guest of honour was Party of Wales Leader Leanne Wood, who spoke about the importance of Plaid Youth both to her and to the party in general and about how members can step up their efforts for the forthcoming elections – to the European Parliament in 2014,
to Westminster in 2015 and to the National Assembly for Wales in 2016. There was a very interesting debate about legalising cannabis, with important points, both for and against, raised about the implications. A number of members were in favour of legalisation, though concerns were expressed that legalisation could cause more problems than the status quo. Another debate, about the Welsh media industry, was led by the organisation’s former Chair, Luke James, who now works as a reporter on the Morning Star. Members agreed that we need a stronger media industry which could help the Party of Wales get its message over. Topics for other debates included international links, homelessness, and further and higher education funding. Two good workshops were held. The first, led by Glenn Page, was on how to organise a Work for Wales campaign. Work for Wales is a national campaign calling on the Welsh Government to do more
to tackle youth unemployment. Plaid Youth is extremely proud that the Party of Wales succeeded in securing funding for thousands of additional apprenticeships by striking a deal with the Labour Government on the Budget. The subject of the second workshop, led by Charlotte Britton, was how to win in Students’ Union elections. Charlotte is an officer at Swansea University Students’ Union and has plenty of experience in student elections. Everyone split into small groups to discuss how best to fight elections, with the hope that more Plaidies can win in these elections across Wales. The last item of the day before the rugby was the elections. It was time to say goodbye to some NEC members and welcome some new ones, with some moving to new posts. As Cerith Rhys Jones’ term as Chair came to an end, he was elected Director of Press, and the Secretary, Charlotte Britton, took over as Plaid Youth’s new Chair for 2013-14.
Alun Ffred to leave Assembly Alun Ffred Jones was first elected to the Assembly as the AM for Caernarfon, succeeding Dafydd Wigley in 2003. After the boundaries were reorganised he won the new Arfon seat in 2007 and retained it with an increased majority in 2011. Mr Jones was Heritage Minister in the One Wales Government from 2008 to 2011 and is currently Plaid group spokesman on Business and the Economy, Science and Devolution. He served as a local councillor for many years and was Leader of Gwynedd Council.
He said: “It is an honour representing the people of Arfon and my intention is to continue the work with all my energy until the next election. “This is a new and exciting period for Wales with new powers for the Assembly, but there is a huge amount of work to be done to revive our economy. I’m proud of what was achieved during Plaid’s period in government and of our recent work in securing money for apprenticeships and a science park for the Bangor area. “As regards the Welsh language, we can be proud of the Welsh Language Act, the Welsh-Medium Education strategy and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, but there are huge challenges ahead, including giving full consideration to the effect on the language when considering planning applications.” Plaid Leader Leanne Wood said: “Alun Ffred will leave a huge void when the time comes for him to leave the Assembly.”
Leanne Wood Job creation the key as Plan C for Cymru is launched
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ransforming the Welsh economy has been Plaid Cymru’s number one priority since my election as Party Leader just over a year ago. Our vision is for a Wales that can support and maintain new jobs and develop sustainable industry and employment as well as being a country that can provide a better and more equal life for its people. We recently launched a sevenpoint action plan to help the economy – Plan C. The central aim of Plan C is the creation of more jobs, as job creation is the best response to the many economic problems facing people in Wales. The Plan includes starting a buy local campaign with proposals for legislation to boost public procurement as well as improving opportunities for Welsh-based businesses within the procurement chain to create up to 50,000 new jobs. The Party of Wales also wants to see a public business bank for Wales to help small companies. The difficulty of obtaining finance is something that is regularly raised by small and micro-businesses and the organisations that represent them. They are keen to grow but need support to do so when the banks won’t lend to them. If all small and medium-sized enterprises could be supported through a variety of measures to take on one extra member of staff, we could make a very big dent in our unemployment figures. Our small businesses need
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support in a variety of ways. The ideas we have put forward in Plan C include business rate relief, faster internet connections and strategies to boost town centres. Plan C also includes support for larger-scale job creation through new infrastructure projects, such as a Valleys Metro rail service in the south-east of Wales and improved rail and broadband links in the north. Wales also needs a Green New Deal, including a Green Skills Construction College, to ensure that everyone has the skills for the jobs of the future. Our plans show there are solutions available to improve the Welsh economy if we are prepared to be ambitious enough and creative enough. Plaid has the ideas and the plans for Wales to pull away from the financial crisis that was caused by the banking sector. We are developing an alternative to economic stagnation, which is the only option being offered elsewhere. The Party of Wales has been consistent in our vision for recovery since the very start of the crisis (See Renew, Recover, Reform on the Plaid Cymru website). For five years now, we have called for investment in jobs and skills to avoid the scourge of long-term and deep unemployment. Infrastructure investment is a key driver of growth in the economy. The construction sector employs about 100,000 people in Wales, and investment in facilities will provide
further opportunities for more jobs in this sector. Using public procurement to stimulate the local economy means that jobs are supported locally, with money more likely to be circulating within the community. Local public procurement rates can be improved through the use of community benefit clauses, traineeships and apprenticeships created for local people. Increasing our public procurement to 75 per cent from its current rate of about 52 per cent would create tens of thousands of jobs. Providing high-quality training and skills opportunities in all sectors is a must. That is why Plaid Cymru helped to create 5,600 new apprenticeships as part of the Budget deal with the Welsh Government last year. It is why we pushed to secure money for a £10m science park for north-west Wales and it is why the Party of Wales believes Wales should receive its fair share of research funding through a Welsh Research Council. Plaid Cymru is also keen to look at alternative business models for Wales, maximising the potential of the co-operative and social enterprise sectors to grow and develop business and business skills in our communities. With innovative ideas we can make Wales a better country for all. To read Plan C in full, go to www. plaidcymru.org. Please share it with our supporters.
June 2013
A great opportunity to learn new skills – and have a good time
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new enthusiasm for the Plaid Cymru Summer School has emerged in recent years, especially during last year’s weekend in Llangrannog. The experience was enriched by the attendance of more new activists, young members and friends from our sister parties in Scotland and Catalonia, the Friday evening football match resulting in a rare victory for the Welsh side against a combined team from the other two countries. The mix of new people, coupled with a greater overall attendance, meant that a memorable Summer School was had by all and it was a great pleasure to attend and take part. We are now planning to make the 2013 Summer School even better. It will be take place in Glan Llyn, near Bala, from Friday to Sunday, July 19 to 21.
To book your place, please contact Cai Jones via caijones@ plaidcymru.org or by calling 029 20475 928. This will be the first Summer School under the direction of Catrin Dafydd, Director of Organisation, and Heledd Fychan, our Policy Director, who have arranged a timetable to allow all those attending to hear inspiring stories and learn new skills. The weekend sessions will include discussions on community organisation, independence, Wales and the world, the Scottish independence referendum, the European elections, creating our own social media, developing policies and learning from our success in Ynys Môn. The sessions will be led by familiar faces from Plaid Cymru, including our Leader Leanne Wood, as well as some interesting guests from outside the Party. The Summer School is a participative event and so the crucial people in any session will be the members who attend and provide the spark for the discussions.
As with every Summer School - and every Plaid Cymru event in fact - we will be placing just as great an emphasis on the social side of proceedings, and this year will be no exception. We do everything we can to keep costs to a minimum and offer discounts to those who need support. As the skills you will learn and the inspiration you’ll take away will benefit your constituency as campaigning for the next set of elections gets under way, why not request a financial contribution from the constituency to encourage a group of local members to attend? Some constituencies offered financial support to young people last year and that has been more than paid back in terms of their enthusiastic campaigning. Plaid Cymru has declared that it will be fighting the elections of the next few years with a determination like never before. We aim to have a million conversations with the people of Wales before the 2016 National Assembly elections. The Summer School is one of the best opportunities to learn campaigning skills and enjoy some inspiring company before we take our positive message to the people of Wales.
Council pay hikes under fire
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hadow Assembly Local Government Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has signalled his intention to amend a new Welsh law to put an end to controversial pay hikes for managers in Welsh councils. He said his amendment to the Local Democracy Bill would take senior pay out of the hands of council officers and put it under the remit of an all-Wales independent remuneration body. Plaid Cymru is also seeking to abolish extra payments for returning officers at local elections.
Mr. Thomas’ legislative bid follows difficulties for a number of Welsh councils, where increases in the pay of senior officers has caused resentment among lowerpaid staff. He praised Gwynedd Council as a positive example in local government, saying: “Plaid-led Gwynedd Council has shown the way by demonstrating pay restraint at higher levels over the years, but a number of other councils in Wales have not been as strict and this has opened up a huge pay gap.
“Gwynedd has also subjected its pay policy to full scrutiny but other councils, such as Caerffili, have not done so and have made deals behind closed doors. If we had independent remuneration, the public would have more confidence in their local democracy.”
Plaid Cymru’s Head of Campaigns and Deputy Chief Executive Geraint Day and Heledd Fychan, the party’s Director of Policy and Political Education, with their new baby son Tomos Geraint. Pennaeth Ymgyrchu a Dirprwy Prif Weithredwr Plaid Cymru Geraint Day a Heledd Fychan, Cyfarwyddwr Polisi ac Addysg Wleidyddol, gyda’i mab bach newydd Tomos Geraint.
Former Plaid Cymru AM Nerys Evans was married at Capel Newydd, Llanybri, Carmarthenshire on the 11th of May. Her husband is Geraint Davies from Llanelli, a freelance sound man. Former Plaid AM Dr Dai Lloyd conducted the marriage ceremony. Cynhaliwyd priodas cyn-AC Plaid Cymru Nerys Evans yng Nghapel Newydd, Llanybri, Sir Gaerfyrddin ar Fai’r 11eg. Ei gwˆr yw Geraint Davies o Lanelli, dyn sain llawrydd. Y cyn AC Plaid Cymru Dai Lloyd weinyddodd y gwasanaeth priodas.