The TV leaders’ debates have made the likelihood of a balanced parliament stronger than ever, giving Scotland and Wales the chance to exert more influence at Westminster than for many years, Plaid leader and Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said today.
At a joint press conference in London with SNP leader Alex Salmond, Mr Jones said the election was a chance for the people of both nations to help protect themselves from the massive cuts agenda of the London parties.
Ieuan Wyn Jones said:
“If the TV leaders’ debates have confirmed anything, it is that there is no great appetite from the electorate for any of the London parties to be given a free hand to do as they please at Westminster.
“In such a climate, the voices of the SNP ands Plaid carry more weight than ever in a UK context as we head into the last few days of the campaign.”
Mr Salmond said:
“When we launched our joint platform at the start of this campaign, we said a balanced parliament was a possibility.
“That possibility then became a probability. And now, if many of the opinion polls are accurate, it has become all but a certainty.
“And this could be the most significant Westminster in a generation or more for our parties. In a balanced House of Commons, every single vote will count, and that means we will do everything we can to exert our influence by protecting Wales and Scotland from the savage cuts agenda of the London parties.
“The SNP will not enter a coalition with any of the London parties. We will vote on each matter on an issue by issue basis in the best interests of Scotland
“This campaign is the Iceberg Election because of the conspiracy of silence between Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems on the massive hidden cuts lurking beneath the surface.”
Ieuan Wyn Jones said:
“They talk only about the small tip of that iceberg – the cuts they are prepared to argue amongst themselves on – while all of them agree about the huge cuts they would all implement, but are not prepared to talk about.
“The SNP and Plaid Cymru have been proved 100% right on the cuts issue. We have been warning of the scale of the cutbacks the London parties are planning, and the Institute of Fiscal Studies has now backed up our warning with its devastating critique of Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems.
“We say cut the things that don’t matter – like the proposed £100 billion on new trident nuclear missiles – and protect the things that do matter, like schools and hospitals.”
Alex Salmond said:
“The SNP and Plaid Cymru are the only parties which are being honest with the electorate in this election.
“And just as we have been vindicated on the cuts issue, we are increasingly confident we will also be proved right in our prediction of a balanced parliament.
“That balanced parliament is the best outcome for Scotland and Wales, because it is the outcome that will protect our nations from those savage cutbacks. If people in Scotland want to see a balanced parliament they should vote for SNP local and national champions, and tip the Iceberg Election decisively in our nation’s favour.”
The ‘4 Wales, 4 Scotland’ agreement is a four point pledge to secure a fair deal for Wales and for Scotland.
We are pledging a strong bloc of Plaid and SNP MPs
- To Fight for fair funding for Wales and Scotland
- Protect local services and the most vulnerable from the cuts agendas of the London parties
- Press for action to help the green economy
- And work to support business growth across Scotland and Wales
These are the 4 priorities which represent the values and the interests of the people of our nations in this election.
