Plaid calls on voters not to let Labour, with their dearth of ambition and record of failure, limit the Assembly Government’s ability to transform Wales.
Plaid Cymru has launched its manifesto today pledging to bring new thinking in order to address the major economic, educational and health problems facing Wales today. The party will insist that it has a programme of government which aims to transform Wales. It says that despite reducing budgets, it has mapped out a wide arc of what’s possible in terms of creating a better Wales in contrast to Labour who constantly want to limit the ability of the Assembly to deliver change.
Plaid’s vision for what it describes as the next decade of delivery is reflected in the title of the document “Ambition is Critical”. As Wales prepares in 2014 to mark a centenary since the birth of Dylan Thomas, his words have been adopted by Plaid as their guiding principle for both the manifesto and the next Welsh government. Today the party will set out in detail how this phrase will manifest itself in a programme of policies designed to
- build a stronger, more effective and efficient Welsh government
- create jobs and a strengthened, more resilient business environment
- increase standards in education and improve the health, well-being and quality of lives of citizens
- ensure better access to decent, affordable housing
- address the pressures facing our climate and natural environment
- celebrate and promote our diverse culture, remarkable history, unique language, passion for sport and the breathtaking beauty of our landscape
Speaking ahead of the manifesto launch, Plaid’s Director of Policy and candidate in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Nerys Evans said:
“Plaid Cymru wants this election to be a battle of ideas, underpinned with a vision of creating a strong, confident and prosperous Wales. To date, only Plaid Cymru has offered that vision and hope for a better Wales – we cannot afford 5 more years of Labour failure and lack of ambition. Today, following a consultation which has lasted over a year and which has involved many hundreds of people, we are publishing a manifesto which we believe meets our aims – it is bold, it is workable, it is affordable and, if implemented, it could lead to the transformation of our economy and some of our key public services.”
Plaid has already announced its 4 key pledges in this election ‘4 A Better Wales’. The party is pledging to ensure that children leaving primary school are able to read, write and count to the expected standard. The Build4Wales pledge supports the creation a ‘not-for-distributable-profit’ company which will invest in hospitals, schools, housing and transport and create up to 50,000 jobs across Wales. The Small Business Bonus is focused on helping small businesses to grow. Ensuring quicker and more effective healthcare by increasing the availability of GPs, dentists and key medical professionals when people need them is at the heart of the party’s third pledge. The fourth is to connect Wales for the 21st century with better mobile signal, wi-fi and broadband coverage, and a modern transport system to move our nation forward.
