Two prominent Plaid Cymru politicians have issued an open invitation to disgruntled Liberal Democrats supporters after their party’s coalition deal with the Tories.
The Lib/Con UK Government formed earlier this week has seen the jettisoning of many of Nick Clegg’s key manifesto pledges such as the scrapping of the Trident missile programme, the introduction of a ‘mansion tax’ and an immigration amnesty.
Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central, Leanne Wood, and Jonathan Edwards, the newly elected MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, have called upon left-leaning or disillusioned Liberal Democrat supporters in Wales to switch their allegiance.
“I’m sure many Liberal Democrats will have cringed when witnessing the love-in between David Cameron and Nick Clegg at the press conference in the garden of Number 10 Downing Street,” said Ms Wood.
“At a time when trust in the political class is at an all time low, the sight of Clegg and Cameron acting like a pair of lovers, only weeks after their major disagreements during the leadership debates, will not have helped. Here in Wales, we witnessed the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Kirsty Williams, cosying up to the new Welsh secretary, Cheryl Gillan. Principles have been scrapped at the altar of power.
“It is must be particularly galling for the left-leaning Liberal Democrats members who campaigned hard over the last few months for a so-called alternative brand of politics, only to see their leader so easily wooed by the Tories.”
Ms Wood added: “To those Liberal Democrat supporters feeling disenfranchised by events over the last week, I would urge you to consider the progressive policies of Plaid Cymru – the only party in Wales to offer a genuine alternative to mainstream politics. Your party has let you down!”
Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru’s new MP for Carmarthen and Dinefwr, said: “The Liberal Democrats have always been a coalition of centre right liberals and more left of centre social democrats.
“It’s an uneasy balance which has stymied the party’s growth for decades as it was never able to quite decide its place on the political spectrum. The General Election forced the hands of the party’s leadership to make a defining choice – and they decided to realign UK politics further to the centre right. Those on the social democratic wing of the party must be in a state of disbelief.
“As a result of the fundamental realignment in UK politics, those on the social democratic wing of the Lib Dems must make a decision whether to abandon their core beliefs in order to support the new Administration, or join the forces of political progression.
“In Wales, Plaid offers a natural home for anybody left-leaning who shares our vision of building a more just and prosperous country via the growth of Welsh democracy and sovereignty.”
