This is a deal not a coalition... we’ll press Labour as hard as ever

YOU may have heard that Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Labour Government have agreed to co-operate on an ambitious policy programme for the next three years.

There is a lot in the agreement.

For example, there will be free school meals for all primary school children. This has been Plaid’s policy for a long time.

And really, when you think of it, it’s just plain common sense. Just turn it on its head – send children to school but don’t feed them!

And with one in three children in Wales living in poverty, making sure they get a proper mid-day meal with no conditions will be a great help to parents as well as helping the children to learn properly.

We have also agreed to take great steps to tackle the housing crisis all over Wales.

It’s particularly important in our area because of the pressure from holiday homes, the jump in house prices and the shortage of homes to let. And the agreement also covers building more new housing in the public sector – something that we have been pushing for years.

Then there are substantial further steps to support our use of our language and bringing in the teaching of Welsh history for all pupils in Welsh schools.

And another important point is the reform of the Senedd itself so that it is a truly effective and democratic body representing all the people of our country.

And lastly for now, establishing a national care service, something that they are still arguing about here in Westminster.

I won’t go into any more detail. There are 46 action points in all.

And you will see the effect in your daily lives I hope with out me standing on a soap box.

But I am particularly glad that we have come to this agreement as my colleague Siân Gwenllian, our Senedd member for Arfon, has been leading much of the discussion for Plaid, working very hard since the summer to get this ambitious radical deal over the line.

You will start to see the effect in the Welsh government budget at the end of this year. But this is an agreement for action – not a coalition government.

We’re not after jobs and ministerial limos!

So, it will be business as usual on things not in the agreement.

And I assure you that we’ll be pressing the Labour government as hard as we have always done since our own national democratic assembly was set up in 1999.