Plaid’s leader lays out vision for a prosperous new Wales
PLAID Cymru leader and Rhondda AM Leanne Wood has set out her vision of a prosperous Wales underpinned by community socialism, co-operative values and the decentralisation of power.
In an event at St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay, Ms Wood gave a keynote speech and launched a new pamphlet she has written called “The change we need”.
Insisting that it was too early for Plaid to outline specific manifesto pledges for the next National Assembly election in 2021, she set out the values and principles on which she wants the party’s future policies to be based.
She said the new leaflet was about “creating the kind of Wales we want to live in”.
She said she wanted to ensure that legal safeguards were in place to fairly share public sector investment across Wales, to set out a minimum set of social rights for all including life-long learning and a decent home.
“This is about creating the kind of Wales we want to live in, and what I am outlining are the values and principles that underpin that vision.
“I look forward to taking this message across Wales to speak directly to people, and hear their thoughts on how we can build a better Wales together,” she said.
“Plaid Cymru has a vision for a fairer and more democratic Wales and I am outlining the values and principles that underpin that vision,” she told her audience.
“As part of that I want to see us legislate against geographical inequality. This means ensuring that legal safeguards are in place to fairly share public investment across the country, leaving no community behind.
“I also want to see a minimum set of social rights for all, such as to life-long learning, a decent home, a high standard of health care and a clean environment.”
It sets out Ms Wood’s vision in greater detail, stressing that decisions about Wales should be made in Wales at the most local level possible.
In a section titled The power of community, she states: “Devolution, the decentralising of power, democracy and independence do not end at the national or Assembly level.
“Improving our democracy must mean enabling more participation from more people.
“Policy consultations must be made more accessible and shown to be meaningful.
“We have already begun the process of increasing participation and improving community engagement through an agreement with the Welsh Government for a pilot citizen involvement project on the Welsh budget.
“Furthering and extending the principle of the citizen’s involvement in budget setting and political decision making... should be a government priority and will be for Plaid Cymru.”
Ms Wood said she also wanted to refocus on free enterprise, using it to encourage a Welsh business sector, including both co-operatives and regular companies.
She added: “Plaid Cymru believes in sharing economic opportunities amongst our citizens through a binding social contract, where profits generated in Wales help pay for social goods that all of our people benefit from.”
Highlighting how planning policy could become more in tune with local communities, the document states: “The planning system can be used to create mixed zones for self-employed people where housing can combine workshops, storage spaces and offices with one and two-bedroom flats so that start-ups and self-employed people can cut travel and other overhead costs.
“We will make it easier for individuals and families to get planning permission and financial support to build their own low-impact houses to reduce the cost of living as well as impact on the planet.
“Wales should join in with the revolution in portable, prefabricated and mobile living spaces suitable for single individuals and as starter homes for families.”
Asked about the lack of specific spending commitments in her new vision, Ms Wood said: “We’re hopefully many years away from an election in 2021, and so it doesn’t make much sense to put a manifesto together at this stage when we have no idea what Welsh public finances will look like or even how the Assembly’s going to be elected.
“I think we’re a bit premature for that fullyformed policy debate that we do need to have before 2021.”
Asked how Plaid could aim to raise the living standards of the poorest when welfare is not devolved, she said: “We do need to devolve welfare.
“What I’m trying to do with this publication is get people to think laterally, so rather than our solutions to problems the Assembly is able to deal with now, to think about what we need to do and then go about empowering ourselves to do that.”
Ms Wood conceded that her plans could be skewered by an “extreme Tory Brexit” and said it was important that Labour backed other opposition parties at Westminster who hope to ensure the UK remains in the European Single Market and Customs Union.”
“I want to see us legislate against geographical inequality. This means ensuring that legal safeguards are in place to fairly share public investment across the country, leaving no community behind “