Despite what the British media (including this newspaper!) has told you, conference season did not finish on October 2nd in Manchester, with the Conservative Party conference. On October 11th and 12th, Party of Wales members and supporters gathered in Aberystwyth for their annual party conference. Martin Shipton, of the Western Mail, has suggested that Leanne WoodÔÇÖs policy-packed speech was the starting bell in the race for the Assembly Elections in 2016.
Leanne Wood, leader of the party, pledged to ÔÇ£take Wales from the bottom to the top.ÔÇØ She said that according to the EU, 23% of our population are below the official EU ÔÇÿat riskÔÇÖ threshold for poverty. Eight points higher than Ireland, and higher even than Greece, who are at the centre of the Eurozone crisis. She said LabourÔÇÖs decade and a half of power had led to Wales becoming the ÔÇÿpoverty capital of EuropeÔÇÖ and bemoaned their record in health and education, but promised a Party of Wales government would reverse this within ten years, taking Wales to the top 10 in income per capita, in literacy and in maths.
It is clear that the leader has not lost any of her left-wing creden ┬á tials since becoming leader ÔÇô and this was especially apparent when the topic of energy prices came to the fore. ÔÇ£If markets are failing the public, then itÔÇÖs time the public took back the market,ÔÇØ she said, announcing a policy to create ÔÇÿYnni
CymruÔÇÖ/ ÔÇÿEnergy WalesÔÇÖ, a not-for-dividend company created by the Welsh Government as an arms-length body, re-investing profits in order to keep energy prices down and expand energy efficiency measures.
In addition, Ms Wood announced the partyÔÇÖs intention to reintroduce rent controls to the private rented sector. She said that over the last year, rent in Wales had on average risen by 5%, well over the UK average, and that this was ÔÇ£unsustainableÔÇØ – something students in Cardiff will know all about.
However, there was much more to the conference than solely the leaderÔÇÖs speech. Alongside speeches from other important figures within the party, such as parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd and Jill Evans MEP, there were several interesting fringe events on offer to attendees. These varied from discussions regarding whether Wales can afford independence, local government and Plaid PrideÔÇÖs LGBT+ event. In addition to this, there were visitors from their Scottish sister party, the SNP, with Pete Wishart MP, giving a speech declaring that after Scotland votes yes in the upcoming independence referendum, it will be ÔÇ£WalesÔÇÖ turn.ÔÇØ
In this conference, Plaid Cymru set their stall in preparation for the elections in the next few years.
Next year, elections for the European parliament take place. In 2015 there will be elections to Westminster, but it is 2016 that the party have firmly in their mind. Determined to provide Wales with a first non-Labour government since the Assembly began, the Party of Wales have placed their feet firmly in socialist territory, offering an alternative to the austerity politics of the three British parties.
Daniel Rhys Roberts
Add Comment