Error processing SSI file The Best for Wales - Plaid Cymru's Programme for the New Millennium
Foreword
This Election is the first in a new political era. The parties have changed and the options
before the Welsh electors are different to those which have dominated our politics over half a
century. After 18 years of government the Tory party is split from top to bottom and looks like
disintegrating. The Labour Party, as we have known it, as come to an end; new Labour has taken
over with new faces, new policies and new principles - all geared to the politics of south-east
England. The Liberal Democrats have thrown in their hand with Labour as far as Wales is
concerned. So Plaid Cymru remains the only party which offers Wales a radical programme based
on social justice, environmental sustainability, an elected national parliament and a voice in
Europe. This manifesto defines these policies.
The constitutional future of Wales and Scotland is now a major issue. Little wonder: Wales is
sick to death of rejecting selfish Tory values, election after election, yet still being forced
to suffer right-wing policies imposed upon us by virtue of the Tory's London-veto. For it is
not Wales which determines the policies that are administered by the Welsh Office and by the
plethora of quangos which govern our country. Their remit is decided by London, and they are
answerable to a Tory MP from Yorkshire who masquerades as a Secretary of State.
We need an elected Parliament in order to ensure policies implemented on the all-Wales level
which corresponds to the needs of Wales, not London. We need priorities established in line
with the values of the Welsh people. Simply, we need democracy.
Such an elected Welsh Parliament would take over full responsibility for education, housing,
health care, jobs, agriculture, transport and environmental policy in Wales. We could then
determine for ourselves what should be public policy in these areas, instead of having them
thrust upon us by Tories in London. This Manifesto highlights the precise policies Plaid Cymru
wants implemented in these and in other policy areas.
But in order to make a difference, a Welsh Parliament must have adequate powers. It must be
able to make laws in these matters, laws appropriate 10 securing a socially just community in
Wales. It must have adequate resources - the taxes raised in Wales must be channelled through a
Welsh Treasury Department for this purpose. And it must be allowed to develop its own direct
link with the European Union, where so many decisions are taken today which affect the vital
interests of Welsh industry and agriculture. Not least it must secure from the EU as fair a
deal for Wales as the Irish Government have succeeded in getting for Ireland. The Tories offer
Wales nothing by way of national democracy. The Liberal Democrats (who used to support a proper
Parliament for Wales) have sold out and back Labour's plans. The Labour Party, while offering
Scotland a law-making Parliament, tax-varying powers and their own Prime Minister, offer Wales
only a very limited Assembly. Such a body would be incapable of protecting Wales from the
privatisation of education or the NHS by a future right-wing Tory Government in London.
Plaid Cymru is the only party which stands for a law-making Parliament for Wales with a voice
in Europe. Plaid Cymru is the only party which insists that Wales shall not be treated as a
second class nation compared to Scotland.
And if there is to be a referendum on constitutional reform. Plaid Cymru insists that the
people of Wales be given a real choice, not a "Yes/No" option on an inadequate
Assembly proposal. The options must include full self-government in Europe and an elected
Parliament with full law-making powers. Opinion polls have shown consistently that the option
most favoured by the Welsh electors is a law-making Parliament, as is in fact being offered to
Scotland in their Referendum. It would be outrageous if the Referendum in Wales does not even
have that most popular option on the ballot paper.
Plaid Cymru wants real powers for a Welsh Parliament in order to break free from the
demoralising Tory policies propagated at Westminster. Our programme, described in this
Manifesto, provides for:
A commitment to full employment: a fair level of income tax to pay for properly funded health
and education: a rejection of nuclear weapons and the massive armaments budget: a re-linking of
pensions with average earnings: a commitment to sustainable environmental policies: a programme
to rejuvenate Welsh agriculture.
This is a radical political agenda in line with the values of the Welsh nation. Plaid Cymru is
now the only party in Wales which offers such priorities. We invite the people of Wales to
transform these aspirations into reality and build a fairer Wales for all its people.
Dafydd Wigley April, 1997.
Introduction
Plaid Cymru is the only party which places a self-governing Wales in a European Union at the
forefront of its political agenda. To reach that aim. Plaid Cymru has a clear vision of what we
wish to achieve for Wales and the people of Wales.
This vision arises from our belief in the inherent sovereignty of the people of Wales. It is
not the Crown nor Parliament that holds the inalienable right to govern Wales, but the people
of Wales themselves. Our political philosophy is rooted in this fundamental challenge to the
British state, our political programme of action is rooted in the needs of the people of Wales
for social justice and a sustainable future.
To attain social justice and a sustainable economy, Wales needs self-government. We have set
out a two stage constitutional process to secure this, which is set out in our paper 'A
Democratic Wales in a United Europe' . There is an immediate necessity for an elected
Parliament of Wales with legislative and fiscal powers - to take over those functions of
government currently carried out by the Welsh Office and government quangos in Wales, together
with those of the Home Office, Treasury, Department of National Heritage and aspects of
industrial policy. Those matters not within the remit of this Phase I Parliament of Wales, would
remain for the time being with the government at Westminster.
This Parliament would play an essential role in democratising Wales after years of abuse and
Tory patronage of the political system. For the first time, the people of Wales would be able
to make their own decisions regarding expenditure and priorities, rather than having alien
policies foisted on us by unfriendly governments. Our central political programme of social
justice and sustainability could start to be enacted. For example, Plaid Cymru's Parliament of
Wales could:
Create 100,000 new jobs.
Revitalise the National Health Service and reintroduce free prescriptions,
dental check ups and eye tests.
Reduce road traffic by 10%.
Reject nursery vouchers and secure nursery education for all children.
Full self-government could follow this Phase I Parliament after a minimum period of five years.
Plaid Cymru foresees the Parliament debating and deciding upon self-government. A constitution,
including a Charter of Rights, would then be put for approval by all the people of Wales. A
self-governing Wales could then take its place among the nations of Europe and the world with
an independent place in the European Union, Commonwealth and United Nations.
This manifesto explains how Plaid Cymru would act in a Parliament of Wales. In it, we set out
our programme of action for both our Phase I Parliament, as well as our aims for a fully
self-governing Wales.
As a party whose aim is self-government we have inevitably developed policies for that
government to implement. This does not mean, however, that we have not been concerned with the
current system of Westminster government or local government. The appalling lack of regard
given to Welsh needs in that system, and the failure in particular of the British Labour Party
in Wales to formulate policies to address those needs, has meant that Plaid Cymru has become
the foremost campaigning party in Wales.
Our record in Welsh local government and the stature of our Members of Parliament speaks for
itself. This manifesto contains much that our MPs will continue to fight for at Westminster, as
well as practical ideas that our members, councillors and MPs will seek to realise here in
Wales.
The principles of Plaid Cymru
Our principles do not arise from a history of imperialist exploitation of other nations, nor
from any Welsh tradition of conquest and domination of other peoples. Rather our civic
nationalism is rooted in a deep respect for the rights of peoples to self-determination, in a
love of our heritage and environment, and in a profound appreciation of the fragile planet on
which we live.
The twentieth century has seen many horrors perpetrated in the name of political creeds. Soviet
Russia killed many and blighted the lives of generations in the name of socialism and we have
experienced many conflicts in the name of nationalism. Our current crisis of environmental
degradation is similarly the fruit of unbridled capitalism. Plaid Cymru's civic nationalism
rejects all such perversions of political belief. We gain our inspiration from the experiences
of the communities of Wales, which survived long years of oppression, neglect and scorn.
Once, our nation was a seed bed for radical and socialist thought in response to the cruel
social consequences of the industrial revolution. Now, Wales faces severe social and
environmental challenges and is once more a home to radical ideas. Our civic nationalism
welcomes all those living in Wales to join us in finding the solutions to those challenges and
in restoring the equilibrium of social justice and environmental sustainability in Wales and
Europe.
We do not seek to impose our views on other nations, nor to control their economic futures. We
simply assert, peacefully and by democratic means, the right of the people in Wales to shape
their own destiny. We do this in the full knowledge that the peoples of Europe must live in
co-operation and peace. We, foremost among all the political parties in Wales, welcome the
European Union as an opportunity to create such a Europe.
Within Wales we work on the principle of co-operation, drawing up our policies on the basis
that many organisations, voluntary, statutory and private, may have similar ideals to ours. We
welcome such co-operation as being in the tradition of Welsh community self-help and as one way
of enabling our communities to gain the tools to set about solving their own problems.
Our self-governing Wales will be an open, democratic, just and equal society, drawing upon our
radical and socialist traditions. The citizenship of such a nation will be open, extended to
all either born or living in Wales. Plaid Cymru will therefore always be in the vanguard of
the fight against racism, oppression, injustice and discrimination wherever it may occur.
The next step for Wales: a Parliament
Only Plaid Cymru has the record of consistently challenging the historical forgery that is the
British state and of projecting a vision that reunites Wales with its European destiny. The
constitutional imbalance in the United Kingdom and the democratic deficit in Wales is one of
the core reasons for the relative failure of Wales, in comparison with similar European
nations or regions, to deal with the transformation from a heavily industrialised economy to
one which is more diverse and skills-based.
This fact was brought home in 1995 by the Republic of Ireland's success in achieving a greater
income per head than Wales for the first time. Now that nation has overtaken the UK. Our
constitutional relationship with Europe, via a Westminster government which is skewed towards
the priorities of the south-east of England, has thwarted a full transformation of our
economy. In particular, it has stood between Welsh needs and the structural and regional funds
of the EU. As when, for example, parts of north Wales lost Objective 2 status in order that
areas of the south-east of England would gain.
The constitution of the UK, once regarded by the London-based media as a field of esoteric
academic debate, has now become the subject of intense argument. Plaid Cymru's standpoint has
been vindicated. The expanding role and membership of the European Union: the demands of a
peace process in Northern Ireland, and trenchant campaigning by Plaid Cymru, and the SNP in
Scotland, have guaranteed that constitutional change will be at the forefront of political
debate. For the first time, the people of England are also realising that many of the
Government's failures stem from constitutional inadequacies. Sleaze and corruption thrive in
an atmosphere of political patronage. A parlous Tory government forces through unacceptable
policies which feed off xenophobia and social alienation because its power base cannot
represent the whole of the UK. New Labour may recognise the problems but offers different
solutions to different electorates in a fudge between principle and a craven desperation for
those same Tory votes.
In fact, the demands of political and monetary union in the EU force a decision between the
small union - the UK - and the larger union - the EU. Most of the larger member states of the
EU, but not the UK, have federal structures. Plaid Cymru's vision of a Europe of the regions
has won the intellectual argument. The choice is between a united Europe based one quality of
opportunity and sustainable development or isolation within an English isolationist state.
The reality of this choice is highlighted by the success of regions within economic unions such
as the EU, South China, South East Asia, the Pacific Rim and California. Some of these
successful economies, with highly educated work forces but poor social protection, offer
threats and lessons for the European Union. They suggest that the future will belong to strong
economic unions based on regional democracies.
Constitutional change is in the wind, but Plaid Cymru rejects tinkering with the present
system. In this manifesto, we are proud to draw on the radical and socialist traditions that
have characterised Welsh political thought and development for a century. We offer a set of
wholly practical proposals that would rebuild our nation and reaffirm our national and
international aspirations.
Upon the establishment of a Parliament of Wales, Plaid Cymru would campaign to become the
majority party. The proposals in this manifesto are those we would wish to see such a
Parliament carry out for the benefit of Wales and its people. It is on the basis of such a
programme that we feel confident the people of Wales would resolve to move forward to full
self-government, and we here describe our vision of how such a Wales would relate to Europe
and the world.
Our commitment to local democracy and empowerment of local communities means that many of the
proposals in this manifesto will be delivered by local authorities. Others will be the remit
of a Parliament of Wales. The following section sets out how the partnership between the
Parliament of Wales and local government will work in practice. References hereafter to the
Parliament of Wales are to Plaid Cymru's Phase I Parliament. References to a self-governing
Wales are to the Phase II Parliament and Constitution which would follow a referendum on self
government. The processes are set out in our policy document 'A Democratic Wales in a United
Europe' .
Governing Wales for success and sustainability
At every level and for every aspect of Welsh life, Plaid Cymru believes that the principle of
subsidiarity should prevail. This means that decisions affecting the lives of citizens should
be taken whenever possible by the citizens through their nearest democratic body. Indeed, in
our view sovereignty rests with the citizens and is only vested with local, national and
international government in so far as is necessary to achieve effective government at every
level. We therefore foresee a greatly enhanced role for community councils and want to restore
to local authorities responsibility and fiscal control for their area.
Plaid Cymru's plans are for a two-chamber Parliament of Wales, the lower chamber (House of
Representatives) to be the legislative house directly elected by the electorate by
proportional representation and the upper chamber (Congress of Wales) to be chosen by the local
authorities of Wales. Both chambers would have equal numbers of men and women members. We will
develop innovative ways of ensuring that the Parliament is open, accessible and fully
accountable.
These include:
Sensible working hours, so that carers and those with children can take
part.
Easily accessible information and assistance to citizens who wish to bring
issues of concern to the Parliament's attention.
Procedures and arrangements which encourage real discussion, creativity and
consensus where appropriate, rather than polarisation on party lines. This
would include representation from Welsh civic life, e.g. voluntary bodies,
trades unions and churches on select committees.
Allow the Parliament to consult and then decide how it would conduct itself
and what form its ministries and committees would take.
A fully self-governing Wales would, in addition, have a written constitution and a Bill of
Rights. It would seek direct membership of the European Council of Ministers and its own
European Commissioner.
Citizenship and a Bill of Rights
To secure the rights of all our citizens, we propose a comprehensive Bill of Rights to give
effect to our belief that sovereignty and power rests with the people and is only given up to
allow effective government. Among the provisions of our Bill of Rights, are:
Freedom of expression.
The right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully.
The right to join and campaign peacefully for any political party or
objective.
The right to join a trade union.
Freedom from discrimination, harassment or insult on the grounds of colour,
race, creed, sex, sexuality, age or disability, to remove, in particular,
barriers to full participation in political system.
The right to trial by jury.
Local government
Plaid Cymru has long advocated unitary local authorities for Wales. Though the decision on the
size and location of such authorities should have been left to a Parliament of Wales, the
imposition of unitary authorities by the Welsh Office does not in itself undermine their
intrinsic value. Our task will be to make local government work for the people and our
communities. To achieve this, it is essential that local government is genuinely local and
fully accountable.
Local government must be delivered in partnership with the Parliament of Wales. Subsidiarity
means that both will become equal partners in the governing of our nation. The most important
area in which they should have equality is the annual financial settlement. Instead of the
present imposition without explanation by the Welsh Office, a consensus would be reached on
the settlement, with the reasoning for it made public. This measure would give both rights and
responsibilities to both arms of government and make them more accountable.
We will work within a Parliament to establish community councils in every area of Wales. These
councils will have a greater consultative role as of right; will act as local watchdogs for a
wide range of local services, for example by having the right to cross-examine local public
servants on their decisions, and the right to initiate and run services and facilities for
their area. Community councils already have a greater role in consultation on planning matters
due to Plaid Cymru pressure at Westminster.
Unitary authorities would have a general competence in statute. They would work under the
strategic guidance of the Parliament but would have considerable freedom to set their own
objectives and seek innovative ways of working to benefit their local communities.
For example, local government and the Parliament of Wales would:
Agree a general competence for unitary authorities, entrusting local
communities to decide upon beneficial projects without the dead hand of
central government control. This would remove the need to use the 'ultra
vires' rule which hinders local government from doing much that could be of
direct benefit to the community.
Give a right of appeal in planning matters to third parties as well as the
developer, as happens successfully already in the Republic of Ireland.
Establish local government's equality with the Parliament as of right.
Local authority funding
Local democracy means little without local financial responsibility. Plaid Cymru is committed
to restoring local control over council revenue and expenditure. The plethora of legislative
changes in this area under Conservative government has done nothing to make local government
more accountable and has only led to less local decision-making and more central government
control.
Our Parliament would:
Abolish the Council Tax and introduce a local income tax in its stead which
would be under local control and would better reflect the ability to pay.
Levy a property tax on second homes.
Allow the transfer of part of the VAT raised in a local authority area to that
local authority.
Scrap the uniform business rate and replace it with an incorporation tax based
on company profits for limited-liability companies. Small business owners or
partners would be exempt as they would pay local income tax.
Equalise resources between richer and poorer authorities in an agreed and
transparent financial settlement.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering(CCT)
Plaid Cymru believes strongly that many local services benefit from being put out to
competitive tendering. Service which are both better in quality and more efficient can be
achieved in this way. However, we reject compulsory competitive tendering as a dogma
which takes no account of local circumstances nor the local economy.
Compulsory competitive tendering has tended to remove local services from local control and
benefit. This means profits are often retained by a private company and not returned to the
local tax payer. Any losses in the service tendered, however, are still met by the local tax
payer. The small savings in costs sometimes achieved have not been shown to outweigh the loss
of local accountability.
Plaid Cymru will restore to local government the ability to decide upon the best way to
deliver their local services, whether by direct provision or tendering. Tendering, if it does
take place, will be open and in line with European directives. The best judge of whether a
local authority is effective and efficient in its services is the local ballot box, and not a
remote minister who has no interest in the area.
Social Justice
For almost an entire generation, Wales has been governed by a British Conservative government
that has given scant regard to the social havoc its policies have wreaked. Plaid Cymru views
the social alienation and injustice resulting from these policies with concern mixed with an
admiration for the way many communities have continued to endure, to meet and beat the
challenges of socio-economic change, and to strive to build a better future.
Though our communities have been fragmented, and many people excluded from working life, Plaid
Cymru believes that Welsh communities still wish to have the tools to tackle their problems
themselves. Our social policies will seek to achieve this, and to give an opportunity for those
alienated from the political process to contribute to the future of Wales and shape it. There
is no place in our vision for prejudice, discrimination, oppression or grinding poverty.
Social welfare
Plaid Cymru's policies in government would be aimed at combating directly discrimination and
prejudice and the oppression and poverty that follow in their wake.
We would combat discrimination and prejudice by:
promoting more equitable ways of managing caring responsibilities for
children, including a national child care strategy.
establishing measures to increase the participation of women in public life,
exemplified by a Parliament composed equally of men and women.
supporting European legislation to counter discrimination and the rise of
racially motivated violence.
including a proper recognition of the contribution of ethnic minorities in the
Welsh school curriculum.
opening up workplaces to disabled people.
extending employment protection to cover home workers more effectively.
giving protection against discrimination to part-time workers in pay, job
security, training and promotion.
Our Parliament would introduce the following legislation to support these aims.
A comprehensive Equality Act to codify legislation on sex discrimination, backed up
by an integrated national policy for equality in education and training.
A new offence of racially motivated crime, coupled with systematic police
investigation of such crimes
Comprehensive civil rights legislation to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of
disablement and age.
We would combat oppression and poverty by:
Encouraging the participation of young people in the decision-making process at all
levels.
Establishing effective training for young people, women returners and those
experiencing redundancy.
Supporting policies tackling long-term unemployment and promoting the inclusion of
socially-excluded groups.
Encouraging anti-poverty strategies by local authorities.
Our Parliament of Wales would:
Introduce a minimum wage starting at £4.00 an hour.
Form Ministries for young people and disabled people.
Fund local authorities to enhance community care services such as home
help.
Establish national minimum standards for community care.
Extend all relevant employment and health and safety legislation to home
workers.
Plaid Cymru in a self-governing Wales will:
Restore the index link between pension levels and average earnings.
Re-examine current practices for residential care to enable elderly people to
retain some inheritance to pass on down the generations.
Restructure child benefit to reflect the increasing cost of caring for older
children and link it with the cost of living.
Restore entitlement to benefits for 16 to 25 year olds.
Remove the inherent discrimination against women within the present benefit
system.
Establish a simpler system of benefits for people with disabilities which meet
the cost of disability and which encourage full participation in social and
work life.
Introduce a partial capacity benefit to allow disabled people who have a
reduced working capacity to engage in the labour market.
Ensure the care allowance gives adequate support to carers and is extended
beyond the age of 65.
Reinvigorate the principle of child support that should lie behind the Child
Support Agency by ensuring that children in second families are not
penalised; taking child care costs into account; and introducing a disregard
for parents on benefit so that maintenance payments improve the family's
standard of living and not merely the Treasury's benefit bill.
Housing
For many years, Wales has been the test bed for some of the British Tories' wackier social
housing ideas. Attacks by Ministers on single mothers in Wales led to the Government attacking
the right of single parent families to secure accommodation. Now, local councils are being
forced to cope with putting the management of their housing stock to competitive tender just a
few months after being completely reorganised.
The worst aspect of the UK Government's housing policies in Wales has been the way ideology
has directly taken resources away from need and towards favoured groups. The failure to
establish any national housing strategy led to outside market forces distorting the Welsh
housing market, placing homes out of the reach of local people. The late 1980s housing price
boom encouraged inward and outward migration motivated by financial gain rather than social or
economic need. This has left a trail of individual despair as boom turned to bust and
investment in bricks and mortar turned to negative equity. The boom highlighted the current
ineffective way that public money is directed to housing need.
An over-reliance on housing as a tool of economic regeneration has created new estates of
private housing, far removed from traditional community amenities and dependent totally on
private transport for communication. The effect on these estates of the recession, negative
equity and an ageing population is to render them remote from community life. This isolates
the rising generation from sharing community activity and benefiting from it. The result is
increased boredom, crime and anti-social behaviour, fed by unemployment to a certain extent,
but in particular by this exclusion.
At the same time, traditional communities have seen their housing stock deteriorate. Though
large amounts of home renovation grants have been made available, they have been inadequate
and have not been allied to a national housing strategy based on a continual survey of housing
needs. The result is that the system has been open to both corruption and also exploitation by
individuals.
Plaid Cymru will introduce a national housing strategy aimed at making effective use of land
and designed to preserve town and village life. This means reinvigorating our communities
through a new balance between housing and social priorities, including community facilities
such as transport, shopping and amenities.
We will continue to support home renovation grants, but will call for a review to:
Combine the system with energy efficiency improvement and local housing
strategies.
Lift VAT on home renovation materials.
Support demolition and rebuild when more cost-effective.
Re-assess current priorities on grant repayments.
Social housing
Council-owned housing still constitutes 17 per cent of Wales housing stock. On the other hand,
we have a higher proportion of home-owners than England. Our policies focus on encouraging
permanent housing for families and individuals and on decreasing the threat of homelessness for
home owners and private tenants.
We continue to see a valuable role for both directly provided council housing and homes built
and managed in partnership with housing associations. Our philosophy is to allow local
authorities to act with the greatest possible competence within their areas. We reject
compulsory competitive tendering for housing management and would instead encourage local
authorities to involve tenants in management of their homes and enter into voluntary management
agreements with tenants, housing associations and non-profit making concerns as they see fit.
Changes in work and family patterns and the growth of homelessness, in particular amongst
young, single people mean that Wales needs a wider choice of accommodation. Plaid Cymru
rejects the unhealthy obsession with home ownership as a social ideal which UK Governments
have fostered, whilst recognising its appeal for many individuals and families. We believe
that the private rented sector has an important role, but with proper controls regarding
health and safety. Local authorities will be empowered to form local housing strategies and
encouraged to inspect all rented properties in their area.
We would extend the use of Care and Repair schemes to maintain decent quality housing and
healthy communities in our existing towns and villages. We would give priority to making
public money available to housing associations and local authorities to buy and improve older
stock for rent. This would also reduce the need for greenmailed sites.
Our Parliament would:
Phase the release of local authorities' capital receipts from the sale of
council houses to allow for more new build and partnership arrangements with
the private and voluntary sectors.
Make Tai Cymru directly accountable to it and establish a national strategy
for supporting both house building by the voluntary sector and other
initiatives, such as bond banks and hostels, which reduce homelessness.
Set up a national strategy for home renovation, insulation and energy
efficiency grants.
Implement recognised standards of accessibility for new homes.
A self-governing Wales could furthermore:
Amend the present system of mortgage relief and housing benefit in order to
deliver help according to housing and income need rather than housing
status.
A Learning Society
The economic and social changes wrought during Tory rule in Wales have been imposed entirely
without either thought to the social injustice engendered nor to providing the tools to
enable individuals to deal with those changes. One of the major means of dealing with
injustice will be an education system for Wales, with Welsh priorities and our own sense of
values.
In order to cope with a society that is constantly changing, we need an education system which
creates a learning society based on strong cultural and social roots and citizenship. Its aim
should be to educate for life, thus producing a skilled and adaptable workforce which would
create a climate of social solidarity, encourage equal opportunities and maximise the
opportunities to use skills for work.
Plaid Cymru has set out its plans for a distinctive comprehensive education system for Wales.
Such a system would be national and have a pragmatic implementation plan for every level of
education. Our aims are to:
Realise the diverse potential of the individual child.
Enable everyone to benefit from the educational system through continuing
learning.
Teach a sense of identity with the cultural achievements of civilisation and
an appreciation of the individual's role in society.
Foster citizenship, including the knowledge and confidence to make full use of
the opportunities for democratic participation.
Have a relevant and flexible national curriculum that enables teachers to meet
these aims.
Equip citizens for the world of work.
Our Parliament would fulfil these aims by:
Establishing a distinctive education system for Wales.
Securing nursery education for all in partnership with local authorities and
voluntary organisations. Integrating health and social welfare with
education, for example on school exclusions.
Targeting resources to disadvantaged areas according to Welsh priorities.
Overseeing a more beneficial system of testing that does not pressurise
teaching time but rather helps discover pupils' individual needs and
achievements.
Establishing an integrated system of examination, including that for workplace
assessment, that would combine academic and vocational qualifications on a
modular basis.
Increase resources for education from part of the proceeds of a windfall tax
on the public utilities.
To ensure the education system can achieve these aims, we recognise that it will need greater
support. In particular Plaid Cymru will
Give sufficient resources to provide universal free education at an efficient
cost.
Emphasise the raising of standards in the classroom.
Establish a national system for every level of education.
Restore proper respect both in the classroom and society at large - for
effective teachers.
One of the most damaging effects of many of the Conservatives policies has been the way they
have undermined respect for teachers in general. A series of deliberately engineered disputes
over pay, testing and extra-curricular working has led to a decline in respect for teachers in
society. This has been exacerbated by a lack of support for teachers assaulted at school and
poor back-up for teachers dealing with difficult pupils. We would restore a proper level of
respect and sufficient funding: better co-ordination with social work departments on problem
pupils and by tackling poor teachers where they exist.
Wales has a proud record in education and respect for education. In particular, local
authorities have supported nursery education whenever possible.
There is no reason to take schools out of local authority control in Wales. Plaid Cymru
opposes schools opting out of the national system but rather supports a continuing role for
governors and local management within that national system.
Nursery Education
The tremendous formative importance of early years education should be recognised. This means
that nursery education must be available to all 3-5 year olds in Wales. This would have to be
phased in. The voluntary sector in Wales has played an important role in the growth of nursery
education, notably in the Welsh language. It is not Plaid Cymru's aim to see that work usurped
by statutory bodies. Rather, voluntary and public bodies need to work in tandem to achieve
universal nursery education in accordance with an implementation plan set down by a Parliament
of Wales. Voluntary organisations would be part of the planning process to formulate that plan.
Vouchers for nursery education would have no part in our national strategy. They take
resources away from local authorities who already provide nursery places and dissipate them
between statutory, voluntary and private facilities. The costs of administration and fraud
must also be considered. This means that local authorities cannot plan future provision as
demand is based on individual decisions that can vary from term to term.
Primary and Secondary Education
Primary and secondary education would be delivered within a new independent educational
framework under a Parliament of Wales. That framework would set out to achieve:
A flexible national curriculum which would allow significant discretion for
schools and local authorities.
Integrated advice services, fostering good practice.
An inspection regime that encouraged rather than alarmed teachers and took up
less teaching time.
An assessment of children's achievements and needs at the current national
curriculum stages but at a simpler level.
Plaid Cymru would not insist on publishing test results, believing that the best tests are
those that address an individual child's needs and not a school's image. Our vision of an
independent education system for Wales excludes the competition between schools which feeds
upon tests.
Special Educational Needs
Despite the changes which took place in the wake of the new Code of Practice (part of the
Education Act 1994) parents of children with special educational needs are far too often
obliged to fight for sufficient provision.
Some local authorities seek to avoid their responsibilities in order to save money by delaying
the process of issuing Statements of Special Needs, forcing parents to go to appeal, and
sometimes ending provision without the parents' agreement.
Plaid Cymru wishes to see the terms of the Code of Practice tightened to prevent this, and
further calls for statements to define the extent of provision required for individual
children.
We also call for:
A process of early screening for special needs (at nursery school age if
possible), together with early action, which is cost-effective in the long
run.
Whole-school policies which lay stress on special needs.
Around 20 per cent of pupils have special needs, and ensuring provision for them is a sensible
investment as well as a moral imperative.
The status of those teachers and units which care for emotionally and behaviourally disturbed
(EBD) children must be enhanced. Curricular requirements should be implemented in a flexible
way in order to meet the therapeutic needs of these pupils. Sufficient resources should be
allocated to this task and special schools or units provided as well as enabling emotionally
and behaviourally disturbed children to be reintegrated into the main educational stream.
Tertiary and Higher Education
There needs to be greater co-ordination between the tertiary and higher education sectors. This
would include an integrated system of examination which combined academic and vocational
qualifications on a modular basis. For the present, the role of the Welsh Joint Education
Committee (WJEC) in Wales needs to be supported in the face of an increasing use of English
examination boards to examine Welsh pupils.
Welsh research needs are grossly underfunded at present. There is a clear lack of strategy and
planning which leaves Wales behind when compared with England. This would have to be addressed
by a Parliament. Research and teaching need to be more clearly integrated so that each can
benefit more clearly from the other.
Plaid Cymru rejects the present system of student loans as a farcical attempt to transfer
public sector expenditure into private debt. The desperate attempts to privatise the loans
service underlines this. There is currently a discrepancy in the grant system between further
and higher education institutions which our examination proposals would render invalid. Plaid
Cymru continues to believe in full public financing of further education.
A Healthier Society
As both the Labour and Conservative parties question the need for a universal health service
and look towards cutting health provision to deliver tax cuts for middle class, middle income
England. Plaid Cymru is proud to restate its commitment to a National Health Service in line
with Aneurin Bevan's original vision. Our aim is a high quality, community-centred,
community-driven and adequately funded health service which would be free at the point of need.
This would build upon the traditional strengths of the natural social justice of the people of
Wales.
We have set out detailed proposals as to how this can be achieved in our White Paper on Health.
We will in the interim work for the democratisation of the health service. The present
obsession with introducing the exchange and mart of the market into health care does nothing
to increase patients' care and only serves to dissuade the less well off from making full use
of preventative health care, such as dental and eye treatment.
For several years now, many parts of Wales have been suffering from a crisis in dental care as
the Government's policies have driven dentists out of the NHS and left patients without access
to NHS dental treatment. Plaid Cymru gained a commitment from the Welsh Office for nearly
£3 million of extra resources to attract new NHS dentists into Wales. This was a victory
for Plaid Cymru and an admission by the Welsh Office of the failure of the market in the NHS.
At the heart of our vision of a universal health service is the community GP, backed up by a
network of extended community hospitals. The service would be fully salaried and free of the
bureaucratic millstone of the market and its trade offs. A salaried health service means that
GPs, Consultants, Dentists, Pharmacists and Opticians would all be directly employed by the
NHS. The community hospitals would house a broad range of community services, day surgery and
emergency primary care treatment centres (for out-of-hours GP work). These provisions would
mean the abolition of both NHS Trusts and GP fundholding, in order to create a service of
equal availability.
We also envisage free dental and eye treatment and the abolition of prescription charges. Drugs
would be prescribed from a community formulary of 500 - 600 drugs which would remove the
interminable duplication in the present system. Plaid Cymru is the only party to stand for the
abolition of prescription charges and our proposals for a community formulary show how it could
be accomplished.
Our health service would work with schools and communities to promote a healthier lifestyle,
such as good diet and exercise. Alternative therapies would be respected, as would other
cultures' treatment regimes. Other proposals in this manifesto for a more efficient public
transport system and better pollution controls will also benefit public health.
The present Government allows its paymasters in the drinks industry to influence its health
promotion targets. In contrast, Plaid Cymru calls for the banning of all tobacco and alcohol
advertising.
Our Parliament would:
Establish democratic health and social care authorities, co-terminous with
local authority areas, to decide health needs and administer the salaried
health service at a local level.
Abolish OP fundholding and NHS Trusts.
Place the focus for delivering health care in the community via OP practices
and the new extended community hospitals.
Abolish prescription charges by means of a national community formulary for
drugs.
Ensure free eye and dental care.
Improve research and training in the Health Service.
Put more resources into the Health Service, funded by part of the proceeds of
a windfall tax on privatised public utilities.
Ban alcohol and tobacco advertising.
Encourage the consumption of fresh and nutritious food, and ensure its
availability, especially in deprived areas.
Set a target to reduce the proportion of babies of medically low birthweight
from 7% to 3% by 2005.
Building a sustainable economy and society
All too often, governments introduce environmental policies to dean up the mess of inadequate
or badly managed industrial policies, and likewise social and criminal justice policies to mop
up the social mess that economic policies have wreaked. Thus support is given to non fossil
fuel energy generation, to control the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, while at the
same time finance for insulation grants is cut and privatised energy utilities make their huge
profits on the back of unthinking energy use.
Plaid Cymru believes that the environmental and social degradation that we see in our
communities at present are inextricably linked, and that the key to future solutions is to
develop both our economy and our society on sustainable grounds. Our proposals for job
creation, training, agriculture, transport, the environment, criminal justice and our quality
of life are all based on this premise. Our aim is to move towards a more sustainable economy
that integrates both environmental and social concerns. This would entail the use of
alternative economic indicators that measure according to social and environmental criteria as
well as financial ones.
Only a self-governing Wales can achieve this, in co-operation with our European partners and
world wide strategies, such as Agenda 21. But much can be done before we secure our goal of
self government. Our proposals are pragmatic and realistic and will find great support among
the people of Wales. They include:
A programme for full employment, much of it based on environmentally sound
technologies and restitution of our natural heritage.
A transport policy to help us move away from our dependence on cars and
restore a full range of services to our communities.
An agriculture policy which restates our commitment to family farms and
acknowledges the crucial role of a strong rural economy to many of our Welsh
speaking communities.
A programme for arts, leisure and children's play which would put the heart
back into our communities.
A criminal justice system which ensures safe communities and acts decisively
when order does break down.
An energy policy designed to promote energy efficiency and renewable sources
of energy.
International co-operation to combat major threats to global sustainability,
including climate change, deforestation and the mass extinction of
species.
We need to restore pride, citizenship and a sense of purpose to our communities. We can only do
this by providing jobs, a clean environment and a purposeful way of life for all our citizens.
Job creation
Wales has painfully shed its reliance on heavy industry over the past generation. Just as
painful has been the loss of agricultural jobs. Though continued dependence on heavy industry
could not be sustained, the social and economic costs for Wales have been enormous. Just 30% of
the population over 16 years of age is in full-time work and 56,900 people are registered
unemployed. To this can be added probably another 60,000 people who have "dropped
off" the official register in the course of its scores of adjustments.
Any Parliament of Wales would want to tackle this social misery and should have the tools to do
so. Indeed, the ability to attack the root causes of unemployment in Wales will be one of the
touchstones by which to judge the British Labour Party's proposals for a Welsh Assembly. A
target of creating 100,000 jobs should be the primary policy of a Welsh government. It is
certainly Plaid Cymru's.
Our proposals for sustainable full employment, together with the costings for the programme,
have been set out in a 1995 Plaid Cymru policy paper. '100,000 answers ... to conquer
unemployment in Wales' . Plaid Cymru favours supporting the enterprise and business sector
of the economy to maximise employment opportunities. However where the private sector fails,
the Government must be prepared to fill the gap, not only by compensating people for being
jobless, but by providing the means to create employment.
The basic principle underpinning this approach is a willingness to increase public expenditure,
partly by increasing the level of taxation and partly by borrowing in order to create the
capital projects that will encourage private investment. Plaid Cymru is not afraid to advocate
this approach, nor to contend that the social costs of unemployment, especially when undertaken
as part of the restructuring of our economy, should be borne by the whole community and not
just the already victimised unemployed.
This new thinking reflects a need to make our tax system more environmentally beneficial, with
a shift to taxes raised from pollution and the use of non renewable natural resources.
Indeed, such approaches are essential to move our economy away from the present concern for
short-term investment and towards more long-term planning and investment both by public and
private organisations.
This is particularly true when it is remembered that there is work to be done in our
communities: safeguarding and improving the environment: improving public transport: better
community care: combating crime and vandalism: investment in new technology such as a national
fibre-optic cable network. These are all crying needs for which the present Government's
solution is let the market deal with it. It's an attitude that has signally failed Wales and
its people. In comparison, Plaid Cymru advocates reintegrating the industrially and socially
disenfranchised and promoting non-inflationary and sustainable growth.
Our Parliament would create 80,000 jobs directly, which with their spin-off effect will lead
to 100,00 new job opportunities through:
Public transport and energy conservation programmes: enhancement of public transport facilities and a home insulation
programme, would create 30,000 new jobs. Bulk goods would be diverted from
road to railway, and rail lines reopened. This programme will mean a major
boost for small businesses in Wales, especially in the field of home
insulation. Community care and health: direct services for elderly, disabled
and sick people in their homes, creating 8,000 new jobs.Cabling-up Wales: an ambitious rolling programme to link all
areas of Wales to fibre-optic cables. 2,000 permanent jobs would be created
with a beneficial spin-off for high technology industries in Wales.Greening Wales: a programme including removing environmental
blight; new urban parks; planting new woodland, and recycling industries.
There is a demand for 2,000 jobs in this sector.Pollution control: 2,000 new jobs could be created in a new industrial
sector geared to providing the best technology to limit pollution and deal
with its consequences.Improving water quality: full implementation of pollution control and
new investment in infrastructure would create 1,000 additional jobs.Education and training: an extra 8,000 appropriately paid training
places would be created in a programme led by local authorities. EU funding
would be sought wherever possible and priority given to those areas of the
economy where there is an identifiable or potential skills shortfall. There
would also bean increased need for trainers, teachers and support staff due
to this and other programmes - a total of 10,000 new opportunities and
jobs.Community policing: up to 3,000 new jobs would be created by increasing
the number of police officers on the beat and allowing councils to create
community police forces.Small firms expansion programme: financial incentives for small firms
to take on new staff and to assist in their training - 5,000 new jobs
created.Self-employment opportunities: another 5,000 new jobs over ten years
are envisaged under a new Enterprise Allowance Scheme.Voluntary sector schemes: a grant aid scheme to create new jobs in this
sector, for example dealing with drug abuse, citizens' advice or youth
services, could trigger up to 2,000 jobs.Capital construction schemes: a programme of publicly initiated schemes
to support these and other proposals, to be undertaken in partnership with
private finance. Enhanced community hospitals, modernised schools, road
improvements, leisure facilities and more small workshops are some of the
projects that could create 10,000 new construction jobs, and have a
significant multiplier effect on the rest of the construction industry.
This ambitious, but practical, programme could only be undertaken by a Parliament of Wales
with legislative and fiscal powers. To ensure its success Plaid Cymru envisages:
A new National Development Authority for Wales, replacing the Welsh
Development Agency and Development Board for Rural Wales and answerable to
the Parliament. This new authority would look at all areas of Wales,
especially those in the west, which have been neglected by present
investment strategies.
An increase of up to 2p on the standard rate of income tax and working towards
a reduction in employers' National Insurance contribution which is a tax on
employment.
A Charter for Small Businesses, including:
financial assistance to those starting up;
simplification of tax procedures;
flexible local use of business rate reductions to assist socially
essential local businesses.
A coherent training strategy led and monitored by the Parliament.
This programme has wide-ranging implications for all our social, economic and environmental
proposals, which is why we are pleased to give it pride of place on our agenda for a Parliament
of Wales.
Transport
Central to our vision of a new sustainable economy is an attractive and cost-effective public
transport system, backed up by an integrated transport infrastructure. Only when such an
infrastructure is working effectively can the necessary steps be taken to wean us off
dependence on private car use for many journeys. This is particularly true for rural areas,
where - for better and for worse - the car has become a social adhesive that allows communities
to survive.
Our Parliament would:
Establish a strategic policy committee for transport planning and development.
Two executive arms, a Wales Passenger Transport Authority and a Strategic
Highways Authority, would have the task of integrating Wales' transport
system.
Approve investment in roads, rail infrastructure and bus transport, supporting
loss-making services according to a cost benefit analysis that takes full
account of user and environmental factors. End the present discrimination
against public transport and in favour of private car use.
Create a safe and environmentally sensitive trunk road network between north
and south Wales. This will consider the A470, A483 and A487 on a corridor
basis replacing the present piecemeal approach.
Reduce road traffic by 10% of 1990 levels by the year 2010, with improvements
in public transport and other measures geared towards this target.
Introduce road pricing to reduce pollution and congestion in the centres of
Cardiff, Swansea and Newport which can suffer poor air quality.
Support cycling through improving the opportunity to commute in cities and
large towns and fostering linked cycle networks throughout Wales.
Provide capital grants for the construction of private rail sidings to
encourage rail goods traffic and the development of integrated freight
systems and re-open lines when practicable. Wales has a highly advanced
automotive parts industry that could just as effectively supply expansion in
the bus and train industries.
Ensure an effective rail link between north and south Wales. Introduce a new
franchise system for bus operators to ensure an effective bus network
throughout Wales operated by local Passenger Transport Boards. Some county
councils have striven to operate such strategies but effective operation is
thwarted by the right of several operators to compete on profitable routes.
This reduces the profit take from these routes and discourages investment in
clean bus technology.
Enable the new Passenger Transport Authority to assume the operational and
financial functions of Railtrack and the Franchising Director (OPRAF). Rail
would continue to operate as part of the British mainland network. The six
railway franchises would be contracted by the Authority, for services within
Wales. Through services to England would be negotiated between the Authority,
OPRAF, and the operators.
Develop Cardiff Wales Airport as an international airport in co-operation with
a national airline for Wales. This will be paralleled with the development of
business feeder airports at Haverfordwest, Caernarfon and
Hawarden-Wrexham.
Expand Fishguard and Holyhead ports to provide improved services to the
Republic of Ireland as part of the TEN Euro-routes network and the PACT
integrated road/rail freight system proposed by the European Commission
Transport Directorate.
Encourage safety improvements for all types of transport.
Set a date for full access for disabled people for public service vehicles and
termini.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the most important of all industries, not just for Wales but for the increasing
world population. We believe that a thriving agricultural industry is essential both for Welsh
needs and in order for Wales to contribute its share to the world's needs. Plaid Cymru's
policies for agriculture are therefore based on the themes of prosperity, sustainability and
responsibility.
During the last twelve months, Welsh agriculture has faced one of the biggest threats to its
survival in recent times. The BSE crisis has led to a lack of confidence in the beef sector,
plummeting prices and caused damage to the rural economy. Plaid Cymru MPs fought hard to
defend the interests of the agricultural community, but the need for a strong direct voice in
Brussels became clearer than ever before. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was
inept at handling the negotiations in Europe, and the Secretary of State for Wales was notable
by his absence in meetings of the Council of Ministers.
A Welsh Parliament would give us a direct voice and influence where it really matters.
Prosperity
We recognise that agriculture and its allied industries form the backbone of the rural
economy. A profitable agricultural sector provides the security that allows rural communities
to flourish. It is the family farm that Plaid Cymru sees as maintaining this vital link between
agriculture and the rural community. To this end, we must develop an industry that is vibrant
and fresh and allows youngsters the opportunity to enter farming. Plaid Cymru proposes an
Initiative for New Farmers, including:
A system of start up grants and low-interest loans subsidised by the Welsh
Exchequer and supported by European Structural Funds
A pension scheme for older farmers who are prepared to sell their farms to new
entrants.
Agriculture is not the sole income generator in the rural economy. Many farmers diversify,
working as contractors, supplying tourist facilities or holding down other jobs. This needs to
be integrated in a holistic rural policy.
Agricultural policy is now almost wholly dealt with at a European level with the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP). Each and every time that policy is debated or open to change, it is
the Minister for Agriculture who bears no responsibility for agriculture in Wales, who is
presumed to argue the case for Welsh farmers. The choice for rural areas could not be starker:
to continue to be marginalised by the CAP because Welsh needs are never debated, or to
campaign for a self-governing Wales which could forge direct alliances within the CAP with
other regions and governments to benefit Welsh farmers.
A Parliament of Wales would:
Establish the New Farmers' Initiative.
Develop an integrated rural policy to encompass other activities within our
rural communities and diversification by farmers.
A self-governing Wales could:
Adopt the above pension scheme for farmers which the UK Government has refused
too do.
Sustainability
Plaid Cymru believes that the farmers of Wales are in a prime position to take advantage of
the increasing move towards sustainability in world agricultural policy. It is essential that
the voice of Wales is heard during the ongoing reforms of the CAP. In particular, agricultural
support should be decoupled from production and geared towards agri-environmental schemes as
part of CAP reform. This is a long term process which carries a short term cost. It can only
be achieved by direct payments which maintain a consistent income level for farmers
An attractive countryside is essential in maintaining the whole rural economy.
Plaid Cymru will introduce an all-Wales agri-environmental scheme drawing
upon the best features of the Tir Cymen scheme and other successful
schemes.
Responsibility
A new deal for rural responsibility is required to unite in common purpose the traditions of
the countryside communities and the aspirations of the urban population. Many urban citizens,
alienated by a money-dominated and valueless culture are turning to rural areas for new
certainties. These rural areas, however, are under precisely the same dehumanising pressures
as the urban areas. The result is a clash of expectations, fears and hopes.
All of us have a responsibility towards the care and welfare of the animals bred to produce
the food we eat. Plaid Cymru advocates that animals shun Id be slaughtered as near as possible
to the area of production. This would also encourage local processing industries which would
both substantially reduce the need to export livestock for food and create local employment.
The countryside is a resource to be shared by all. Responsible access to it should be
encouraged for the benefit of all.
Our Parliament of Wales would:
Set up a centre of excellence for rural education and research at
Aberystwyth.
Establish a network of properly waymarked and maintained footpaths,
bridleways and ridgeways. Give a right of reasonable access to open countryside and foster local
voluntary agreements on access to other land, such as those operated under
the Tir Cymen scheme.
Support indigenous industries for the slaughter and processing of animal
products, thereby reducing the transportation of live animals over long
distances.
Protection of wild species
Cur Parliament would furthermore:
Legislate against neglect and cruelty to animals. Protect wild species and
biodiversity.
Restrict product testing on live animals for medical purposes only, subject to
strict controls, and outlaw testing for cosmetic and domestic products.
Energy use and the environment
Our belief in a sustainable economy and in encouraging local communities to set their own
agenda for the future is a powerful tool for a better and cleaner environment. Though
environmental sustainability underpins all our policies, we must address particular needs, some
of which arise from our industrial and less environmentally-conscious past, and some of which
are future threats.
A root cause of both present and potential threats is our over-use of energy. We live in
energy-profligate homes, heated to excess, and ride in cubes of steel to fetch a pint of milk
from the corner shop. Is it any wonder our planet is groaning under the weight of our detritus
and giving up its last resources at even greater social and environmental cost?
The latest report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that
greenhouse warming is indeed occurring and a substantial cut in the burning of fossil fuels -
coal, oil, gas - is urgent. Nuclear energy is now a broken dream. The only safe way forward is
to reduce the demand for energy and develop the use of renewables.
Plaid Cymru has challenged the UK Government to cut existing use of electricity by 33% by
2005. This is a realistic target if:
We have a programme of full insulation for homes - this would cost less than
building a new power station to meet greater demand.
We encourage low energy lighting.
We insist on the best technology for domestic appliances such as
refrigerators.
Energy use will be further reduced by developing a fibre-optic network in Wales, increasing
access points within communities to the Internet, videolinks and other new communication tools,
and our plans for an integrated public transport system. These measures should reduce private
car use.
Dependence on fossil fuel burning for energy generation will diminish as more alternative
energy schemes come on stream. Plaid Cymru's commitment to wind energy, sometimes in the teeth
of fierce opposition, has been fully vindicated by the IPCC's findings. Wales is now
developing its wind resources at about the level we advocated and is on line to produce about
10% of our energy needs from this source. Our task is now to ensure local benefits from wind
generation in the form of a state-of-the-art export industry. We also need a national strategy
for wind energy which clearly identifies those environmentally sensitive locations for which
current wind farms would not be suitable.
Plaid Cymru will support pilot schemes for hydro-electric generation on both watercourses and
tidal barrages, where ever environmentally sustainable.
The final closure of Trawsfynydd nuclear power station make seven more urgent the task of
developing an environmentally safe method of fully dismantling this, and other, stations. This
desperate need should be used positively to provide an indigenous, high-tech research project
in Wales which could lead the world. There are hundreds of nuclear plants worldwide in dire
need of safe decommissioning.
New opencast coal-mining schemes should be resisted on both local and global environmental
grounds and the burning of a filthy fossil fuel - orimulsion - has no role to play in our
energy generation plans.
Our Parliament of Wales would:
Renegotiate any agreements to explore and extract gas and oil from waters
around Wales. Plaid Cymru would support strictly controlled gas exploitation
for direct heating.
Implement our home energy saving programme.
Co-ordinate a national strategy for developing the use of renewable energy
sources and encourage pilot schemes.
Oppose proposals for new nuclear power stations.
Set a target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions - the main cause of climate
change - by at least 20% of 1990 levels by the year 2005.
The local environment
Any action by a Parliament of Wales must be supported at a local level. Plaid Cymru-led
council's have been at the forefront of good environmental practices and will continue to lead
the way. Local Agenda 21 provides a framework to promote good practice and create local
partnerships. Our objectives for local action include:
Local strategies for refuse disposal, repair and recycling.
A wide distribution of recycling facilities, including encouraging kerb-side
collections of recyclables where feasible.
Fostering local repair and recycling industries, including voluntary sector
schemes.
A regular local energy and environmental audit of both council and private
activities in the authority's area.
A full educational programme for all citizens on preserving and improving our
environment.
Aiming to enforce binding legal protection for Sites of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSIs).
Water
A self-governing Wales would take responsibility for water quality in our rivers, streams,
seas and that which comes out of our taps. Plaid Cymru restates its intention to renationalise
the water industry in Wales. Cleaning-up our beaches and coastlines, improving our sewerage
systems, and ensuring the best quality water to our houses, with minimum waste, can only be
deferred as long as water remains a resource to be exploited for directors' remuneration and
share-holders' profits.
Improving the quality of life for our communities
We are fortunate in Wales to be the proud inheritors of two linguistic traditions, Welsh and
English, and two cultural experiences, the urban and rural. These have formed a matrix that has
enriched our national life. This process continues as other communities become established in
Wales and take an increasing role in our national life. They also place us at the centre of
European experience, which is mostly bi- or multi-lingual.
Plaid Cymru's policies for heritage, tourism, arts, leisure and children's play are all
designed to build upon these experiences and to enable local communities and individuals to
express themselves through their chosen medium.
The Welsh Language
Plaid Cymru believes the present Welsh Language Act to be inadequate.
Our Parliament would pass a new Act that:
Made both Welsh and English official languages.
Required every public body and utility to provide a comprehensive service in
Welsh to the public within five years.
Required organisations of over 50 staff to prepare a language scheme.
Allowed a defendant the right to have his or her case conducted in Welsh.
Ensured a training strategy within the public sector and utilities for meeting
the objectives of the Act.
Gave the right to statutory education through the medium of Welsh to every
child in Wales.
Gave the language the status of a valid consideration in determining planning
applications.
Established a Welsh Language Authority - answerable to the Parliament - to
oversee the implementation of the Act and the promotion of the language. The
Authority would comprise elected members and representative specialists and
would work closely with local authorities in accomplishing the Act's
aims.
Broadcasting and communication
Plaid Cymru will defend strongly the principle of public service broadcasting. Our Bill of
Rights demands that broadcasting should portray positive images and give a right of reply to
individuals. We will also seek to reduce the glamorisation of violence and crime on
television. The present system of bidding for independent television franchises can only be
seen to have driven standards down. Bidding for independent radio in Wales should take account
of community needs, including the Welsh language, as well as financial and broadcasting
standards.
Plaid Cymru resisted the threat to downgrade S4C and fought for a proper provision of digital
strands in Wales. We will ensure in a Parliament of Wales that high quality Welsh language
programmes continue to be broadcast during peak hours. We will also establish a similar
comprehensive service in English originating in Wales and produced for Wales and an independent
broadcasting infrastructure for the country as a whole.
As stated in our job creation and environmental policies, we see great social potential for
Wales to take advantage of the most modern methods of communication, such as fibre-optics. A
Parliament of Wales would ensure that rural areas did not miss out on these developments. We
foresee community facilities, such as schools, libraries and surgeries, as providing a focus
for such communications and would encourage their use by the community as a whole.
Leisure and children's play
With the complex changes in family life, working patterns and enforced recreation, whether by
unemployment, ill health or early retirement, our needs are very different from a generation
ago. We have also come to learn of the value of providing safe, interactive play areas for
children which allow them to develop social skills and begin an active and healthy life.
Access to purposeful and fulfilling leisure, including both sports and arts activities, is an
important weapon in combating youth crime and stress in society.
Plaid Cymru will advocate the following principles:
The right to leisure time and access to a reasonable variety of activities.
The provision of leisure facilities may be by public, private or statutory
bodies. Local government will form the strategy, in consultation with users,
and encourage the widest co-operation to achieve the objectives.
Allotments, and informal green spaces, are under particular threat and local
authorities should protect these areas.
If local leisure facilities are used to boost or support tourism, such
ventures should ensure that the extra tourism benefits the local economy.
Public parks should be properly maintained and preserved.
Our Parliament of Wales would:
Give local government the duty to meet the needs of local communities. Basic
provision must include safe play areas within 1/4 mile of 95% of children and
a community facility in every community.
Provide the appropriate legislation and finance to encourage high standards
and access.
Set minimum standards for health and safety and encourage local government to
improve on these.
Arts
Plaid Cymru believes that access and involvement in arts activities by a wide range of the
population is an essential characteristic of a civilised society. This means that any arts
policy should be directed towards making the arts physically and financially accessible. We
see local authorities playing the crucial role in delivering such an arts policy, under the
strategic direction of a revamped Arts Council of Wales, which would be answerable to, but
independent of, the Parliament of Wales.
Each local authority would be required to prepare an arts strategy for its area. This should
include arts promotion in schools and public life, arts sponsorship, for local arts groups and
individuals, and equality of opportunity. As well as overseeing a national strategy for arts
venues, activities and artists of national or regional importance, the Arts Council would be
charged with the promotion and sponsorship of pioneering and innovative arts initiatives and
international links.
The Welsh Books Council would be enabled to take a more active role in the promotion of
English language books of Wales and its relationship with local authorities and the Arts
Council made inure transparent in order to avoid any possible duplication.
Heritage
As well as its cultural inheritance, Wales is fortunate to have a built environment of
international renown. Prehistoric remains, Iron Age forts and settlements, Roman remains,
native and Edwardian castles, mediaeval monasteries, early industrial development and more
modern buildings have all been preserved for the present generation. While the tourist
potential of much of this heritage has been realised, the interpretation and promotion of these
sites to those living and working in Wales has not been as well achieved. In particular, the
heritage of Wales needs to be better incorporated into our National Curriculum.
Wales also has a number of private and public museums, whose origins vary from those
established for public education and those established as tourist attractions. Increasingly the
once clear boundary between the two is becoming blurred. Visiting museums and heritage sites is
now a leisure activity for those seeking new experiences and sensations as well as having a
traditional educational role for those wishing to experience a sense of Welsh history. Many
new establishments combine the two successfully.
Plaid Cymru does not believe that publicly-funded or nationally-owned museums or heritage sites
should be subject to an admission charge. Such a charge is a tax on our national heritage. Our
Parliament would freeze such charges in the first instance and draw up a financial strategy for
abolishing all such charges in time.
The need for co-ordination between tourism, education and heritage means that Plaid Cymru's
Parliament will include a Minister for Heritage.
Tourism
Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy of Wales, constituting around 9% of all
jobs. Plaid Cymru believes that tourism will continue to be an important generator of economic
activity, but tourist development must be sustainable. This means development which meets the
needs of present tourists whilst protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. To
attain this goal, we must ensure tourism in Wales develops hand in hand with natural and
community assets. This will entail the protection and promotion of both our built and natural
environment, and developing local facilities in tune with local community needs.
Tourism in Wales must be maintained and developed under a national strategic umbrella, such as
that provided by the Wales Tourist Board. Such a strategy must recognise, however, that the
delivery of individual tourist facilities and ventures is in the hands of a myriad of agencies,
local authorities and private operations. There is a clear need for more regional tourist
planning following local government reorganisation, and community interests should be brought
into the planning process of the Wales Tourist Board.
Wales has received considerable European funding for tourism projects, as well as associated
environmental and infrastructure funding which has assisted tourism as an economic activity.
There is room for improvement at the European level, however, to enable a better use of
regional funds to promote tourism within the wider aim of a Europe of cultural diversity,
environmental sustainability and community-controlled development.
To further these aims, Plaid Cymru advocates that:
Wales should be 'marketed' independently and sensitively.
It should be promoted as it exists today, with promotion based on local
government tourism strategies.
Schemes that seek to inform visitors of Welsh history, life and culture - such
as Celtica - should be supported.
The role, status and use of Welsh should be promoted whenever possible.
Tourism should be used to enhance the quality of life for the general
population in tourist areas.
Voluntary sector
Plaid Cymru recognises that the voluntary sector in Wales forms an essential third sector of
our economy, equivalent to 6% of GDP, and that it has a great potential to enrich the quality
of many lives, both volunteers and those who use their services.
Our Parliament of Wales would:
Draw up a strategy with the voluntary sector, in conjunction with its
representative bodies, to promote volunteering and to give practical
assistance to support organisations.
Simplify the law relating to charities.
Remove VAT on charitable activities.
Encourage local government strategies with the voluntary sector and involve
voluntary organisations as much as possible in its strategic planning and in
the local delivery of services where appropriate.
Take over responsibility for the National Lottery in Wales.
Crime and the community
Plaid Cymru's proposals for a self-governing Wales include an independent judiciary for Wales,
together with a written Constitution and a Bill of Rights.
Crime prevention
There are two approaches to crime prevention. One is to make crimes more difficult to commit or
get away with. Measures may include camera surveillance, property marking or security guards.
The other is to target potential offenders by reducing the risk factors known to be associated
with crime, such as poor parenting and schooling. Those factors which need to be reduced
include the depiction of violence and crime on the broadcast media.
Plaid Cymru believes that both approaches should be used in a combination of measures in our
Parliament of Wales:
Wholehearted support for Neighbourhood Watch schemes. There are presently
5,800 of these in Wales. Plaid Cymru will support local organisers for each
local authority and adequate funding for police authorities to maintain their
work.
The development of two police services. One, a local one under local authority
control to deal with purely local matters and the other to deal with more
serious matters, thus releasing resources for more urgent and pressing
investigations.
Support for schemes to address the increasing alienation of young people, such
as those undertaken to provide training opportunities for those otherwise
outside the work/training sphere.
Better vetting and strict licensing for security firms.
Sensitive use of close circuit television cameras in major public areas, such
as town centres. This should be monitored by a code of conduct, limited in
its use to investigative and judicial purposes only, with careful control
over the storage and use of any recordings.
Gun control
Plaid Cymru has supported a total ban on handguns and advocates fair compensation for both
owners and businesses. International action needs to be taken, co-ordinated by the EU, to
control the flow of illegal arms from eastern Europe in particular. The public needs to be
ensured that there are adequate safety procedures for those guns permitted to be kept at a
private location (e.g. shotguns at farms).
Drug abuse
The reasons for the abuse of both legal and illegal drugs are complex, but they are certainly
related to those factors that create social alienation and disenfranchisement. Plaid Cymru is
concerned that left unchecked these factors - and the abuse that comes in their wake - could
fragment many of our communities, making our task of building the new Wales even more difficult.
The current problem is one of misuse of all types of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco.
Plaid Cymru is concerned that there should be an open and constructive debate about drug abuse
and in particular advocates:
A national commission into the causes and effects of the use of illegal and
legal drugs to make policy recommendations. This commission would take
evidence from all those with an interest in the subject, including illegal
drug users and voluntary groups working with them.
More resources for the police and customs to allow them to work more
effectively. Better drug education and prevention programmes.
Well-resourced research into the causes of drug-taking.
Better supervision of licensed premises to curb under-age drinking, including
voluntary use of the 'age card'.
A ban on the advertising of strong alcoholic drinks aimed at young people, in
line with a general ban on alcohol and tobacco advertising.
The uniform use of shatterproof glasses.
Better protection for witnesses in court cases.
Young offenders
Most young offenders will leave their criminal past behind. To facilitate this, most are best
dealt with by sentences of supervision within their own communities. It is of particular
importance that young offenders in Wales receive their education and rehabilitation in a
culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. Ringfenced funding must be made available to
enable local authorities to provide such accommodation to allow the young person to keep in
contact with her or his community. It is essential that real effort is put into rehabilitation
and giving them a purposeful role in the community. The aim should be to support young
offenders in their efforts to reintegrate.
Ultimately, our proposals for job creation, education and training, together with efforts to
include young people in real decision-making, will prove the most effective method of reducing
crime in the long term.
Probation service
Plaid Cymru would wish to see the expansion of community service orders, and other community
sentences, as long as they are fully served. Frequently, non-custodial sentences can be
effective and serve to keep first-time offenders, at least, away from hardened criminals.
The probation service will need extra resources to meet this challenge and to get involved at
an earlier stage with the process of rehabilitation. The service is an expert branch of the
criminal justice system who need to be more central to some parts of it. The service should be
independent and separate from the political process, run by Probation Committees comprised of
local JP's and local authority representatives. Probation officers need to be professionally
trained social workers in order to effectively steer offenders away from re-offending.
Victims of crime
As well as the distressing aspects of the crime itself victims often complain of being isolated
from the process of investigation and prosecution. Plaid Cymru would like to see a number of
steps implemented to redress the balance.
Recognition for the voluntary work and expertise of victim support groups
throughout Wales.
An individual to liaise with victims in each Crown Prosecution Service Area
Office.
Criminal Injury Compensation should revert to a case by case basis rather than
the current indiscriminate 'tariff basis'.
Legal Aid
Plaid Cymru has advocated proposals to create a better system:
An appointments system for magistrates courts, cutting down on solicitors'
time spent waiting and achieve significant savings.
To avoid abuse, solicitors should undertake a fuller enquiry into a client's
means when an application for Legal Aid is submitted. A Court Service Agency
would function in a self-governing Wales which should cut waste in
administration.
Opposition to the block contract system or franchising. This could lead to
Legal Aid being available in large, town-based firms only, threatening rural
and family firms.
Ensuring that legal aid is expanded to ensure that justice is available to
all.
Better policing
Plaid Cymru believes that the most effective police forces for Wales would be those directed by
a Welsh Parliament. In the meantime, Wales suffers in comparison with England as decisions on
funding and police levels are taken by the Home Office and not within Wales. Thus police forces
covering the south Wales valleys are judged by English criteria as 'rural', although their
traditions, experiences and sadly their crime rates, demand urban policing. After criminals
have been apprehended and sentenced it is essential that they are able to serve their
sentences in Wales. To achieve this would require an additional prison facility in north/mid
Wales and provision for female prisoners to serve sentences in Wales.
Wales, Europe and the World
As a party committed to social justice and peaceful democracy. Plaid Cymru has forged links
with oppressed minorities, emerging new nations and independence movements throughout the
world. Our vision is of a real partnership between the nations of Europe, among whom a
self-governing Wales will eventually take its place, and the countries of the developing world
in a United Nations equally committed to justice and self-determination.
In recent years, we have witnessed significant developments in Europe, particularly with regard
to the growth of national and regional identities both within the European Union and the
emerging democracies of central and eastern Europe. We wish to see Wales participating in
these developments and taking part in the events that will shape the Europe of the 21st
century.
A Europe of the peoples
The political construction of Europe must be built on the diversity of the European experience
and tradition, on the principles of subsidiarity, plurality and the active participation of the
citizen. Plans to both deepen and widen the European Union mean that a new constitutional
settlement is essential.
In keeping with our commitment to social justice and equality in the workplace, we fully
support the Social Chapter, and will campaign to end the present government's opt-out of the
social protocol as set out in the Maastricht Treaty.
Plaid Cymru recognises that our relationship with the other nations and regions of Europe will
require a pooling of sovereignty on certain macro economic, environmental and social issues.
All decisions, however, must be taken at the most appropriate level and the principle of
subsidiarity extended to embrace decision making at the regional and local level. We start from
the premise that all decisions should be taken locally whenever practicable and then at the
regional, national and EU level as appropriate. We accept that further integration is necessary
to underpin the future peace and social stability of our continent, but reject out of hand any
notion that this must mean a centralised superstate. To this end, the Inter-Governmental
Conference (Maastricht II) gives us an opportunity to state our case for:
Increasing the powers of the European Parliament.
Improving the structure of the Committee of the Regions.
Making the Council of Ministers more accountable and representative, by
opening its decision making process, and allowing representations from non
member-state nations and regions to take part in its deliberations.
Expanding the areas of qualified majority voting in the Council of
Ministers.
Improving the status of minority languages.
In time, we wish to see a bicameral European Parliamentary system, with a second Chamber
(Senate) representing the nations and regions of the EU; a confederal written Constitution,
and a Bill of Rights for Europe. In time, we wish to see the power of the Council of Ministers
transferred to the European Parliament and Senate, which would be solely responsible for
making law. This is essential if the support and mandate of the peoples of Europe is to be
given to a deeper and wider union.
Enlargement
One of the reasons for reforming the Union's institutions is to accommodate enlargement. Plaid
Cymru believes in an open and democratic Europe, working together to promote peace, stability
and economic progress. We feel enlargement is essential to further these aims and would be a
unique opportunity to create the conditions by which Wales would gain greater economic and
political autonomy within the EU. Nevertheless, we recognise the considerable economic problems
associated with enlargement which will necessitate a period of transition before entry into
the Union.
Languages
Europe's linguistic diversity is being recognised increasingly as a rich inheritance to
cherish in a world of growing uniformity. The demands of recent new members and enlargement
mean, however, that the EU could soon have an unworkable number of official languages
resulting in an intolerable bureaucracy. The situation is already changing in practice, as a
few languages become the working languages' of the Union in which much of the legislative work
is done.
At the same time, the position of regional and lesser used languages, including Welsh, is
officially protected only by a Charter which the UK government has refused to sign, while the
languages of immigrant groups are given no acknowledgement whatsoever. Plaid Cymru would like
to see a new linguistic model for an expanded European Union, based on the concept of working
languages' for the Union's institutions and full status for all other indigenous languages
within their geographical domain.
We would wish to see the status and rights of the speakers of all these languages acknowledged
in European statute, with the language policy for each being dealt with by the Parliaments of
each nation or region as appropriate. The EU would, however, continue to have a promotional and
supporting role in assisting the speakers of non-working languages in sharing experiences and
developments.
The linguistic rights of speakers of the languages of immigrant groups must be protected as
part of a comprehensive EU anti-discrimination policy.
Economic and monetary union
The Maastricht Treaty set out a timetable to achieve economic and monetary union (EMU). This
should be seen as the culmination of a process which began with the publication of the Werner
report in 1970, the establishment of the European Monetary System (EMS), the workings of the
Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) and the passing of the Single European Act.
The timetable set out in the Treaty envisages that entry into the third stage of EMU will be
triggered automatically on the 1st January 1999. Only those member states who qualify under the
convergence criteria will enter the third stage which sets up the single currency. Two member
states have an opt out from entry into the third stage, namely the UK and Denmark. The number
of member states which enter the third stage will be agreed during the early part of 1998.
Plaid Cymru recognises that the introduction of a single currency will bring significant
benefits to industry and competitiveness. However, Europe is just beginning to come out of a
long and deep recession. The timing of the third stage could not have come at a worse time,
with many member states forced into painful economic decisions in order to comply with the
convergence criteria. Supporting entry into a single currency at this stage is a finely
balanced judgement. Nevertheless, we recognise that there is strong political will for the
process to go ahead on time amongst a clear majority of member states.
One of the difficulties facing Wales is that we did not benefit from the substantial increase
in structural funds following Maastricht, which was aimed at creating social and economic
cohesion in the run up to a single currency. We must make sure that we do not lose out so
badly in the next round of negotiations, and will campaign for parts of Wales to be accorded
Objective 1 status. A strong regional policy is essential to ensure that the Welsh economy is
robust enough to meet the challenges of EMU and to compensate for the loss of other economic
instruments which are currently available.
Plaid Cymru supports the inclusion of an employment chapter in the revised treaty following the
conclusion of the present Inter-Governmental Conference. This will make job creation a specific
policy goal. Unemployment is a major problem in many European countries, and EMU must not be
forced through at the expense of massive job losses. With a clear treaty commitment, such a
prospect will be substantially reduced. Plaid Cymru also supports the incorporation of
environmental sustainability into all aspects of economic policy.
The European Central Bank, as established by the Maastricht Treaty is independent of political
control. While we recognise the advantages of having an arms-length relationship between the
Bank and the Executive, we believe that ultimate accountability should rest with a
democratically elected institution. We will support moves aimed at achieving this.
There is a very strong likelihood that a single currency will go ahead on time. Whilst the
support for entry is currently finely balanced, we in Wales have to recognise the very real
dangers which we will face if EMU goes ahead and the UK exercises its opt out and stays
outside. We will then have the worst of both worlds with none of the advantages of entry, but
with the pound probably shadowing the Euro and maintaining the same economic policies as our
European partners to keep open the option of joining at a later stage.
If EMU does go ahead, then we believe Wales should be in at the very beginning (although this
may be very unlikely given the dilatoriness of the Conservative Government) provided that we
have a strong regional policy and a treaty commitment to employment.
Peace and security
Despite its lack of a Parliament and seat at the tables of power. Wales has made its strong
and independent voice heard on international issues through international links and determined
principle.
We need a self-governing Wales not only to protect Welsh interests but also to give us an
active role in European and world affairs. As a party, Plaid Cymru has always rejected the
idea that international peace, prosperity or justice can be brought about by force of arms.
With the demise of the Warsaw Pact, NATO's reliance on nuclear weapons and on the concept of
collective security is now even less relevant to our future security needs. We reaffirm our
demand that a common security system, based on democratic and non-nuclear co-operation, be
created in Europe. We recognise that there needs to be a more coherent and unified approach to
defence and security within the European Union than that presently achieved under the
Maastricht Treaty.
We would therefore advocate the merger of the Western European Union into the EU on the
following conditions:
that a self-governing Wales would only commit itself to European defence for
the purposes set out in the St Petersburg tasks, namely the provision of
humanitarian aid and peacekeeping and crisis management operations sanctioned
by the EU, and
that member states, including a self-governing Wales, would not be forced
against their will to provide troops for any EU operation.
A self-governing Wales would have a seat at the United Nations which we argue should become a
far more effective, and equal handed, peacekeeping agent in world affairs. Plaid Cymru will
continue in its advocacy for measures to combat the proliferation of nuclear weapons and
materials.
Development and solidarity
Plaid Cymru recognises that the root causes of world poverty are political and economic being
linked to trade between the rich north and underdeveloped south. The rich north's arms trade
with the despotic tyrants of the south, and the UK Government's attempts to link it with
development aid, is but one example of the perverse relationship.
It is a disgrace that the UK Government has never reached the United Nations' target of 0.7% of
GDP to be given in overseas aid, and reached its highest level, at a paltry 0.38%, when it
thought arms deals were in the offing. The Government's past insistence on bilateral, rather
than multilateral aid, has further distorted the way aid is targeted. The concentration on
huge infrastructure schemes, opposed by local people, which then make profits for non-local
companies, is a further desecration of the spirit of the UN's target.
Overseas aid must not only reach the UN target, it must also be directed to those projects
which achieve self-sufficiency and genuine, preferably sustainable, development. At least 20%
of aid should go to key areas such as basic health, primary education, water and sanitation.
These projects are often likely to be fairly small-scale and run in partnership with local
people. Overseas agencies are often the best deliverers of such aid. Governments tend to get
confused about the exact nature of aid and favour projects that give benefit to 'friendly'
regimes rather than impoverished communities.
Such a programme of aid and development entails cutting arms spending and redirecting our
technological skills, now employed in devising ever more fiendish ways to kill each other,
into designing low-tech projects for developing countries. This is the only acceptable link
between trade and overseas aid.
2000: Time to change direction
The approaching millennium gives rise to hope around the world that governments will start
planning and working in a new way, with more long-term and holistic planning than UK politics
has traditionally encompassed.
The key global challenge of the next century has been explored by numerous UN summits and
conferences through this last decade. The underlying theme has been one of sustainable
development. It is now time for all political parties to explain how their policies can help
not only Wales, but the world, change direction.
Our plans for the part Wales could play in this shift to sustainable development are set out
in the earlier chapters of this manifesto. Here we set out some of the global issues which
arise.
United Nations
The United Nations must be revitalised, with adequate financial and political resources which
are guaranteed and not withdrawn at the political whim of governments. Support is vital for:
building and maintaining peace in areas of conflict, organising international negotiations
designed to limit climate change, and bringing clean water, adequate nutrition and choice over
family size to a greater proportion of the world's population.
For the work of the UN to expand and become even more effective, it needs to have a real role
in the world's economy. Control of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank should be
transferred to the UN, so that the management of the world economy can be democratised and made
more accountable to the interests of the world's majority, those who live in the 'South' or
'Third World'.
A self-governing Wales would argue for the use of such a strengthened UN in order to:
Set up fairer trading between producer and consumers countries.
Cancel the debts of the very poorest countries.
Support countries seeking to protect their own economies from the unwanted
activities of multinational companies.
Replace IMF and World Bank programmes with new strategies to help the poor and
ensure sustainability in land use, and put substantial resources into
safeguarding biological diversity, mainly situated in the tropical
rainforests.
Argue for international agreement to regulate world trade in order to prevent
market forces from driving down social and environmental standards.
Within Wales, Plaid Cymru will seek to support this change of perspective for the world by:
Including the global context in school and further education.
Encouraging long-term planning in the Parliament and government.
Increasing overseas aid to the UN target of 0.7% of GDP, with the emphasis on
projects which sustain the environment on which the beneficiaries depend.
Full environmental product labelling to give consumers a true choice.
Change in company law to increase the opportunities to scrutinise unethical
behaviour and to gain more information on the environmental effects of
business activities.
a stricter control over arms exports and diversification into more productive
manufacturing for export.
The promotion of tolerance, respect and understanding between peoples of
different cultures, religions and ethnic origins.
Plaid Cymru seeks the best for Wales in the new millennium. The policies set out in this
manifesto are all intended to contribute to the building of a 21st Century Wales which will
enjoy the benefits of social justice, environmental sustainability and democratic
self-government.
