Plaid conference over – now to the election
Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 3:04pm
one response
WPS - didn’t get a chance to live blog at this year’s conference, I’m afraid to say. I sincerely meant to, but as usual, I was running around trying to be in 20 places at the same time. I had a good time, and gathered lots more work to get on with from the fringe meetings I was part of, especially the one on social workers. I think that everyone was in good humour at the conference, and there was a buzz about the place. It’s all go now though to the General election, and I hope to support the candidates in South Wales West as much as I can.
Bethan at the march in Port Talbot with Neath Port Talbot councillors Alun Llewelyn, Linet Purcell and, left, Rosalyn Davies
The protest in Port Talbot about plans to change the care home structure in the county, and against the potential 750 job cuts was really well attended by local people and Plaid councillors on Saturday morning. I managed to say a few words at the demo, specifically to clarify that the decision to create three super care homes in the area, which may be not-for-profit or a ‘business concern’ is a Labour cabinet decision, and not a council decision as was said at the beginning of the demo.
It’s fair to say that there’s a lot of opposition to the plans. I spoke at a public meeting last Friday in Glyn Neath about the potential closure of Trem y Glyn care home. Locals are passionate about the fact that it should remain open, especially given that the council has recently invested £0.4m on rewiring the place.
I’ve written to the council following the meeting with some key questions about the planned consultation on their ‘preferred option’ of three super care homes, and why David Lewis, the Cabinet member present there, said that even though this was a preferred option, that more care homes of a smaller size would not be ruled out. This runs contrary to what staff and family were told by the Director of Social Services at a previous meeting. It seems there is a lack of communication there somewhere…
Bethan with Plaid's Rosalyn and Linet on the steps of Neath Port Talbot council's offices
I won’t however hold out that I will be responded to in the very near future. It always takes some time for the Labour-controlled council to get back to me. No surprises there. But I don’t see what there is to gain by closing off information from some AMs. It is largely political, and partly due to the fact that councils keep the constituency AM informed rather than letting us all know what is happening in the borough.
Anyway, this issue will not go away and I’ll be involved in whichever way I can be alongside Plaid councillors and activists in the area.
it is good to see plaid councillors and members in neath and port talbot defending such essential local services bethan…..which makes it all the more surprising that in nearby swansea we are part of a ruling coalition that is proposing all manner of cuts to teaching posts and other local services, while in caerphilly we sold off the public municipal bus service!
Surely if we are to appeal to disenchanted labour voters and others in wales looking for a genuine socialist alternative to all the pro-free market other parties we cannot be socialists defending council sevices in some areas but privatisers and public service cutters in others?
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed the conference but for me the highlight – and a rather worrying one at that – was that we might be prepared to prop up a minority troy govt in the event of a hung parliament!
Surely its inconcievable we would be willing to keep a party of public school educated millionaires in power? A party that is pledged to make massive cuts in public spending and a party many of whos members in wales – a few honourable AMs excepted – are still deeply hostile to devolution for wales! Surely we should have taken the opportunity last weekend to categorically rule out putting the millionaires party in power in the event of a hung parliament?