Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.
Next year is an important one for Wales as in May there will be the election for the Senedd, the Welsh parliament. Plaid must aim to replace the betrayers of trust that is Welsh Labour in what I've kept on saying is towards the ultimate battle between independence and right wing unionism.
But one of the arguments brought on by Plaid's opponents is that it's one issue (independence) party and that's it. However it's not the case and I thought that by chatting a little a bit more it will give people an idea of what a Welsh devolved government and subsequently a Welsh independence country would be like.
Now I could make this post political war and peace in it's length but I'll spare you that. Instead I'm going to use one of Plaid Leader's Adam Price's emails he sends to members (which I'm one) where he outlined some of the policies Plaid would action if they became the government in this May's Assembly elections as the example from which I'll chat about.
These policies may not be able to action immediately as is acknowledged. But a party that does not have any goals to reach is not a party worth voting for.
A minimum wage of £10 for every care home worker.
One of the many things that this pandemic has taught us is that the workers in care homes (whose expensive fees their customers pay to companies) are extremely low paid and undervalued yet are in fact a health service. They need to paid more to recognise this. After all there's a good chance we will all need their help in the future.
A £35 a week payment for every family in financial difficulties each month
Now I know what the Welsh Conservatives will say. They will paint the picture of people just watching TV just getting extra money from the state spending the money on fags and booze.
And you know what? This minority will exist.
But they are the minority.
Welsh Conservatives deliberately have their blinkers on when confronted by honest decent families trying to do the right thing being knocked down by ever increasing prices for the life's necessities. At time of writing for example there is a severe cold snap and these honest decent families have to chose between no heating and massive energy bills.
Welsh Conservatives don't care if the society is based on the law of the jungle. But Plaid does. It believes that a society that cares for it's poorest citizens will benefit all of us.
Free childcare from the age of one
I can tell you from experience that when our daughter was born and we had no family to help us and we had to pay really expensive fees for her to be looked after by a nursery so that we both could go to work.
Free childcare will cost. But it will boost the economy with more people ready for work, getting paid and consequently reinvesting in the Welsh economy. It is a long term gain. People should think about the long term as well as the immediate issues.
Plaid does.
A pledge that no child goes hungry
A pledge that all parties should give. But others don't ....to their shame.
Creating 10,00 new affordable home each year
I've mentioned before about how the lack of affordable new homes might create long term damage to society as a whole. Especially on the issue of English people buying cheaper homes along the Welsh border and working in England thus damaging the homes available for those brought up there. This goes some way to alleviating that.
And you know what there is a party who should have promised the above a long time ago but haven't. A party that that has relied on a magnificent past to hide an arrogantly incompetent present to the Welsh voter. A party who has lost it's core sense of being.
And that party is Welsh Labour.
And you feel the sheer sense of decency, just as it did in Scotland, has transferred itself to Plaid in Wales.
Until the next time.