100 DAYS TO MAKE WALES MATTER - LEANNE WOOD

Party leader calls on voters in Wales to give the nation a voice at the ballot box...

With a hundred days to go until the UK general election, the leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood is urging the people of Wales to back the party's campaign to make Wales matter in May and return the strongest ever group of Plaid Cymru MPs to Westminster.

Leanne Wood

Ms Wood, a National Assembly member for South Wales Central, which includes Penarth, said that with the election likely to result in a hung parliament and with Plaid Cymru among the anti-austerity parties likely to hold the balance of power, a vote for Plaid Cymru could deliver real change for the better for Wales.

She added that the first weeks of this year's election campaign had exposed the stark contrast between Plaid Cymru and the Westminster parties with Plaid fighting the Labour and Tory commitment to further cuts to public services while spending £100bn on a new generation of nuclear weapons.

"This is a crucial election for the people of Wales. With just a hundred days to go until polling day, I urge all the people of Wales to join Plaid Cymru's campaign to make Wales matter in May.” She said.

Ms Wood aslo drew attention to Plaid Cymru's record in the UK Parliament, saying: “When Plaid Cymru wins, Wales is strong. We have proved this with the fantastic track record of our MPs in Westminster, leading the way on pioneering legislation against stalking and domestic violence, opposing the Coalition's cruel welfare cuts, and fighting for fair funding for our nation.”

"In recent weeks the gulf between Plaid Cymru and the Westminster parties has grown.” She added.

She also highlighted the similarity between Labour and the Conservative party in promoting austerity and acting against the Welsh national interest, "During crucial votes on billions more cuts to our public services and renewing the wasted and outdated Trident nuclear weapons system, we saw Labour follow the Tories through the lobbies to vote against the Welsh national interest.”

"In stark contrast, Plaid Cymru’s vision is of world-class care for our patients, fair pay for our workers, strong support for our local economies.”

In a rallying call to the people of Wales, Ms Wood said that “on May 7th, only one party will have what's best for Wales at its heart. We must return the strongest ever group of Plaid Cymru MPs to the Commons to make sure our voice is heard and that our communities are protected from the continued pain of Westminster policies."