MPS HAVE been criticised by Plaid Cymru's Cardiff South and Penarth Assembly candidate Dafydd Trystan Davies.
Seven Labour MPs from Wales voted against the welfare budget package which included cuts to working tax credits and child tax credits, and Dr Davies pointed out that among those who abstained was the local MP Stephen Doughty.'
The Scottish
referendum campaign has been described as a David and Goliath contest
by Plaid Cymru's UK Parliament and National Assembly candidates for Penarth,
Ben Foday and Dafydd Trystan Davies...
Ben Foday (left) and Dafydd Trystan Davies
They said the
closeness of the result was remarkable, considering that the UK
Government threw everything at Scotland in a bid to get a No
result.
In a joint
statement, Mr Foday and Dr Davies said: “The Yes
campaign focussed on the remoteness of Westminster and how it has
failed Scotland over the years. Regardless of the result, we hope
this will act as a wake-up call to the people of Wales to realise
that we have also had a rough deal from central government over the
years.
“The Yes
campaign worked tirelessly with a positive and comprehensive case for
an independent Scotland. On the doorstep and on street stalls they
engaged with and inspired a whole generation.
"The No
campaign relied on London-based politicians, backed by a motley crew
of luvvies, sporting has-beens and ‘comedians’, by the BBC with
its institutionalised bias in favour of the status quo and by an
increasingly hysterical right-wing press.
“We are
delighted that so many Scots saw through their bribes, blackmail,
fear-mongering and bully boy tactics and voted for independence.
“Nothing will
be the same again in British politics and we will be interested to
see if the UK Government has any sops left over for Wales after it
fulfils its commitment to throw at Scotland all the money it offered
for a No
vote.
“We in Plaid
Cymru, the Party of Wales, have already started setting out our
ambitious plans for our nation to chart its own course.
“We will be
campaigning vigorously for the UK General Election next year and for
our national election in 2016. It is up to those politicians who
want to retain the status quo to outline their vision and plans for
the future of Wales - if they have any.”
Penarth could be just months away from the start of exploratory drilling in preparation for fracking...
That's the chilling prospect facing our community if UK Government plans to auction Penarth's geological sub-strata to the highest bidder go ahead, as expected, later this year.
Penarth under threat from hydraulic fracturing
The warning comes from Plaid Cymru Penarth and our UK Parliament and National Assembly candidates, Ben Foday and Dafydd Trystan Davies.
Mr Foday said: "Fracking has been proved to cause environmental problems, including the release of climate-changing gases, air quality problems, water pollution and large numbers of lorry movements. Health concerns have recently been raised by the Medical Journal of Australia, including bringing radioactivity and heavy metals to the surface from deep underground through fracking, and respiratory problems resulting from air pollution. Fracking is also implicated in falling house prices, with some insurers in the US now refusing to cover fracking-related damages."
Communities across our country are uniting against fracking (image: Frack Free Wales)
The UK Conservative-Lib Dem coalition has provided a series of increasingly generous tax breaks to shale gas companies in their unseemly rush to drill for gas. Conservative Chancellor George Osborne described his July 2013 tax breaks as the "most generous tax breaks in the world". The Labour Welsh Government is also known to be in favour of this controversial technique, which could take place in areas housing more than half of the population of Wales, with their most senior energy advisor stating they have a "strong interest" in fracking.
The Welsh Government controls planning for onshore oil and gas, and could put in place a moratorium while it assesses the environmental and health impacts. The Republic of Ireland has just such a moratorium in place for the next two years. However, the Labour Welsh Government once again has shown it has no original opinions and appears to be keen to follow the Tories in London.
The only party willing to stand up for the communities facing this threat is Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales.
Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood, who is an Assembly Member for South Wales Central, which includes Penarth, said recently: "While the technology is untested and the harm to the environment is unknown, we cannot allow any part of our land to be fracked beneath our feet."
Ben Foday (left) and Dafydd Trystan Davies: Standing up for Penarth
Dr Davies warned: "More than half of the Vale of Glamorgan is licensed for fracking, with three exploratory drilling licences already in the hands of fracking companies. The remainder of the Vale, including the whole of Penarth, Sully and Llandough, will be covered by licences due to be auctioned later this year. It's worth bearing in mind that companies will drill horizontally in order to frack, and that they can drill for distances of a mile or more horizontally. Fracking could end up taking place anywhere in Penarth, although it will be deep underground."
"For the sake of the future generations in Penarth, for the old and infirm who would be most seriously affected by air and water pollution, and for a clean, green future powered by renewable energy, Plaid Penarth has called on the Welsh Government to stand up for the people of Wales and use its authority to implement a moratorium on fracking in Wales until we know the risks can be adequately managed."
Every pound spent in our local shops is worth twice as much to the Penarth economy than one spent in the supermarket, writes National Assembly candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth, Dafydd Trystan Davies...
Dr Dafydd Trystan Davies
My first
experience of Penarth was a rather painful one. Rather foolishly a
few years ago I signed up to run the Snowdonia mountain marathon and,
living across the Bay, the hills of Penarth seemed very inviting
(from afar!). Many hours of slowly trudging up and down the hill from
the Bay to the centre of Penarth and, once I’d got a little more
adventurous, down to the Pier too, I was ready for Snowdonia! But
I’d also come to appreciate the wide range of independent shops in
the town centre.
More recently,
my Dad moved to Penarth, so the rather breathless window shopping
when out running has turned into actual shopping and quite a few
coffees and cakes at Foxy’s Deli! Foxy’s is a particular treat
as a group of us - weather and light permitting - go for a short bike
ride on Wednesday mornings, with a coffee and cake afterwards at
Foxy’s most definitely the highlight of the ride!
Power is in your pocket
Shopping locally
in Penarth is a pleasure but also really important to the wider
economic success of the area. Though the economy of Penarth is
certainly more robust than some other towns, the more that can be
done to encourage people to do more shopping locally to help maintain
vibrant high streets the better.
There’s a
splendid book shop, Windsor Books, with a good range of books and
greetings cards in English and Welsh. Pencerdd has a great variety of
musical instruments for sale, though, thankfully for the musically
inclined, my violin playing days are long over! Foxy’s Deli has an
enviable display of ‘goodies’ and you don’t have to cycle up
the hill from the barrage to earn a coffee and cake there! These
local businesses deserve our support.
I am, as you’ve
probably gathered by now, a keen cyclist and chair the social
enterprise, Cycle Training Wales, which offers a wide range of cycle
training bike maintenance courses and bike recycling. So I am
naturally pleased that Penarth has the Bike Shop selling and
repairing bikes in the centre of town. If you’re after a new bike
then the Bike Shop is the place to go, while Cycle Training Wales’
Cardiff Cycle Workshop at Ely Bridge offers recycled bikes in monthly
sales.
There are of
course many more local traders in and around Penarth and I’m
pleased that they have got together to produce a loyalty card to
support local, independent traders and give offers and discounts to
customers. The card is an initiative of Gwyrddio Penarth Greening
and, as a keen environmentalist, I think this is just the sort of
scheme needed to help our town centres.
I wonder how
many Penarth residents have this card and, while it may not have been
a New Year’s resolution, how about making a St David’s Day
resolution to shop more locally?
Money spent in independent shops on
the high street is money that stays locally, and it has been
estimated that every £1 spent locally puts twice as much money back
into the local economy as £1 spent in a supermarket. Local shops
employ local people, are supplied by local businesses and create more
jobs with their profits kept in the local community.
Wales has a strong
tradition of food producers and craft businesses, and buying locally
is the perfect opportunity to support them.
Just some of the mouth-watering Welsh produce available at Foxy's (Image: Penarth View)
But there is
only so much individuals can do. There is also, in my view a
responsibility on public bodies to choose local suppliers wherever
possible. In Plaid Cymru, for whom I have been selected to stand in
the next Assembly elections, we have been campaigning for some time
on public procurement.
Currently, about
50 per cent of goods and services purchased by the Welsh public
sector come from Welsh-based suppliers and I’d very much like to
see this increased to 75 per cent to provide even more support for
local businesses and local jobs. It’s been estimated that
current public sector purchases account for nearly 100,000 jobs in
Wales and an increase to 75 per cent would mean more than 45,000
extra jobs.
We have the
opportunity to support our local traders in Penarth, to boost the
economy and to encourage our councils and public bodies to do more to
source their goods locally. We all have a part to play in this and,
while you may not want to join me in running up and down the hills of
Penarth (why not – it’s great fun!), I hope you will join me in
continuing to support our local traders.
Dafydd (right) with Cardiff South and Penarth UK parliament candidate, Ben Foday
Plaid
Cymru’s Assembly candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth, Dafydd
Trystan Davies, has been elected to chair Plaid Cymru – The Party
of Wales. He
won the support of party members at the annual conference, which was
held this year in Aberystwyth. A
Higher Education Registrar, he is a former university lecturer and
Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru. Before his election as chair, he was
the party’s national treasurer. Dr
Davies, who lives in Cardiff with his wife, Lisa, was educated at
Ysgol Rhydfelen and Aberystwyth University, where he gained a first
class honours degree in international politics and was awarded a PhD
for his thesis on the Welsh Economy and Globalisation. He
said: “I’m delighted to have been elected chair of Plaid Cymru,
and my aim is to build on the strong foundations left by my
predecessor, Helen Mary Jones. "I
have a very important role to play as a voice for members in the
party, bringing together the volunteers across the country and
linking them to our elected members and professional staff.
“I
am keen to engage with our young members, to ensure a higher
percentage of women candidates and to attract people from all
backgrounds to The Party of Wales. I want to hear from those who are
interested in contributing to Plaid Cymru, whether or not they are
party members." A
keen environmentalist, he chairs the prize-winning social enterprise,
Cycle Training Wales. He is also a director of the recycling charity,
Too Good To Waste, and a board member of the sustainable transport
body, Sustrans Cymru. A
keen marathon and half-marathon runner, he was a marshal for this
year’s Cardiff Half-Marathon. Anyone
wishing to get in touch with Dafydd can contact him on
dafyddtrystan@yahoo.co.uk
or on 07966 705890. You can follow him on Twitter @dafyddtrystan.
Ben
Foday (second left) shaking hands with Dafydd Trystan with supporters
There are
huge challenges ahead for Penarth that need addressing. Issues
such as inappropriate development, a proper Local Development Plan
and a major focus on the economy are crying out for action. This was
the message from the Westminster and National Assembly candidates for
Plaid Cymru at the launch of their campaigns.
Party members
were buoyed by the stunning Assembly by-election result in Anglesey
and the equally impressive Caerffili council by-elections victories
this month.
Jobs and the
economy are top of Plaid agenda with a special emphasis on public
bodies such as councils and the Health Trusts sourcing goods and
services from local companies. If we could achieve the level that the
Scottish Government manages to use local companies an extra 46,000
jobs could be created in Wales.
Ben
Foday standing for Westminster said, “I am so delighted to be Plaid
Cymru’s candidate in Cardiff South and Penarth for the 2015
Westminster election. This shows clearly that Plaid Cymru is a
party is for everyone in Wales in general and Cardiff South
and Penarth in particular. I am determined to give this true image of
the party to the electorate over the period leading to the election.
Dafydd
Trystan the Assembly candidate said, “I
look forward to talking to thousands of residents across the
constituency over the years ahead and placing Plaid's positive vision
before the people in 2016. I'm sure that people will respond
positively to the contrast between Plaid's vision and Labour's
inaction.”
Champagne corks were popping across Anglesey and Wales last night as highly respected former BBC journalist, Rhun ap Iorwerth, recorded a resounding success and became the nation's newest Assembly Member.
Rhun, who lives with his family on the island where he also grew up, beat the shuttled-in Labour candidate Tal Michael into a distant second place with a stunning majority of 9,166 votes.
Such an emphatic result in the Assembly by-election, triggered by the stepping down of former Plaid Cymru leader and Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, will be a sore disappointment for the Labour party who would have secured a majority in the Senedd had they taken the seat.
Rhun ap Iorwerth AM
Newly elected Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales AM Rhun ap Iorwerth said:
“I am committed to being a strong local voice for the people of Ynys Môn. I will grasp with both hands every opportunity to push for action to boost our economy and create jobs on the island. I also look forward to working with Leanne Wood and my Plaid Cymru colleagues to ensure that we become the biggest party in Wales. This is a pivotal time for Anglesey, and I will work from the outset to deliver a brighter future for Ynys Môn.”
The result saw an increase of over 16% in Plaid Cymru's share of the vote:
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru) 12,601 (58.24%, +16.82%)
Coming hot on the heels of Plaid Cymru's huge recent success in the island's county council elections this victory represents a party that is going from strength to strength, and it is clear that people are tired of the bland indifference to Wales consistently displayed by the London-based parties such as Labour.
The Party of Wales' positive campaign reflects a passionate desire to find real solutions to our nation's problems and to build a fair, equal and economically resurgent country of which we can all be proud. That desire is clearly now striking a chord with the people of Wales as we approach the 2016 Welsh national elections.
