Dafydd Wigley: Myfanwy can win back Llanelli’s missing millions

Plaid Honorary President Dafydd Wigley was in Llanelli yesterday to set out how electing Dr. Myfanwy Davies as the town’s MP, Llanelli’s communities would have the best chance of gaining the millions owed to them by the London Government.
For many years Plaid has been campaigning for Wales to receive its fair share of support from Westminster. During the past year two independent Inquiries have found that Wales is severly underfunded. Over 10 years, Llanelli’s communities should be £240 million richer.

With most polls now predicting a hung Parliament, and Plaid and the SNP expected to gain their largest ever number of seats, the group would be in a key position to negotiate on a fair deal for Llanelli.

Mr Wigley met local councillors and community leaders at La Caprice café bar and spoke to traders in Llanelli market about steps to draw people into the town centre.
Mr Wigley said:

"With all the polls pointing to a hung parliament, this election brings back memories for me. I was much younger and less hard-headed than Myfanwy, when we last had a hung parliament and I was part of Plaid’s negotiating team”.
“Back then, we won compensation from the Government for miners who had become disabled because of dust in their lungs”.

“This time, with a much larger group and with tough, experienced negotiators like Myfanwy, we will be asking for fair funding for Wales at the price of our support to the next Government on issues like the budget.”

“It is high time Llanelli got a fair deal from London and high time to send an MP to London who will put Llanelli’s needs first.”

Myfanwy added:

“On the same day that the Labour party brought back Tony Blair, that most discredited of British politicians to boost their flagging fortunes, I’ve been very pleased to welcome Dafydd Wigley to Llanelli”.
“If there is anyone who can show how Welsh communities can benefit from a Plaid MP, it is Dafydd”.

“Now we are looking forward to a hung parliament, I want to be able to fight for the support Llanelli needs and that has been denied us for so many years”.
“Whatever they may say this close to an election, both major parties plan cuts. Just by getting fair funding, we could protect our schools, hospitals and care homes and help our local economy grow”.

Stop the cuts in our schools and hospitals say Myfanwy, Helen Mary and Plaid Council leaders

Dr Myfanwy Davies, Plaid's Llanelli candidate for Westminster has revealed that independent research for the Holtham Commission shows the London government may deny Llanelli £227m needed over the next 10 years.

Myfanwy said:

"I have always known that Wales' funding is unfair. But astonishing research into the UK Government's own figures shows that over the next ten years we will lose over £220 million pounds - money that our communities in Llanelli need so badly.

We are fed up with London Labour cutting Wales' funding to pay for city bankers' bonuses. And these cuts are going to be deep despite the Welsh Government doing all it can. Cardiff just can't go on using its own reserves for ever and ever. So next year the cuts may be even more severe.

We say enough is enough! We are not here just to buy off Mandleson's millionaire friends. Hands off our schools and hospitals. "

She added,

" These cuts come despite the independent Holtham commission saying that Wales' funding should not be touched until we get the money we need to provide vital public services. But Wales is getting less from Westminster because of all the money that London Labour has paid to bail out the bankers in the City.

And ominously, the Tory Party says it will cut Wales' money in exactly the same way as London Labour."


Myfanwy and the leader of Plaid's County Councillor group are calling on London Labour to listen to all the independent advice and stop the cuts until Wales gets fair funding.


Cllr. Peter Hughes Griffiths, Leader of the Plaid Group on the county council said:

"As local councillors we support Myfanwy's call all the way. It is so unfair that the Westminster Labour government is cutting back so drastically on Welsh finances. Remember this when the general election comes along!"

Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones added:

"The Welsh government has managed to cushion the blow of savage funding cuts this year by using reserves. But it will not be able to do this every year. The London parties need to commit to taking immediate action to ensure that Welsh communities get the funding they need, the money which is their right.

In the meantime they must call a halt to any proposed further cuts in the Welsh budget, to allow the Welsh government to invest in our communities for the good of all the people of Wales."


DIWEDD / ENDS

Notes for editor

The independent Holtham Commission has stated that the cumulative under-funding of Wales over the next decade will mean we could lose out to the tune of £8.5bn.

That means an underfunding of £2,900 for every person in Wales.

So with a population of 78,300 in Llanelli, this could mean a loss of an estimated £227m for the constituency - unless action is taken to change the now thoroughly discredited Barnett Formula

Myfanwy calls on Nia Griffith to protect Royal Mail

Plaid Cymru Llanelli
Ty Bres,
Heol Bres
Llanelli
SA15 1UH
July 2nd, 2009

Nia Griffith MP
6 Queen Victoria Road
Llanelli
SA15 2TL

Dear Ms Griffith,

I enclose a letter sent to you on June 2nd and note that I have not yet received any response to this from your office.

I had asked you to oppose plans to privatise our Royal Mail to protect jobs and to preserve the level of service we expect and need. As you will know your colleague Lord Mandelson has now admitted that the UK Government will not push through legislation to part-privatise the Royal Mail in the near future because no buyer could be found.

It is also very clear that among your more outspoken colleagues this is an unpopular measure and failing to get the bill passed would be an embarrassment for the Government.

While the climb-down is welcome, it not good enough for the plans to be shelved so that they can be resurrected when a buyer is found or when the Labour whips think they can win the debate. Not even the Tories dreamed of privatising the Royal Mail and you must know that job losses will follow from this move and that there can be no justification for supporting a measure that puts more jobs in Llanelli at risk.

I urge you to pledge publicly to people in Llanelli that you will vote against these reckless measures when they come up for debate.

Yours faithfully,

Myfanwy Davies

Myfanwy's Open Letter on Royal Mail privatisation

Plaid Cymru Llanelli
Ty Bres,
Heol Bres
Llanelli
SA15 1UH

June 2nd, 2009

Nia Griffith MP
6 Queen Victoria Road
Llanelli
SA15 2TL

Dear Ms Griffith,

I have heard that the Government intends to announce the privatisation of part of the Royal Mail in the course of the next few days. Along with postal workers and many people in Llanelli, I am outraged by this foolish and reckless step. No sensible government would sell off this vital public service, particularly so during the deepest recession we have seen in our lifetimes. The disastrous Tory years taught is that brutal job cuts follow privatisation. We cannot afford to loose any more jobs in Llanelli - least of all through the intentional action of the UK Labour Government.

The Hooper Report commissioned by your Labour Government says that the Royal Mail should be partly privatised to release funds to enable it to modernise. The report claims our Royal Mail is not as efficient as other European postal operators. But the evidence it offers to support this is misleading and inconclusive. For example, it confuses pricing and operational efficiency. It fails to take account of the different domestic markets. It ignores the negative effects of our Royal Mail being an established operator. Worst of all, the report does not explore how Royal Mail could modernise by other means and does not even suggest how much money would be needed to support that process. Many people suspect that the whole process has been biased in favour of selling off this national asset to continental competitors such as DHL or INT.

The privatisation of the Royal Mail on the basis of this flawed report would be nothing short of an act of vandalism. The consequences will be felt first by loyal Royal Mail workers but very soon I fear we will all be suffering a decline in service and a jump in prices. This is the lesson of previous Tory privatisations.
I urge you in the strongest possible terms to vote against these measures when they come up for debate. People in Llanelli want the Royal Mail to remain in public hands and it is right that they demand the support of their MP to help protect it.

Yours faithfully,





Dr. Myfanwy Davies
Plaid Cymru Westminster Candidate, Llanelli.