Plaid says it will be guided by the motto Ambition is Critical Plaid’s ‘bold blueprint’ agenda
Plaid says it will be guided by the motto Ambition is Critical Plaid Cymru will launch its manifesto for the Welsh assembly election with a pledge to “transform” Wales despite spending cuts.
It promises “new thinking” in its programme for the next assembly.
But it attacked its coalition partner in the assembly government, accusing Labour of a “dearth of ambition and record of failure”.
After four years of governing together in Cardiff Bay, Plaid said Labour wanted to “limit” the assembly.
Called Ambition is Critical – a line coined by poet Dylan Thomas – Plaid said the manifesto would bring “new thinking” to the economy, health and education.
The party’s four key pledges for May’s election include a promise to make sure children read, write and count to the expected standard.
School inspector Estyn has said that 40% of children entering secondary school have a reading age below their chronological age.
Opponents have attacked a Plaid plan to create a not-for-profit company that would invest in public infrastructure projects.
Plaid, the first of the four main parties to publish a manifesto, said it had worked out a “wide arc of what’s possible”, despite reducing budgets.
“We cannot afford five more years of Labour failure and lack of ambition”
Nerys Evans Plaid Cymru
Plaid said it would set out the details of plans for a “stronger, more effective and efficient” government.
It promised to create jobs and a “more resilient” business environment.
It has proposed to renegotiate doctors’ and dentists’ contracts as part of an attempt to improve access to healthcare for patients.
Plaid said it would would ensure decent, affordable housing, and address climate change.
The manifesto, to be launched in Cardiff, will also reveal plans to celebrate and promote Wales’ culture, history, language, sport and landscape, Plaid said.
The party’s policy director Nerys Evans, its candidate in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: “Plaid Cymru wants this election to be a battle of ideas, underpinned with a vision of creating a strong, confident and prosperous Wales.
Plaid’s four key pledgesMake sure children leave primary school able to read, write and count to the expected standardHelp small businesses to grow, create jobs and help people train for long-term employmentQuick and effective healthcareConnect Wales with better mobile signals, wifi and broadband coverage, and a modern transport system
“To date, only Plaid Cymru has offered that vision and hope for a better Wales – we cannot afford five more years of Labour failure and lack of ambition.
“Today, following a consultation which has lasted over a year and which has involved many hundreds of people, we are publishing a manifesto which we believe meets our aims – it is bold, it is workable, it is affordable and, if implemented, it could lead to the transformation of our economy and some of our key public services.”
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