Wednesday, April 25, 2007
25/04/07 – WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION COMMENTARY
Well by now it should be obvious that I have read and given commentary on the manifestos of all the four major parties and, if you’ve bothered to read the whole ream, I hope that you have enjoyed my commentary, if you disagree then feel free to post that objection in the comments section that is what it is there for.
I have to say that I think that Plaid has the most aspirational manifesto full of new ideas, and willingness to develop Wales as a nation in new ways. The labour manifesto is just regurgitation of promises that have been reneged on or failed in the implementation. The conservatives had a very difficult document to read with a very poor layout and the basic manifesto pledge that it will cut funding to everything by 1 per cent and then use that money to buy infrastructure etc… in the most headline grabbing manner possible making it seem that a conservative government is investing heavily while it has only taken the responsibility for commissioning buildings from in-house to government. The liberal democrats, well they could have done so much better, if they had been more definitive in stead of promising to look into doing things if they get elected. Moreover, the liberal democrat manifesto is poorly constructed with massive repetition and in a document that large it is not re-enforcing the point just making you suicidal.
In conclusion, I think that my proportional representational vote will probably go to plaid even though they have, fallen inextricably in to a labour election trap nullifying their election campaign. This endless speculation about coalitions is going to stop Plaid from making inroads in the assembly and magnificently makes it a labour / conservative race. It is a magnificent piece of election manipulation by labour, and I am at a loss how they have managed it so affectively. Every interview that I have heard with a plaid politician is always about the possible construct of a coalition, and it glosses over the fantastic manifesto (and in my opinion the best programme for government and development of culture, sports and arts). The plaid election campaign has been woefully miss-managed largely by the leader, but as election coordination Adam Price must take some of the blame. It shows just how politically savvy and surreptitious labour can be and how ill-equipped plaid is in response.
Anyway, as you might have noticed I have only pledged my PR vote to Plaid. My constituency vote will have to be based on tactical voting to oust the incumbent labour AM.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/welsh_assembly/html/atoz.stm
This is a link to the BBC’s 2003 election coverage, I’m not online at the moment (this is written to be cut and pasted into the blog at a later date) so I can’t check who came second in the last election at the moment, but which ever party it was will most likely get my vote for this forthcoming election.
¶ 6:57 PM 0 comments
links to this post
I have to say that I think that Plaid has the most aspirational manifesto full of new ideas, and willingness to develop Wales as a nation in new ways. The labour manifesto is just regurgitation of promises that have been reneged on or failed in the implementation. The conservatives had a very difficult document to read with a very poor layout and the basic manifesto pledge that it will cut funding to everything by 1 per cent and then use that money to buy infrastructure etc… in the most headline grabbing manner possible making it seem that a conservative government is investing heavily while it has only taken the responsibility for commissioning buildings from in-house to government. The liberal democrats, well they could have done so much better, if they had been more definitive in stead of promising to look into doing things if they get elected. Moreover, the liberal democrat manifesto is poorly constructed with massive repetition and in a document that large it is not re-enforcing the point just making you suicidal.
In conclusion, I think that my proportional representational vote will probably go to plaid even though they have, fallen inextricably in to a labour election trap nullifying their election campaign. This endless speculation about coalitions is going to stop Plaid from making inroads in the assembly and magnificently makes it a labour / conservative race. It is a magnificent piece of election manipulation by labour, and I am at a loss how they have managed it so affectively. Every interview that I have heard with a plaid politician is always about the possible construct of a coalition, and it glosses over the fantastic manifesto (and in my opinion the best programme for government and development of culture, sports and arts). The plaid election campaign has been woefully miss-managed largely by the leader, but as election coordination Adam Price must take some of the blame. It shows just how politically savvy and surreptitious labour can be and how ill-equipped plaid is in response.
Anyway, as you might have noticed I have only pledged my PR vote to Plaid. My constituency vote will have to be based on tactical voting to oust the incumbent labour AM.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/welsh_assembly/html/atoz.stm
This is a link to the BBC’s 2003 election coverage, I’m not online at the moment (this is written to be cut and pasted into the blog at a later date) so I can’t check who came second in the last election at the moment, but which ever party it was will most likely get my vote for this forthcoming election.
2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: LABOUR
>I’m not sure that I have downloaded the correct document, but this seems to be the only whole of Wales document that I can find, while labour are seemingly operating a divide and conquer strategy by launching different manifestos for each region in Wales. Making it very hard for opposition parties to round criticisms as there will be very few appropriate opportunities for assaults on individual regional manifestos. It also means that labour has stopped trying to foster a greater sense of national identity, and just concentrating on regional identity.
>Moreover, as I mentioned with the conservatives the title seems interesting. “building a better Wales” now since they have been in government for the past 8 years you would have hoped that a better Wales had been built. But this suggests that they have failed to address the problems. At this juncture I am reminded of a letter that was sent to the Western Mail just after Peter Law had won Blaenau Gwent. It read (am I am remember that this so apologies if it is not word perfect) but the gist was that Blaenau Gwent was a deprived area and therefore the constituents were short sighted in rejected the labour party as only a large political party could attract the inward investment that could induce prosperity in the constituency. Now my problem with this was history, how could someone say that only a national party (implying labour) could benefit Blaenau Gwent, when it was said in the letter that Blaenau Gwent is a deprived area recognising that the last 80 years of labour dominance was unsuccessful in improving that. How can people be so blindly loyal to a political party is beyond me – anyway enough of the rant on to the manifesto.
Page 3
Labour is working with the people of Wales to build a country that is successful, confident, and ambitious.
>Although Peter Hain (MP for Neath and Secretary of State for Wales) thinks Wales is too small to be significant.
The Welsh economy now has strong foundations in place for future success.
>Although Wales has become the poorest region in the UK over the last 8 years.
Since 1999, Wales has seen the biggest drop in unemployment of any part of the United Kingdom and a rise of 130,000 in the total number of new jobs.
>I’m a graduate that can’t find graduate employment in Wales, there may be new jobs but they are not high skilled jobs, mainly call centres and service sector jobs.
Our children are our future. Our investment in education has resulted in the highest ever level
of achievement in schools – we will ensure that we have the skills for success in the future.
>Did you know that I applied for a job with south Wales police, for the position of crime management analyst (actually I haven’t heard whether I have got it or not yet) but all they wanted by way of qualification is 5 GCSEs (a-c) two of them to be at grade A. now I have a highly analytical degree which no one appears to want very annoying.
In Wales, people are living longer and are healthier than ever before. We will take action to ensure even better standards of health and health care, and drive forward policies to make sure that our children have the healthiest possible start to life.
>The policies being what exactly? And as for children’s’ health medicine and the health service is not the first place to start they need safe and secure play areas, more exercise in school and greater funding for a wider arrange of sports at grass roots level.
Page 4
Seven new hospitals built
>Which will consolidate the services from several hospitals taking them out of the local communities. Closing several more than they are opening.
Ensure all children have an opportunity to use a sports or leisure facility or swimming pool free of
charge at weekends
>Good, but what about weekday, could you provide free coaching too to maximise the benefit.
Improve the quality of food in schools, hospitals and other public premises, and provide increased
investment in our school kitchens
>Good, but are there going to be more helpers in hospitals to aid those who can’t feed themselves.
Ensure that all people who want one can have access to an NHS Dentist
>Why haven’t you don’t this already? You’ve been in power for 8 years.
Provide free parking at NHS hospitals for patients requiring treatment for Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Renal Dialysis; and season ticket arrangements for those who want one
>Such limited free parking I have a chronic lung condition and I would still have to pay parking! In my opinion only visitors (rather than patients) should have to pay parking. If you think about the logic of it, they have free prescriptions to ensure that people take medicines, but they don’t have free parking to ensure people attend hospital appointments.
Page 5
A strong economy is the foundation for Wales’ future success.
>According to Peter Hain, Wales by itself doesn’t have an independent future.
investing in skills, helping even more people to return to work and giving our young people the tools for success.
>Good.
Ensure that young people aged between 16 and 19 are supported to stay in education or work-place learning
Develop new National Business Research Centres in Welsh Universities
>It would probably be better to try and stop the closure of departments at universities, so welsh students don’t have to go outside of Wales to continue their education in their chosen field.
Ensure that the opportunity to study for the Welsh Baccalaureate exists in all parts of Wales
Page 6
We will involve local people in environmental clean-up and increase fines for litter and graffiti
>How exactly are you going to apply fines for litter and graffiti, its all well and good having larger fines, but if you haven’t got the police presence to witness this activity what hope is there that they will be handed down to offenders.
£24 million over the full Assembly term for the Safer Communities Fund, reducing youth crime
>How exactly will that reduce youth crime? Your disenfranchising youth because you pander to the grey vote, and therefore you don’t see it as a priority to provide facilities for them causing them to entertain themselves in what has been termed anti-social ways.
Provide sprinklers in all new school buildings and extend that provision in existing buildings
>Sadly this is now needed, with the real threat of arson to school buildings.
Page 7
We will continue to guarantee funding for the poorest communities and build towards a brighter future for all of our citizens.
>I have to say, that continuing a policy that hasn’t been very successful doesn’t seem very logical, so I think that Plaid has the better policy of targeted reductions of corporations taxes in order to prompt economic activity.
Provide £450 million investment in new social housing over the next Assembly term, making land available for affordable housing
Increase investment in door-to-door community transport, so that everyone, including the elderly and the disabled, can enjoy greater freedom.
>Door-to-door, flagrant attempt to get the votes of the elderly, I think most people want reliable, frequent and clean buses, which go outside the city centre.
Encourage saving amongst young people by ensuring access to a Credit Union for every secondary school
>So how are you going to encourage saving, when there is so much reliance on the level of ones savings in access to state benefits, pension credits, etc…
New funding for the University of the Third Age
>The University of the what? Why can’t we have more funding for conventional universities?
Improve the take-up of Council Tax Benefit amongst older people
>That’s good, but why only council tax benefits and why only amongst older people, why not promise to improve take-up of all benefits.
Page 8
Labour will meet head on the challenge of climate change, by building a sustainable Wales that is cleaner and greener by minimising Wales’ carbon footprint, supporting environmental technology and developing an integrated public transport network.
>This is the same labour who’s leader (Rhodri Morgan) said that global warming would be good for Wales as the good weather would be good for Welsh tourism – forgetting the fact that most of south Wales and the welsh coastline would be underwater.
Ensure higher standards of energy efficiency in all new buildings in Wales
>Good
Ensure that all our government buildings in Wales are carbon neutral by 2012
Work towards 30,000 solar power and other micro-generation units on buildings across Wales by 2012
>Work towards – how about writing it into the planning laws that all new buildings and building alterations would have to include micro-generation units.
Create a new All-Wales Trans Cambria transport network, bringing communities and services together
>Good, but could mean new roads, I prefer to have a better rail infrastructure.
Provide a £100 million fund over the full Assembly term for safer local roads; safe for cycling and walking and including safe routes to school and 20 mph zones
Provide an All-Wales Coastal Path
Plant a Tree for all babies and adopted children to give our youngest citizens a stake in the future of their planet
>It’s a novel idea, but I can’t help thinking “will you cut it down if they die?”
¶ 6:50 PM 0 comments
links to this post
>Moreover, as I mentioned with the conservatives the title seems interesting. “building a better Wales” now since they have been in government for the past 8 years you would have hoped that a better Wales had been built. But this suggests that they have failed to address the problems. At this juncture I am reminded of a letter that was sent to the Western Mail just after Peter Law had won Blaenau Gwent. It read (am I am remember that this so apologies if it is not word perfect) but the gist was that Blaenau Gwent was a deprived area and therefore the constituents were short sighted in rejected the labour party as only a large political party could attract the inward investment that could induce prosperity in the constituency. Now my problem with this was history, how could someone say that only a national party (implying labour) could benefit Blaenau Gwent, when it was said in the letter that Blaenau Gwent is a deprived area recognising that the last 80 years of labour dominance was unsuccessful in improving that. How can people be so blindly loyal to a political party is beyond me – anyway enough of the rant on to the manifesto.
Page 3
Labour is working with the people of Wales to build a country that is successful, confident, and ambitious.
>Although Peter Hain (MP for Neath and Secretary of State for Wales) thinks Wales is too small to be significant.
The Welsh economy now has strong foundations in place for future success.
>Although Wales has become the poorest region in the UK over the last 8 years.
Since 1999, Wales has seen the biggest drop in unemployment of any part of the United Kingdom and a rise of 130,000 in the total number of new jobs.
>I’m a graduate that can’t find graduate employment in Wales, there may be new jobs but they are not high skilled jobs, mainly call centres and service sector jobs.
Our children are our future. Our investment in education has resulted in the highest ever level
of achievement in schools – we will ensure that we have the skills for success in the future.
>Did you know that I applied for a job with south Wales police, for the position of crime management analyst (actually I haven’t heard whether I have got it or not yet) but all they wanted by way of qualification is 5 GCSEs (a-c) two of them to be at grade A. now I have a highly analytical degree which no one appears to want very annoying.
In Wales, people are living longer and are healthier than ever before. We will take action to ensure even better standards of health and health care, and drive forward policies to make sure that our children have the healthiest possible start to life.
>The policies being what exactly? And as for children’s’ health medicine and the health service is not the first place to start they need safe and secure play areas, more exercise in school and greater funding for a wider arrange of sports at grass roots level.
Page 4
Seven new hospitals built
>Which will consolidate the services from several hospitals taking them out of the local communities. Closing several more than they are opening.
Ensure all children have an opportunity to use a sports or leisure facility or swimming pool free of
charge at weekends
>Good, but what about weekday, could you provide free coaching too to maximise the benefit.
Improve the quality of food in schools, hospitals and other public premises, and provide increased
investment in our school kitchens
>Good, but are there going to be more helpers in hospitals to aid those who can’t feed themselves.
Ensure that all people who want one can have access to an NHS Dentist
>Why haven’t you don’t this already? You’ve been in power for 8 years.
Provide free parking at NHS hospitals for patients requiring treatment for Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Renal Dialysis; and season ticket arrangements for those who want one
>Such limited free parking I have a chronic lung condition and I would still have to pay parking! In my opinion only visitors (rather than patients) should have to pay parking. If you think about the logic of it, they have free prescriptions to ensure that people take medicines, but they don’t have free parking to ensure people attend hospital appointments.
Page 5
A strong economy is the foundation for Wales’ future success.
>According to Peter Hain, Wales by itself doesn’t have an independent future.
investing in skills, helping even more people to return to work and giving our young people the tools for success.
>Good.
Ensure that young people aged between 16 and 19 are supported to stay in education or work-place learning
Develop new National Business Research Centres in Welsh Universities
>It would probably be better to try and stop the closure of departments at universities, so welsh students don’t have to go outside of Wales to continue their education in their chosen field.
Ensure that the opportunity to study for the Welsh Baccalaureate exists in all parts of Wales
Page 6
We will involve local people in environmental clean-up and increase fines for litter and graffiti
>How exactly are you going to apply fines for litter and graffiti, its all well and good having larger fines, but if you haven’t got the police presence to witness this activity what hope is there that they will be handed down to offenders.
£24 million over the full Assembly term for the Safer Communities Fund, reducing youth crime
>How exactly will that reduce youth crime? Your disenfranchising youth because you pander to the grey vote, and therefore you don’t see it as a priority to provide facilities for them causing them to entertain themselves in what has been termed anti-social ways.
Provide sprinklers in all new school buildings and extend that provision in existing buildings
>Sadly this is now needed, with the real threat of arson to school buildings.
Page 7
We will continue to guarantee funding for the poorest communities and build towards a brighter future for all of our citizens.
>I have to say, that continuing a policy that hasn’t been very successful doesn’t seem very logical, so I think that Plaid has the better policy of targeted reductions of corporations taxes in order to prompt economic activity.
Provide £450 million investment in new social housing over the next Assembly term, making land available for affordable housing
Increase investment in door-to-door community transport, so that everyone, including the elderly and the disabled, can enjoy greater freedom.
>Door-to-door, flagrant attempt to get the votes of the elderly, I think most people want reliable, frequent and clean buses, which go outside the city centre.
Encourage saving amongst young people by ensuring access to a Credit Union for every secondary school
>So how are you going to encourage saving, when there is so much reliance on the level of ones savings in access to state benefits, pension credits, etc…
New funding for the University of the Third Age
>The University of the what? Why can’t we have more funding for conventional universities?
Improve the take-up of Council Tax Benefit amongst older people
>That’s good, but why only council tax benefits and why only amongst older people, why not promise to improve take-up of all benefits.
Page 8
Labour will meet head on the challenge of climate change, by building a sustainable Wales that is cleaner and greener by minimising Wales’ carbon footprint, supporting environmental technology and developing an integrated public transport network.
>This is the same labour who’s leader (Rhodri Morgan) said that global warming would be good for Wales as the good weather would be good for Welsh tourism – forgetting the fact that most of south Wales and the welsh coastline would be underwater.
Ensure higher standards of energy efficiency in all new buildings in Wales
>Good
Ensure that all our government buildings in Wales are carbon neutral by 2012
Work towards 30,000 solar power and other micro-generation units on buildings across Wales by 2012
>Work towards – how about writing it into the planning laws that all new buildings and building alterations would have to include micro-generation units.
Create a new All-Wales Trans Cambria transport network, bringing communities and services together
>Good, but could mean new roads, I prefer to have a better rail infrastructure.
Provide a £100 million fund over the full Assembly term for safer local roads; safe for cycling and walking and including safe routes to school and 20 mph zones
Provide an All-Wales Coastal Path
Plant a Tree for all babies and adopted children to give our youngest citizens a stake in the future of their planet
>It’s a novel idea, but I can’t help thinking “will you cut it down if they die?”
Thursday, April 19, 2007
2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Page 4
Forward Mike German
A fair future. A green future. it is the very core of my party’s values.
Equal opportunities to learn, to get a job, to stay healthy.
Wales leading the world in tackling climate change. Using our natural resources to make the green switch for this and future generations.
>I think that this is the first time in a manifesto that someone has mentioned making Wales a world leader.
But we need a new, fresh government to make the Assembly work for the people.
>I believe that too, now convince me that it’s you!
I want to raise the standard across the country. Giving teachers more freedom and time with pupils by reducing class sizes.
>Good start, but what about building new classrooms to house smaller classes, and money to, well make it all happen. You got my attention though.
Enabling health professionals to put patients first, free from meddling government and back-to-front reorganisation.
>Again good.
Freeing police officers from the burdens of paperwork and freeing our streets from crime.
>Will the Assembly have powers over policing?
Over the last four years this Assembly Government has let Wales down.
>Over the last 8 years to be fair.
Contrast that with this manifesto: full of new ideas, innovative ways to use our new powers, policies to tackle poverty, social exclusion and injustice.
>I’ll be the judge of that please!
We are the party that delivers in devolution. We made the difference after the Assembly’s unstable, directionless first year.
>Was anything achieved during the first assembly?
Page 5
As the original party of Wales we are fully committed to Welsh solutions to Welsh needs.
>The liberal democrats are the original party of Wales?
A proud nation should be taking its own decisions here in Wales, and working with our closest neighbours to our mutual benefit out in the wider world.
Page 6
That means quality healthcare closer to the home and services that work together to deliver healthcare when it’s needed. Back to front re-organisation and micro-management of the NHS has resulted in millions of pounds being wasted and local needs being ignored.
>Blaming the micro-management for the woes of the NHS does that imply that you want to remove the PCT and other management layers (like LHB) from the NHS and create a single authority for the entire country?
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Health hubs, walk-in centres and the investment needed in the
>What are Health hubs? Why do we need walk in centres why can’t you just invest in GPs surgeries?
Page 7
Health Hubs. These will encompass a whole range of patient services in the community, including direct health services such as GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacies as well as wellbeing services such as housing and social services, or CABs.
we aim to develop the role of community hospitals in providing diagnostic, recuperative and rehabilitation care.
>Well community hospitals have always provided recuperative and rehabilitation care haven’t they? So what exactly is diagnostic care? They are not going to have accident and emergency departments in every community hospital so what is left referral to locally based consultants? Or simply are they going to draw blood locally at these hospitals, I want more information, but on the surface its an amicable aim.
Where it is necessary and appropriate to re-organise hospital services, first set out in detail the alternative primary and community provision to replace them, and ensure that the funding is available to provide these services.
>So they are not guaranteeing to keep hospitals open.
Protect services in rural areas, where closures would lead to excessive and potentially dangerous travelling times.
Instead,we will encourage greater collaboration and co-operation to make the NHS work for patients.We will require Local Health Boards (LHBs) to work together on secondary commissioning and will encourage the merging of LHBs where they wish to.
>So they are going to keep PCT and LHBs, so micro-management is bad but you are not going to move towards macro-management.
Introduce a shared budget between NHS and Social Services to deal with delayed transfers of care.
Develop the use of new-technology, such as access to telemedicine, SMS and e-mail notifications and on-line information services, in the NHS.
>For what affect? What do telemedicine, what is telemedicine for a start?
We will encourage more GPs to become specialist GPs equipped to diagnose and treat more patients and increase and promote the use of extended prescribing so that appropriately trained nurses and pharmacists are able to prescribe a wide range of drugs.
>I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF PHARMACISTS PRESCRIBING DRUGS, although highly qualified nurses will really help speed up healthcare in the NHS. I am admitted to hospital fairly frequently (normally once a year) and the amount of time that is wasted looking for a doctor to write up drugs especially at night is amazing. As for encouraging more GPs to become specialists GPs – they already opt out of out-of-hours services what makes you think that they are going to voluntarily take on more responsibilities or are you going to offer to improve their very cushy £100,000 a year salary?
Page 8
Introduce nurse-led walk-in centres, working alongside larger A&E Departments and GP out-of-hours services
Review hospital charges for services such as parking, telephone and television. We will make it easier for patients who have to attend hospital regularly to access schemes that assist with parking and travel costs, with free parking for those who have to attend regularly.
>Good.
Wales needs a modern ambulance service working in partnership with other health and emergency services and using the professional skills of its personnel to the full.
>A lot of this manifesto is based upon improving cooperation, it seems very simplistic, overly so, one wonders if it was this simply why hasn’t it been done already.
Page 9
Provide the investment required over the next decade to resource a fit-for-purpose ambulance service. We are keen to examine the potential for greater resource sharing and co-operation within the NHS and with other blue-light services and aim to roll-out in-cab technology such as route navigation that allows pre-arrival information about patients to be transmitted to hospital.
Give paramedics the power to triage patients, so that those who do not need A&E services are directed to the most appropriate source of treatment
Large parts of Wales have become ‘dental deserts’ leaving thousands of residents without regular dental care.
increasing the use of mobile dentists to serve the most rural areas and more salaried dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
capital grants for dentists wishing to set up practices in rural areas.
dental health and prevention at primary school level and at playgroups and nurseries,
Give every child aged 4-5 years a toothbrush and toothpaste and include oral healthcare with early years’ education.
We will examine piloting a scheme providing a weekly fluoride rinse to school children, based on the Canadian model.
Page 10
Provide bursaries to newly qualified health professionals to work in areas where there is a shortage of such skills. In return, we will impose a limited contractual commitment to the NHS in Wales.
>How limited?
Employ more physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists and will integrate them fully into health teams dealing with patients suffering from stroke and other chronic conditions.
>Seem to be employing a lot of extra staff, how are you going to pay for it?
Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to aggression or violence against NHS staff, requiring all LHBs and Trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with those who intimidate staff and to support staff after such incidents.
>Overdue, but I would like it to go further and make new laws with punitive sentencing for attacking all emergency services’ staff.
Introduce a guaranteed standard of service that would include what can be expected at hospital and patient access to information.
>Again you are putting procedures in place that will facilitate compensation payouts thereby taking money away from front line services.
Develop targeted health MOTs with appropriate screening tests based on age, family and other risk factors.
>FINALLY some one has said this, it’s a good idea, the earlier conditions are detected the cheaper the treatments are (in general) and the more successful the treatment too. But I think they should be more expansive, i.e., everyone should have an MOT at 3-5 years intervals.
Extend and promote the use of nurses and pharmacists in testing, screening and monitoring for a range of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing.
>This level of health care is appropriate for pharmacists, but I wouldn’t like the role to develop into anything more substantive.
Instigate a review of all targets, with the intention of reducing the number, so that local health services can truly put the patient first and ensure that clinical priorities are not distorted.
Tackle the low provision of stroke units and care in Wales.We will encourage stroke to be treated as a medical emergency, increase availability of testing and screening for related conditions to improve prevention
Page 11
Take forward the recommendations of the Assembly health committee’s review of cancer services, in order to produce a holistic Cancer Plan for Wales.
Examine the potential for speeding-up the drug approval process in Wales, including further developing the links with the Scottish drugs approval process.
>Providing that this doesn’t remove the necessary effectiveness tests, and safety tests etc… this isn’t a bad idea, but what is it about the Scottish drugs approval process that is seen to be something to link too? Additionally, this testing procedures must be placed outside of the influence of marketing campaigns and other campaigns, like those which happen with herceptin.
developing a full support package when a new-born child is identified as having hearing loss and teachers of the deaf to provide support to the youngest children.
Page 12
We are committed to a comprehensive range of policies to promote healthy living.
Seek the powers to legislate on mental health so that we enshrine guiding principles that put human rights at the forefront of the legislation, as has been done in Scotland.
Encourage healthy eating by supporting the sourcing and promotion of local healthy food, as detailed in our agriculture policies. This includes local food strategies, more public procurement of food from Wales and seeking to extend eligibility for the healthy start scheme.
>Spending Welsh money on Welsh goods is always a good idea.
new regulations on nutritional standards for school meals and ensuring stricter control on the marketing of food and drinks in schools,
Raise the nutritional standards for hospital food, encouraging local procurement, and encourage the use of assistants to help elderly and disabled hospital patients at meal-times,
>Better food will help improve rehabilitation times etc… so it’s a good idea, but again more staff and no indication of where the money is coming from – although they are adamant that all their promises are costed. Thinking about it though, it doesn’t cost anything to encourage the use of … as that can be done in a speech or a letter to hospitals but since there is no commitment to provide assistants there is no cost involved.
Use the ban on smoking in public places as an opportunity to increase the availability of schemes for smoking cessation
>Logical
Work to reduce alcohol and drug dependency,
Continue to raise public awareness on the dangers of STIs and protection measures against spreading infections,
>I suppose that means greater sex education in school. But it doesn’t say explicitly.
legislating to establish specific rights to Welsh service from public bodies.
Page 13
For Welsh Liberal Democrats it’s by giving everyone the opportunity to access quality education that we can raise the standard across our communities. Creating the best learning environment, starting with our youngest children, is where it all starts.
The conditions in which our children learn, in which they get to school and what they eat when they’re there are all crucial to delivering the best learning experience possible.
>A holistic approach is good.
Learning starts at home and continues in school but it must be life-long if we are to reap the full potential of education.
>Well I’m a graduate and I can’t for love-nor-money get a job so what is the point of life-long education? I feel that I would have been better leaving school at 16 and working my way up in some firm.
Nothing does more to free people from ignorance, poverty and conformity.
>So the Welsh are ignorant are they? Not the best way to make friends, I hope I know what you mean, but you could have phrased that a lot better.
Page 14
We support the Flying Start initiative as a means of incorporating health, care and education for our youngest children and families and will provide increased investment for it so that there is a greater supply of childcare centres and professionals.
Develop, seeking extra powers, financial incentives for businesses that develop childcare facilities
Support active and informal learning as the best means of improving child development at early years in primary school.
>Active and informal learning, by this I assume that you mean learn as you play.
Guarantee average primary class sizes of fewer than 25, and we will work to 25 as the maximum class size for all primary classes by the end of the Assembly term.
>Good, but I get the feeling that the low birth rate will do this for you.
Support teachers locating to areas of need through our proposal to introduce a key-workers housing scheme based on the homebuy scheme.
Promote a clustering approach in primary schools centred on the appropriate local secondary school, improved co-working between schools and with colleges such as loose federations co-ordinating time-tables and ICT networking.
>Clustering approach? How will co-ordinating time-tables help?
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recognising the need to ensure that our children have world-class ICT skills.
>While remembering that exams are still going to be on paper with a pen, so children must retain this ability.
Work with the Electoral Commission to provide more core materials to increase the learning of political literacy and citizenship in schools.
>Citizenship – I’m still not convinced that you can teach citizenship.
examine the potential for further development along the lines of the International Baccalaureate, ensuring access to vocational and academic study.
>International Baccalaureate, less of a commitment to it that Plaid. But since liberal democrats attacked continual reforms of the health service as being detrimental – how then can you say sweeping reforms of the educational system will be good?
examine how we can move to a less-prescriptive curriculum over time, focusing on core skills whilst allowing students every opportunity to reach their potential and equip them for future employment and enable them to become rounded citizens.
>Less-prescriptive curriculum I’m not sure about this idea, there needs to be a benchmark that schools can be measured against.
Develop schools as hubs for the whole community ensuring that pupils, families, local sports and culture groups get access to facilities throughout the week.
>With a nice fee going to the school, maximum utilisation of resources is a good idea, no point it sitting their unused.
Our aim is that children get at least a third of their nutritional needs from school lunches.
>I’m appalled that this isn’t already instigated! If schools provide 1 meal (out of a normal 3) then that should provide 1/3 of the nutritional needs the rest is to be met by the remaining meals.
Develop twinning programmes between local sports clubs and local schools
>And introduce children to a wider spectrum of sports – which can’t be provided in schools.
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours.
>Ah, back to the days of star jumps and stretches. Seriously though, school sport has been neglected and it could help combat obesity and poor health etc…
Invest in science at all levels of education, starting at school and building up to world-class research-led university departments,
>Going to be a lot of money convincing universities to re-introduce these subjects (e.g. Swansea University and chemistry)
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Fix crumbling classrooms across Wales by ensuring, in partnership with local authorities, that the funding provided for school building work is fully used for that purpose.
>Is a lot of money diverted away from this use?
Encourage the use of Positive Behaviour Plans as a measure to tackle the root cause of bullying. Agreed between schools, pupils and parents these plans help ensure that all parties are involved in addressing bad behaviour.
When all else fails, and the terms of agreed behaviour plans are consistently broken, we guarantee that head teachers will have local education authority support for ‘managed transfer’ to other schools or special units for pupils whose behaviour remains unacceptable.
>Sounds tougher.
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Develop a public education campaign to promote positive parenting and ensure that parents can access parental support when they need it.
Continue to advocate the introduction of a schools counselling service, promoting self-referral.
>Again, “continue to advocate…) you’ll be in government, surely you will have the power to implement a school counselling service, not just lobby for one – I’m beginning to think that this is setting out its principles as an opposition party rather than a programme for government.
Ensure that our children get to school in the safest possible way. We will take forward measures to ensure that there are seat-belts on all school buses, seek the powers to abolish the three-for-two rule and improve supervision on school buses.
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Promote the library network and encourage the use of library facilities as learning centres.
Enhance the role of museums and the cultural sector more widely in promoting learning opportunities for young people and adults.
Extend the full duty of care to the age of 21 for looked-after young people, regardless of whether they continue in education, and we aim to ensure that young people from looked-after backgrounds who do go into further education are given further assistance up until the age of 25 and through to the completion of the course.
>My parents would have put me into care if they thought that the state would pay for my education.
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Maintaining research excellence in Wales is crucial to supporting innovation in the economy and equipping skilled and knowledgeable graduates.
>I have come to believe that the Welsh economy is over supplied with Welsh graduates, in addition to me (and most of my friends) not finding a job – in fact the only graduate that I know is in employment got the job through a friend of a friend – the lower graduate salaries in Wales indicates that there is an abundance of graduates and therefore driving down their market value. What are you going to do to encourage more graduate jobs.
Work with organisations such as Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin to ensure greater early years Welsh medium provision as part of our increased investment in that sector.
We will explore ways to establish Welsh medium schools more easily, including the potential of setting a duty on local authorities to assess the demand for Welsh-medium education and further promote or plan for it in future school organisational plans.
Improve Welsh 2nd language learning
>Please teach me Welsh – I went to school in England, where Wales is only mentioned in derogatory songs – I want to learn.
>Considering it said life long learning there wasn’t very much about adult classes etc… in their manifesto.
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At one time Wales was at the forefront of the industrial revolution, now we have the opportunity to lead the green revolution.
We want to see 100% of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2050 – creating new jobs, exporting technology and a secure source of energy.
We want all new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2015,
public buildings having to generate more of their own energy and our homes being properly insulated meaning cheaper bills for everyone.
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Prioritise the provision of Safe Routes to School through continued support, ensuring that walking to school is promoted as a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to the car.
>Good,
In contrast to the current opt-in system, undertake to ensure all schools participate in paper collection and recycling schemes in their areas.
>I’m surprised that this isn’t mandatory, normalizing recycling for young people so that it permeates our society.
Make Wales a world leader in environmental research and teaching
>Yes, I’m glad they have realised that there is an opportunity to put Wales at the forefront of the new technology making them a world leader, creating high quality jobs and investment.
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Reject new nuclear power in Wales.
We will ask for the power to decide on energy developments over 50MW to be devolved to Wales.
Deliver a fully resourced communication campaign about climate change,
Lobby the UK government for a minimum price guarantee for all householders and businesses that export excess renewable energy to the National Grid.
>Could provide a massive incentive for householders to invest in micro-generation.
Revise the planning policy on out-of-town centre supermarkets so that their retail impact on town centres is fully
considered and environmental assessments are undertaken as a matter of course.
>Good, out-of-town retail outlets do damage the high-street, and they do necessitate cars in main. However, I think that the damage has been done. Green fields have already been concreted over it will simply be damage limitation.
Seek to amend planning rules so that it is less easy to get retrospective permission, for example by penalising such applications.
>It would be my preference that punitive monetary fees be applied to stop supermarkets (running into tens-of-millions, if not hundreds to prevent supermarkets and big chains thinking that they can ride rough shot over elected officials. Additionally, large chains that consistently break rules should be forced to employ conformity adjudicators that are responsible to the local planning authority and who has to supervise the construction in addition to the project management team. Furthermore, if that is not strong enough for you. You could compel the company to demolish the store, while continuing to pay the staff they have employed their wages, and force them to rebuild it to the agreed and approved specifications.
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Support research into, and generation of tidal power.
>Which will be highly affective if it’s underwater thanks to the ice caps melting
Our aim is that lagoon pools and wave machine projects will be up and running by the end of this Assembly, and powering Wales’s future. The economic benefits of this will be huge and allow us to be a technology exporter.
>Excellent.
Seek the powers to amend building regulations to ensure new developments in Wales are built to the highest possible environmental standards. This means that once we have the powers we can take forward proposals for all new-builds to have energy efficiency measures as standard such as proper insulation, smart meters and combined heat and power units as part of a sustainable buildings code.
>Again good.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy as a key part of the Sustainable Energy Network.
>That could work, providing that climate connect has a prominent public profile.
developing a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and abandoned cars,
Ensure that significant planning decisions made by local authorities are assessed on their contribution to climate change.
Reform planning guidance so that there is a presumption of a minimum 500 metre residential buffer zone on opencast developments.
>Probably would be important to me if there was a mine close by.
Develop the National Waste Strategy, ensuring co-operation between local authorities on waste minimisation and serious innovative work on developing energy from waste, for example developing town and community heating systems.
>Does that mean incineration? How do you reconcile that with the amiable carbon reduction.
Aim for 60% of all household waste to be recycled by the end of the Assembly term.
>In my opinion, black bag – straight to landfill waste – should be collected fortnightly. While recyclable waste; tins, plastic, glass, paper, foodstuffs etc… be collected every week. And an increase in the publicity or capacity of large item collections, with the coinciding facilities to sell them in order to encourage re-usage.
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Our aim is that all new housing build, in the private and social sector, is carbon neutral by 2015.
>Why so un-ambitious? Why not carbon neutral and must produce 25% or 50% of expected energy demand for the size of house.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy.
>Your repeating yourself!
Get rid of the need for planning permission for installing small-scale home-based renewable micro-generation devices or combined heat and power units.
>Could cause lots of fractious neighbours – I want more details and what exactly is small-scale?
Maintain the most restrictive policy possible under EU law on GM crop development.
>What about Second-generation GM which could produce cheep medicines – surely it would be beneficial as new energy technologies in delivering high quality jobs in Wales.
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>Huge picture, not much writing. This manifesto isn’t half dragging on, it is repetitive in places, plus its 100% longer than other manifesto – this could have been far more punchier and affective than it is and far more accessible – I like going through these things and I’m getting fed up!
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Demand the powers over offshore oil and gas licensing and offshore planning, including planning for offshore renewable energy projects, and the development of Welsh Marine Protected Areas that are adaptable to changes in the conservation interest, particularly with regard to climate change.
Encourage the use of publicly owned buildings, monuments and sites in the historic environment, including those owned by Cadw, as venues for cultural events and festivals.
>That could be cool, providing money to keep these buildings, creating community events, etc…
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Public fears about crime and anti-social behaviour remain very high. Even in low crime areas people have grown more fearful of crime and for their safety.
Our policies aren’t about tough talk; they’re about delivering practical, realistic and commonsense action to make our streets safer.
>OK, amaze me.
our wish for a Welsh Parliament with comparable powers to the Scottish Parliament
>Hurrah PARLIAMENT FOR WALES, politicians with enough power to make a difference.
Oppose the expensive and illiberal ID cards scheme that already costs almost £100,000 a day. That money should instead be spent on putting more police on the beat in Wales and across Britain.
>YES
funding for an extra 500 police community support officers across Wales
We also support a reduction in the burden of paperwork that keeps police officers off patrol, by encouraging greater use of the latest IT systems and communications technology, and by using civilian auxiliary staff in the police station.
>So is there going to be more money for civilian auxiliary staff?
Tackle anti-social behaviour through Acceptable Behaviour Contracts agreed between the individual, their family, the police, local authority and housing association, specifying behaviour they will not engage in.
>And housing association, so all anti-social behaviour is committed by those people who don’t own their home! Seems a bit of a generalisation.
Improve the provision of all youth services by putting them on a statutory basis.
We will
encourage measures such as confiscation of motor vehicles from persistent joy-riders,
>Do they joy-ride in their own cars? I thought that the majority of joy-riders used stolen vehicles.
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Support the development of community justice panels to give local people a say in the punishment
>Not exactly objective and impartial, more like a show trial!
Encourage the establishment of one-stop local non-emergency helplines such as the successful ‘101’ service in Cardiff which allows people to report problems that affect the place in which they live.
>Overdue.
Continue to support the national helpline for victims of domestic abuse and ensure that the funding is there for it to remain a bilingual 24-hour service, 365 days a year
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>I’m fed up!
Focus on crime prevention and appropriate community sentences.
Support measures to make sentences mean what they say and improve public confidence in the system. The most serious offenders should serve life imprisonment, where the judge considered the offender should never be released.
Support measures to improve the compensation paid to victims, including contributions funded from a common fund paid into from prisoners’ earnings,
>Prisoners’ have earnings?
Tackling substance misuse will reduce crime, promote opportunity and create safer communities.
Establish a National Treatment Taskforce, linking universities in Wales with NHS and voluntary sector providers in the drug field.
Highlight the dangers of excessive drinking, through public awareness promotions and targeted campaigns, and make sure that support is there before the abuse leads to crime and violence.We will discourage irresponsible drink promotions that promote binge drinking, which often lead to violence and anti-social behaviour and we support proof-of-age schemes such as Challenge 21 and ‘Prove it’ cards in order to tackle under-age drinking.
We will ensure that big late night venues contribute to the extra cost of late night policing.
>Excellent, it might make them stop selling alcohol to people who are drunk!
Encourage the recruitment of more Welsh speaking police officers and police community support officers, especially in Language Action Areas.
>Welsh language action areas?
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Wales was once at the forefront of a changing economic landscape. As one of the first nations to industrialise,we were the engine room for development across the world.Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that Wales can lead the way again. The green switch we want to see for Wales will offer opportunities for all, will allow us to be a leading exporter and will ensure that we harness our natural resources to make our economy thrive.
>Repartition.
The building blocks for a more confident and prosperous Wales, free from poverty, is a more educated workforce and a transport system that puts the needs of passengers first.
A Wales where everyone values the ambition and determination needed to build business. We will work towards a Wales that is a beacon for enterprise and leads the world in developing ideas, brands and entrepreneurs.
>Admirable aim.
Support the development of techniums, including in rural areas, that would be magnets for innovation, business set-ups and growth companies.
>You just said that you wanted to restrict out of town shopping centres and now you want to develop out of town business centres!
Make the Assembly Government and National Assembly world-leaders in making it easier for small businesses to apply for public contracts.
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Develop economic opportunity areas which could re-generate towns that have lost industry and promote sectorbased company clusters.
Use European funding to deliver our policy objectives of improved lifelong learning opportunities and better conditions for innovative, job-creating business growth.
Take Wales to the centre of the European debate on the use of corporation tax in member regions and states to stimulate investment.We will push the case for the powers to vary corporation tax or to keep it a specified level for a set-time, targeting a region if necessary.
We want to maximise the potential for new ventures to be the iconic, new-technology, job-creating Welsh brands of the future.
Support a sustainable future for the manufacturing industry in Wales,
Develop a Welsh brand that is confident, enterprising and innovative.
>Yes
Promote modern language learning at school and life-long learning level, enhancing our ability to compete in the international market.
>How are you going to do this?
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We believe that improving the skills levels of the Welsh workforce is essential if Wales is to become a more prosperous economy.
>In addition to creating highly skilled jobs in Wales so graduates didn’t have to look for work in England.
Support innovative ways of making learning and training opportunities more accessible to the workforce and wider community. For example we are keen to see more learning and training centres at office blocks, industrial parks and other major employment sites linked to the wider education sector, as well as libraries and other publicly owned facilities that can support workforce development.
Promote schemes, run through colleges, schools and business forums which encourage and promote business skills amongst young people.
Encourage buddy schemes for higher education students to allow them to get practical experience and increase links between business and education.
>Could be very useful.
Support Menter a Busnes to encourage entrepreneurship in Welsh-speaking communities.
>Support a what? Mentor a business perhaps. Spelling mistakes in election manifestos is abhorrent. Perhaps we could start mentoring political parties (p.s. I’m waiting for someone to jump on my spelling and grammar mistakes and suggest mentor a blogger)
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The key element of our approach to transport policies is providing individuals with the freedom and opportunity to travel.
effective transport connections are vital to our economic development,
Cycling and walking have proven health benefits and also cut carbon emissions – but many people wish government would make it easier.
If we are to get Wales moving forward, first we have to get Wales moving.
>Hopefully, that also includes getting the trains moving as the current disruption between Swansea and Cardiff is not helping people use public transport.
An efficient and extensive public transport system is essential to changing travelling habits and tackling climate change, yet bus and rail services in Wales are too often patchy, uncomfortable and unreliable.
Encourage better integration of bus and rail services,
>Again promote / encourage etc… no real commitment to providing! You should give the councils the power to set routs and demand a minimum level of service. Couple profitable and unprofitable routes in a single contractual bundle so companies can’t cherry pick good routes and force councils to pay subsidies to encourage companies to take up these unprofitable routes.
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Develop an extended community rail strategy which helps extend business and tourism links into smaller communities and more remote areas, examining the re-opening of disused local lines, connections with the network and improved facilities at small stations.
>Develop strategies, examining the possibility – I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WILL DO NOT WHAT YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING!
Protect and promote the rail links between the regions of Wales
Support better quality rolling stock for the rail network in Wales.
Press for safe and friendly train and bus stations.
>Friendly train and bus stations, I am not often insulted by station buildings.
We support park and ride schemes, such as those in Swansea and Cardiff,
>So you provide finance for them to be implemented in which towns? Again it is non-committal language.
Require all major land use developments to publish and implement a ‘travel plan’ as a condition of planning permission.
>EXCELLENT IDEA
Monitor plans to introduce congestion charging and road user pricing schemes in parts of Wales, supporting them as a means of road traffic reduction if the provision of public transport improves and increases as we propose.
>Well its positive that they will only support it if there is a viable public transport alternative. But again monitor plans …
Promote the use of bio-fuels and their availability at petrol stations across Wales, working with supermarkets and developing supply routes and support for producers through our Green Jobs Strategy.
>Any grants to convert cars to bio-fuels?
Support the transfer of freight from road onto rail and sea, promoting greater use of our network of ports that can facilitate rail-connection for further transportation.
>EXCELLENT
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Encourage local authorities to include proposals in their transport and development policies for increased cycle infrastructure and the development of safer residential and school areas.
Require that all new, non-motorway, roads of more than 1km funded by the Assembly Government contain a planning measure to increase local cycle provision.
>Good idea
Work to ensure that the rail system is cyclist-friendly by promoting cycle spaces on trains and at stations.
>By promoting …they will only be introduced in thirty years or so when new stock is introduced. But the aim is amicable.
Promote Safe Routes to School to reduce the reliance on cars for the ‘school-run’ and increase the number of children walking and cycling to schools, including encouraging ‘walking-buses’.
>I’m sure that I have read that before in this manifesto.
Scrap government subsidy for the proposed North-South air link and instead divert that money towards sustainable and more environmentally-friendly forms of public transport.
Work to make the link between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff International Airport an exemplar of our commitment to sustainable development by using a regular high-speed rail-link and an environmentally friendly hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell bus.
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Everyone has the right to housing adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family. The lack of affordable housing affects all parts of the country and has led to an explosion
in homelessness in recent years.
Domestic properties contribute a large proportion of Wales’s carbon emissions
more energy efficient homes and making it easier for families to go green.
All new housing to be carbonneutral
Increase the housing budget by at least £150 million over the next term, which will enable the Assembly Government, local authorities, housing associations, developers and community bodies to deliver the action that is needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Encourage councils to devolve responsibility where appropriate, and after a ballot, by passing control of social housing to community based housing associations and tenants’ co-operatives.
Promote schemes, run between local authorities, housing associations, developers and education providers that offer practical training and skills development for tenants and the wider community.
>Promote. Why not establish, or roll-out schemes etc…
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Examine the case for following the example of Scotland and establish a Private Renting Housing panel to adjudicate where a tenant considers the landlord is failing to meet the standard of repair required.
>Surely you should have examined this prior to writing this manifesto and tell us if you would do it if your elected!
We would ensure sufficient funding is available at national level and set targets for the reduction of homelessness.
>Finally, they would ensure! The Liberal Democrats have finally told us what they would do in action rather than just look at or consider.
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Encourage the promotion of leasing deals
>They are getting worse, encourage the promotion.
Promote regional projects to ensure that each area is able to provide adequate facilities to shelter, house and support people who have been accepted as homeless.
Develop a joint statement of practice for the recovery of rent arrears by social landlords.
Promote and simplify the successful Homebuy scheme.
Give local authorities the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. We would expect this to happen initially in areas where the affordable housing crisis is at its worst, and for a specified period of time.
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Work with local planning authorities to identify sites for affordable housing within their Local Development frameworks and improve the supply of land by picking out suitable sites for affordable housing owned by the Assembly Government across the country.
Develop an affordable threshold on new developments. This means that projects over a certain size would trigger a planning condition forcing developers to provide a specified proportion of affordable homes for low-cost renting or low-cost ownership.
>I thought that this was already in place. This is easy to get around mind just make it so that you apply for planning permission in two phases, maybe with a couple of years apart. So if this comes to pass I foresee many roads in housing estates leading to fields ready for future developments. Or cul-de-sacs with no house at the bottom of the road, or an oddly placed round-a-bout ready for another exit.
Examine the need and powers available to establish a Welsh version of Scotland’s Ownership Options which enables disabled people in unsuitable housing to access home ownership through the use of the benefit Income Support Mortgage Interest relief (ISMI).
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For Welsh Liberal Democrats social justice means improving community safety, tackling poverty and combating social exclusion for all people, in all areas of Wales. We aim to increase the numbers of social enterprises in Wales, giving more freedom to community organisations and increasing lifelong learning opportunities that give individuals, families and communities the tools they need.
Ensuring equality of opportunity is essential in building stronger communities and social cohesion.We are committed to initiatives and policies that promote equal citizenship, accessibility to services, equal learning opportunities and equal access to employment opportunities. The commitment to equality of opportunity is intrinsic to our approach to public policy, and building a fairer, better-educated, inclusive and prosperous Wales.
Work with local authorities to ensure that there is access to free-to-use ATMs, especially in deprived communities.
Develop school-based courses that make young people better informed about financial issues such as credit cards, mortgage rates, credit unions and the causes of debt.
>Good basic financial skills in a must.
Support the establishment of community banks, credit unions and LETS schemes, in particular the potential of post offices to be hubs for credit union transactions and activities.
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Post Offices provide a valuable and essential service to communities across Wales. Government moves, both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster, to undermine the network are moves that undermine community life. We are committed to a Post Office network that is thriving and provides a diverse range of services.
Re-introduce the Post Office Development Fund abolished by Labour,
Continue to oppose the abolition of the Post Office Account Card
Work with the UK government to promote the case to maintain the obligation on Royal Mail to provide universal sameprice delivery of letters throughout Wales, and the UK.
>Hear-hear, but if you want to keep the universal service, you have to stop other companies cherry-picking the profitable business and leaving the royal mail with all the unprofitable sectors.
Work with the UK Government to investigate providing more services at Post Office counters, and build on the successful Police and Post Office Partnership pilot in mid Wales.
A nation where true equality of opportunity exists is a nation free from prejudice and poverty and is a nation whose people can fulfil their full potential.
Encourage a concerted effort across the private and public sector in Wales to ensure that each citizen has a right to enforce their rights when things go wrong at work or when individuals’ legal rights and entitlements are not met.
Improve the data on school pupils, including minority groups and their performance, so that effective measures can be taken to close the gaps in achievement.
>So instead of school league tables we are going to have pupil league tables!
Ensure that the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in Wales takes account of the devolved context in which it will operate.
Promote the need to get more women and people from the BME community into public life.
>BME is what exactly? Black middle easten? Black or mixed ethnicity? You can’t just use these acronyms without disclosing what they refer too.
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Encourage health authorities to reach out to lesbian, gay and bisexual populations to reassure them that they can and should disclose sexual orientation when it’s relevant to their care.
We will promote a Wales-wide initiative to support and welcome migrant workers and encourage integration with the local community, based on the successful model of the ‘One Wrexham’ initiative introduced by the Welsh Liberal Democrat-led council in Wrexham.
>Wasn’t there racial rioting in Wrexham? Again what is the one Wrexham initiative? What does it entail, language training, cultural exchanges. What?
Work to introduce a Digital Resource for Books to be provided by the Welsh Books Council.
Guarantee that ID cards will not be needed to access Welsh public services. We will ensure that people continue to receive health treatment based on their needs, not on whether they have a piece of plastic in their wallets or purses.
Work to remove arbitrary age limits on volunteering, and work towards extending age discrimination legislation to cover all volunteers and unpaid workers.
>Are you going to remove arbitrary age limits on voting too?
Lobby for Children’s and Older Peoples’ Commissioners to have powers to represent on non-devolved issues so that we reduce the confusion for children and older people regarding which commissioners deal with which issues.
>I’m still discussed that there is an older peoples commissioner. As I see it the justification for a children’s’ commissioner is the fact that they don’t have any democratic representation, now why should people who vote get an additional representation in the form of a commissioner.
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Get the powers to give 16 year olds the vote
>Hurrah, surly this will help voter turnout if people are still in school and taught about politics and the importance of voting.
Page 44
Introduce a ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would enable community organizations to register an interest in land or buildings that were designed for public use so that if the property comes up for sale they have first refusal, subject to a community ballot.
Communities should be places in which people are able to work, live and play. Effective functioning communities need places in which residents can meet, access information and work together.
>So you are going to legislate that more green areas are created among new housing developments.
Page 45
Introduce the changes of the voting system for local government as recommended by the Sunderland Commission – delivering fair votes for communities by introducing the STV system for local government elections.
>Interesting.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
>HURRAH, reducing the age for voting.
Make progress towards replacing the unfair council tax with a local tax based on the individual’s ability to pay, campaigning at a UK level and examining ways of delivering this in Wales.
>So another tax on wage earners, so unemployed and the lazy can just opt out, not really encouraging people to work is it!
Page 46
Develop and expand Language Action Areas, to help reverse the trend towards de-population and ensure the welcome and integration of individuals moving into Welsh-speaking communities.
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For the Welsh Liberal Democrats, social justice does not end at the heads of the valleys. Our rural communities are facing up to the challenges of globalisation, social exclusion and changing needs. A vital cog in keeping the wheels of rural Wales turning is making sure that our farmers and consumers get an honest and fair deal.
Ensuring that over half of publicly procured food is sourced from Wales by 2015
>I’m sure that I have read this before, why oh why would you repeat things over and over again you loose so much of the impact.
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The promotion of produce from Wales involves developing external markets, developing innovative processing and product bases, strengthening public procurement actions, and encouraging more local consumption of local produce.
Encourage diversification, quality branded local produce and healthy competition in order to develop an enterprising and economically viable farming industry.
It would examine and report on the supermarket code of practice and whether it needs to be strengthened and further regulated, the future of the dairy industry, the processing and development sectors, the public procurement process for Welsh produce, the supply chain from farm to fork and the price we pay in markets and shops.
Further develop the marketing and support for Welsh branded produce with its reputation for quality, promoting an identifiable brand and support for a reinvigorated Farming Connect that promotes knowledge transfer.
Promote greater links between the tourism industry and farms, improving communication between the two industries and in particular developing ‘food tourism’.
>Has Wales got the culinary reputation needed for such a feat?
Over recent years the capacity of the Welsh countryside to recover from the Foot and Mouth outbreak and BSE has been fantastic. But we must work harder to ensure that the preventative measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we can avoid such diseases again and be ready to deal with them should the need arise.
Develop a national strategy, co-ordinating the agricultural industry, the veterinary and emergency services, to respond to, and tackle animal diseases.
Aim to eradicate TB in Wales by intensifying the testing programme.
>This is reputation again.
Continue to make the case for tight controls on the import of foreign and illegal meat in order to prevent diseases arriving here and infecting indigenous livestock and produce.
>Good.
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Use the Assembly’s new powers on animal welfare for the benefit of domestic and captive wild animals.We will examine support for outlawing all animals other than horses and dogs in circuses, improve licensing for events where animals are put on display, outlaw harmful and cruel aids such as electric shock training collars for race dogs and strengthen regulation of the greyhound industry such as veterinary presence at tracks and a proper licensing system for race dogs.
Seek derogation from the EU regulations which prohibit the burying of fallen stock on farmers’ land and allow some on-site burial.
>Never going to be allowed!
Most people nowadays are convinced of the need to eat and live healthier. But without our agricultural industry growing that fresh, healthy food and playing their part in protecting the environment we will not be able to fight obesity and illhealth.
Support organic farming, helping to meet the demand for organic produce.
>Organic food is not healthier than other types of food!
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Encourage local sourcing of food for the healthier and more nutritious school meals that our new regulations will introduce.
Progress the all-Wales coastal path project. We are aware that implementation will require agreements, co-operation and determination on the part of many organisations, public and private, across the country. In government we will play a leading role in taking this project forward.
Restore the Tir Mynydd budget for the next year to the level it was before cuts were made in the last Assembly budget
Ensure Wales’s new legislative status gives us greater leverage on European Union decision-making affecting our farming industry by strengthening our presence at European Agriculture Council meetings, and the discussions which lead up to them.
Make it easier for small enterprises to apply for public contracts, meaning that there is more support for farmers and producers in their bids to supply schools, hospitals and other public services. Our target is that at least half of publicly procured food which is available in our country to be sourced from Wales by 2015.
>It’s de ja vu all over again.
Fully review how current flood defence and risk management regulations and advice from the government is working, paying particular attention to the accuracy of advice maps and the need for them to be updated more regularly, the need to reduce current and future risk by restricting developments and increasing public awareness of how to deal with flooding.
>Restricting building on flood plans is sensible if we are expecting sea levels to rise. But that would mean stopping development in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, LLanelli etc…
Page 51
Community based cultural initiatives, such as radio stations, reflects and promotes what
is best about the Welsh passion for social enterprise and cultural chances for all.
Implement the recommendations of the Welsh Arts Review, chaired by Elan Closs Stephens, making the arts and culture a cross-cutting theme across government at all levels.
Prioritise the development of a joint strategy with the education ministry to define cultural entitlements for young people, to extend the role of the arts in the school curriculum and to reverse the decline in cultural provision and participation, and introducing a new Arts Development Fund for schools.
Develop a ‘duty of care’ towards cultural provision as a legal responsibility of local authorities, as is the case in Scotland, to ensure that cultural opportunities are available to all in our communities.
Require local authorities to take cultural factors and needs into account when planning local transport, housing and education schemes.
Investigate the potential for a privately funded scheme, similar to the Arts Council’s highly successful Collectorplan art purchase scheme, to encourage the purchase of musical instruments by young people, schools and community groups.
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Work with the Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs), broadcasters and local authorities to make more effective use of the Eisteddfod and the network of festivals, creating local business communities around them.
By illuminating our past, museums and galleries can provide educational, tourism and cultural opportunities for the future. They are a resource for reflecting our identity and history as a nation, but also as tools for enhancing our collective knowledge.
>Good.
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Develop a modern and ambitious programme of exhibitions in Wales, in return for loans of world-class collections from Wales going to other places in order to enhance Wales’s profile.
>Good idea.
Demand the powers to make St David’s Day a public bank holiday so that we can celebrate our national day and make it a global festival of all things Welsh and a showcase for investment and tourism.
>HURRAH!
Wales’s two main languages are a rich part of our heritage. We must treasure and nurture them – side by side. Our modern revival of the Welsh language in the face of global Anglo-Americanisation is the envy of many European nations and regions. It is a core part of who we are, and of our reputation for cultural excellence.
The Welsh language is a treasure that we can all be proud of, it enriches Welsh life and makes Wales special.We will support, facilitate and promote the use of the Welsh Language across all aspects of Welsh life and government.
Legislate to enshrine the right to service in Welsh. By establishing specific rights it would be clear to individuals what they can expect in relation to a Welsh service from public bodies and those that have migrated from the public sector since the current Language Act was passed.
>Interesting, goes some way to meet demands of language campaigners but how much of an affect will it really have.
Make Welsh and English the official languages of Wales.
>Good.
Ensure that the plans for Language Action Areas will include encouragement of intergenerational transmission of Welsh and promotion as a community language; encourage co-operation between local bodies and organisations to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh in communities; promote the full community use of Welsh in all tiers of education from nurseries to adult education.
Broadcasting and new technologies have made the world smaller – and allowed smaller countries to make a mark on the world. New developments offer a golden opportunity for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole to exploit our talents and create social, cultural and economic prosperity.
>Ambitious and positive about small nations – IN YOUR FACE PETER HAIN!
Press for the infrastructure to be in place to ensure that all of Wales can have access to Welsh digital channels by the time of switchover.
>Absolutely necessary!
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Examine the opportunities created by digital switchover and greater spectrum availability for more community and regional television stations, including increased Welsh language provision.
>An original promise.
Build on the good work and reputation of Dr Who and other recent productions, seeking to ensure that all public service broadcasters continue to increase their levels of commissioning and production from Wales-based producers.
>Again in response to Peter Hain who said “If was were independent then Dr Who would not have been filmed in Cardiff”
Support the principle of a daily Welsh language newspaper and examine all possible roles that we can play in further supporting its establishment. For example, the potential for public sector recruitment advertising, the development of a greater on-line presence and the role of the Welsh Language Board.
>Again support the principle, I would love to have a paper on a par with ‘the broadsheets’ and of the same intellectual standard based in Wales with predominantly Welsh news, rather that have to read London based papers which are obviously propagating English culture.
Develop a twinning programme between local sports clubs and local schools. This will create new coaching opportunities as well as better use of facilities. We will encourage our highest-profile clubs to lead on this and provide models of best practice.
>Excellent – but again this is mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
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Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours. We also expect schools to promote accessible opportunities for pupils to participate in sport after-hours.
>This is also mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Increase investment in top-quality coaching for children. Working with local authorities, the Sports Council and governing bodies, this extra money will develop a network of local coaches to co-ordinate training opportunities for schools, colleges and community groups.
>Excellent ideas again
Seek to increase access to sporting activities in or on rivers and lakes. We will examine the need for statutory rights of access for everyone as is the case in Scotland.
>Good policy if the examination decides that it is feasible etc…
Re-double our efforts to attract major sporting events, as English football finals leave the Millennium Stadium. We will develop a new Events Strategy that will examine our potential to host, for example, European club football finals, a stage of the Tour de France and major Women’s events.
>It always strikes me as odd that tour de France goes outside that countries borders. But why don’t you want to create a tour de Wales? We have plenty of scenery which could magnificently host it!
Oppose any international threats to Wales’ss status as a national football team in its own right.
>WALES’SS, are we a serpent nation, I’ve said it before but spelling mistakes in election manifestos’ is not good.
Page 56
Develop partnerships with our HE/FE institutions, the Sports Council and our professional rugby and football clubs to improve regional access to top-class training and coaching opportunities for athletes with the potential to reach the top.
>A sporting nation is an excellent aim and fits perfectly into the Welsh culture.
Encourage the presence of elite Welsh teams at the top level of UK and European sport. For example a Super League franchise in Wales, the continuing existence of a Welsh team in the Netball Super League and women and men’s domestic and national cricket teams at the highest level possible.
>That was a gapping omission of the recent cricket world cup, there was a Scottish team, an Irish team and obviously an English team – why wasn’t there a Welsh team?
Use our big towns and cities as gateways to their wider region. They are tourist attractions in themselves but by promoting effective regional tourism partnerships that utilise regional capitals such as Cardiff and Swansea, we will see a multiplier tourist effect across the country.
Encourage local authorities to work together on marketing and promotion, helping define the Welsh tourist experience. For example, heads of the valleys authorities providing a “walking in the footsteps of the industrial revolution” combined experience.
Encourage a more joined-up approach between the National Museums and Library and tourism. This means not just getting people visiting museums but promoting and encouraging visits to the areas represented in the collections and exhibitions.
Encourage the National Eisteddfod to do more to attract non-Welsh speaking visitors. We expect to see greater use of multi-lingual stewards and designated tours of the Maes available in many languages.
>The Eisteddfod is the Bulwark of Welsh language Welsh culture the more languages that you permit into the maes the more diluted its ethos is surely!
Promote Wales as the home of the summer season of festivals and events.
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The Welsh Liberal Democrats will stretch the Assembly’s new powers to the maximum. However the new procedures mean that before we can introduce any new laws we’ll have to get permission from the Secretary of State in London, through what will be called ‘Orders in Council’. This leaves Wales with a second-class Assembly whilst in Scotland they already have a proper parliament that does what is best for Scotland without having to first ask London for permission on what it can and cannot do.
>The current de-volution (I still hate that term de-evolution: it sounds like we become less human by having a government of the same national identity as ourselves) is flawed and dreadfully botched. I think that the majority of people in Wales will support a Parliament with powers to affect a real difference.
We will be ambitious when we demand an ‘Order in Council’, we have a lot to do for Wales and we need all the tools to do the job well.
We still want to see a proper parliament for Wales, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats remain committed to that goal. Wales can only have the full range of tools to do the job when it has a full Parliament with real powers. Allowing a Welsh Parliament to
>HEAR-HEAR, Plaid and Liberal democrats have one thing in common at least.
In government, require each minister, soon after taking office, to set out how their department would promote the Welsh economy by tackling economic inactivity, make the green switch and mainstream the Welsh language.
Develop and press for more Wales-specific statistics and research, so as to better inform policy and funding for Assembly Government initiatives.
>It always amuses me that so many people say that Wales is being subsidies by England, the fact is no one can tell if anyone is being subsidies by anyone else since corporation tax is not collected by region. And the fact that Wales pays its fair share for military installations that are based in southern England, and the nuclear deterrent that is based in Scotland means that it is highly likely that Wales isn’t getting out of the UK and equal amount to what it is putting in. Coupled with the fact that Westminster is currently paying back to Wales European subsidies that were earmarked for Wales that were diverted to England it does indeed look like Wales is being subsidised.
Press for a new funding formula that takes account of Wales’s needs and scrap the out-moded ‘Barnett Formula’ which fails Wales.Wales should have the power, as they do in Northern Ireland, to borrow funds to pay for specific needs and projects.
Give a Welsh Parliament the power to vary income taxes to suit our own circumstances, as they have in Scotland, subject to the support of the people of Wales in a referendum.
Page 58
Review the tendering and negotiations process concerning public finance initiatives (PFI) and public private partnerships. In some instances PFI has allowed private sector knowledge and best practice into public sector provision. It is not the best option in many cases, despite UK Government instructions to that effect. We would like to see a level playing field for all providers – traditional public sector, private sector and public benefit organisations.
>I would like to see PFI banned it is a huge waste of tax payers money. Gordon Brown prefers it because it keeps debts for hospitals and schools off the books, so he can be seen as a prudent chancellor! It is the most expensive perception management exercise in this countries history (is suspect).
Establish a Welsh version of the ‘Queen’s Speech’ to open the Senedd’s term each year with the Government outlining its programme for the year ahead, listing new legislation, new measures and what further transfer of functions it wants.
>Wales is a principality, so that would be a prince’s speech. I think that Welsh democracy can do without such formalities. The Senedd is a glorious building but it does not lend itself well to occasions of pomp and circumstance.
Transform the Assembly Government’s annual report into an independent annual report of facts and figures comparing the Assembly Government’s programme and targets with its delivery and outcomes.
>Devoid of spin doctors, would be a more objective document that would permit a greater transparency of the effectiveness and the achievements of the government.
We support the campaign to designate an internet Top Level Domain to Wales and will
examine the case for the Assembly Government to use a Wales-specific address.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
Wales has much to offer the world. The Welsh Assembly Government needs to be outward looking as well as inward looking, working with others to promote democracy and social and environmental justice across the globe.
Make a full contribution to promoting sustainable development, human rights and democracy in the world, working with and through the European Union, central government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, and non-governmental organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Cymru-Lesotho link, Oxfam and others.
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A £50m package to improve the dental health of Wales – Introducing more dental therapists and salaried dentists, toothpaste and tooth brushes for school children and support for dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
£46m to improve the quality of our children’s learning environment – With smaller class sizes and more nutritious school meals.
And £150m to really tackle the issue of affordable housing in Wales – Not tampering with the costs from the side lines but dealing with the problem at source with a radical overhaul of the Social Housing Grant and the rules governing Housing Associations.
>That’s more punchy why do we have to wait till the last page for that!
COMING NEXT: LABOUR
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Forward Mike German
A fair future. A green future. it is the very core of my party’s values.
Equal opportunities to learn, to get a job, to stay healthy.
Wales leading the world in tackling climate change. Using our natural resources to make the green switch for this and future generations.
>I think that this is the first time in a manifesto that someone has mentioned making Wales a world leader.
But we need a new, fresh government to make the Assembly work for the people.
>I believe that too, now convince me that it’s you!
I want to raise the standard across the country. Giving teachers more freedom and time with pupils by reducing class sizes.
>Good start, but what about building new classrooms to house smaller classes, and money to, well make it all happen. You got my attention though.
Enabling health professionals to put patients first, free from meddling government and back-to-front reorganisation.
>Again good.
Freeing police officers from the burdens of paperwork and freeing our streets from crime.
>Will the Assembly have powers over policing?
Over the last four years this Assembly Government has let Wales down.
>Over the last 8 years to be fair.
Contrast that with this manifesto: full of new ideas, innovative ways to use our new powers, policies to tackle poverty, social exclusion and injustice.
>I’ll be the judge of that please!
We are the party that delivers in devolution. We made the difference after the Assembly’s unstable, directionless first year.
>Was anything achieved during the first assembly?
Page 5
As the original party of Wales we are fully committed to Welsh solutions to Welsh needs.
>The liberal democrats are the original party of Wales?
A proud nation should be taking its own decisions here in Wales, and working with our closest neighbours to our mutual benefit out in the wider world.
Page 6
That means quality healthcare closer to the home and services that work together to deliver healthcare when it’s needed. Back to front re-organisation and micro-management of the NHS has resulted in millions of pounds being wasted and local needs being ignored.
>Blaming the micro-management for the woes of the NHS does that imply that you want to remove the PCT and other management layers (like LHB) from the NHS and create a single authority for the entire country?
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Health hubs, walk-in centres and the investment needed in the
>What are Health hubs? Why do we need walk in centres why can’t you just invest in GPs surgeries?
Page 7
Health Hubs. These will encompass a whole range of patient services in the community, including direct health services such as GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacies as well as wellbeing services such as housing and social services, or CABs.
we aim to develop the role of community hospitals in providing diagnostic, recuperative and rehabilitation care.
>Well community hospitals have always provided recuperative and rehabilitation care haven’t they? So what exactly is diagnostic care? They are not going to have accident and emergency departments in every community hospital so what is left referral to locally based consultants? Or simply are they going to draw blood locally at these hospitals, I want more information, but on the surface its an amicable aim.
Where it is necessary and appropriate to re-organise hospital services, first set out in detail the alternative primary and community provision to replace them, and ensure that the funding is available to provide these services.
>So they are not guaranteeing to keep hospitals open.
Protect services in rural areas, where closures would lead to excessive and potentially dangerous travelling times.
Instead,we will encourage greater collaboration and co-operation to make the NHS work for patients.We will require Local Health Boards (LHBs) to work together on secondary commissioning and will encourage the merging of LHBs where they wish to.
>So they are going to keep PCT and LHBs, so micro-management is bad but you are not going to move towards macro-management.
Introduce a shared budget between NHS and Social Services to deal with delayed transfers of care.
Develop the use of new-technology, such as access to telemedicine, SMS and e-mail notifications and on-line information services, in the NHS.
>For what affect? What do telemedicine, what is telemedicine for a start?
We will encourage more GPs to become specialist GPs equipped to diagnose and treat more patients and increase and promote the use of extended prescribing so that appropriately trained nurses and pharmacists are able to prescribe a wide range of drugs.
>I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF PHARMACISTS PRESCRIBING DRUGS, although highly qualified nurses will really help speed up healthcare in the NHS. I am admitted to hospital fairly frequently (normally once a year) and the amount of time that is wasted looking for a doctor to write up drugs especially at night is amazing. As for encouraging more GPs to become specialists GPs – they already opt out of out-of-hours services what makes you think that they are going to voluntarily take on more responsibilities or are you going to offer to improve their very cushy £100,000 a year salary?
Page 8
Introduce nurse-led walk-in centres, working alongside larger A&E Departments and GP out-of-hours services
Review hospital charges for services such as parking, telephone and television. We will make it easier for patients who have to attend hospital regularly to access schemes that assist with parking and travel costs, with free parking for those who have to attend regularly.
>Good.
Wales needs a modern ambulance service working in partnership with other health and emergency services and using the professional skills of its personnel to the full.
>A lot of this manifesto is based upon improving cooperation, it seems very simplistic, overly so, one wonders if it was this simply why hasn’t it been done already.
Page 9
Provide the investment required over the next decade to resource a fit-for-purpose ambulance service. We are keen to examine the potential for greater resource sharing and co-operation within the NHS and with other blue-light services and aim to roll-out in-cab technology such as route navigation that allows pre-arrival information about patients to be transmitted to hospital.
Give paramedics the power to triage patients, so that those who do not need A&E services are directed to the most appropriate source of treatment
Large parts of Wales have become ‘dental deserts’ leaving thousands of residents without regular dental care.
increasing the use of mobile dentists to serve the most rural areas and more salaried dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
capital grants for dentists wishing to set up practices in rural areas.
dental health and prevention at primary school level and at playgroups and nurseries,
Give every child aged 4-5 years a toothbrush and toothpaste and include oral healthcare with early years’ education.
We will examine piloting a scheme providing a weekly fluoride rinse to school children, based on the Canadian model.
Page 10
Provide bursaries to newly qualified health professionals to work in areas where there is a shortage of such skills. In return, we will impose a limited contractual commitment to the NHS in Wales.
>How limited?
Employ more physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists and will integrate them fully into health teams dealing with patients suffering from stroke and other chronic conditions.
>Seem to be employing a lot of extra staff, how are you going to pay for it?
Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to aggression or violence against NHS staff, requiring all LHBs and Trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with those who intimidate staff and to support staff after such incidents.
>Overdue, but I would like it to go further and make new laws with punitive sentencing for attacking all emergency services’ staff.
Introduce a guaranteed standard of service that would include what can be expected at hospital and patient access to information.
>Again you are putting procedures in place that will facilitate compensation payouts thereby taking money away from front line services.
Develop targeted health MOTs with appropriate screening tests based on age, family and other risk factors.
>FINALLY some one has said this, it’s a good idea, the earlier conditions are detected the cheaper the treatments are (in general) and the more successful the treatment too. But I think they should be more expansive, i.e., everyone should have an MOT at 3-5 years intervals.
Extend and promote the use of nurses and pharmacists in testing, screening and monitoring for a range of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing.
>This level of health care is appropriate for pharmacists, but I wouldn’t like the role to develop into anything more substantive.
Instigate a review of all targets, with the intention of reducing the number, so that local health services can truly put the patient first and ensure that clinical priorities are not distorted.
Tackle the low provision of stroke units and care in Wales.We will encourage stroke to be treated as a medical emergency, increase availability of testing and screening for related conditions to improve prevention
Page 11
Take forward the recommendations of the Assembly health committee’s review of cancer services, in order to produce a holistic Cancer Plan for Wales.
Examine the potential for speeding-up the drug approval process in Wales, including further developing the links with the Scottish drugs approval process.
>Providing that this doesn’t remove the necessary effectiveness tests, and safety tests etc… this isn’t a bad idea, but what is it about the Scottish drugs approval process that is seen to be something to link too? Additionally, this testing procedures must be placed outside of the influence of marketing campaigns and other campaigns, like those which happen with herceptin.
developing a full support package when a new-born child is identified as having hearing loss and teachers of the deaf to provide support to the youngest children.
Page 12
We are committed to a comprehensive range of policies to promote healthy living.
Seek the powers to legislate on mental health so that we enshrine guiding principles that put human rights at the forefront of the legislation, as has been done in Scotland.
Encourage healthy eating by supporting the sourcing and promotion of local healthy food, as detailed in our agriculture policies. This includes local food strategies, more public procurement of food from Wales and seeking to extend eligibility for the healthy start scheme.
>Spending Welsh money on Welsh goods is always a good idea.
new regulations on nutritional standards for school meals and ensuring stricter control on the marketing of food and drinks in schools,
Raise the nutritional standards for hospital food, encouraging local procurement, and encourage the use of assistants to help elderly and disabled hospital patients at meal-times,
>Better food will help improve rehabilitation times etc… so it’s a good idea, but again more staff and no indication of where the money is coming from – although they are adamant that all their promises are costed. Thinking about it though, it doesn’t cost anything to encourage the use of … as that can be done in a speech or a letter to hospitals but since there is no commitment to provide assistants there is no cost involved.
Use the ban on smoking in public places as an opportunity to increase the availability of schemes for smoking cessation
>Logical
Work to reduce alcohol and drug dependency,
Continue to raise public awareness on the dangers of STIs and protection measures against spreading infections,
>I suppose that means greater sex education in school. But it doesn’t say explicitly.
legislating to establish specific rights to Welsh service from public bodies.
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For Welsh Liberal Democrats it’s by giving everyone the opportunity to access quality education that we can raise the standard across our communities. Creating the best learning environment, starting with our youngest children, is where it all starts.
The conditions in which our children learn, in which they get to school and what they eat when they’re there are all crucial to delivering the best learning experience possible.
>A holistic approach is good.
Learning starts at home and continues in school but it must be life-long if we are to reap the full potential of education.
>Well I’m a graduate and I can’t for love-nor-money get a job so what is the point of life-long education? I feel that I would have been better leaving school at 16 and working my way up in some firm.
Nothing does more to free people from ignorance, poverty and conformity.
>So the Welsh are ignorant are they? Not the best way to make friends, I hope I know what you mean, but you could have phrased that a lot better.
Page 14
We support the Flying Start initiative as a means of incorporating health, care and education for our youngest children and families and will provide increased investment for it so that there is a greater supply of childcare centres and professionals.
Develop, seeking extra powers, financial incentives for businesses that develop childcare facilities
Support active and informal learning as the best means of improving child development at early years in primary school.
>Active and informal learning, by this I assume that you mean learn as you play.
Guarantee average primary class sizes of fewer than 25, and we will work to 25 as the maximum class size for all primary classes by the end of the Assembly term.
>Good, but I get the feeling that the low birth rate will do this for you.
Support teachers locating to areas of need through our proposal to introduce a key-workers housing scheme based on the homebuy scheme.
Promote a clustering approach in primary schools centred on the appropriate local secondary school, improved co-working between schools and with colleges such as loose federations co-ordinating time-tables and ICT networking.
>Clustering approach? How will co-ordinating time-tables help?
Page 15
recognising the need to ensure that our children have world-class ICT skills.
>While remembering that exams are still going to be on paper with a pen, so children must retain this ability.
Work with the Electoral Commission to provide more core materials to increase the learning of political literacy and citizenship in schools.
>Citizenship – I’m still not convinced that you can teach citizenship.
examine the potential for further development along the lines of the International Baccalaureate, ensuring access to vocational and academic study.
>International Baccalaureate, less of a commitment to it that Plaid. But since liberal democrats attacked continual reforms of the health service as being detrimental – how then can you say sweeping reforms of the educational system will be good?
examine how we can move to a less-prescriptive curriculum over time, focusing on core skills whilst allowing students every opportunity to reach their potential and equip them for future employment and enable them to become rounded citizens.
>Less-prescriptive curriculum I’m not sure about this idea, there needs to be a benchmark that schools can be measured against.
Develop schools as hubs for the whole community ensuring that pupils, families, local sports and culture groups get access to facilities throughout the week.
>With a nice fee going to the school, maximum utilisation of resources is a good idea, no point it sitting their unused.
Our aim is that children get at least a third of their nutritional needs from school lunches.
>I’m appalled that this isn’t already instigated! If schools provide 1 meal (out of a normal 3) then that should provide 1/3 of the nutritional needs the rest is to be met by the remaining meals.
Develop twinning programmes between local sports clubs and local schools
>And introduce children to a wider spectrum of sports – which can’t be provided in schools.
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours.
>Ah, back to the days of star jumps and stretches. Seriously though, school sport has been neglected and it could help combat obesity and poor health etc…
Invest in science at all levels of education, starting at school and building up to world-class research-led university departments,
>Going to be a lot of money convincing universities to re-introduce these subjects (e.g. Swansea University and chemistry)
Page 16
Fix crumbling classrooms across Wales by ensuring, in partnership with local authorities, that the funding provided for school building work is fully used for that purpose.
>Is a lot of money diverted away from this use?
Encourage the use of Positive Behaviour Plans as a measure to tackle the root cause of bullying. Agreed between schools, pupils and parents these plans help ensure that all parties are involved in addressing bad behaviour.
When all else fails, and the terms of agreed behaviour plans are consistently broken, we guarantee that head teachers will have local education authority support for ‘managed transfer’ to other schools or special units for pupils whose behaviour remains unacceptable.
>Sounds tougher.
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Develop a public education campaign to promote positive parenting and ensure that parents can access parental support when they need it.
Continue to advocate the introduction of a schools counselling service, promoting self-referral.
>Again, “continue to advocate…) you’ll be in government, surely you will have the power to implement a school counselling service, not just lobby for one – I’m beginning to think that this is setting out its principles as an opposition party rather than a programme for government.
Ensure that our children get to school in the safest possible way. We will take forward measures to ensure that there are seat-belts on all school buses, seek the powers to abolish the three-for-two rule and improve supervision on school buses.
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Promote the library network and encourage the use of library facilities as learning centres.
Enhance the role of museums and the cultural sector more widely in promoting learning opportunities for young people and adults.
Extend the full duty of care to the age of 21 for looked-after young people, regardless of whether they continue in education, and we aim to ensure that young people from looked-after backgrounds who do go into further education are given further assistance up until the age of 25 and through to the completion of the course.
>My parents would have put me into care if they thought that the state would pay for my education.
Page 19
Maintaining research excellence in Wales is crucial to supporting innovation in the economy and equipping skilled and knowledgeable graduates.
>I have come to believe that the Welsh economy is over supplied with Welsh graduates, in addition to me (and most of my friends) not finding a job – in fact the only graduate that I know is in employment got the job through a friend of a friend – the lower graduate salaries in Wales indicates that there is an abundance of graduates and therefore driving down their market value. What are you going to do to encourage more graduate jobs.
Work with organisations such as Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin to ensure greater early years Welsh medium provision as part of our increased investment in that sector.
We will explore ways to establish Welsh medium schools more easily, including the potential of setting a duty on local authorities to assess the demand for Welsh-medium education and further promote or plan for it in future school organisational plans.
Improve Welsh 2nd language learning
>Please teach me Welsh – I went to school in England, where Wales is only mentioned in derogatory songs – I want to learn.
>Considering it said life long learning there wasn’t very much about adult classes etc… in their manifesto.
Page 20
At one time Wales was at the forefront of the industrial revolution, now we have the opportunity to lead the green revolution.
We want to see 100% of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2050 – creating new jobs, exporting technology and a secure source of energy.
We want all new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2015,
public buildings having to generate more of their own energy and our homes being properly insulated meaning cheaper bills for everyone.
Page 21
Prioritise the provision of Safe Routes to School through continued support, ensuring that walking to school is promoted as a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to the car.
>Good,
In contrast to the current opt-in system, undertake to ensure all schools participate in paper collection and recycling schemes in their areas.
>I’m surprised that this isn’t mandatory, normalizing recycling for young people so that it permeates our society.
Make Wales a world leader in environmental research and teaching
>Yes, I’m glad they have realised that there is an opportunity to put Wales at the forefront of the new technology making them a world leader, creating high quality jobs and investment.
Page 22
Reject new nuclear power in Wales.
We will ask for the power to decide on energy developments over 50MW to be devolved to Wales.
Deliver a fully resourced communication campaign about climate change,
Lobby the UK government for a minimum price guarantee for all householders and businesses that export excess renewable energy to the National Grid.
>Could provide a massive incentive for householders to invest in micro-generation.
Revise the planning policy on out-of-town centre supermarkets so that their retail impact on town centres is fully
considered and environmental assessments are undertaken as a matter of course.
>Good, out-of-town retail outlets do damage the high-street, and they do necessitate cars in main. However, I think that the damage has been done. Green fields have already been concreted over it will simply be damage limitation.
Seek to amend planning rules so that it is less easy to get retrospective permission, for example by penalising such applications.
>It would be my preference that punitive monetary fees be applied to stop supermarkets (running into tens-of-millions, if not hundreds to prevent supermarkets and big chains thinking that they can ride rough shot over elected officials. Additionally, large chains that consistently break rules should be forced to employ conformity adjudicators that are responsible to the local planning authority and who has to supervise the construction in addition to the project management team. Furthermore, if that is not strong enough for you. You could compel the company to demolish the store, while continuing to pay the staff they have employed their wages, and force them to rebuild it to the agreed and approved specifications.
Page 23
Support research into, and generation of tidal power.
>Which will be highly affective if it’s underwater thanks to the ice caps melting
Our aim is that lagoon pools and wave machine projects will be up and running by the end of this Assembly, and powering Wales’s future. The economic benefits of this will be huge and allow us to be a technology exporter.
>Excellent.
Seek the powers to amend building regulations to ensure new developments in Wales are built to the highest possible environmental standards. This means that once we have the powers we can take forward proposals for all new-builds to have energy efficiency measures as standard such as proper insulation, smart meters and combined heat and power units as part of a sustainable buildings code.
>Again good.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy as a key part of the Sustainable Energy Network.
>That could work, providing that climate connect has a prominent public profile.
developing a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and abandoned cars,
Ensure that significant planning decisions made by local authorities are assessed on their contribution to climate change.
Reform planning guidance so that there is a presumption of a minimum 500 metre residential buffer zone on opencast developments.
>Probably would be important to me if there was a mine close by.
Develop the National Waste Strategy, ensuring co-operation between local authorities on waste minimisation and serious innovative work on developing energy from waste, for example developing town and community heating systems.
>Does that mean incineration? How do you reconcile that with the amiable carbon reduction.
Aim for 60% of all household waste to be recycled by the end of the Assembly term.
>In my opinion, black bag – straight to landfill waste – should be collected fortnightly. While recyclable waste; tins, plastic, glass, paper, foodstuffs etc… be collected every week. And an increase in the publicity or capacity of large item collections, with the coinciding facilities to sell them in order to encourage re-usage.
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Our aim is that all new housing build, in the private and social sector, is carbon neutral by 2015.
>Why so un-ambitious? Why not carbon neutral and must produce 25% or 50% of expected energy demand for the size of house.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy.
>Your repeating yourself!
Get rid of the need for planning permission for installing small-scale home-based renewable micro-generation devices or combined heat and power units.
>Could cause lots of fractious neighbours – I want more details and what exactly is small-scale?
Maintain the most restrictive policy possible under EU law on GM crop development.
>What about Second-generation GM which could produce cheep medicines – surely it would be beneficial as new energy technologies in delivering high quality jobs in Wales.
Page 25
>Huge picture, not much writing. This manifesto isn’t half dragging on, it is repetitive in places, plus its 100% longer than other manifesto – this could have been far more punchier and affective than it is and far more accessible – I like going through these things and I’m getting fed up!
Page 26
Demand the powers over offshore oil and gas licensing and offshore planning, including planning for offshore renewable energy projects, and the development of Welsh Marine Protected Areas that are adaptable to changes in the conservation interest, particularly with regard to climate change.
Encourage the use of publicly owned buildings, monuments and sites in the historic environment, including those owned by Cadw, as venues for cultural events and festivals.
>That could be cool, providing money to keep these buildings, creating community events, etc…
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Public fears about crime and anti-social behaviour remain very high. Even in low crime areas people have grown more fearful of crime and for their safety.
Our policies aren’t about tough talk; they’re about delivering practical, realistic and commonsense action to make our streets safer.
>OK, amaze me.
our wish for a Welsh Parliament with comparable powers to the Scottish Parliament
>Hurrah PARLIAMENT FOR WALES, politicians with enough power to make a difference.
Oppose the expensive and illiberal ID cards scheme that already costs almost £100,000 a day. That money should instead be spent on putting more police on the beat in Wales and across Britain.
>YES
funding for an extra 500 police community support officers across Wales
We also support a reduction in the burden of paperwork that keeps police officers off patrol, by encouraging greater use of the latest IT systems and communications technology, and by using civilian auxiliary staff in the police station.
>So is there going to be more money for civilian auxiliary staff?
Tackle anti-social behaviour through Acceptable Behaviour Contracts agreed between the individual, their family, the police, local authority and housing association, specifying behaviour they will not engage in.
>And housing association, so all anti-social behaviour is committed by those people who don’t own their home! Seems a bit of a generalisation.
Improve the provision of all youth services by putting them on a statutory basis.
We will
encourage measures such as confiscation of motor vehicles from persistent joy-riders,
>Do they joy-ride in their own cars? I thought that the majority of joy-riders used stolen vehicles.
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Support the development of community justice panels to give local people a say in the punishment
>Not exactly objective and impartial, more like a show trial!
Encourage the establishment of one-stop local non-emergency helplines such as the successful ‘101’ service in Cardiff which allows people to report problems that affect the place in which they live.
>Overdue.
Continue to support the national helpline for victims of domestic abuse and ensure that the funding is there for it to remain a bilingual 24-hour service, 365 days a year
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>I’m fed up!
Focus on crime prevention and appropriate community sentences.
Support measures to make sentences mean what they say and improve public confidence in the system. The most serious offenders should serve life imprisonment, where the judge considered the offender should never be released.
Support measures to improve the compensation paid to victims, including contributions funded from a common fund paid into from prisoners’ earnings,
>Prisoners’ have earnings?
Tackling substance misuse will reduce crime, promote opportunity and create safer communities.
Establish a National Treatment Taskforce, linking universities in Wales with NHS and voluntary sector providers in the drug field.
Highlight the dangers of excessive drinking, through public awareness promotions and targeted campaigns, and make sure that support is there before the abuse leads to crime and violence.We will discourage irresponsible drink promotions that promote binge drinking, which often lead to violence and anti-social behaviour and we support proof-of-age schemes such as Challenge 21 and ‘Prove it’ cards in order to tackle under-age drinking.
We will ensure that big late night venues contribute to the extra cost of late night policing.
>Excellent, it might make them stop selling alcohol to people who are drunk!
Encourage the recruitment of more Welsh speaking police officers and police community support officers, especially in Language Action Areas.
>Welsh language action areas?
Page 30
Wales was once at the forefront of a changing economic landscape. As one of the first nations to industrialise,we were the engine room for development across the world.Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that Wales can lead the way again. The green switch we want to see for Wales will offer opportunities for all, will allow us to be a leading exporter and will ensure that we harness our natural resources to make our economy thrive.
>Repartition.
The building blocks for a more confident and prosperous Wales, free from poverty, is a more educated workforce and a transport system that puts the needs of passengers first.
A Wales where everyone values the ambition and determination needed to build business. We will work towards a Wales that is a beacon for enterprise and leads the world in developing ideas, brands and entrepreneurs.
>Admirable aim.
Support the development of techniums, including in rural areas, that would be magnets for innovation, business set-ups and growth companies.
>You just said that you wanted to restrict out of town shopping centres and now you want to develop out of town business centres!
Make the Assembly Government and National Assembly world-leaders in making it easier for small businesses to apply for public contracts.
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Develop economic opportunity areas which could re-generate towns that have lost industry and promote sectorbased company clusters.
Use European funding to deliver our policy objectives of improved lifelong learning opportunities and better conditions for innovative, job-creating business growth.
Take Wales to the centre of the European debate on the use of corporation tax in member regions and states to stimulate investment.We will push the case for the powers to vary corporation tax or to keep it a specified level for a set-time, targeting a region if necessary.
We want to maximise the potential for new ventures to be the iconic, new-technology, job-creating Welsh brands of the future.
Support a sustainable future for the manufacturing industry in Wales,
Develop a Welsh brand that is confident, enterprising and innovative.
>Yes
Promote modern language learning at school and life-long learning level, enhancing our ability to compete in the international market.
>How are you going to do this?
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We believe that improving the skills levels of the Welsh workforce is essential if Wales is to become a more prosperous economy.
>In addition to creating highly skilled jobs in Wales so graduates didn’t have to look for work in England.
Support innovative ways of making learning and training opportunities more accessible to the workforce and wider community. For example we are keen to see more learning and training centres at office blocks, industrial parks and other major employment sites linked to the wider education sector, as well as libraries and other publicly owned facilities that can support workforce development.
Promote schemes, run through colleges, schools and business forums which encourage and promote business skills amongst young people.
Encourage buddy schemes for higher education students to allow them to get practical experience and increase links between business and education.
>Could be very useful.
Support Menter a Busnes to encourage entrepreneurship in Welsh-speaking communities.
>Support a what? Mentor a business perhaps. Spelling mistakes in election manifestos is abhorrent. Perhaps we could start mentoring political parties (p.s. I’m waiting for someone to jump on my spelling and grammar mistakes and suggest mentor a blogger)
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The key element of our approach to transport policies is providing individuals with the freedom and opportunity to travel.
effective transport connections are vital to our economic development,
Cycling and walking have proven health benefits and also cut carbon emissions – but many people wish government would make it easier.
If we are to get Wales moving forward, first we have to get Wales moving.
>Hopefully, that also includes getting the trains moving as the current disruption between Swansea and Cardiff is not helping people use public transport.
An efficient and extensive public transport system is essential to changing travelling habits and tackling climate change, yet bus and rail services in Wales are too often patchy, uncomfortable and unreliable.
Encourage better integration of bus and rail services,
>Again promote / encourage etc… no real commitment to providing! You should give the councils the power to set routs and demand a minimum level of service. Couple profitable and unprofitable routes in a single contractual bundle so companies can’t cherry pick good routes and force councils to pay subsidies to encourage companies to take up these unprofitable routes.
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Develop an extended community rail strategy which helps extend business and tourism links into smaller communities and more remote areas, examining the re-opening of disused local lines, connections with the network and improved facilities at small stations.
>Develop strategies, examining the possibility – I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WILL DO NOT WHAT YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING!
Protect and promote the rail links between the regions of Wales
Support better quality rolling stock for the rail network in Wales.
Press for safe and friendly train and bus stations.
>Friendly train and bus stations, I am not often insulted by station buildings.
We support park and ride schemes, such as those in Swansea and Cardiff,
>So you provide finance for them to be implemented in which towns? Again it is non-committal language.
Require all major land use developments to publish and implement a ‘travel plan’ as a condition of planning permission.
>EXCELLENT IDEA
Monitor plans to introduce congestion charging and road user pricing schemes in parts of Wales, supporting them as a means of road traffic reduction if the provision of public transport improves and increases as we propose.
>Well its positive that they will only support it if there is a viable public transport alternative. But again monitor plans …
Promote the use of bio-fuels and their availability at petrol stations across Wales, working with supermarkets and developing supply routes and support for producers through our Green Jobs Strategy.
>Any grants to convert cars to bio-fuels?
Support the transfer of freight from road onto rail and sea, promoting greater use of our network of ports that can facilitate rail-connection for further transportation.
>EXCELLENT
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Encourage local authorities to include proposals in their transport and development policies for increased cycle infrastructure and the development of safer residential and school areas.
Require that all new, non-motorway, roads of more than 1km funded by the Assembly Government contain a planning measure to increase local cycle provision.
>Good idea
Work to ensure that the rail system is cyclist-friendly by promoting cycle spaces on trains and at stations.
>By promoting …they will only be introduced in thirty years or so when new stock is introduced. But the aim is amicable.
Promote Safe Routes to School to reduce the reliance on cars for the ‘school-run’ and increase the number of children walking and cycling to schools, including encouraging ‘walking-buses’.
>I’m sure that I have read that before in this manifesto.
Scrap government subsidy for the proposed North-South air link and instead divert that money towards sustainable and more environmentally-friendly forms of public transport.
Work to make the link between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff International Airport an exemplar of our commitment to sustainable development by using a regular high-speed rail-link and an environmentally friendly hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell bus.
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Everyone has the right to housing adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family. The lack of affordable housing affects all parts of the country and has led to an explosion
in homelessness in recent years.
Domestic properties contribute a large proportion of Wales’s carbon emissions
more energy efficient homes and making it easier for families to go green.
All new housing to be carbonneutral
Increase the housing budget by at least £150 million over the next term, which will enable the Assembly Government, local authorities, housing associations, developers and community bodies to deliver the action that is needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Encourage councils to devolve responsibility where appropriate, and after a ballot, by passing control of social housing to community based housing associations and tenants’ co-operatives.
Promote schemes, run between local authorities, housing associations, developers and education providers that offer practical training and skills development for tenants and the wider community.
>Promote. Why not establish, or roll-out schemes etc…
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Examine the case for following the example of Scotland and establish a Private Renting Housing panel to adjudicate where a tenant considers the landlord is failing to meet the standard of repair required.
>Surely you should have examined this prior to writing this manifesto and tell us if you would do it if your elected!
We would ensure sufficient funding is available at national level and set targets for the reduction of homelessness.
>Finally, they would ensure! The Liberal Democrats have finally told us what they would do in action rather than just look at or consider.
Page 38
Encourage the promotion of leasing deals
>They are getting worse, encourage the promotion.
Promote regional projects to ensure that each area is able to provide adequate facilities to shelter, house and support people who have been accepted as homeless.
Develop a joint statement of practice for the recovery of rent arrears by social landlords.
Promote and simplify the successful Homebuy scheme.
Give local authorities the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. We would expect this to happen initially in areas where the affordable housing crisis is at its worst, and for a specified period of time.
Page 39
Work with local planning authorities to identify sites for affordable housing within their Local Development frameworks and improve the supply of land by picking out suitable sites for affordable housing owned by the Assembly Government across the country.
Develop an affordable threshold on new developments. This means that projects over a certain size would trigger a planning condition forcing developers to provide a specified proportion of affordable homes for low-cost renting or low-cost ownership.
>I thought that this was already in place. This is easy to get around mind just make it so that you apply for planning permission in two phases, maybe with a couple of years apart. So if this comes to pass I foresee many roads in housing estates leading to fields ready for future developments. Or cul-de-sacs with no house at the bottom of the road, or an oddly placed round-a-bout ready for another exit.
Examine the need and powers available to establish a Welsh version of Scotland’s Ownership Options which enables disabled people in unsuitable housing to access home ownership through the use of the benefit Income Support Mortgage Interest relief (ISMI).
Page 40
For Welsh Liberal Democrats social justice means improving community safety, tackling poverty and combating social exclusion for all people, in all areas of Wales. We aim to increase the numbers of social enterprises in Wales, giving more freedom to community organisations and increasing lifelong learning opportunities that give individuals, families and communities the tools they need.
Ensuring equality of opportunity is essential in building stronger communities and social cohesion.We are committed to initiatives and policies that promote equal citizenship, accessibility to services, equal learning opportunities and equal access to employment opportunities. The commitment to equality of opportunity is intrinsic to our approach to public policy, and building a fairer, better-educated, inclusive and prosperous Wales.
Work with local authorities to ensure that there is access to free-to-use ATMs, especially in deprived communities.
Develop school-based courses that make young people better informed about financial issues such as credit cards, mortgage rates, credit unions and the causes of debt.
>Good basic financial skills in a must.
Support the establishment of community banks, credit unions and LETS schemes, in particular the potential of post offices to be hubs for credit union transactions and activities.
Page 41
Post Offices provide a valuable and essential service to communities across Wales. Government moves, both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster, to undermine the network are moves that undermine community life. We are committed to a Post Office network that is thriving and provides a diverse range of services.
Re-introduce the Post Office Development Fund abolished by Labour,
Continue to oppose the abolition of the Post Office Account Card
Work with the UK government to promote the case to maintain the obligation on Royal Mail to provide universal sameprice delivery of letters throughout Wales, and the UK.
>Hear-hear, but if you want to keep the universal service, you have to stop other companies cherry-picking the profitable business and leaving the royal mail with all the unprofitable sectors.
Work with the UK Government to investigate providing more services at Post Office counters, and build on the successful Police and Post Office Partnership pilot in mid Wales.
A nation where true equality of opportunity exists is a nation free from prejudice and poverty and is a nation whose people can fulfil their full potential.
Encourage a concerted effort across the private and public sector in Wales to ensure that each citizen has a right to enforce their rights when things go wrong at work or when individuals’ legal rights and entitlements are not met.
Improve the data on school pupils, including minority groups and their performance, so that effective measures can be taken to close the gaps in achievement.
>So instead of school league tables we are going to have pupil league tables!
Ensure that the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in Wales takes account of the devolved context in which it will operate.
Promote the need to get more women and people from the BME community into public life.
>BME is what exactly? Black middle easten? Black or mixed ethnicity? You can’t just use these acronyms without disclosing what they refer too.
Page 42
Encourage health authorities to reach out to lesbian, gay and bisexual populations to reassure them that they can and should disclose sexual orientation when it’s relevant to their care.
We will promote a Wales-wide initiative to support and welcome migrant workers and encourage integration with the local community, based on the successful model of the ‘One Wrexham’ initiative introduced by the Welsh Liberal Democrat-led council in Wrexham.
>Wasn’t there racial rioting in Wrexham? Again what is the one Wrexham initiative? What does it entail, language training, cultural exchanges. What?
Work to introduce a Digital Resource for Books to be provided by the Welsh Books Council.
Guarantee that ID cards will not be needed to access Welsh public services. We will ensure that people continue to receive health treatment based on their needs, not on whether they have a piece of plastic in their wallets or purses.
Work to remove arbitrary age limits on volunteering, and work towards extending age discrimination legislation to cover all volunteers and unpaid workers.
>Are you going to remove arbitrary age limits on voting too?
Lobby for Children’s and Older Peoples’ Commissioners to have powers to represent on non-devolved issues so that we reduce the confusion for children and older people regarding which commissioners deal with which issues.
>I’m still discussed that there is an older peoples commissioner. As I see it the justification for a children’s’ commissioner is the fact that they don’t have any democratic representation, now why should people who vote get an additional representation in the form of a commissioner.
Page 43
Get the powers to give 16 year olds the vote
>Hurrah, surly this will help voter turnout if people are still in school and taught about politics and the importance of voting.
Page 44
Introduce a ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would enable community organizations to register an interest in land or buildings that were designed for public use so that if the property comes up for sale they have first refusal, subject to a community ballot.
Communities should be places in which people are able to work, live and play. Effective functioning communities need places in which residents can meet, access information and work together.
>So you are going to legislate that more green areas are created among new housing developments.
Page 45
Introduce the changes of the voting system for local government as recommended by the Sunderland Commission – delivering fair votes for communities by introducing the STV system for local government elections.
>Interesting.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
>HURRAH, reducing the age for voting.
Make progress towards replacing the unfair council tax with a local tax based on the individual’s ability to pay, campaigning at a UK level and examining ways of delivering this in Wales.
>So another tax on wage earners, so unemployed and the lazy can just opt out, not really encouraging people to work is it!
Page 46
Develop and expand Language Action Areas, to help reverse the trend towards de-population and ensure the welcome and integration of individuals moving into Welsh-speaking communities.
Page 47
For the Welsh Liberal Democrats, social justice does not end at the heads of the valleys. Our rural communities are facing up to the challenges of globalisation, social exclusion and changing needs. A vital cog in keeping the wheels of rural Wales turning is making sure that our farmers and consumers get an honest and fair deal.
Ensuring that over half of publicly procured food is sourced from Wales by 2015
>I’m sure that I have read this before, why oh why would you repeat things over and over again you loose so much of the impact.
Page 48
The promotion of produce from Wales involves developing external markets, developing innovative processing and product bases, strengthening public procurement actions, and encouraging more local consumption of local produce.
Encourage diversification, quality branded local produce and healthy competition in order to develop an enterprising and economically viable farming industry.
It would examine and report on the supermarket code of practice and whether it needs to be strengthened and further regulated, the future of the dairy industry, the processing and development sectors, the public procurement process for Welsh produce, the supply chain from farm to fork and the price we pay in markets and shops.
Further develop the marketing and support for Welsh branded produce with its reputation for quality, promoting an identifiable brand and support for a reinvigorated Farming Connect that promotes knowledge transfer.
Promote greater links between the tourism industry and farms, improving communication between the two industries and in particular developing ‘food tourism’.
>Has Wales got the culinary reputation needed for such a feat?
Over recent years the capacity of the Welsh countryside to recover from the Foot and Mouth outbreak and BSE has been fantastic. But we must work harder to ensure that the preventative measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we can avoid such diseases again and be ready to deal with them should the need arise.
Develop a national strategy, co-ordinating the agricultural industry, the veterinary and emergency services, to respond to, and tackle animal diseases.
Aim to eradicate TB in Wales by intensifying the testing programme.
>This is reputation again.
Continue to make the case for tight controls on the import of foreign and illegal meat in order to prevent diseases arriving here and infecting indigenous livestock and produce.
>Good.
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Use the Assembly’s new powers on animal welfare for the benefit of domestic and captive wild animals.We will examine support for outlawing all animals other than horses and dogs in circuses, improve licensing for events where animals are put on display, outlaw harmful and cruel aids such as electric shock training collars for race dogs and strengthen regulation of the greyhound industry such as veterinary presence at tracks and a proper licensing system for race dogs.
Seek derogation from the EU regulations which prohibit the burying of fallen stock on farmers’ land and allow some on-site burial.
>Never going to be allowed!
Most people nowadays are convinced of the need to eat and live healthier. But without our agricultural industry growing that fresh, healthy food and playing their part in protecting the environment we will not be able to fight obesity and illhealth.
Support organic farming, helping to meet the demand for organic produce.
>Organic food is not healthier than other types of food!
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Encourage local sourcing of food for the healthier and more nutritious school meals that our new regulations will introduce.
Progress the all-Wales coastal path project. We are aware that implementation will require agreements, co-operation and determination on the part of many organisations, public and private, across the country. In government we will play a leading role in taking this project forward.
Restore the Tir Mynydd budget for the next year to the level it was before cuts were made in the last Assembly budget
Ensure Wales’s new legislative status gives us greater leverage on European Union decision-making affecting our farming industry by strengthening our presence at European Agriculture Council meetings, and the discussions which lead up to them.
Make it easier for small enterprises to apply for public contracts, meaning that there is more support for farmers and producers in their bids to supply schools, hospitals and other public services. Our target is that at least half of publicly procured food which is available in our country to be sourced from Wales by 2015.
>It’s de ja vu all over again.
Fully review how current flood defence and risk management regulations and advice from the government is working, paying particular attention to the accuracy of advice maps and the need for them to be updated more regularly, the need to reduce current and future risk by restricting developments and increasing public awareness of how to deal with flooding.
>Restricting building on flood plans is sensible if we are expecting sea levels to rise. But that would mean stopping development in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, LLanelli etc…
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Community based cultural initiatives, such as radio stations, reflects and promotes what
is best about the Welsh passion for social enterprise and cultural chances for all.
Implement the recommendations of the Welsh Arts Review, chaired by Elan Closs Stephens, making the arts and culture a cross-cutting theme across government at all levels.
Prioritise the development of a joint strategy with the education ministry to define cultural entitlements for young people, to extend the role of the arts in the school curriculum and to reverse the decline in cultural provision and participation, and introducing a new Arts Development Fund for schools.
Develop a ‘duty of care’ towards cultural provision as a legal responsibility of local authorities, as is the case in Scotland, to ensure that cultural opportunities are available to all in our communities.
Require local authorities to take cultural factors and needs into account when planning local transport, housing and education schemes.
Investigate the potential for a privately funded scheme, similar to the Arts Council’s highly successful Collectorplan art purchase scheme, to encourage the purchase of musical instruments by young people, schools and community groups.
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Work with the Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs), broadcasters and local authorities to make more effective use of the Eisteddfod and the network of festivals, creating local business communities around them.
By illuminating our past, museums and galleries can provide educational, tourism and cultural opportunities for the future. They are a resource for reflecting our identity and history as a nation, but also as tools for enhancing our collective knowledge.
>Good.
Page 53
Develop a modern and ambitious programme of exhibitions in Wales, in return for loans of world-class collections from Wales going to other places in order to enhance Wales’s profile.
>Good idea.
Demand the powers to make St David’s Day a public bank holiday so that we can celebrate our national day and make it a global festival of all things Welsh and a showcase for investment and tourism.
>HURRAH!
Wales’s two main languages are a rich part of our heritage. We must treasure and nurture them – side by side. Our modern revival of the Welsh language in the face of global Anglo-Americanisation is the envy of many European nations and regions. It is a core part of who we are, and of our reputation for cultural excellence.
The Welsh language is a treasure that we can all be proud of, it enriches Welsh life and makes Wales special.We will support, facilitate and promote the use of the Welsh Language across all aspects of Welsh life and government.
Legislate to enshrine the right to service in Welsh. By establishing specific rights it would be clear to individuals what they can expect in relation to a Welsh service from public bodies and those that have migrated from the public sector since the current Language Act was passed.
>Interesting, goes some way to meet demands of language campaigners but how much of an affect will it really have.
Make Welsh and English the official languages of Wales.
>Good.
Ensure that the plans for Language Action Areas will include encouragement of intergenerational transmission of Welsh and promotion as a community language; encourage co-operation between local bodies and organisations to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh in communities; promote the full community use of Welsh in all tiers of education from nurseries to adult education.
Broadcasting and new technologies have made the world smaller – and allowed smaller countries to make a mark on the world. New developments offer a golden opportunity for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole to exploit our talents and create social, cultural and economic prosperity.
>Ambitious and positive about small nations – IN YOUR FACE PETER HAIN!
Press for the infrastructure to be in place to ensure that all of Wales can have access to Welsh digital channels by the time of switchover.
>Absolutely necessary!
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Examine the opportunities created by digital switchover and greater spectrum availability for more community and regional television stations, including increased Welsh language provision.
>An original promise.
Build on the good work and reputation of Dr Who and other recent productions, seeking to ensure that all public service broadcasters continue to increase their levels of commissioning and production from Wales-based producers.
>Again in response to Peter Hain who said “If was were independent then Dr Who would not have been filmed in Cardiff”
Support the principle of a daily Welsh language newspaper and examine all possible roles that we can play in further supporting its establishment. For example, the potential for public sector recruitment advertising, the development of a greater on-line presence and the role of the Welsh Language Board.
>Again support the principle, I would love to have a paper on a par with ‘the broadsheets’ and of the same intellectual standard based in Wales with predominantly Welsh news, rather that have to read London based papers which are obviously propagating English culture.
Develop a twinning programme between local sports clubs and local schools. This will create new coaching opportunities as well as better use of facilities. We will encourage our highest-profile clubs to lead on this and provide models of best practice.
>Excellent – but again this is mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
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Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours. We also expect schools to promote accessible opportunities for pupils to participate in sport after-hours.
>This is also mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Increase investment in top-quality coaching for children. Working with local authorities, the Sports Council and governing bodies, this extra money will develop a network of local coaches to co-ordinate training opportunities for schools, colleges and community groups.
>Excellent ideas again
Seek to increase access to sporting activities in or on rivers and lakes. We will examine the need for statutory rights of access for everyone as is the case in Scotland.
>Good policy if the examination decides that it is feasible etc…
Re-double our efforts to attract major sporting events, as English football finals leave the Millennium Stadium. We will develop a new Events Strategy that will examine our potential to host, for example, European club football finals, a stage of the Tour de France and major Women’s events.
>It always strikes me as odd that tour de France goes outside that countries borders. But why don’t you want to create a tour de Wales? We have plenty of scenery which could magnificently host it!
Oppose any international threats to Wales’ss status as a national football team in its own right.
>WALES’SS, are we a serpent nation, I’ve said it before but spelling mistakes in election manifestos’ is not good.
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Develop partnerships with our HE/FE institutions, the Sports Council and our professional rugby and football clubs to improve regional access to top-class training and coaching opportunities for athletes with the potential to reach the top.
>A sporting nation is an excellent aim and fits perfectly into the Welsh culture.
Encourage the presence of elite Welsh teams at the top level of UK and European sport. For example a Super League franchise in Wales, the continuing existence of a Welsh team in the Netball Super League and women and men’s domestic and national cricket teams at the highest level possible.
>That was a gapping omission of the recent cricket world cup, there was a Scottish team, an Irish team and obviously an English team – why wasn’t there a Welsh team?
Use our big towns and cities as gateways to their wider region. They are tourist attractions in themselves but by promoting effective regional tourism partnerships that utilise regional capitals such as Cardiff and Swansea, we will see a multiplier tourist effect across the country.
Encourage local authorities to work together on marketing and promotion, helping define the Welsh tourist experience. For example, heads of the valleys authorities providing a “walking in the footsteps of the industrial revolution” combined experience.
Encourage a more joined-up approach between the National Museums and Library and tourism. This means not just getting people visiting museums but promoting and encouraging visits to the areas represented in the collections and exhibitions.
Encourage the National Eisteddfod to do more to attract non-Welsh speaking visitors. We expect to see greater use of multi-lingual stewards and designated tours of the Maes available in many languages.
>The Eisteddfod is the Bulwark of Welsh language Welsh culture the more languages that you permit into the maes the more diluted its ethos is surely!
Promote Wales as the home of the summer season of festivals and events.
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The Welsh Liberal Democrats will stretch the Assembly’s new powers to the maximum. However the new procedures mean that before we can introduce any new laws we’ll have to get permission from the Secretary of State in London, through what will be called ‘Orders in Council’. This leaves Wales with a second-class Assembly whilst in Scotland they already have a proper parliament that does what is best for Scotland without having to first ask London for permission on what it can and cannot do.
>The current de-volution (I still hate that term de-evolution: it sounds like we become less human by having a government of the same national identity as ourselves) is flawed and dreadfully botched. I think that the majority of people in Wales will support a Parliament with powers to affect a real difference.
We will be ambitious when we demand an ‘Order in Council’, we have a lot to do for Wales and we need all the tools to do the job well.
We still want to see a proper parliament for Wales, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats remain committed to that goal. Wales can only have the full range of tools to do the job when it has a full Parliament with real powers. Allowing a Welsh Parliament to
>HEAR-HEAR, Plaid and Liberal democrats have one thing in common at least.
In government, require each minister, soon after taking office, to set out how their department would promote the Welsh economy by tackling economic inactivity, make the green switch and mainstream the Welsh language.
Develop and press for more Wales-specific statistics and research, so as to better inform policy and funding for Assembly Government initiatives.
>It always amuses me that so many people say that Wales is being subsidies by England, the fact is no one can tell if anyone is being subsidies by anyone else since corporation tax is not collected by region. And the fact that Wales pays its fair share for military installations that are based in southern England, and the nuclear deterrent that is based in Scotland means that it is highly likely that Wales isn’t getting out of the UK and equal amount to what it is putting in. Coupled with the fact that Westminster is currently paying back to Wales European subsidies that were earmarked for Wales that were diverted to England it does indeed look like Wales is being subsidised.
Press for a new funding formula that takes account of Wales’s needs and scrap the out-moded ‘Barnett Formula’ which fails Wales.Wales should have the power, as they do in Northern Ireland, to borrow funds to pay for specific needs and projects.
Give a Welsh Parliament the power to vary income taxes to suit our own circumstances, as they have in Scotland, subject to the support of the people of Wales in a referendum.
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Review the tendering and negotiations process concerning public finance initiatives (PFI) and public private partnerships. In some instances PFI has allowed private sector knowledge and best practice into public sector provision. It is not the best option in many cases, despite UK Government instructions to that effect. We would like to see a level playing field for all providers – traditional public sector, private sector and public benefit organisations.
>I would like to see PFI banned it is a huge waste of tax payers money. Gordon Brown prefers it because it keeps debts for hospitals and schools off the books, so he can be seen as a prudent chancellor! It is the most expensive perception management exercise in this countries history (is suspect).
Establish a Welsh version of the ‘Queen’s Speech’ to open the Senedd’s term each year with the Government outlining its programme for the year ahead, listing new legislation, new measures and what further transfer of functions it wants.
>Wales is a principality, so that would be a prince’s speech. I think that Welsh democracy can do without such formalities. The Senedd is a glorious building but it does not lend itself well to occasions of pomp and circumstance.
Transform the Assembly Government’s annual report into an independent annual report of facts and figures comparing the Assembly Government’s programme and targets with its delivery and outcomes.
>Devoid of spin doctors, would be a more objective document that would permit a greater transparency of the effectiveness and the achievements of the government.
We support the campaign to designate an internet Top Level Domain to Wales and will
examine the case for the Assembly Government to use a Wales-specific address.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
Wales has much to offer the world. The Welsh Assembly Government needs to be outward looking as well as inward looking, working with others to promote democracy and social and environmental justice across the globe.
Make a full contribution to promoting sustainable development, human rights and democracy in the world, working with and through the European Union, central government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, and non-governmental organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Cymru-Lesotho link, Oxfam and others.
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A £50m package to improve the dental health of Wales – Introducing more dental therapists and salaried dentists, toothpaste and tooth brushes for school children and support for dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
£46m to improve the quality of our children’s learning environment – With smaller class sizes and more nutritious school meals.
And £150m to really tackle the issue of affordable housing in Wales – Not tampering with the costs from the side lines but dealing with the problem at source with a radical overhaul of the Social Housing Grant and the rules governing Housing Associations.
>That’s more punchy why do we have to wait till the last page for that!
COMING NEXT: LABOUR
Monday, April 02, 2007
2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: CONSERVATIVES
>Well the Welsh Conservatives aren’t off to a great start the Introduction to the Welsh Assembly manifesto was written by David Cameron, the leader of the National British party. Moreover, the Manifesto was approved by the National Party, (although they are adamant that the manifesto was written by the Welsh Party). What right do English and Scottish conservatives have to pass judgement on the Welsh party a fact that seems even more extraordinary since there are plans a-foot by the English party to forbid Scottish and Welsh MPs from voting on matters that are solely English. They are hypocrites!
Nevertheless, here is my commentary on the Welsh Conservative Manifesto. This might be just me being very pedantic but the title of the document doesn’t particularly make you think that they are very optimistic about their chances:
“Vote Welsh Conservative for a change”
Page 3
This manifesto sets out how Welsh Conservatives will improve the quality of life for everyone in Wales. Our policies are made in Wales, for Wales. Better hospitals, better schools, more affordable homes, a more sustainable environment.
>The Conservative mission statements.
Conservatives believe that we’re all in this together – that we will only improve the quality of life in our neighbourhoods if we each live up to our social responsibilities.
That means parents taking responsibility for their children. Neighbours looking out for each other. Businesses and households conserving precious energy. Everyone taking part in local democracy, so that the decisions which affect the community have the whole community’s endorsement. All of us working together to make Wales and Britain stronger.
For too long, Wales has been taken for granted by a single party, Labour. As a result – and despite millions of pounds of Welsh taxpayers’ money – little seems to change.
>It’s true Labour have taken their support for granted, and not delivered on their promises.
Page 5
Stability is the bedrock of economic success. We cannot have stability without sound money and a tight grip on public spending. Welsh Conservatives would spend the same as Labour overall on public services, but we would spend the Assembly’s block grant more effectively. All the spending commitments in this manifesto would be financed from an investment fund
Page 7
The NHS is our priority. Welsh Conservatives want to provide a first class NHS, free to all. We are committed to improving the NHS for everyone, rather than helping the few opt out.
We have a vision for the NHS and healthcare in Wales which trusts doctors and nurses. Professional responsibility, not state control,
>Well that makes sense, doctors and nurses know more about the clinical needs in Wales it should be up to clinicians to decide on the NHS priorities rather than politicians responding to media pressure (i.e. the massive increase of cancer treatment at the expense of STD treatments, and the use of expensive drugs like herceptin, which is partially the result of excellent marketing by the pharmaceutical companies).
Work with hospitals to improve nutrition and provide appetising food and clean wards;
Promote independent living at home by reducing inappropriate admissions to hospital and expanding the direct payments scheme which allows people to control their own care budgets;
>Not sure about that idea, the conservatives just said in the previous paragraph that they wanted to trust health professionals, how then can you say that people are better at determining their health needs than their doctor?
invest an additional £10 million each year from our investment fund to produce a comprehensive palliative care strategy which would provide up to 50% of core funding for hospices and expand the role of GPs and specialist nurses in palliative care at home;
Review the dental contract to ensure better access to an NHS dentist; we would invest finance from our investment fund in orthodontic services to guarantee NHS treatment for children;
Modernise the ambulance service (including support for the air ambulance);
Fully utilise the skills of pharmacists, particularly in chronic disease management;
>Again, you would think that the doctor or consultant would be best placed for this task rather than the pharmacists. In my opinion this is healthcare on the cheap.
We would seek an Order in Council from Westminster to allow the Assembly to pass a Mental Health Reform Measure. At the heart of this reform would be the principle of the early availability of clinically appropriate treatment with coercion used only as a last resort. We need to achieve a balance between therapeutic benefit and safety of the patient with protection of the public.
Page 8
The NHS should not be a political football. Welsh Conservatives believe that change and development should proceed on the basis of consensus. The current structure of
In 2003 Sir Derek Wanless told the Assembly that a political consensus was needed to agree a way forward. Regrettably, the Labour Welsh Assembly Government has largely ignored Sir Derek’s advice and pushed ahead with its own scheme, often in the face of considerable public opposition.
Welsh Conservatives would heed the advice to seek a consensus by establishing a special commission to examine the structure of hospital services.
The time has come to end the so-called ‘Berlin Wall’ between health and social care. We believe that Unified Care Agencies offer the best way forward. These Agencies would be:
Funded by a ring-fenced grant from local authorities;
Accountable to the local authority, but at arms-length in operational matters.
We would replace the existing 22 Local Health Boards with an all-Wales commissioning body, which would develop secondary and tertiary health services.
>So they said that they want to move decisions closer to communities, and then they want to remove the local health boards surely this will make decisions further remote.
GP practices would once again play a direct role in the commissioning of secondary services.
Welsh Conservatives would support staff and carers through a series of initiatives to:
Establish carers ‘contracts’ financed by our investment fund, to support those delivering a substantial amount of care, including young carers. The right to respite care would be at the centre of the contract;
Require information on any assault on health staff to be sent to the CPS;
>Assaulting people who are there to help in your hour of need must be dealt with seriously and I as a private citizen welcome this commitment to protecting our hospital workers.
Page 9
Looked after children
Promote the right to independent advocacy for looked after children, provided by a central all-Wales organisation, rather than by local authorities;
>Again looked after children – a definition please. This policy seems to be very similar to the Plaid policy and it all seems to describe the children’s commissioner. Is this convergence of policy indicative of anything else i.e. are they using the same government report to formulate this part of the manifesto?
Provide funding out of our investment fund for the recruitment of more social workers with priority given to Children’s Services;
It is clear that standards in social care need to be improved across the range of services. However, Welsh Conservatives would give particular priority to the following:
Services for people with learning difficulties,
Mental health services, especially supported employment or training, and access to education and suitable housing;
Government should not crowd out the voluntary and independent sectors from providing social care and health services. Each sector has a role to play. Health and social care commissioners should do more to nurture the voluntary and independent sectors and ensure that contracts and fee levels are fair and sustainable.
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A stable and enterprising economy is the basis of a strong, caring society. Wales is an integral part of the British economy, but there is much scope for ‘made in Wales’ policies. That is what successful devolution is all about.
>”Wales is an integral part of the British economy,” most people think of Wales as underdeveloped, or the lame duck economically – that’s the basis for most of the, ‘Wales will crash and burn’ doomsday scenario, but now its an integral part of the UK economy maybe we can stand alone as an independent country.
The challenges posed by globalisation cannot be ignored, but they should not be exaggerated. New opportunities exist that were previously undreamt of and cover fields as diverse as IT and fine food and drink, to more traditional products. Welsh Conservatives believe that at heart Wales is an enterprising nation. We need a Welsh Assembly Government that helps enterprise to flourish in local communities throughout Wales.
>So how will you encourage this, reduction of business rates / reduction of corporation of tax how?
Welsh Conservatives would introduce an Assembly Measure to promote and reward enterprise. This Measure would be the first step towards making Wales the most business friendly location in Europe. Small and medium sized businesses would be rewarded for: meeting energy conservation targets; reducing use of motor vehicles; allowing flexible working, e.g. for people with caring responsibilities; providing childcare.
Key to this reform would be an expanded business rate relief scheme financed through our investment fund. Small businesses, post offices and pubs would benefit throughout Wales.
Cutting red tape. The Welsh Assembly Government would be required to review all European regulations that it can adapt or influence to lighten the regulatory burden on business. The same procedure would apply to all Welsh Assembly Government legislation.
Page 12
Welsh Conservatives would ensure that Wales once again becomes one of the most competitive locations in Europe for large scale investments.
>How
Cohesion Funding: Creating Wealth in West Wales and the Valleys Welsh Conservatives believe that the private sector must become the driving force behind a successful cohesion funding programme. The SME sector in particular must be expanded if long-term development and wealth creation is
ensure that more Welsh companies tender for public contracts, and aim for 60% or more of procurement to be Welsh based (subject to EU regulations);
Social enterprise can empower key groups such as disabled people and the economically inactive. Welsh Conservatives embrace the co-operative ethos.
Encourage the growth of credit unions;
>What is a credit union? The Conservatives seem eager to commit businesses to develop the Welsh economy but what are they going to do, directly, especially as the manifesto subtitle says “creating wealth in West Wales and the Valleys” doesn’t that imply that some areas of Wales doesn’t have the business infrastructure to support such schemes.
The Business Eye initiative has had some solid success as a ‘signposter’ but it needs a more devolved mechanism that places the power of commissioning with local businesses.
Teamwork for more childcare Welsh Conservatives want to see more teamwork in the Welsh Assembly Government to improve access to childcare. Parents across Wales need greater access to affordable, high quality childcare.
Introduce incentives for employers to provide flexible working times for parents and carers, and new childcare facilities; encourage the development of after-school clubs and other
Forms of supervised activity; emphasise the provision of high quality childcare as part of the strategy to eradicate child poverty;
>I have to interject my commentary just to say how poorly laid out the conservative manifesto is they have what I can only describe a “policy boxes” in a seemingly random places throughout the document bearing no relation to subject that it intersects, it is distracting and detracts from the point that the document is trying to make.
Page 13
A modern communications network requires a careful balance between the different modes of transport and, above all, depends upon greater integration between rail, road, air
and other forms of transport. Public transport plays a vital part in any transport strategy and the Welsh Conservative Party believes that its role should be expanded.
encourage local authorities and the private sector to develop or expand car sharing schemes and ‘park and ride’ facilities;
improve commuter rail services through investment in rolling stock, station improvement, new signaling technology, and passing loops, to be funded by the Cohesion programme;
offer grant support financed by our investment fund to local authorities to introduce integrated public transport passes to allow people to utilise buses, trains, and community transport;
seek to establish a sustainable travel demonstration town or city in Wales to increase levels of walking and cycling;
set the following priorities for the road building programme:
the improvement of the A470 through the provision of passing points and by-passes;
a modern link road to Cardiff International Airport;
the dualling of the A40 to Fishguard;
work with Cardiff International Airport to increase the number of routes to Europe’s principal commercial centres, such as Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan and Barcelona.
Wales is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, but still far too few tourists are aware of our unique attractions. Ambitious marketing is the key to increasing the number of visitors to Wales. Welsh Conservatives would:
ensure that the Welsh Assembly Government’s tourism budget promotes a long-term marketing strategy linked to key attractions such as Wales as a location for walking holidays and adventure sports;
launch a Green Dragon marque for tourist facilities that meet sustainable development objectives;
highlight the cultural attractions of Wales such as Eisteddfodau and the uniqueness of the Welsh language, the Victorian architecture of Cardiff, and medieval Wales and its castles;
promote the voluntary bed and breakfast accreditation scheme. Participants would receive free marketing in a variety of official publications;
reject all forms of tourist taxes such as a bed tax.
>Is it just me being ignorant, but what is Eisteddfodau? Is that the plural or Eisteddfod? Well I suppose that is what you would consider joined up thinking: developing air travel from Cardiff and encourage tourism. But how will they reconcile the pollution from the increased air travel with their determination to cut C02 emissions?
We would establish the post of Chief Scientific Officer to the Welsh Assembly Government. The first tasks of the Chief Scientific Officer would be to review the teaching of science in Welsh schools, colleges and universities, and to produce a comprehensive science strategy for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Page 15
Welsh Conservative government would seek to introduce an Assembly Measure on energy so that in Wales we can set an outstanding example for other nations.
Welsh Conservatives would provide every household in Wales with £20 worth of energy saving light bulbs financed by our investment fund. Homes across the nation would
>Previously, they said they want to increase air travel out of Cardiff and now they want to reduce the countries footprint. I wonder what plans they have to off set any developments in air travel. Plaid wanted to establish a forest of native trees, to act as a carbon sink. I wait in anticipation of the conservative approach.
>Additionally, the conservatives are putting a lot of store in this investment fund, which makes it difficult for me to pick holes in it (compared to plaid – who were very forthcoming). Because if they have mentioned the value of such funds I’ve either missed it, or haven’t had the requisite knowledge for it to register and apply it to analysing this document.
We want to see all the green technologies come forward and play their part, but nuclear cannot be ruled out. Welsh Conservatives would be prepared to replace the Wylfa nuclear power station as part of a wide ranging policy to reduce reliance on carbon based energy.
>Hopefully, this means that the conservatives would invest (probably via their much fabled investment fund) in new technologies, which can be developed and made in Wales, adding an economic and skills benefit in Wales – however they haven’t said that explicitly – they just seem keen to increase renewables and not rule out nuclear.
>In my opinion, the opposition to nuclear is slightly erroneous. I base this on the fact that the majority of opposition is based around nuclear waste. Now this could just be the way I think, but surely it is better to have a fuel source that leaves a physical waste that you can dispose of in a managed and safe way. Rather than having it pumped irresponsibly into the atmosphere to do what damage it may.
Far too much waste goes to landfill. We need to recycle waste more efficiently and reduce the high level of packaging that smothers so many products.
>They give no details of how they would reduce packaging.
Give greater freedom to planning authorities to provide more land for affordable housing, especially in rural areas;
Require developers to measure the carbon footprint of developments;
>They don’t say require developers to reduce the carbon footprint.
Farmers are in the front line of protecting our environment. They also underpin rural communities. Welsh Conservatives believe that farming must be properly valued and we do not want to see large tracts of land abandoned. People all over Wales want to enjoy a well-managed countryside.
Page 16
Permit grant funding for renewable projects such as tidal power, bio-fuels, and hydro power;
Offer business users grant support for micro and community generation schemes as part of the business rate reform policy;
Devolve the planning process for renewable power generation projects over 50 MWs;
Devolve building regulations to the National Assembly.
Develop a strategy for the growth of biomass crops in Wales. Biomass technology has a key part to play in the provision of more renewable energy but the current competitive disadvantage Wales suffers compared to England must be removed.
Welsh Conservatives would look to enter into a partnership with farmers and the public to:
Manage the countryside responsibly, such as maintaining footpaths.
>The more I read of this manifesto the more bemusing it seems to become, it seems to be a manifesto saying if we get into power this is what we seek to make you do.
Launch a Welsh Food and Drink strategy to:
Increase the ‘value added’ element in production by taking opportunities to finish products nearer the farm gate;
Market Welsh food and drink with a special charter mark;
>Moving Welsh goods into a niche and more lucrative market.
Page 17
Welsh Conservatives want to protect and nurture the rural way of life. Welsh Conservatives would:
Act on the body of evidence regarding bovine TB. We would implement a strategy to control bovine TB and use those methods proven to be effective;
>Isn’t badger culling a proven method of controlling bovine TB?
In co-operation with the UK Government, strengthen security at ports and airports to prevent communicable animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth, entering the country;
>What do they mean in cooperation with – that is solely the responsibly of the British government, so what are they saying they will petition the British government to do this...
Create an enterprise grant scheme for young farmers entering the industry.
Welsh Conservatives believe that farmers and land managers should be encouraged to maximise the biodiversity opportunities that come from sensitive land-use and the development of well-managed ecosystem services. We are committed to the goal of ending the loss of biodiversity in Wales by 2010.
>Well, isn’t global warming responsible for some loss of biodiversity as the climate warms up it changes the conditions that some animals are adapted to. So this goal might be some what ambitions
Prohibit development on Sites of Special Scientific Interest unless sanctioned by a vote of the National Assembly;
Page 19
A good education opens the door to life’s opportunities. Good schools don’t just teach children how to read, write and add up. A good school inspires young people to learn and follow their interests, and teaches them to be responsible adults.
>Hear, hear.
We believe that Welsh schools should receive their basic core funding directly from the Welsh Assembly Government and on a three year budgetary cycle. Given this financial security, schools would be able to develop innovative business plans for development.
Use our investment fund to move to close the gap between the amount spent per pupil in England and Wales by 2011;
>Just how much money is in this investment fund – it has got to be empty soon.
Encourage LEAs to implement an IT strategy to make schools in Wales world leaders;
>Yes, Make Wales a world leading nation – why is this the first time this sentiment has been espoused?
Strengthen the ‘A’ level qualification, but allow for choice in developing a robust Welsh baccalaureate with a core element in the range of 10 to 12 hours per week, and support schools offering the International Baccalaureate;
>Surely schools which are good (which traditionally denotes that they are in well off, economically, areas will opt out of A levels and take up the International Baccalaureate.) reinforcing and increasing the economic inequities in Wales.
review Special Educational Needs policy in light of the Assembly’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee’s reports; and improve the statementing process for children with Special Educational Needs; encourage the development of specialist schools, and
No school can be successful unless it is a healthy and safe environment in which all pupils can develop and prepare for the opportunities of adult life. Rewarding good behaviour and honest endeavour is as important as recognising academic excellence. While schools are much
More than buildings, a Welsh Conservative government would address the shortfall in capital spending that has developed in Wales.
Welsh Conservatives would launch a Wellbeing Strategy with the development of the whole child at its heart. It would ensure that:
Schools are served by a strengthened network of school nurses;
>The same as Plaid
A food and nutrition strategy is launched to improve the quality of school dinners and promote knowledge of food and cooking among all pupils;
our investment fund supports the introduction of a modern school transport system based on the use of single deck buses and appropriate supervision (or CCTV) and an end to the ‘three-to-a-seat’ rule;
>They really are building up this investment fund, and as you can probably tell I am not impressed. Modern school transport is good provided that parents use it and don’t continue to drop their children off at schools in cars to ensure that someone else who is dropping off their children at school doesn’t knock them over with theirs.
Abolishing the requirement to provide free school breakfasts, and focusing on activities such as after-school clubs.
>Could have some merit, but, research indicates that a good healthy breakfast increases the ability to concentrate in class – so why would you scrap that?
Page 20
A greater focus needs to be placed on physical education in schools as a preparation for exercise throughout life.
>So what are you plans to encourage education throughout life? Or are you just preparing them for an eventuality that will only come if they are lucky?
Without the dedicated work of teachers no school would succeed. More needs to be done to support teachers and give them real responsibility over their classrooms so that they can give of their best. Other groups – such as teaching assistants and school governors – need greater support. Welsh Conservatives would:
Use our investment fund to invest in a programme of professional development for teachers, teaching assistants and governors;
>Again this investment fund. They are basing their entire spending strategy on money that doesn’t yet exist.
>I’ve just gone back over the manifesto and found out where this investment fund was founded and here it is on page 5 “All the spending commitments in this manifesto would be financed from an investment fund generated by reallocating 1% of existing Welsh Assembly Government budgets.” so when they say that the investment fund will pay for this and pay for that, they are just saying this fund will pay specifically for things that the cut in the budget would prohibit them from doing. Although it could be a vessel of making department do things that the welsh assembly haven’t got the power to compel them to do via legislation. Or it cold just be a way to make us think that they have found more money to spend, when they are just restructuring the budget. Back to page 20.
Welsh Conservatives want to see more teamwork in the Welsh Assembly Government to improve
>This phrase has been used numerously in the conservative manifesto and always precede a universally agreeable statement, in this case “children’s services” so I think that this is the clearest statement that the conservatives expect a coalition for the next assembly government and therefore this is a tacit confirmation that they would be approachable for constructing a government. But if this manifesto is anything to go by I don’t think that they will gain any seats, it’s an appalling and uninspiring piece. Although the Plaid manifesto hit on some critical areas for me and has made me think that I am more socialist than I ever thought that I was.
If Wales is to achieve economic success in a highly competitive global economy, colleges and universities require greater investment and support.
>Please don’t say investment fund.
Invest in Higher Education, using our investment fund to move to close the funding gap that has opened up between Wales and England;
>Damn
encourage the growth of the Research and Development sector, including HE – private sector partnerships, to add much needed vitality to the knowledge economy;
>Excellent, enable business to help educate students so they have the skills the private sector needs plus if the university develop technologies I hope that they will have a cut in any wealth that is accrued via the use of this technology.
Examine ways to increase the amount of medical research undertaken in Wales;
>Same again.
Make Wales a more attractive choice for non-EU students by introducing a work permit scheme;
>As long as we don’t loose sight of educating Welsh people at Welsh universities.
Focus on key skills and examine the recommendations of the Leitch Review;
>Remind me to google the Leitch Review
The success of Welsh medium education is rightly a matter in which we can all take great pride. Welsh Conservatives are committed to ensuring the continued success of Welsh medium nursery, primary and secondary education and will respond to parental demand to see it expanded. However, a concerted effort is now needed to increase the number of
Further and Higher Education courses available in Welsh.
>Near enough to damn it the same as Plaid
Page 23
The lack of affordable housing blights many lives. It deprives communities all over Wales because young people are forced to leave their local areas.
Welsh
Conservatives would involve mortgage lenders, builders, landlords, housing associations, local authorities, tenants and other key groups in the development of our housing strategy.
>Would it include the WAG too? At least they didn’t say investment fund!
Inject an extra £16 million each year from our investment fund into the housing budget to increase the number of affordable houses being built, especially in rural areas;
>Spoke too soon
encourage home ownership – or part ownership – as a means to promote regeneration in the most deprived communities;
>Not sure how that would work.
Take the requirement to meet the WHQS as an opportunity to promote local regeneration by using local businesses and local skilled workers whenever possible;
>Good, spending Welsh public money on Welsh businesses.
Page 24
Communities cannot thrive unless people feel safe on the streets and secure at home. Many people feel let down by the authorities as the problems of alcohol and drug abuse are not properly tackled and remain the source of much crime and anti-social behaviour. We all have a role to play in tackling these problems – families, schools, the police, and local communities.
>The assembly doesn’t have power over policing.
Increase the number of alcohol and drug detox places, including residential care;
Create a network of local warden resource centres to tackle petty crime and anti-social behaviour;
>So does local warden resource centres mean a new layer of police style enforcements – community support officers, local wardens and the police? Is this how they are going to assume some domino over law enforcement.
Page 25
Look at the feasibility of ending compulsory retirement in the public sector by 2011.
Welsh Conservatives want to see community Post Offices flourishing all over Wales. Post Offices are at the heart of communities and offer a range of services to local people.
Many Welsh Assembly Government services and initiatives – such as economic and social regeneration – could do more to utilise the facilities of Post Offices.
Re-establish and enhance the Post Office development fund, investing £4 million in the scheme annually financed by our investment fund;
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Welsh Conservatives celebrate our nation's cultural achievements. Our language is one of Europe's most distinguished with a literary tradition stretching back 1,400 years. The arts flourish in Wales: in Welsh and English language literature, painting and sculpture, and in the performing arts. In the National Eisteddfod, Wales has one of the biggest and most vibrant cultural events in the world. Welsh Conservatives also celebrate Welsh sporting success and we want to see it grow. Sadly, Welsh Labour has failed to build on these successes. Labour's policies have been bossy and bureaucratic. Rather than fostering unity, Labour have helped to create unprecedented division in the cultural arena.
Welsh Conservatives believe that Welsh should be given official language status and that an independent language commissioner should be created. Partly as a result of Conservative policies between 1979-97, the number of Welsh speakers has increased for the first time since 1891, according to the 2001 census.
>Official language statement - my dad will not be pleased he dismisses Plaid as language extremists, but then he also says that Plaid is responsible for the FWA and the MG movement (ALL OF WHICH ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED AND JUST ILLUSTRATE HIS ALMOST RACIST ATTITUDE TOWARDS WELSH NATIONALISM)
We need to take another bold step and commit ourselves to the goal of creating a truly bilingual nation. A Welsh Conservative government would establish a language recovery unit to examine the international evidence in this area.
>Most countries in the World have bilingualism, and I don’t see how it can be a negative idea.
The National Eisteddfod and the International Eisteddfod are among the biggest cultural events held anywhere in Europe. And the Urdd Eisteddfod is a wonderful celebration of youth culture. Welsh Conservatives believe that these iconic cultural celebrations should receive reliable financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government so that the opportunities for tourism, education, and economic regeneration are fully grasped.
>Excellent
Attract more film and TV production work to Wales, taking greater advantage of the London-based market;
>I’m gonna be a star!
Promote policies to increase participation in the arts;
Identify ways to encourage audience sizes to grow;
Page 28
Welsh Conservatives believe that the arts can be used to illustrate the confidence and vitality of Welsh society. More should be done to market our cultural attractions, particularly abroad.
>Making the most of what Wales has to offer.
Undertake the necessary planning and consultations to create a National Gallery in Cardiff, linked to a series of local galleries across Wales;
>Don’t we already have this? Or are they talking about specifically art as painting?
Welsh Conservatives want to see greater emphasis placed on sport in schools and a general increase in sporting and leisure activities in the community. The voluntary sector is crucial to achieving a more active, sporting nation. Welsh Conservatives have already strengthened the secondary legislation to protect playing fields. We would take this principle further and introduce an Assembly Measure to protect playing fields, parks and open spaces in urban areas.
Nevertheless, here is my commentary on the Welsh Conservative Manifesto. This might be just me being very pedantic but the title of the document doesn’t particularly make you think that they are very optimistic about their chances:
“Vote Welsh Conservative for a change”
Page 3
This manifesto sets out how Welsh Conservatives will improve the quality of life for everyone in Wales. Our policies are made in Wales, for Wales. Better hospitals, better schools, more affordable homes, a more sustainable environment.
>The Conservative mission statements.
Conservatives believe that we’re all in this together – that we will only improve the quality of life in our neighbourhoods if we each live up to our social responsibilities.
That means parents taking responsibility for their children. Neighbours looking out for each other. Businesses and households conserving precious energy. Everyone taking part in local democracy, so that the decisions which affect the community have the whole community’s endorsement. All of us working together to make Wales and Britain stronger.
For too long, Wales has been taken for granted by a single party, Labour. As a result – and despite millions of pounds of Welsh taxpayers’ money – little seems to change.
>It’s true Labour have taken their support for granted, and not delivered on their promises.
Page 5
Stability is the bedrock of economic success. We cannot have stability without sound money and a tight grip on public spending. Welsh Conservatives would spend the same as Labour overall on public services, but we would spend the Assembly’s block grant more effectively. All the spending commitments in this manifesto would be financed from an investment fund
Page 7
The NHS is our priority. Welsh Conservatives want to provide a first class NHS, free to all. We are committed to improving the NHS for everyone, rather than helping the few opt out.
We have a vision for the NHS and healthcare in Wales which trusts doctors and nurses. Professional responsibility, not state control,
>Well that makes sense, doctors and nurses know more about the clinical needs in Wales it should be up to clinicians to decide on the NHS priorities rather than politicians responding to media pressure (i.e. the massive increase of cancer treatment at the expense of STD treatments, and the use of expensive drugs like herceptin, which is partially the result of excellent marketing by the pharmaceutical companies).
Work with hospitals to improve nutrition and provide appetising food and clean wards;
Promote independent living at home by reducing inappropriate admissions to hospital and expanding the direct payments scheme which allows people to control their own care budgets;
>Not sure about that idea, the conservatives just said in the previous paragraph that they wanted to trust health professionals, how then can you say that people are better at determining their health needs than their doctor?
invest an additional £10 million each year from our investment fund to produce a comprehensive palliative care strategy which would provide up to 50% of core funding for hospices and expand the role of GPs and specialist nurses in palliative care at home;
Review the dental contract to ensure better access to an NHS dentist; we would invest finance from our investment fund in orthodontic services to guarantee NHS treatment for children;
Modernise the ambulance service (including support for the air ambulance);
Fully utilise the skills of pharmacists, particularly in chronic disease management;
>Again, you would think that the doctor or consultant would be best placed for this task rather than the pharmacists. In my opinion this is healthcare on the cheap.
We would seek an Order in Council from Westminster to allow the Assembly to pass a Mental Health Reform Measure. At the heart of this reform would be the principle of the early availability of clinically appropriate treatment with coercion used only as a last resort. We need to achieve a balance between therapeutic benefit and safety of the patient with protection of the public.
Page 8
The NHS should not be a political football. Welsh Conservatives believe that change and development should proceed on the basis of consensus. The current structure of
In 2003 Sir Derek Wanless told the Assembly that a political consensus was needed to agree a way forward. Regrettably, the Labour Welsh Assembly Government has largely ignored Sir Derek’s advice and pushed ahead with its own scheme, often in the face of considerable public opposition.
Welsh Conservatives would heed the advice to seek a consensus by establishing a special commission to examine the structure of hospital services.
The time has come to end the so-called ‘Berlin Wall’ between health and social care. We believe that Unified Care Agencies offer the best way forward. These Agencies would be:
Funded by a ring-fenced grant from local authorities;
Accountable to the local authority, but at arms-length in operational matters.
We would replace the existing 22 Local Health Boards with an all-Wales commissioning body, which would develop secondary and tertiary health services.
>So they said that they want to move decisions closer to communities, and then they want to remove the local health boards surely this will make decisions further remote.
GP practices would once again play a direct role in the commissioning of secondary services.
Welsh Conservatives would support staff and carers through a series of initiatives to:
Establish carers ‘contracts’ financed by our investment fund, to support those delivering a substantial amount of care, including young carers. The right to respite care would be at the centre of the contract;
Require information on any assault on health staff to be sent to the CPS;
>Assaulting people who are there to help in your hour of need must be dealt with seriously and I as a private citizen welcome this commitment to protecting our hospital workers.
Page 9
Looked after children
Promote the right to independent advocacy for looked after children, provided by a central all-Wales organisation, rather than by local authorities;
>Again looked after children – a definition please. This policy seems to be very similar to the Plaid policy and it all seems to describe the children’s commissioner. Is this convergence of policy indicative of anything else i.e. are they using the same government report to formulate this part of the manifesto?
Provide funding out of our investment fund for the recruitment of more social workers with priority given to Children’s Services;
It is clear that standards in social care need to be improved across the range of services. However, Welsh Conservatives would give particular priority to the following:
Services for people with learning difficulties,
Mental health services, especially supported employment or training, and access to education and suitable housing;
Government should not crowd out the voluntary and independent sectors from providing social care and health services. Each sector has a role to play. Health and social care commissioners should do more to nurture the voluntary and independent sectors and ensure that contracts and fee levels are fair and sustainable.
Page 11
A stable and enterprising economy is the basis of a strong, caring society. Wales is an integral part of the British economy, but there is much scope for ‘made in Wales’ policies. That is what successful devolution is all about.
>”Wales is an integral part of the British economy,” most people think of Wales as underdeveloped, or the lame duck economically – that’s the basis for most of the, ‘Wales will crash and burn’ doomsday scenario, but now its an integral part of the UK economy maybe we can stand alone as an independent country.
The challenges posed by globalisation cannot be ignored, but they should not be exaggerated. New opportunities exist that were previously undreamt of and cover fields as diverse as IT and fine food and drink, to more traditional products. Welsh Conservatives believe that at heart Wales is an enterprising nation. We need a Welsh Assembly Government that helps enterprise to flourish in local communities throughout Wales.
>So how will you encourage this, reduction of business rates / reduction of corporation of tax how?
Welsh Conservatives would introduce an Assembly Measure to promote and reward enterprise. This Measure would be the first step towards making Wales the most business friendly location in Europe. Small and medium sized businesses would be rewarded for: meeting energy conservation targets; reducing use of motor vehicles; allowing flexible working, e.g. for people with caring responsibilities; providing childcare.
Key to this reform would be an expanded business rate relief scheme financed through our investment fund. Small businesses, post offices and pubs would benefit throughout Wales.
Cutting red tape. The Welsh Assembly Government would be required to review all European regulations that it can adapt or influence to lighten the regulatory burden on business. The same procedure would apply to all Welsh Assembly Government legislation.
Page 12
Welsh Conservatives would ensure that Wales once again becomes one of the most competitive locations in Europe for large scale investments.
>How
Cohesion Funding: Creating Wealth in West Wales and the Valleys Welsh Conservatives believe that the private sector must become the driving force behind a successful cohesion funding programme. The SME sector in particular must be expanded if long-term development and wealth creation is
ensure that more Welsh companies tender for public contracts, and aim for 60% or more of procurement to be Welsh based (subject to EU regulations);
Social enterprise can empower key groups such as disabled people and the economically inactive. Welsh Conservatives embrace the co-operative ethos.
Encourage the growth of credit unions;
>What is a credit union? The Conservatives seem eager to commit businesses to develop the Welsh economy but what are they going to do, directly, especially as the manifesto subtitle says “creating wealth in West Wales and the Valleys” doesn’t that imply that some areas of Wales doesn’t have the business infrastructure to support such schemes.
The Business Eye initiative has had some solid success as a ‘signposter’ but it needs a more devolved mechanism that places the power of commissioning with local businesses.
Teamwork for more childcare Welsh Conservatives want to see more teamwork in the Welsh Assembly Government to improve access to childcare. Parents across Wales need greater access to affordable, high quality childcare.
Introduce incentives for employers to provide flexible working times for parents and carers, and new childcare facilities; encourage the development of after-school clubs and other
Forms of supervised activity; emphasise the provision of high quality childcare as part of the strategy to eradicate child poverty;
>I have to interject my commentary just to say how poorly laid out the conservative manifesto is they have what I can only describe a “policy boxes” in a seemingly random places throughout the document bearing no relation to subject that it intersects, it is distracting and detracts from the point that the document is trying to make.
Page 13
A modern communications network requires a careful balance between the different modes of transport and, above all, depends upon greater integration between rail, road, air
and other forms of transport. Public transport plays a vital part in any transport strategy and the Welsh Conservative Party believes that its role should be expanded.
encourage local authorities and the private sector to develop or expand car sharing schemes and ‘park and ride’ facilities;
improve commuter rail services through investment in rolling stock, station improvement, new signaling technology, and passing loops, to be funded by the Cohesion programme;
offer grant support financed by our investment fund to local authorities to introduce integrated public transport passes to allow people to utilise buses, trains, and community transport;
seek to establish a sustainable travel demonstration town or city in Wales to increase levels of walking and cycling;
set the following priorities for the road building programme:
the improvement of the A470 through the provision of passing points and by-passes;
a modern link road to Cardiff International Airport;
the dualling of the A40 to Fishguard;
work with Cardiff International Airport to increase the number of routes to Europe’s principal commercial centres, such as Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan and Barcelona.
Wales is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, but still far too few tourists are aware of our unique attractions. Ambitious marketing is the key to increasing the number of visitors to Wales. Welsh Conservatives would:
ensure that the Welsh Assembly Government’s tourism budget promotes a long-term marketing strategy linked to key attractions such as Wales as a location for walking holidays and adventure sports;
launch a Green Dragon marque for tourist facilities that meet sustainable development objectives;
highlight the cultural attractions of Wales such as Eisteddfodau and the uniqueness of the Welsh language, the Victorian architecture of Cardiff, and medieval Wales and its castles;
promote the voluntary bed and breakfast accreditation scheme. Participants would receive free marketing in a variety of official publications;
reject all forms of tourist taxes such as a bed tax.
>Is it just me being ignorant, but what is Eisteddfodau? Is that the plural or Eisteddfod? Well I suppose that is what you would consider joined up thinking: developing air travel from Cardiff and encourage tourism. But how will they reconcile the pollution from the increased air travel with their determination to cut C02 emissions?
We would establish the post of Chief Scientific Officer to the Welsh Assembly Government. The first tasks of the Chief Scientific Officer would be to review the teaching of science in Welsh schools, colleges and universities, and to produce a comprehensive science strategy for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Page 15
Welsh Conservative government would seek to introduce an Assembly Measure on energy so that in Wales we can set an outstanding example for other nations.
Welsh Conservatives would provide every household in Wales with £20 worth of energy saving light bulbs financed by our investment fund. Homes across the nation would
>Previously, they said they want to increase air travel out of Cardiff and now they want to reduce the countries footprint. I wonder what plans they have to off set any developments in air travel. Plaid wanted to establish a forest of native trees, to act as a carbon sink. I wait in anticipation of the conservative approach.
>Additionally, the conservatives are putting a lot of store in this investment fund, which makes it difficult for me to pick holes in it (compared to plaid – who were very forthcoming). Because if they have mentioned the value of such funds I’ve either missed it, or haven’t had the requisite knowledge for it to register and apply it to analysing this document.
We want to see all the green technologies come forward and play their part, but nuclear cannot be ruled out. Welsh Conservatives would be prepared to replace the Wylfa nuclear power station as part of a wide ranging policy to reduce reliance on carbon based energy.
>Hopefully, this means that the conservatives would invest (probably via their much fabled investment fund) in new technologies, which can be developed and made in Wales, adding an economic and skills benefit in Wales – however they haven’t said that explicitly – they just seem keen to increase renewables and not rule out nuclear.
>In my opinion, the opposition to nuclear is slightly erroneous. I base this on the fact that the majority of opposition is based around nuclear waste. Now this could just be the way I think, but surely it is better to have a fuel source that leaves a physical waste that you can dispose of in a managed and safe way. Rather than having it pumped irresponsibly into the atmosphere to do what damage it may.
Far too much waste goes to landfill. We need to recycle waste more efficiently and reduce the high level of packaging that smothers so many products.
>They give no details of how they would reduce packaging.
Give greater freedom to planning authorities to provide more land for affordable housing, especially in rural areas;
Require developers to measure the carbon footprint of developments;
>They don’t say require developers to reduce the carbon footprint.
Farmers are in the front line of protecting our environment. They also underpin rural communities. Welsh Conservatives believe that farming must be properly valued and we do not want to see large tracts of land abandoned. People all over Wales want to enjoy a well-managed countryside.
Page 16
Permit grant funding for renewable projects such as tidal power, bio-fuels, and hydro power;
Offer business users grant support for micro and community generation schemes as part of the business rate reform policy;
Devolve the planning process for renewable power generation projects over 50 MWs;
Devolve building regulations to the National Assembly.
Develop a strategy for the growth of biomass crops in Wales. Biomass technology has a key part to play in the provision of more renewable energy but the current competitive disadvantage Wales suffers compared to England must be removed.
Welsh Conservatives would look to enter into a partnership with farmers and the public to:
Manage the countryside responsibly, such as maintaining footpaths.
>The more I read of this manifesto the more bemusing it seems to become, it seems to be a manifesto saying if we get into power this is what we seek to make you do.
Launch a Welsh Food and Drink strategy to:
Increase the ‘value added’ element in production by taking opportunities to finish products nearer the farm gate;
Market Welsh food and drink with a special charter mark;
>Moving Welsh goods into a niche and more lucrative market.
Page 17
Welsh Conservatives want to protect and nurture the rural way of life. Welsh Conservatives would:
Act on the body of evidence regarding bovine TB. We would implement a strategy to control bovine TB and use those methods proven to be effective;
>Isn’t badger culling a proven method of controlling bovine TB?
In co-operation with the UK Government, strengthen security at ports and airports to prevent communicable animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth, entering the country;
>What do they mean in cooperation with – that is solely the responsibly of the British government, so what are they saying they will petition the British government to do this...
Create an enterprise grant scheme for young farmers entering the industry.
Welsh Conservatives believe that farmers and land managers should be encouraged to maximise the biodiversity opportunities that come from sensitive land-use and the development of well-managed ecosystem services. We are committed to the goal of ending the loss of biodiversity in Wales by 2010.
>Well, isn’t global warming responsible for some loss of biodiversity as the climate warms up it changes the conditions that some animals are adapted to. So this goal might be some what ambitions
Prohibit development on Sites of Special Scientific Interest unless sanctioned by a vote of the National Assembly;
Page 19
A good education opens the door to life’s opportunities. Good schools don’t just teach children how to read, write and add up. A good school inspires young people to learn and follow their interests, and teaches them to be responsible adults.
>Hear, hear.
We believe that Welsh schools should receive their basic core funding directly from the Welsh Assembly Government and on a three year budgetary cycle. Given this financial security, schools would be able to develop innovative business plans for development.
Use our investment fund to move to close the gap between the amount spent per pupil in England and Wales by 2011;
>Just how much money is in this investment fund – it has got to be empty soon.
Encourage LEAs to implement an IT strategy to make schools in Wales world leaders;
>Yes, Make Wales a world leading nation – why is this the first time this sentiment has been espoused?
Strengthen the ‘A’ level qualification, but allow for choice in developing a robust Welsh baccalaureate with a core element in the range of 10 to 12 hours per week, and support schools offering the International Baccalaureate;
>Surely schools which are good (which traditionally denotes that they are in well off, economically, areas will opt out of A levels and take up the International Baccalaureate.) reinforcing and increasing the economic inequities in Wales.
review Special Educational Needs policy in light of the Assembly’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee’s reports; and improve the statementing process for children with Special Educational Needs; encourage the development of specialist schools, and
No school can be successful unless it is a healthy and safe environment in which all pupils can develop and prepare for the opportunities of adult life. Rewarding good behaviour and honest endeavour is as important as recognising academic excellence. While schools are much
More than buildings, a Welsh Conservative government would address the shortfall in capital spending that has developed in Wales.
Welsh Conservatives would launch a Wellbeing Strategy with the development of the whole child at its heart. It would ensure that:
Schools are served by a strengthened network of school nurses;
>The same as Plaid
A food and nutrition strategy is launched to improve the quality of school dinners and promote knowledge of food and cooking among all pupils;
our investment fund supports the introduction of a modern school transport system based on the use of single deck buses and appropriate supervision (or CCTV) and an end to the ‘three-to-a-seat’ rule;
>They really are building up this investment fund, and as you can probably tell I am not impressed. Modern school transport is good provided that parents use it and don’t continue to drop their children off at schools in cars to ensure that someone else who is dropping off their children at school doesn’t knock them over with theirs.
Abolishing the requirement to provide free school breakfasts, and focusing on activities such as after-school clubs.
>Could have some merit, but, research indicates that a good healthy breakfast increases the ability to concentrate in class – so why would you scrap that?
Page 20
A greater focus needs to be placed on physical education in schools as a preparation for exercise throughout life.
>So what are you plans to encourage education throughout life? Or are you just preparing them for an eventuality that will only come if they are lucky?
Without the dedicated work of teachers no school would succeed. More needs to be done to support teachers and give them real responsibility over their classrooms so that they can give of their best. Other groups – such as teaching assistants and school governors – need greater support. Welsh Conservatives would:
Use our investment fund to invest in a programme of professional development for teachers, teaching assistants and governors;
>Again this investment fund. They are basing their entire spending strategy on money that doesn’t yet exist.
>I’ve just gone back over the manifesto and found out where this investment fund was founded and here it is on page 5 “All the spending commitments in this manifesto would be financed from an investment fund generated by reallocating 1% of existing Welsh Assembly Government budgets.” so when they say that the investment fund will pay for this and pay for that, they are just saying this fund will pay specifically for things that the cut in the budget would prohibit them from doing. Although it could be a vessel of making department do things that the welsh assembly haven’t got the power to compel them to do via legislation. Or it cold just be a way to make us think that they have found more money to spend, when they are just restructuring the budget. Back to page 20.
Welsh Conservatives want to see more teamwork in the Welsh Assembly Government to improve
>This phrase has been used numerously in the conservative manifesto and always precede a universally agreeable statement, in this case “children’s services” so I think that this is the clearest statement that the conservatives expect a coalition for the next assembly government and therefore this is a tacit confirmation that they would be approachable for constructing a government. But if this manifesto is anything to go by I don’t think that they will gain any seats, it’s an appalling and uninspiring piece. Although the Plaid manifesto hit on some critical areas for me and has made me think that I am more socialist than I ever thought that I was.
If Wales is to achieve economic success in a highly competitive global economy, colleges and universities require greater investment and support.
>Please don’t say investment fund.
Invest in Higher Education, using our investment fund to move to close the funding gap that has opened up between Wales and England;
>Damn
encourage the growth of the Research and Development sector, including HE – private sector partnerships, to add much needed vitality to the knowledge economy;
>Excellent, enable business to help educate students so they have the skills the private sector needs plus if the university develop technologies I hope that they will have a cut in any wealth that is accrued via the use of this technology.
Examine ways to increase the amount of medical research undertaken in Wales;
>Same again.
Make Wales a more attractive choice for non-EU students by introducing a work permit scheme;
>As long as we don’t loose sight of educating Welsh people at Welsh universities.
Focus on key skills and examine the recommendations of the Leitch Review;
>Remind me to google the Leitch Review
The success of Welsh medium education is rightly a matter in which we can all take great pride. Welsh Conservatives are committed to ensuring the continued success of Welsh medium nursery, primary and secondary education and will respond to parental demand to see it expanded. However, a concerted effort is now needed to increase the number of
Further and Higher Education courses available in Welsh.
>Near enough to damn it the same as Plaid
Page 23
The lack of affordable housing blights many lives. It deprives communities all over Wales because young people are forced to leave their local areas.
Welsh
Conservatives would involve mortgage lenders, builders, landlords, housing associations, local authorities, tenants and other key groups in the development of our housing strategy.
>Would it include the WAG too? At least they didn’t say investment fund!
Inject an extra £16 million each year from our investment fund into the housing budget to increase the number of affordable houses being built, especially in rural areas;
>Spoke too soon
encourage home ownership – or part ownership – as a means to promote regeneration in the most deprived communities;
>Not sure how that would work.
Take the requirement to meet the WHQS as an opportunity to promote local regeneration by using local businesses and local skilled workers whenever possible;
>Good, spending Welsh public money on Welsh businesses.
Page 24
Communities cannot thrive unless people feel safe on the streets and secure at home. Many people feel let down by the authorities as the problems of alcohol and drug abuse are not properly tackled and remain the source of much crime and anti-social behaviour. We all have a role to play in tackling these problems – families, schools, the police, and local communities.
>The assembly doesn’t have power over policing.
Increase the number of alcohol and drug detox places, including residential care;
Create a network of local warden resource centres to tackle petty crime and anti-social behaviour;
>So does local warden resource centres mean a new layer of police style enforcements – community support officers, local wardens and the police? Is this how they are going to assume some domino over law enforcement.
Page 25
Look at the feasibility of ending compulsory retirement in the public sector by 2011.
Welsh Conservatives want to see community Post Offices flourishing all over Wales. Post Offices are at the heart of communities and offer a range of services to local people.
Many Welsh Assembly Government services and initiatives – such as economic and social regeneration – could do more to utilise the facilities of Post Offices.
Re-establish and enhance the Post Office development fund, investing £4 million in the scheme annually financed by our investment fund;
Page 27
Welsh Conservatives celebrate our nation's cultural achievements. Our language is one of Europe's most distinguished with a literary tradition stretching back 1,400 years. The arts flourish in Wales: in Welsh and English language literature, painting and sculpture, and in the performing arts. In the National Eisteddfod, Wales has one of the biggest and most vibrant cultural events in the world. Welsh Conservatives also celebrate Welsh sporting success and we want to see it grow. Sadly, Welsh Labour has failed to build on these successes. Labour's policies have been bossy and bureaucratic. Rather than fostering unity, Labour have helped to create unprecedented division in the cultural arena.
Welsh Conservatives believe that Welsh should be given official language status and that an independent language commissioner should be created. Partly as a result of Conservative policies between 1979-97, the number of Welsh speakers has increased for the first time since 1891, according to the 2001 census.
>Official language statement - my dad will not be pleased he dismisses Plaid as language extremists, but then he also says that Plaid is responsible for the FWA and the MG movement (ALL OF WHICH ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED AND JUST ILLUSTRATE HIS ALMOST RACIST ATTITUDE TOWARDS WELSH NATIONALISM)
We need to take another bold step and commit ourselves to the goal of creating a truly bilingual nation. A Welsh Conservative government would establish a language recovery unit to examine the international evidence in this area.
>Most countries in the World have bilingualism, and I don’t see how it can be a negative idea.
The National Eisteddfod and the International Eisteddfod are among the biggest cultural events held anywhere in Europe. And the Urdd Eisteddfod is a wonderful celebration of youth culture. Welsh Conservatives believe that these iconic cultural celebrations should receive reliable financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government so that the opportunities for tourism, education, and economic regeneration are fully grasped.
>Excellent
Attract more film and TV production work to Wales, taking greater advantage of the London-based market;
>I’m gonna be a star!
Promote policies to increase participation in the arts;
Identify ways to encourage audience sizes to grow;
Page 28
Welsh Conservatives believe that the arts can be used to illustrate the confidence and vitality of Welsh society. More should be done to market our cultural attractions, particularly abroad.
>Making the most of what Wales has to offer.
Undertake the necessary planning and consultations to create a National Gallery in Cardiff, linked to a series of local galleries across Wales;
>Don’t we already have this? Or are they talking about specifically art as painting?
Welsh Conservatives want to see greater emphasis placed on sport in schools and a general increase in sporting and leisure activities in the community. The voluntary sector is crucial to achieving a more active, sporting nation. Welsh Conservatives have already strengthened the secondary legislation to protect playing fields. We would take this principle further and introduce an Assembly Measure to protect playing fields, parks and open spaces in urban areas.
.
>Again, same as Plaid, but it is still a good idea. Although there is still no mention of the creation of new green spaces although they have said that they want to increase the number of new homes.
Prepare a bid by 2011 to host the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff-Newport in 2018 or 2022;
>Similar to Plaid but still HURRAH
Encourage the development of countryside pursuits and adventure sports such as walking, canoeing, climbing, riding, shooting, and fishing;
>Hurrah.
Emphasise the need to exercise for life and identify ways of improving ‘access for all’ to sporting and leisure facilities, and ensure that the needs of disabled people are addressed;
Ensure that training venues in Wales are properly marketed for the 2012 Olympics;
>In other words your resigned to not having any Olympic events in Wales, which kind of goes against the encouragement of sporting events.
Page 31
Sir Jeremy Beecham’s useful report Beyond Boundaries recommends the publication of local annual reports on public services.
Use our investment fund to introduce a £100 council tax discount for pensioner households each year;
>An advantage of living with my grandfather. (You guessed its this Investment fund again)
Ten years ago the people of Wales narrowly voted for devolution. Since then, with devolution in practice in Wales and Scotland and potentially in Northern Ireland, more and more people believe devolution is necessary for a strong Britain.
>I believe that it is becoming increasingly necessary for English Devolution in order for it to remain a strong union, in an America style federal system or a Swiss system.
Labour has undermined the devolution settlement that the people of Wales voted for in 1997. Cynically, and despite the condemnation of the independent Electoral Commission, Labour manipulated the Assembly’s election rules for partisan gain.
>True.
Seek to restore the reputation of Wales by abolishing the Labour Party’s much condemned manipulation of the Assembly’s election rules.
>THIS MUST HAPPEN WHAT EVER PARTY GETS IN!
Seek to establish St. David’s Day as a national holiday; introduce a Welsh symbol on car number plates; ensure that a separate Welsh option appears on census forms together with a question on the use of Welsh; petition the Queen to establish a Welsh order of chivalry.
>A Welsh order of Chivalry?
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>Again, same as Plaid, but it is still a good idea. Although there is still no mention of the creation of new green spaces although they have said that they want to increase the number of new homes.
Prepare a bid by 2011 to host the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff-Newport in 2018 or 2022;
>Similar to Plaid but still HURRAH
Encourage the development of countryside pursuits and adventure sports such as walking, canoeing, climbing, riding, shooting, and fishing;
>Hurrah.
Emphasise the need to exercise for life and identify ways of improving ‘access for all’ to sporting and leisure facilities, and ensure that the needs of disabled people are addressed;
Ensure that training venues in Wales are properly marketed for the 2012 Olympics;
>In other words your resigned to not having any Olympic events in Wales, which kind of goes against the encouragement of sporting events.
Page 31
Sir Jeremy Beecham’s useful report Beyond Boundaries recommends the publication of local annual reports on public services.
Use our investment fund to introduce a £100 council tax discount for pensioner households each year;
>An advantage of living with my grandfather. (You guessed its this Investment fund again)
Ten years ago the people of Wales narrowly voted for devolution. Since then, with devolution in practice in Wales and Scotland and potentially in Northern Ireland, more and more people believe devolution is necessary for a strong Britain.
>I believe that it is becoming increasingly necessary for English Devolution in order for it to remain a strong union, in an America style federal system or a Swiss system.
Labour has undermined the devolution settlement that the people of Wales voted for in 1997. Cynically, and despite the condemnation of the independent Electoral Commission, Labour manipulated the Assembly’s election rules for partisan gain.
>True.
Seek to restore the reputation of Wales by abolishing the Labour Party’s much condemned manipulation of the Assembly’s election rules.
>THIS MUST HAPPEN WHAT EVER PARTY GETS IN!
Seek to establish St. David’s Day as a national holiday; introduce a Welsh symbol on car number plates; ensure that a separate Welsh option appears on census forms together with a question on the use of Welsh; petition the Queen to establish a Welsh order of chivalry.
>A Welsh order of Chivalry?
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