Local elections 2012: Plaid Cymru is offering hope, rather than living in fear

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/01/plaid-cymru-welsh-elections

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In the Welsh local election campaign, as replicated in other parts of the UK, people have been urged to "send a message to David Cameron" by Labour party politicians and candidates. I'm no fan of the Con-Dems with their socially regressive, ideologically driven political agenda; however, I find Labour's mantra frankly depressing and negative. Here in Wales they have neglected to produce a national manifesto for this campaign. Where is their positive programme? Is it because they have a deficit of ideas, or did they fear that a national manifesto would dilute the anti-Westminster message?

This is not the first time we have heard this mantra from Labour. Last May, during the Welsh assembly elections, First Minister Carwyn Jones resembled a stuck record by continuously appealing to people to vote for his party as it would "stand up for Wales" against the Westminster coalition. The minority Labour government that was formed after the election has complained a lot, but we have few signs of them fulfilling their promise to protect Wales from David Cameron's cuts.

The last 12 months of the Welsh government has been characterised by legislative inertia. Next to no use has been made of the new law-making powers all four major Welsh parties campaigned so hard for in March last year. We've seen no evidence of their willingness to roll their sleeves up and do something about our problems. Their call to send a message to Cameron is all the more implausible the second time around; it has a very hollow ring.

What would be the point of sending a message to Cameron when the only two Labour-run local authorities in Wales have the worst record for treatment of their employees? Both Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough councils have ripped up contracts and imposed significantly worse terms and conditions on some of their lowest paid staff in recent times. In the case of Rhondda Cynon Taf, the local authority threatened to "lock out" workers if they did not sign up to what was, in some cases, a 40% pay cut. A GMB union official described the local authority's behaviour as "gunboat diplomacy".

Plaid Cymru has sought to do things very differently. We are, of course, prepared to hold the Westminster and Welsh governments to account and to criticise fiercely when needed. However, we also offer an alternative that is based on hope, not fear.

Our positive programme for this election is focused on how our local authorities can play a key role in safeguarding and creating jobs – to bring about real benefits to our local economies. Plaid's positive programme of economic action includes providing paid apprenticeships to support our young people, working with local businesses to help secure public procurement contracts, and providing grants and loans to fund business startups and to enable them to take on more staff. We want to bring empty properties back into use to address homelessness, as well as introduce schemes to allow local communities to benefit from the ownership and control of our natural resources.

While these are all policies that can be replicated in all nations of the UK if the political will exists, it is clear here in Wales that such policies cannot be put in place unless we decide to take the initiative for ourselves.

I am hoping that every voter will pause and think carefully about where they place their cross tomorrow. I hope they will make their choice based on a positive programme as opposed to a negative mantra.