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SNP, Plaid Cymru and Greens plan to join forces against austerity SNP, Plaid Cymru and Greens plan to join forces against austerity
(about 1 hour later)
The Scottish National party, Wales’s Plaid Cymru and the Green party have said they plan to unite wherever possible to combat the austerity policies of the three mainstream political parties.The Scottish National party, Wales’s Plaid Cymru and the Green party have said they plan to unite wherever possible to combat the austerity policies of the three mainstream political parties.
At a meeting to discuss the possibility of a future coalition government after the general election in 2015, the three party leaders – the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, the Green party’s Natalie Bennett and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood – said the next general election would be an opportunity to change politics and “battle the Westminster parties’ obsession with austerity”.At a meeting to discuss the possibility of a future coalition government after the general election in 2015, the three party leaders – the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, the Green party’s Natalie Bennett and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood – said the next general election would be an opportunity to change politics and “battle the Westminster parties’ obsession with austerity”.
All three parties have previously said they would consider going into government together and none have ruled out a coalition with Labour, though all have ruled out forming a coalition with the Conservative party.All three parties have previously said they would consider going into government together and none have ruled out a coalition with Labour, though all have ruled out forming a coalition with the Conservative party.
In a speech given by Sturgeon at an SNP rally in Glasgow last month, the SNP leader said that in the event of a hung parliament she would “seek common cause in a balanced parliament with progressive forces across the regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland to rebalance the UK in political and economic terms”. In a speech at an SNP rally in Glasgow last month, Nicola Sturgeon said that, in the event of a hung parliament, she would “seek common cause in a balanced parliament with progressive forces across the regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland to rebalance the UK in political and economic terms”.
Referring to the fact that the leaders of the Greens and Plaid are both women, she said: “Westminster be warned. The age of female politics is here and it’s not going away.” Referring to the fact that the leaders of the Greens and Plaid Cymruare both women, she said: “Westminster be warned. The age of female politics is here and it’s not going away.”
Sturgeon met the two leaders on Monday after meeting David Cameron for the first time since she was sworn in as SNP leader last month. A Downing Street spokesperson said the meeting had been “very cordial and constructive” and had focused on extending voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland and moving further powers to dictate welfare policy to the Scottish government. Sturgeon met the two leaders on Monday after meeting David Cameron for the first time since she was sworn in as SNP leader last month. A Downing Street spokesperson said the meeting had been “very cordial and constructive” and had focused on extending voting rights to 16-year-olds in Scotland and handing the Scottish government further powers to dictate welfare policy.
According to this Sunday’s YouGov and Sunday Times polling, the SNP, Greens and Plaid would win 11% of the vote in total, compared with 16% for Ukip and 32% for both the Conservatives and Labour. The SNP currently has six MPs in Westminster, Plaid Cymru has three and the Green party has one. According to a poll on Sunday by YouGov and the Sunday Times, the SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru would win 11% of the vote in total, compared with 16% for Ukip and 32% each for the Conservatives and Labour. The SNP has six MPs in Westminster, Plaid Cymru has three and the Green party has one.
“It’s clear that many people are fed up with the Westminster austerity consensus and the three of our parties offer an alternative to that, not that you’d see much of that from the media coverage,” Wood told the BBC after the meeting. “The media seems to be concentrating on the right of the political spectrum and not what’s happening on the left,” she said, adding that the smaller left-of-centre parties had not been invited to join television election debates.“It’s clear that many people are fed up with the Westminster austerity consensus and the three of our parties offer an alternative to that, not that you’d see much of that from the media coverage,” Wood told the BBC after the meeting. “The media seems to be concentrating on the right of the political spectrum and not what’s happening on the left,” she said, adding that the smaller left-of-centre parties had not been invited to join television election debates.