A smarter way of making policy? perhaps!

Plaid Cymru have produced a document of ideas for the first Welsh Parliament.  If of course the referendum is won.

Launching the document called Wales can be- Smart. Green. Healthy Ieuan Wyn Jones AM and Nerys Evans AM indicated that the ideas were produced after a period of public consultation, some of these would form part of the Plaid Cymru manifesto for the next Assembly election’s next May. Its launch was prefaced by the remark that government should not approach cuts by slicing a little here and a little there. What was needed was a reprioratising. 

So to be Smart, education needed to be  more rounded, moving from a national curriculum to a personal curriculum. The want Welsh children to be trilingual. So all children will not only have to learn English and Welsh but a third language would be introduced at the age of seven. The want to move education away from the school ‘to create for each child a virtual learning environment - using sources of learning, learning networks, learning technologies and learning methods that complement the traditional school institution.’

Its not only children we all have to be part of a learning nation. So that they would set up a 21st-century National Library Service enabling every citizen to ‘loan’ any published book. Perhaps when they’ve had a bit of this education business they might think it more appropriate that we ‘borrow’ books.

On healthy, the focus should move to ‘lifelong wellbeing’...’Taking health from the hospital to the home.’ There is going to be a co-production, no they're not talking about a film, but patients  and medics working working together to ‘improve diet, better exercise, stress management and smoking cessation’. In other words less chips, more movement and give up the fags. 

And for the food that Welsh people eat they would launch a ‘Square Meal, Square Mile - a new Welsh diet and nutrition drive based on the local food systems in every part of Wales,’

The bike would take the centre stage in making Wales greener. ‘We want to make cycling mainstream - investing in urban and rural networks of greenways, dedicated cycle routes and building peoples confidence to cycle.’  Their aim ‘ to ensure that 10% of all journeys are by bike.’ As part of the persuasion in 2012  they want to introduce a national car-free day to change our attitudes to walking, cycling and the use of public transport.

These are just a few ideas but they want to  change  the way  think ‘the nation  whose people‘s first thought is not “what I want”, but “what we can do together.” 

Comment

Even if the referendum is won and that will not be an easy task, they need to spell out what they are going to cut if they are to push with new policies