Tuesday 24 April 2012

Campaign for heart and mind


Voting will take place next week in the council elections. So this is the week the parties are giving their best shot at persuading the voter why it should be they.
Despite their leader trying to cwtch up to Labour, Plaid Cymru’s Local government spokesman Rhodri Glyn Thomas was donning his hob nails and well and truly putting the boot into the Labour Assembly government.
He was blaming Labour for not copying the SNP and making up the 10% cuts in council tax benefit that accompanied the devolving of such to the devolved countries.
He asserted that the Scottish Government had identified enough money to make up its own projected council tax benefit shortfall.  Rhodri Glyn Thomas  said that 

“Labour’s failure to act could lead to a quarter of all Welsh households, including many pensioners, paying more council tax. This would risk plunging many of them into poverty and leave them unable to pay their bills or put food on the table.”  
Not much sweetness and light there then.
Ceretainly not a good start for his leaders wish for a love-in with Labour. She wants “an open conversation about how we can go about creating a real Welsh alternative.” 
A bit rich though to urge Labour to be “prepared to stop playing politics for narrow party political interests and to work with us to end tribal, politics can serve the people of Wales for better” in the light of Rhodri Glyn’s comments. 
Alas, who said politicians had to be consistent.
Whilst talking about consistency, Peter Black, Shadow Welsh Liberal Democrat Local Government Minister criticised the Labour party and the Labour Government for taking the ‘local’ out of local government in the run up to the local government elections. He was pointing out that Labour was attempting to hoodwink the voters, telling people to vote on the record of the Westminster government and not on local issues.
Surely not a thing that the Liberal Democrats have ever done. They’ve never mentioned student fees and the Iraq war when fighting these elections last time.

Rest easy there’s only another ten days of campaigning and then normal service will be resumed in the Assembly.

1 comment:

  1. Leanne Wood said in her post this morning "If Carwyn Jones is serious about stopping these savage cuts and the attacks on our jobs, our pensioners, our charities and those with the least – if he wants to strengthen Welsh ‘shield’ to protect people against Tory rule – then let’s have an open conversation about how we can go about creating a real Welsh alternative."

    RhGT calling for Carwyn to stop the cuts to council tax benefits, using the Welsh 'shield' Leanne refers to rather than just allowing the cuts.

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