Press release: 'Work for Wales' campaign

On Sunday 29th July, Plaid Cymru Youth, the youth and student wing of Plaid Cymru, will launch its ‘Work for Wales’ campaign.

The campaign will draw attention to the dangerous reality that almost a quarter of 16 to 24 year-olds in Wales are unemployed, and to call on the Welsh Government to act now to reverse this worrying statistic which goes against the UK trend. A petition to the National Assembly calling on the Welsh Government to do more to tackle youth unemployment will be launched the same day.

The campaign will be launched at Plaid Cymru’s Summer School which takes place this weekend at the Urdd Camp in Llangrannog.

Plaid Cymru Youth National Chair Cerith Rhys Jones said:

"Because of the Welsh Government’s lack of action and the Westminster coalition government’s destructive policies, thousands and thousands of young people in Wales are without jobs. There is a grave danger that their generation will become a lost generation.

"Unfortunately, the Welsh Government would rather use the Westminster Government’s misguided policies as a means to score political points. The lives and jobs of Wales’s young people are not a political game, so we are calling on the Welsh Government to act urgently to put effective and positive schemes in place in order to create work for Wales."

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood AM added:

"The figures for youth unemployment are shocking and should act as a catalyst for urgent and direct action from the Welsh government. 23.7% of 16 to 24 year-olds in Wales are out of work; this is unacceptable.

"Youth unemployment is crushing too many hopes and dreams - it is already stifling too many communities, many of which are yet to recover from previous recessions. Plaid Cymru Youth are absolutely right to prioritise campaigning for jobs and opposing the scourge of youth unemployment. I therefore fully support the petition launch as part of the 'Work for Wales!' campaign."

- ENDS -

Contact Cerith Rhys Jones (cerithrjones@live.co.uk) for more information.

Plaid gives you the right to use any of our high-resolution pictures at www.flickr.com/plaidcymru for your publication or online use.

Diwrnod Gweithredu | Day of Action

Ddydd Sadwrn 21 Ebrill 2012 - penblwydd Mrs Windsor - fe gynhaliodd Plaid Cymru Ifanc ddiwrnod gweithredu, yn ymgyrchu gydag ymgeisyddion y Blaid yng Nghathays a Phenarth. Cawsom ddiwrnod da o daflenni ac ymgyrchu yn y dau ward, lle mae gan y Blaid chwe ymgeisydd ifanc. Yng Nghathays, mi ein Cadeirydd Cenedlaethol Cerith Rhys Jones yn sefyll wrth ochr ein Is-Gadeirydd Cenedlaethol Emyr Gruffydd, ein Swyddog Cyfathrebiadau Cenedlaethol Glenn Page, ac Andrew Pearc. Ym Mhenarth, mi fydd ein Swyddog Polisi Cenedlaethol Osian Lewis, a'n Cyn-Gadeirydd, sydd bellach yn Llywydd ar Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Abertawe Luke James, yn ymgyrchu i ennill y ward oddi wrth y Ceidwadwyr. Fe ymunodd arweinydd newydd Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood AC, gyda ni am sesiwn o daflenni ar brif ffordd siopa Caerdydd, Heol y Frenhines, lle'r oeddem oll yn hapus gyda'r ymateb addawol a gafwyd gan siopwyr Caerdydd.

On Saturday 21 April 2012 - Mrs Windsor's birthday - Plaid Cymru Youth hosted a Day of Action, campaigning with our candidates in Cathays and Penarth. We had a great day leafleting and canvassing in the two wards, in which Plaid will be fielding six young candidates. In Cathays, our National Chair Cerith Rhys Jones will be standing alongside our National VC Emyr Gruffydd, our National Comms Officer Glenn Page, and Andrew Pearce. In Penarth, our National Policy Officer Osian Lewis and former Chair, now President of Swansea SU, Luke James, will be heading up Plaid's campaign against the incumbent Conservatives. The new Leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood AM, joined us for a leafleting session on Cardiff's main shopping street, Queen Street, and we were all pleased with the positive reaction shown by Cardiff's shoppers. Lluniau / Photos © Kirsten Whitney

Plaid Cymru Cathays

Nominations for local elections officially closed on Wednesday 04/04/12. In the Cathays ward of Cardiff 3 members of the Plaid Cymru Youth national executive have put their names forward, myself (Glenn Page), Cerith Rhys Jones, Emyr Gruffydd and Andrew Pearce all of whom are under 30 and are active members of Plaid Cymru’s student and youth movement. Elsewhere across Wales numerous young candidates have come forward to represent Plaid Cymru, from Menai-Bangor to Penarth.

In total there are 563 Plaid Cymru candidates hoping to represent our communities from May 3rd, 18 of whom have already been elected unopposed. This constitutes the largest number of Plaid Cymru local election candidates ever put forward, indeed, there is no record of this many candidates standing for Plaid Cymru in any election, a clear indication of the growing support and momentum behind our Party.

Cathays is currently represented by four liberal democrat councillors. If the 2011 local elections are anything to go by we can expect the Lib Dem’s will suffer huge defeats. Indeed, Nick Clegg himself has admitted that the elections are going to be “tough”. Perhaps in Cathays especially, an area populated mainly by students, we can expect a large decrease in Lib Dem support. What we need to do in Cathays is to show disaffected students that Plaid Cymru is a party that will fight for them. We must galvanise support across the ward if we are to increase turnout, which sadly was only 16.35% in 2008.

Regardless of what happens in Westminster these elections are local elections and they should be fought on local issues. In Cathays there are plenty of issues that need our attention. Recycling and litter is still a problem that hasn’t been solved. My sympathies to those of you who have been unfortunate enough to walk through Cathays on a Wednesday morning, you no doubt watched your step. Terraced houses, such as those located off Cathays terrace, are without black containers for their litter bins, with black bins being collected once a fortnight people often resort to storing their litter in their gardens which inevitably attracts rodents. Supplying terraced houses with containers for their back gardens would be a simple yet practical solution, which Myself, Andrew, Cerith and Emyr would support.

One issue that I firmly believe needs our immediate attention is that of student housing, an issue largely ignored by Cathays councillors. Having lived in Cardiff now for almost 3 years I can say with first-hand experience that students are being exploited by letting agencies. Over-priced rent, extortionate late fees and poor service are but some of the realities that students can expect when they leave university-owned accommodation. As a solution I would propose the creation of a support group that could offer independent specialist advice to students on how best to act, whether it is legal advice or simply which company is best suited to their needs.

With just over 3 weeks to Election Day it is vital that candidates, activists and supporters of Plaid Cymru continue to do all that they can to support our communities. Together I have no doubt that we can improve our areas and the lives of ordinary people. We ask that you join with us and support our campaign to help us deliver for you, your family and for your community.

Glenn Page

Daw'r diwedd

Yfory, cyfrir y pleidleisiau yn etholiad arweinyddol Plaid Cymru a dyma ddiwedd ar gyfnod Ieuan Wyn Jones fel Arweinydd y Blaid, swydd y mae ef wedi'i dal ers 12 mlynedd.

Bydd y sawl ohonoch sy'n dilyn y blog hwn yn gwybod mai polisi swyddogol CymruX yw cefnogi ymgyrch Leanne Wood i'w olynu. Os nad ydych chi wedi pleidleisio eto, fe'ch hanogaf i ddewis Leanne fel eich dewis cyntaf i fod yn Arweinydd ac i ddanfon eich papur pleidleisio at Dŷ Gwynfor yn syth fel ei fod yn cyrraedd cyn yfory.

Ond wrth i'r ymgyrch Arweinyddol ddirwyn i ben, hoffwn gymryd moment i dalu teyrnged i Ieuan am ei arweinyddiaeth am dros ddegawd. Y mae wedi arwain ein Plaid gyda sgil ers blynyddoedd, ac wedi bod yn wyneb arbennig o dda i'n mudiad cenedlaethol yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw. Mae'r teyrngedau a dalwyd iddo o ar draws llawr y Siambr yn ystod ei sesiwn FMQs olaf fel Arweinydd y Blaid ddydd Mawrth yn adlewyrchu'i boblogrwydd.

Ef wnaeth arwain y Blaid i mewn i Lywodraeth am y tro cyntaf ac fe wasnaethodd ein gwlad fel ei Dirprwy Brif Weinidog. Fel Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, fe arweiniodd ni at ddelifro senedd go iawn i'n Cenedl. Ac yn y dyddiau cynnar, roedd yn un o'r bobl wnaeth droi'r prosiect datganoli i mewn i'r llwyddiant y mae heddiw.

Edrychaf ymlaen at ei weld ar ôl-feinciau'r Blaid, yn brwydro dros bobl Ynys Môn ac ys dywedodd Kirsty Williams, gobeithiaf y bydd yn cymaint o drwbl o'r ôl-feinciau ag y mae cyn-arweinwyr eraill wedi bod.

Ar ran mudiad myfyrwyr ac ieuenctid Plaid Cymru, hoffwn ymestyn fy niolchiadau calonog i Ieuan am ei wasanaeth ar hyd y degawdau, a dymuno'n dda iddo wrth iddo ymadael wrth yr Arweinyddiaeth.

Cerith Rhys Jones
Cadeirydd Cenedlaethol

The End is Near

Tomorrow, votes will be counted in Plaid Cymru's leadership election and Ieuan Wyn Jones will cease to be Leader of Plaid Cymru, a post he has held for 12 years.

Those of you who follow this blog will now that official CymruX policy is to support Leanne Wood's campaign to succeed him. If you haven't already voted, I would urge you to select Leanne as your number once choice for Leader and get your ballot paper in the post to Tŷ Gwynfor so that it gets there before the deadline tomorrow.

But as the Leadership campaign draws to a close, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to Ieuan for his leadership for more than a decade. He has led our party with skill for years, and has been a fantastic figurehead for our national movement during that period. I think that the tributes paid to him from all across the Siambr floor during FMQs on Tuesday - his last as Leader - reflect how popular he is.

He led Plaid Cymru into Government for the first time and served our country as its Deputy First Minister. As Leader of Plaid Cymru, he led us to delivering a proper law-making parliament for our Nation. And in the early days, he was one of those people who helped turn the devolution project into the success that it is today.

I look forward to seeing him on the backbenches, fighting for the people of Ynys Môn and as Kirsty Williams put it, I hope he's as troublesome from the backbenches as other former leaders have been.

On behalf of Plaid Cymru's student and youth movement, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ieuan for his service over the decades, and wish him all the very best as he takes his leave of the Leadership.

Cerith Rhys Jones
National Chair

Peint i'r Blaid | Pint for Plaid

Gyfeillion oll,

Heddiw, ry'n ni'n lansio ymgyrch i gynyddu incwm misol mudiad ieuenctid a myfyrwyr Plaid Cymru, er mwyn inni allu cyflogi trefnydd a fydd yn hwyluso'n gwaith a'n hymgyrchu ledled Cymru.

Yr hyn ry'n ni'n ei ofyn yw gwerth peint rhad o gwrw bob mis - rhyw £2. Os ellwch chi fforddio rhoi mwy, felly gwych! Mi fydd pob un ohonom yn gwerthfawrogi unrhyw faint bynnag y gellwch chi fforddio rhoi.

Os y'ch chi'n fodlon buddsoddi yn nyfodol eich cenedl, yna cysylltwch gyda Cadeirydd y mudiad ar cerithrjones@live.co.uk am ffurflen ddebyd uniongyrchol.

Diolch enfawr ichi.

Friends,

Today we're launching a campaign to increase Plaid Cymru's student and youth movement's monthly income, so that we can employ an organiser who will facilitate our work and campaigning across Wales.

What we're asking is that you give us the value of a pint a month - some £2. If you can afford more, then great! We will all appreciate however much you can give very much.

If you want to invest in the future of your nation, then contact the movement's Chair at cerithrjones@live.co.uk for a direct debit mandate.

Thank you so much.

Cerith Rhys Jones
Cadeirydd | Chair