The Wealth of Nations

I haven't written a blog for quite some time now, and I have been wondering why. I thought it was probably down to the fact I had been busy with other things, like my new job, training for the Cardiff Half Marathon, spending more time out with mates and my girlfriend. But if I'm honest I think its because I've become a bit bored with politics lately and I think I know partly why.

I think it's because politics has for some time now been all about one thing, the economy. I think if we're honest not many of us truly understand what is happening (and has happened) to the UK's financial system. I have tried to improve my knowledge of this vital subject area, but after about two minutes of getting my head stuck into 'essential economics' my eyes start to close. I have decided on a compromise with the book.... I have just read the summaries of each chapter, which to be honest are pretty useless if taken in isolation.

It can be a bit of a problem when we all think we are experts on a topic, and all those whose ideas are different are either idiots or evil. All we know is that its not going to be good for a lot of people, to say the least. Not even the experts know the full extent of what these cuts will mean for the long term strength of Britains' or Wales' economy. Most of what is offered must, like in most of politics, be an opinion. However, you don't really need to be an expert to see that Wales has been given a harsh deal in the spending review. A loss of jobs at the Newport passport office and the loss of a number of major investment projects, on top of worse cuts to our block grant than that imposed on Scotland and Northern Ireland. Not to mention the problem of Wales' small private sector in comparison to its public sector. But maybe even that is just my opinion based on what I have read in the Welsh press.

I think as we get older we all start to realise the real importance of money, it really does make the world go round whether you like it or not. The capitalistic system is one of mankind's most revolutionary ideas and can be a great force for freedom in the world, but like most things that have great benefits, there has to be some negatives. There are things we need and things we want, and money to be made by those who can supply them. Unfortunately there are also people to be exploited when making that money. In the end it is human nature to want more than we need, and there is nothing wrong with this, but it does sometimes get way out of hand, and has got us into these difficult times.

Whether Wales is suffering disproportionally or not we still have to tackle the one thing that always makes us suffer more than other parts of these islands. We need to take this opportunity and not just blame others for the harsh hand we have been dealt, but to take it upon ourselves to create the wealth in Wales that we all would benefit from. We need a Yes vote in next March's referendum on further powers for the Assembly not just so we can get more money from the UK treasury, but so that we can really start to do things more creatively here in Wales. We need a vote of confidence in ourselves to do things our own way and with our own unique talents. That is the real wealth of all nations, their ability to do things their own way and the confidence to do it.

Like most of us will learn in our lives we need to take some risks to really challenge ourselves if we wish to better ourselves. Sometimes we will get it wrong, but we will learn from it, and when we try again we might just get it right.

By Daniel Pryce Lawrence
South Wales East representative

Charity Walk

Iago ap Steffan (Llywydd Myfywyr Plaid Cymru Students Aberystwyth and West Wales Representative)

A big huge thank you to everyone that supported Myfywyr Plaid Cymru Students Aberystwyth in the charity walk on Saturday. A massive well done to Liam, Jeff, Owain, Michaela and myself for completing the walk.
The walk was in aid of Beacon of Hope (who takes care of people with terminal illnesses) and Wales Air Ambulance; two very important and vital charities. In terms of how much we have raised...so far it has reached over £300!!! Plenty more to collect and every penny, I'm sure, will be very much appreciated by the organisations.
It was a difficult but fun walk. We carried on through strong winds, heavy rain, bitter cold and darkness along the coastal path from Aberystwyth to Aberaeron. Including the lunch break in Llanon; it took us 10 hours and 20 minutes to reach our destination. Still feeling the strain today, but feeling good that it was all for a good cause.
On a final note: as the future of Cymru, we need to remember that politics, although is important, we must still remember that looking after each other and helping others who are most vulnerable in society is our priority...never forget our old community spirit!

An important lesson for Plaid to learn...

Today, Cerith Rhys Jones, non-portfolio officer on the National Exec writes about an important factor that Plaid should consider, as it moves with Wales towards independence:

"A discussion with my grandfather (who, for the record, is English) got me thinking yesterday, about one of Plaid’s major challenges in the years to come. One of the biggest misconceptions people have, is that a nation is the same thing as a nation-state. People will gladly say that they are Welsh before they are British, but they will sometimes think of their citizenship as being the same thing as their nationality.

"There has been plenty of discussion about Plaid being in a crisis. As a party activist and an executive member of the party’s youth wing, I would take the view that the party is not in a crisis but rather, that it really needs some thinking time about its way forward. No matter how much Plaid members and activists say that the election wasn’t all that bad, the truth is that we didn’t do as well as we had hoped and expected and we, as a party, need to think long and hard about our message for the Assembly elections next year, and the local elections on 2012.

"In the long term however, as Wales works towards, first, a full parliament with fiscal autonomy, and eventually, an independent Wales, Plaid needs to focus on changing people’s view of a ‘nation’. (I would say that this would go for other parties too, but how keen they’d be to do this is another matter.)

"Too many people think of a ‘nation’ as a physical entity with a clear geography. To me, and I would think, to the party, a nation needn’t have defined borders and the people of that respective nation needn’t share a specific patch of land. Take Patagonia, for instance. The Welsh people who moved there to establish Y Wladfa (the Welsh Settlement), they went there with the intention of creating a ‘second Wales.’ To this day, their descendants think of themselves as being Welsh Argentine. If we look at that phrase – Welsh Argentine, that is – it can be split in two; into ‘nationality’ and ‘citizenship’. The citizenship is clearly Argentine; of that, let there be no doubt. This works in the same way with us here in Wales. I will always say that I am Welsh first, European second, and British third. As much as I may be against the British institution, I can’t escape the fact that I am a Briton, by law. Wales doesn’t have its own sovereignty (yet), so it is legally impossible to be a ‘citizen’ of the country, in the conventional way. The nationality of a Welsh Argentine person, however, is Welsh. This will confuse some people as it did my grandfather. A ‘nation’ to me, doesn’t mean a group of people who inhabit a specific piece of territory; it is a group of people (or peoples, as would probably be appropriate) who share a heritage, a history, and a feeling. So yes, while a resident of Y Wladfa may hold an Argentine passport, his or her nationality is Welsh, in so much as he or she shares our heritage and history here in Wales.

"This very principle will apply to the Quebecois of Canada. They are by law, of course, Canadian. However, in nationality, they are Quebecois. They are a group of people who share a history and a heritage. I guess this principle could go for any group of people within a nation-state, anywhere on Earth.

"Plaid’s challenge is teaching the people of Wales that although they may be subjects of the United Kingdom, they do have their own heritage and history - an Unique Selling Point, if you will - that makes them Welsh in nationality. Let them think of themselves as British, and what makes them so, and they will list things that are primarily English. As Gwynfor said, “Britishness…is a political synonym that extends English culture of the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.” This hits the nail right on the head!

"The difficulty that Plaid faces of course, is that too many people in Wales still have trouble thinking about Wales as a country in its own right; they challenge that idea, even. The question they should ask themselves though, is ‘what is a country? What makes a country, a country?’ Again, people will often think that Wales can’t possibly be a country, because it’s a ‘constituent region’ of ‘the mother-country’ of Britain. Britain, though, is not a country. It’s a nation-state. Britain is simply the entity, which contains the countries of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, which are countries and nations in their own right.

"When Plaid looks forward in terms of how it can raise support for full autonomy within the European Union and the United Nations for Wales, it really has to get people to understand that whatever their passport says, their nationality – their heritage, their history, their national persona – is different to that of Britain. If Plaid is to succeed, it needs to ensure that the people recognise Wales as a country in its own right, which is being dictated to by another country.

"Those who disagree with me (or who are unionists), will argue that we are not being dictated to by another country at all; we are part of the UK and so we are governed as part of Britain. Here again, the problem that people think of Wales as a region and the UK as a country, is raising its ugly head. Of course we’re being dictated to by another country – England! Was it not the English who annexed Wales to England, extended English laws unto Wales, and oppressed the Welsh language all those hundreds of years ago – and still do to this day? Does the British government not create laws, which apply only to England and Wales? Is it not true that Wales is treated differently to Scotland? Yes. Yes. Yes.

"The biggest challenge to Plaid, to the SNP, Mebyon Kernow, in fact, any nationalist party, is to show their people, the citizens of their respective nations, that they are their own people, and that there is a huge divide between Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cornwall – wherever – and the nation-state which ultimately governs them.

"It’s all very well and good Plaid in the short term focussing on its successes in the National Assembly as part of the One Wales government (and I wouldn’t for one minute say anything different to that) but if Plaid wants to keep itself as the Party of Wales – to keep its USP, to remain a nationalist party, which will do its best to govern in the short term, but all the while working towards an independent Wales – it has to realise that people still think that they’re country is Britain, and break down that idea.

"People may also rebut my ideas by saying that one’s nationality can also be interpreted as British, in that we as Britons share our own history and heritage. I can accept this to an extent, but here rises Gwynfor’s quote again; that what we perceive to be British is actually English.

"Plaid needs to campaign to teach people that their nation-state is Britain. They are British subjects. They pay their taxes to the British government. But as a people, they are Welsh. Their history is Welsh. Their heritage and their national persona are Welsh. When people grasp and believe this, Plaid won’t have much bother on election day.

"While our passports may tell us that we are subjects of the British crown, we are and always have been citizens of the Welsh nation. It will remain that way until we can look at a Welsh passport and see that we are citizens of the Welsh nation-state.

"The challenge for Plaid is to lead the way on that (long) road to independence, but all the while, making sure that we’re re-elected to the Assembly Government and we continue to do a good job of it."

Windfall Needed Now

by Iago ap Steffan

This is definitely not a new topic of discussion, but one that does need to be talked about time and time again until it has been addressed. I'm talking about a windfall tax. This time I want to bring both the energy companies and banks to the forefront.
The other day I received a British Gas bill for my gas of £45.02! Doesn't sound that bad does it until I mention that it was for just over one month, that I was the only one living there at the time and that I had no gas cooker. Now I'm a student and money is a bit tight at the moment and every penny counts. How can an energy supplier honestly believe that a student could afford potentially a bill for £360 a year? God knows how older people, relying only on state pensions, can afford it and they probably use more energy than myself, especially in the winter months.
The other money making industry are the banks. Not only did they help bring in the recession by their attitudes towards lending, but were also raking it in with the overdraft and late payment fees; especially from those most vulnerable in society that can't keep up with repayments; again like students.
Today we hear that Lloyds Banking Group have made a profit of £1.6billion. This is a bank 73% owned by us, the people. Will this money be repaid back to the government who had to bail them out or to the people who have paid these unnecessary fees? Probably neither. Even though we paid out billions of pounds to save the banks they are still making profits and giving out big bonuses. This is why I support calls for a windfall tax on the banks and energy providers who make stupid amounts of profits to feed the fat cats and The City workers. This is something that I'm pretty sure the vast amount of the population would support and this must be implemented NOW!

Time For A Truly Welsh Curriculum

by Lleu Williams, Non-Portfolio Officer

“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” Year 8 History

“The British Empire was the leading and most powerful empire in history” Year 9 History

“Powerful poetry from soldiers in the Great War” GCSE English Literature

These are just a couple of things I remember learning whilst at comprehensive school back in Llanelli, good solid British, or even more so, English related topics in a Welsh medium comprehensive in Wales. Things were worse when my Tadcu (grandfather) was educated in Carmarthen in the 1930s, all he remembers was a map of the world with the British Empire all in pink.

Much of what I remember being taught in history, English literature, leisure studies and other subjects did include many Welsh related topics, but still contained many English topics. And I remember asking myself back then, why? Why am I being taught literature by English soldiers in the Great War? Why am I learning about the Tudors? And bear in mind this was only around six or seven years ago, so we are not talking a long time.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not short sighted enough not to recognise the importance of elements of British topics in developing a thorough understanding of history, English literature and so forth. Yes the Tudors are important, due to Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536 and the way it affected Wales, whilst the British Empire played an important role in the development of the coal mines in the Valleys in the Great Revolution. Despite this, I was never once taught about Hywel Dda or Owain Glyndwr, I never studied Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas and nor did I study Welsh music in music lessons. In addition, I am not writing here to advocate a totally Welsh-only curriculum; learning about different cultures, histories and language are and will be essential for our young people if Wales is to become an independent state within the European Union.

This raises further fears for me as proud Welshman that our future generations will not learn about Hywel Dda or Glyndwr, will not have read Under Milkwood or won’t know who the Manic Street Preachers or Edward H Dafis were! I was lucky, I was brought up in a household where this information was taught to me by my parents, and I consider myself lucky, but how many others in the next generation won’t have this opportunity?

Unfortunately, despite the wonderful and sometimes academically accurate Wikipedia, we cannot depend on the next generation of internet users to look up everything on this site. It’s now time for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum, a curriculum where pupils and students in Wales know the history of their country, a curriculum where they understand the Welsh economy and a curriculum where pupils and students know who Dylan Thomas is and the wonders of his work. In the age of devolution in Wales, an age where many young people wouldn’t know life without the National Assembly and wouldn’t know school without a free breakfast, surely we should seize the opportunity for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum?

A curriculum that focuses on Welsh history (Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, Owain Glyndwr, the role of Wales in the Industrial Revolution), a curriculum that focuses on Welsh writers and poets (Dylan Thomas, Niall Griffiths and Caradoc Evans) and a curriculum that focuses on the importance of the Welsh economy (The Coal Mine Field, Industry in the Valleys, Farming in West and North Wales).

For a nation such as Wales, it’s essential now that we exercise these powers and resources that we have in Wales to develop a truly Welsh curriculum. We must work together with exam boards such as the WJEC, the Welsh Assembly Government, teaching unions and the media such as S4C and the BBC to develop a truly distinctive Welsh curriculum that neither you or I have experienced. And in time to ensure that the next generation appreciate, understand and love their history, culture and language.

Time For A Truly Welsh Curriculum

by Lleu Williams, Non-Portfolio Officer

“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” Year 8 History

“The British Empire was the leading and most powerful empire in history” Year 9 History

“Powerful poetry from soldiers in the Great War” GCSE English Literature

These are just a couple of things I remember learning whilst at comprehensive school back in Llanelli, good solid British, or even more so, English related topics in a Welsh medium comprehensive in Wales. Things were worse when my Tadcu (grandfather) was educated in Carmarthen in the 1930s, all he remembers was a map of the world with the British Empire all in pink.

Much of what I remember being taught in history, English literature, leisure studies and other subjects did include many Welsh related topics, but still contained many English topics. And I remember asking myself back then, why? Why am I being taught literature by English soldiers in the Great War? Why am I learning about the Tudors? And bear in mind this was only around six or seven years ago, so we are not talking a long time.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not short sighted enough not to recognise the importance of elements of British topics in developing a thorough understanding of history, English literature and so forth. Yes the Tudors are important, due to Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536 and the way it affected Wales, whilst the British Empire played an important role in the development of the coal mines in the Valleys in the Great Revolution. Despite this, I was never once taught about Hywel Dda or Owain Glyndwr, I never studied Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas and nor did I study Welsh music in music lessons. In addition, I am not writing here to advocate a totally Welsh-only curriculum; learning about different cultures, histories and language are and will be essential for our young people if Wales is to become an independent state within the European Union.

This raises further fears for me as proud Welshman that our future generations will not learn about Hywel Dda or Glyndwr, will not have read Under Milkwood or won’t know who the Manic Street Preachers or Edward H Dafis were! I was lucky, I was brought up in a household where this information was taught to me by my parents, and I consider myself lucky, but how many others in the next generation won’t have this opportunity?

Unfortunately, despite the wonderful and sometimes academically accurate Wikipedia, we cannot depend on the next generation of internet users to look up everything on this site. It’s now time for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum, a curriculum where pupils and students in Wales know the history of their country, a curriculum where they understand the Welsh economy and a curriculum where pupils and students know who Dylan Thomas is and the wonders of his work. In the age of devolution in Wales, an age where many young people wouldn’t know life without the National Assembly and wouldn’t know school without a free breakfast, surely we should seize the opportunity for us to develop a truly Welsh curriculum?

A curriculum that focuses on Welsh history (Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, Owain Glyndwr, the role of Wales in the Industrial Revolution), a curriculum that focuses on Welsh writers and poets (Dylan Thomas, Niall Griffiths and Caradoc Evans) and a curriculum that focuses on the importance of the Welsh economy (The Coal Mine Field, Industry in the Valleys, Farming in West and North Wales).

For a nation such as Wales, it’s essential now that we exercise these powers and resources that we have in Wales to develop a truly Welsh curriculum. We must work together with exam boards such as the WJEC, the Welsh Assembly Government, teaching unions and the media such as S4C and the BBC to develop a truly distinctive Welsh curriculum that neither you or I have experienced. And in time to ensure that the next generation appreciate, understand and love their history, culture and language.

Fairness for Graduates

By CERITH RHYS JONES

Officer without Portfolio on CymruX's National Executive Committee

"I guess the main thing I want to look at in my blog space this week, is an e-petition that I’ve set up on CymruX’s behalf, which calls on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to resist some rather unfair plans proposed by the Russell Group of Universities – including Cardiff – to change the student loan repayment system.

Those with an interest in further education will know that the Browne Review, led by John, Lord Browne, is to report on higher education funding and student finance, this year, and that the Russell Group, a group of 20 elite universities (elite in a good way) throughout the UK, have submitted some proposals, which call (a) to lift the cap on fees, meaning that students could be forced to pay up to £7,000 in England (and of course, when English fees go up, it’s very likely that Welsh fees will do the same); (b) to change the loan repayment system, so that students pay back more money at a time, and when they’re earning less. As the situation stands, graduates start to pay back their loans when they reach £15,000 salary, but the interest rates are fluctuant. The group’s plans would see students paying back at a higher interest rate, and at a lower income level. This clearly isn’t fair, especially when the ConDem government is planning a “graduate tax” and education is expensive enough as it is.

With regard to the graduate tax, I am on the fence. If – and only if – it replaces fees, then of course, I’d rather pay a higher rate of tax than have to spend thousands of pounds on education which should, in all honesty, be free. However, if the grad tax comes on top of higher fees and unfair changes to the loan system, then clearly, prospective students from “working- and lower-class” backgrounds will be priced out of higher education.

It is my view, and the view of both CymruX and Plaid Cymru, that in the current economic climate, higher education should be invested in. We are at a crossroads in terms of where we can take our economy from here. Well, more of a junction than a crossroads, but you get my drift. We can either go back the same old way, let the banking sector and the South East of England run riot; or, we can develop a green, technological economy, one focused on need, one focused on sustainability, one focused on the modern world, and living responsibly, where every individual has the chance to flourish, be that through work-based training, being a valued part of the workforce, or going into higher education. Only with investment in higher education can the latter be a viable option.

In some respects, I can understand the difficulty that the Russell Group is facing. It’s facing huge pressure from the ConDem government, (and be under no illusion that New Labour was any better), and it has to adapt. The group has to keep up its reputation for being the leading research-based universities in the UK, but I would rather see the Russell Group working for its students and prospective students, campaigning and fighting against government plans to cut its funding, not simply give in and force the Tories’ elitist (in a bad way) principles on its students.

A similar petition, organised by new Northern Ireland Assembly Member for the SDLP, representing South Belfast, Conall McDevitt MLA, has already been submitted to the Northern Ireland Assembly for consideration. This petition, of which I am principle petitioner, but am really just a link, a liaison, between CymruX and the National Assembly, will close a week before the Petitions’ Committee sits for the first time in the Autumn Term. In 3 days, we have 67 signatories, but there’s a long way to go. Please do sign the petition, and pass it on to your family, your friends, your colleagues, your AMs and MPs (Plaid or otherwise), your student contacts, your old teachers, your neighbours, to sign. Whoever. Plaid Cymru’s constitution lists as one of the party’s objectives, “To ensure economic prosperity, social justice…based on decentralist socialism”. Anyone who believes in these principles, and cannot see sanity in those held by what are now the Libservatives, should sign the petition. After all, how could anyone who gives two hoots for students, graduates and the future of our country and the UK, support a government, a minister of whose, says that students are a burden on the taxpayer? Students, and graduates deserve better, and I am proud to say that CymruX is standing up for them."

Link to the petition: http://tiny.cc/fair4grads

O.N. Daw'r fersiwn Gymraeg cyn hir!