Apr 2010 13

Party Policy on Europe IV: Plaid Cymru0

We may have to
wait a few days for the SNP, but Plaid Cymru’s manifesto for Westminster is now
accessible online.

You might think
that just because you live in Doncaster or Wigan their policies don’t affect
you; you may never have visited a coal mine in your life, or have extremely
confused ideas about Plaid.
But in the context of a possible hung parliament, their policies may have a
much broader significance than ever before.

In summary;

  • Welsh interests to lie “at the heart” of UK
    negotiations over the review of the CAP in 2013
  • A call for research into the creation of a “European
    Smart Power Grid” linking renewable energies across Europe
  • Continuing campaigns for the rights of minority
    nations and minority language speakers in the EU and in future accession
    countries
  • Increased Welsh presence in EU structures

EU-related issues lie very lightly in the manifesto. This
may in part be considered a reflection on the party’s tiny proportion of MEPs
sent to Brussels – they number one. But for a party essentially predicated on
leapfrogging Westminster by participating in a highly devolved federal superstate,
the blueprint might seem somewhat faint.

The issue of the increased Welsh presence in EU mechanisms will
possibly raise criticism, given Lord Kinnock’s significant tenure of a senior
Commission seat, as well as what amounts to a call for millions of pounds to be
spent on establishing another bureau to support just four MEPs. While support
for democracy and national identity are obviously to be lauded, the measure
will lend itself to attack by opponents on cost-effectiveness grounds. Perhaps
the proposal most likely to receive traction would be what seems to be a push to
put Cardiff on a par with Edinburgh, where devolved ministers take the lead at
Council of Ministers meetings where they have the majority interest, such as in
fisheries. It is not immediately clear in what areas that might apply.

The key section in the manifesto in any case runs as
follows.

—-

A confident nation

Plaid Cymru is committed to an independent Wales as a full member of
the European Union. We will continue to support further democratic reform of
the EU. We demand increased representation for Wales in the EU. This includes a fair number of MEPs for Wales, a European Parliament office in
Wales, a rotating European Commissioner and most importantly, a vote for Wales
in the Council of Ministers.

As a welcoming nation, Plaid Cymru recognises the invaluable contribution
that migrants have made to Wales. Our civic nationalism celebrates tolerance,
mutual understanding and difference. We condemn the point-scoring used by other parties and the pandering to unfounded xenophobic prejudices in
the debate on immigration. Plaid Cymru also supports the right of asylum
seekers to work in the UK while they wait for status decisions to be made and
we call for the speeding up of the unnecessarily complicated asylum system. We
condemn the practice of housing recently-arrived asylum seekers, especially
children, in “detention” or “removal” centres as punitive and cruel.

 

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