Young people at heart of Plaid Manifesto

I must say that I am quite annoyed at the Greens for attacking Plaid in the Evening Post for our Youth Manifesto. Yes, the Youth Manifesto does re-iterate some of what is said in our main Manifesto- but surely this is a good thing, of repeating key election messages for the electorate? It is a sign that Plaid is putting youth issues at the top of the political agenda. Not only that, but the Greens criticise us, only to follow on with a quote on how they would do it differently- introduce voting at 16, a policy which we included in our Youth Manifesto!

Of our main 7 4 '07 policies, many are youth orientated- laptops for school children, first time buyers grants, addressing the student debt issue. Not only that, but Cymru X, our Youth Movement, has organised campaigns throughout the year, and has organised events over Wales for young people.

Of course we must get young people making decisions for young people. By encouraging more young people to stand for election, and to vote, this will be a way of starting the process of engagement. It won't happen over night! I also think that there needs to be a total re-think about how young people can feed in to policy on a local and National level. How this is done must be decided upon by politicians alongside young people, as young people are often sick of being patronized and told what to do.

I'm disappointed with the Greens because I thought that they had more to offer than negative comments with regards young people. At the end of the day, all parties need to take a hard look at themselves and ask why only 16 % of 18-25 year old's voted in the last Assembly election, and how we can improve on this disasterous percentage to make sure that politics is something which is central to their lives.

Lansiad Maniffesto Plaid Manifesto launch

Rydym wedi lansio ein Maniffesto heddiw. Mae'r prif polisiau 7 4 '07 yn rhan o'r brif ddogfen, yn ogystal a pholisiau newydd eraill fel ymrwymo Plaid at gyflog Cenedlaethol Teg a ffordd newydd o lywodraethu trwy gael nifer o gyfarfodydd cabinet agored,'cynulliadau dinasyddion', a symud mwy o weinidogaethau allan o Gaerdydd i ardaloedd eraill o Gymru.

Polisiau eraill gwerth nodi yw y byddem yn cyflwyno system newydd yn lle TGAU a Safon A- gan gyflwyno system ar ffurf y Bagloriaeth Rhyngwladol. Byddem hefyd yn cyflwyno Awdurdod trafnidiaeth Cenedlaethol, gyda'r bwriad o ail Cenedlaetholi'r system yn yr hir dymor. Mae Deddf Iaith Newydd hefyd ar flaen yr agenda ym Maniffesto Plaid, yn ogystal a chynnig grantiau i bobl i arbed egni yn eu tai. Polisiau newydd, ffres sydd yn mynd i blesio pobl Cymru, dwi'n mawr obeithio!

Os hoffech ddarllen y maniffesto mewn mwy o fanylder, ewch i wefan y blaid.

We launched our Manifesto for the election today. The main 7 4 '07 policies were emphasised again, as well as a plethora of other policies, a main policy being a commitment to a National living wage. We also proposed a new way of governing by having a number of open cabinet meetings, 'citizen assemblies' and the promise to move more Ministeries outside of Cardiff.

Other policies worth noting are that we will replace the GCSE and A Level qualification with a new International Baccalaureate-style qualification. We will also introduce a new National Transport Authority, with a view to re-nationalise the transport system in the long-term. A New Welsh Language Act is also one of our top priorities, as well as energy saving grants for people in their households. These are fresh, new policies that I hope will impress the people of Wales!

If you want to read the Manifesto in detail go to the Plaid website.

Rising culture of debt amongst young people

A Western Mail article this week reports that more than half of school children have been in debt by the time that they reach the age of 17. The statistics were collated by the Personal Finance Education Group, and is a reflection of the general rise in debt levels across Britain.

The research highlights the fact that young people have a laid back attitude towards debt. It also suggests that young people are not phased by the prospect of having an overdraft -meaning that they can spend more than their average salary.

I am not surprised by these findings. When I was at University most of my friends, and myself included, merely accepted the fact that we would have £1000 of pounds worth of debt after graduating. We had no alternative but to accept it! The upfront fees and the living costs incurred meant that loans and repayments were a norm for us. It will certainly remain a norm for years to come unless something is done to change this debt culture.

The introduction of deferred fees merely 'defers' the burden of debt until post- graduation, when thousands of young people in Wales are forced to search for that perfect £15, 000 + 'graduate' job, when in fact there are very few such jobs currently available. As a result, a number of students are tempted to actively search for jobs lower than the £15,000 mark so that they do not have to pay back their student loan immediately after their period at University. Surely this isn't the correct attitude for our young people to be taking towards employment?

It's positive that this week, therefore, Plaid have announced key election policies, titled 7 4' O 7 - one of which will tackle student debt. Plaid are pledging to pay back a percentage of a students debt if they study and live in Wales. This is a new attempt at assisting young people, and in proclaiming that we can mount a challenge to our growing debt problem in Wales, and our attitudes towards it. I look forward to promoting this policy in the run up to the election as a young candidate, and to show young voters that we are prioritising the issues that affect them.