PLAID ATTACK POLARISING UNION

30 YEARS OF TORY-LABOUR GOVERNMENT MAKES RICH RICHER AND WALES POORER

Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesperson Jonathan Edwards MP has used his Spring Conference speech to criticise ‘the polarising union’, attacking three decades of economic policies from British Conservative and Labour governments.

He also responded to Wednesday’s Budget speech by UK Chancellor, George Osborne, in which he cut tax for mega earners while announcing proposals for regional pay, a further £10bn of welfare cuts and the so-called ‘grannytax’ where pensioners tax-free
allowances have been frozen.

Mr Edwards said:

“The British state is a polarising union, not a redistributive union.

“After three decades of increasing inequality we saw a Budget on Wednesday in which the richest in the British state were given a tax break worth thousands of pounds each. 

“At the same time, the Tories announced real terms pay cuts for public sector workers, a further £10bn of cuts to the needy and vulnerable on welfare and a tax grab from pensioners.

“These last three decades have shown that the alternative to the austerity cuts won’t come by changing the colour of the government in London.   

“The Labour-Tory tag team at Westminster has polarised wealth at an unimaginable scale, sucking up to the City and feeding the financial sector at the expense of the working people of Wales. 

“Last week’s highly disappointing GVA figures for Wales – again bottom of the British state - made the challenge for us clear.

“We cannot rely on Westminster and London politicians to do what is right. 

“If we are to break this economic cycle then we must take responsibility for our future – to develop our economy, invest where we think is right and fight for a better Wales.

“Only Plaid Cymru have this positive agenda for a fairer society.”