The election battle to decide Caerphilly’s next Assembly Member in May is hotting up after a fresh exchange of views between the two leading candidates.
Labour’s current AM Jeff Cuthbert will go head-to-head against his predecessor and former Labour Welsh Secretary Ron Davies – who is contesting the seat for Plaid Cymru.
Mr Cuthbert has criticised the ruling Plaid group on Caerphilly County Borough Council for a series of “u-turns” on charging for park-and-ride and cash office closures.
He said: “If they do any more u-turns, someone is going to have to issue them with a ticket.
“Although I’m glad public pressure has made them reverse their plans, Plaid leaders are like straws in the wind – blown about by a need for electoral popularity ahead of the Assembly elections.
“Plaid don’t want residents to talk about these issues and they are instead using the council to print endless press releases promoting their two Assembly candidates, Lindsay Whittle and Ron Davies. Yet these two Plaid councillors are responsible for the u-turns and bad decisions over the past three years.”
Cllr Davies, who was elected an independent councillor before joining Plaid Cymru, hit back at his old rival.
He said: “I’m really disappointed that Labour seem determined to fight such a negative election campaign. We need to deal with the failures of the Assembly under Labour leadership to tackle the economy and education and the need for fair funding. Caerphilly and Wales deserves better.
“After all when I was in the Assembly I secured the agreement for major investment to building the Bargoed By-Pass, the new Ystrad Mynach Hospital and a host of Objective One projects bringing many new jobs.
“The present AM seems to spend all his time being negative and criticising others for doing things while being silent on his own responsibilities and devoid of any ideas for the future.”
I'm getting bored with the Assembly Election campaign already, and it has barely began. Neither Labour or Plaid have covered themselves in glory during the years we have had this assembly.
I would like all the candidates to project what vision they have for Wales. A good starter would be to descibe how they are going to promote manufacturing in our country. Making things was something the Welsh were once world class at, but, alas, no more.
My verdict thus far, for all the candidates is "must try harder". Come on you lot, fire up the imagination of the voters. Otherwise you will deserve to get the derisory amount of votes that were cast in the referendum.
My work has been detailed regularly in the local press so I don't need to repeat it in response to statements from Ron Davies.
He will make many claims about previous achievements when he was briefly part of the Labour Government and had local Labour members working with him in this constituency since 1983. But he might find that some of those local members have memories also.
What's important is what he's doing now as part of the Plaid led Council. And these U-turns suggest a degree of indecision and opportunism that is worrying.
I am yet to hear any actual policy ideas from Labour, and I genuinely dint understand why they are polling so high. If you look at the BBC's comparison page on all the 4 main parties' education policy (let's face it, one of, if not the most important issue facing Wales at present) the labour column includes just three policies, two of which already exist (free breakfast and tuition fees) and the other is a funding policy with no detail whatsoever!
It seems to me that Labour are ahead in the polls because of their rhetoric of 'standing up for wales' and 'sending a message to Cameron and Clegg'. The truth is, any party could say these things. Ive heard a lot from people over the past year or so about politicians treating the electorate as if they were stupid, but really, if the electorate are buying Labour's completely policy-less and idea-less campaign then I have to say the majority of the electorate must be stupid!
Labour have been in charge of education for the whole of devolution, and yet they have no ideas on how to better standards. I have to say, all the other parties have ideas and are fighting positive campaigns, while all labour are doing is talking down other parties!
Don't understand why the electorate are buying it.