Voters will go to the polls on May 22 to elect politicians to represent Wales in the European Parliament.
Eleven parties, each with four candidates, are standing in the all Wales constituency.
The electoral process is a closed list, proportional representation system, where voters choose one party and candidates are elected according to the party’s percentage of the vote.
A number of politicians and commentators have argued this election is a referendum on the EU itself. The Conservative Party has promised a referendum on EU membership if they win the General Election in 2015.
The lead Labour Party candidate, Derek Vaughan, believes EU membership is vital for Wales.
He said: “Labour’s lobbying has resulted in Wales benefiting from an additional £130m in EU funding rather than the £400m cut the UK Tory Government insisted on.
“Because of our efforts Wales will continue to receive far more from the EU than we put in, around £70 per person per year.
“EU membership supports one in seven Welsh jobs, secures valuable trade and investment and guarantees workers’ rights, including maternity and paternity leave.
“That’s why I am urging voters to have their say at the polling stations on May 22. We need to maintain a strong voice to stand up for Wales in Europe.”
Jill Evans MEP, lead candidate for Plaid Cymru, said: “There is a huge amount at stake in this European election.
“More than 150,000 Welsh jobs depend upon trade with other countries in the European Union, and Europe provides additional funding for investment, training and education in the Caerphilly County area, and to improve our infrastructure.
“As a Plaid Cymru MEP since 1999, I have achieved a great deal in recent years in Europe.
“I have voted to make it easier for Welsh companies to get contracts in Wales, supported funds for a European Youth Guarantee to provide a job or training for young people out of work, and voted to protect the investment that has come from the EU.
“Workers’ rights should be protected so we should scrap compulsory zero-hours contracts, and Welsh should be given the same official status in the European Union as other small nation languages.”
Dr Kay Swinburne, the Conservative Party lead candidate, said cutting EU regulation would benefit the country.
She said: “These elections are the most important in a generation, focusing as they are, on Britain’s membership of the European Union.
“Conservative candidates are taking our message of reform, renegotiation and a referendum to every doorstep, reminding people that it is only our party who can give them a vote on whether we stay in the EU. It’s a message people understand and support.
“We’re also reminding people how Conservative MEPs are trying to make Europe work better for all its citizens, including those in Wales.
“We’ve helped small businesses by reducing EU regulations, led the campaign to cut the cost of the EU, fought for a better deal for consumers, and pressed for reforms to help our farmers and fishermen.”
The Liberal Democrat’s Alec Dauncey agreed the elections are a potential turning point for the EU.
He said: “These elections are more important than ever before. They have become a referendum of whether people are ‘in or out’?
“For the Welsh Liberal Democrats the answer is clear: Britain and Wales are better in Europe. We are Britain’s only party of ‘in’.
“More than one in ten Welsh jobs depend on trade with the EU. Why on earth would we want to risk people’s livelihoods?
“Leaving the EU would be catastrophic.
“It’s the surest way to jeopardise jobs, risk our fragile economic recovery and it will leave Wales and Britain alone and diminished in the world.”
There are a number of smaller parties standing in Wales including the anti-EU, UK Independence Party and the Green Party.
Welsh Green Party Leader and candidate, Pippa Bartolotti, said: “Young people are beginning to understand the rising pressures of inequality and the need to stop climate change as the consequences are not just global they are local.
“A vote for the Green Party in these elections is a vote for an economy that works for everyone, not just the richest.
“It’s a vote for jobs to build a life on, and a cap on bankers’ bonuses – rather than a race to bottom on wages and tax breaks for the wealthiest.”
Andrew Jordan, lead candidate for the Socialist Labour Party in Wales, claimed they are the only party that advocate immediate withdrawal from the EU.
He said: “The EU has sought to undermine our democracy. We won’t see our communities left behind as a result of the austerity politics of the European Union, Westminster or Cardiff Bay.”
No2EU, – Yes to Workers’ Rights also call for withdrawal.
Lead candidate, Robert Griffiths, said: “No2EU – Yes to Workers’ Rights opposes the EU because it is an anti-democratic club in which the rules are written by big business.
“Where UKIP wants to protect the City bankers and their bonuses against mild EU regulation, we support public ownership of the banks – we’ve paid to bail them out and think we should make our own laws in Wales and Britain.”
Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday May 22.
Considering UKIP is predicted to win this election, to not have an extract from UKIP in this article is disappointing. Every quote is pro-EU. You need to inform us of the arguments against EU – the little say Britain has on EU laws, trade failings, combined foreign policy etc…
Try and balance it out. Even if the local UKIP candidate didn’t comment, copy an extract from Nigel Farage.
For the period 2014-2020 Wales will receive European funding of £2 billion – so why do they always constantly have to have a cheap dig at those evil Tories in London. When the Welsh Assembly are dishing out the cash they make out that it is coming from their own pockets, but when they make cuts they claim it is those evil Tories who have cut their funding! Without the billions of pounds of European money The Peoples Republic of Wales would die a slow and painful death, and the local councils would not have their shiny new glass towers in which to rule from.
The argument is flawed though, The UK as a whole is a net contributor. The UK could leave and London could allocate the same share of money to Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland, and still have free money left over. The idea Britain gets money back at a value greater than we pay in is a myth. The EU doesn’t need to decide where British money is spent in the UK. No wonder the Welsh budget is being cut by London when they know EU money will make up the shortfall (It’s actually British money being returned to Britain).
Britain pays in, the EU hands a big share back to countries in the UK and the rest is given to beaurocrats and poorer EU countries. Britain should stop paying in and allocate the money itself. Wales will get more then.
Not sure that’s the case. In the last EU budget the Tory/Lib
Dem Gov pushed to cut Wales’ share of EU funds by £500m. Thankfully our Labour MEP went to the EU Commissioner etc and lobbied against it. As a result we’ll now get £70 per person per year more from the EU than we put in. It would be naive to think Wales could rely on the UK Gov to provide the same level of funding.
The same Labour MEP who wanted to inacrese the EU’s budget?
This £70 per person is vague. It’s not as if each person is handed money out. Lots of that goes to funding silly, pointless projects like bridges for nice or a cycle lane that can’t be used to HSE.
Are railway stations and 1500 jobs ‘silly pointless projects’? http://www.caerphillyobserver.co.uk/news/939521/1500-jobs-created-in-caerphilly-county-borough-with-european-money/
All of which could be achieved if Wales didn’t pay in any money. I just did the sums and read the figures, Wales is a net contributor
Wales has been a net beneficiary of EU aid for many years. Where are these figures you’re referring to?
In the years 2007 – 2013, the EU has given Wales £1.9bn. Roughly £300m annually. Each year everyone in Britain pays in £115.12. For the population of Wales, that would be £352.7m annually. Wales is a net contributor by just over £52 million.
The figures are taken from Welsh Office of European Funding, ONS and various articles in Guardian and Daily Telegraph.
Wales is one of the poorest countries in the EU, that is why since 2000 it has received £4bn in funding and will receive another £2bn until 2020, it is not a net contributor – the U.K. is, and if the U.K were not in Europe then Wales would not receive this funding. The funding is a once in a lifetime opportunity to help grow the Welsh economy and create sustainability, but a great deal is wasted on white elephants, empty innovation centres and prettying up town centres, when the money could have been used for something that would actually benefit the economy – like a decent road link to Cardiff airport.
I have just given you the figures. You can check them out yourself.
Even if we use your figures, that’s £6bn in 20 years (from year 2000 – 2020) that’s still £300m a year on average.
Wales contributes more than £300m per year towards the UK’s contribution.
I am a bit puzzled by the phrase used by writer of this article
“There are a number of smaller parties standing in Wales including the anti-EU, UK Independence Party and the Green Party.”
In actuallity UKIP won the same share of European seats in Wales as Tory, Labour and Plaid and is scaring all these parties to death as they are tipped to do even better this time.
Richard:: Perhaps I can answer your question and solve the puzzle you
pose in respect to the lack of any meaningful mention in the article of
UKIP and it stance of anti European policies and Candidates in the
forthcoming election. Here goes;
The author of the article, young
Gareth hill, who is the ` The new Boy on the Block` so to speak in
respect to reporting on this news media site, is a qualified graduate
and trained Journalist. He is a recipient ( indirectly) of an employment
Grant under the Welsh Assembly ” Jobs Growth Wales Scheme”, that scheme
would not exist of course if UKIP had their way, and the Welsh Assembly
would not have been able to provide funds for Young Gareth to be
employed by the Caerphilly Observer had UKIP been in the driving seat of
European seats representing the UK.
Could the above,? but surly
not?, have influenced Gareth and the Editor of the Caerphilly Observer,
which, itself, has had grants from the European fund to create the paper
version of this site. into sidelining any real mention of UKIP in this
election in wales,? surly, surly not?, no, I don`t believe that, so
there must be another, Journalistic Licence, reason for ignoring the
huge numbers of UKIP voters in the published polls.
Gareth Hill- Journalist and author of this article, has declared this on line publication and its sister, paper copy, as “a publication that is Punching above its Weight”, well, if that is an measure of the way he sees this news publication, and, the impact Gareth intends to bring to this news outlet based on that opinion, then we all might as well go to bed!!!
Get the facts straight. UKIP want to maintain all funds to help jobs out. Without the cost of the EU budget, the UK could give Wales the same amount of money so the fund will still be there to help people out like him.
Gareth Hill has previously stated, when I criticised him of bias, he “puts great professional and personal pride into making this paper neutral and reporting the facts.” – He was wrong as is evident here today.
Richard, to clarify, in the last two elections in Wales, the General Election, and council and Assembly elections the share of UKIP’s vote and their seats (two councillors) were far lower than the parties mentioned before them in this article, which is why I termed them a ‘smaller party’. As is true of their membership, with the exception of Plaid who obviously have a more limited base to draw their membership from.
With regard to the below there are two anti-Europe candidates quoted in the article, both of whom are involved in politics on an everyday level in South Wales, including Caerphilly County Borough whose residents this publication targets as an audience.
I have not gone into the policies of any party in depth, but quoted the candidates who responded to my requests.
Thank you for your clarification Gareth but I am still puzzled. This election has nothing to do with the general election or council elections which are first past the post. The European election is a closed list system and UKIP did as well as the the other major parties last time out. Afterall it is this, European, election that is being discussed.
I would be grateful for up to date party membership figures. I have not checked but would say UKIP probably has a membership approaching the other big parties. We are only talking of just over 1% of the population being members of any party at all.
Indeed, Richard. UKIP membership is approaching levels of the Lib Dems, they regularly out-poll the Lib Dem’s, have more MEP’s than the Lib Dem’s, and it’s predicted that come 2015, UKIP will have a higher share of the popular vote. The argument is stronger and more convincing to call UKIP the third party than it is a ‘small’ party.
Gareth, are you still minded to describe UKIP as a minor party or have you changed your opinion and will henceforth write of them as a major political force in Wales?
Reality must be faced by newspapers as well as political leaders. It is a fair bet that the, smaller, political parties in Wales will be giving their full attention to methods they can use to defeat this democratic force that, astonishingly, has taken them by surprise.
Dean, there is no local UKIP candidate. The UKIP candidate is an Anglesey man, a politician who used to be PA to the previous UKIP MEP.
Either way, in the interest of balance, a UKIP candidate or the leader deserves to have an extract here. Even more so as the editor has commented saying he likes to be neutral.
I hope people remember that Derek Vaughan of Labour has been a dedicated MEP doing his best for Wales in Brussels.
Hilary? The Problem being that for how ever long he as been in Brussels he has never told me what he has done, he has never told me what he votes for, he has never told me what issues and opinions he has on anything EU, between elections that is!.
For the same reason unless Labour in Caerphilly engage with the electorate BETWEEN election they too could suffer the same cull which befell Plaid at the last elections.
Hi Arthur,
Derek puts out a regular newsletter update with info about his votes, lobbying efforts and visits in Wales. You can sign up via his website: http://www.derekvaughanmep.org.uk/
He’s also held advice surgeries in Caerphilly and arranged for a delegation from the Caerphilly Youth Forum to visit him in the EU Parliament. I’d say that’s a pretty good effort to engage with people, especially since he represents the whole of Wales, not just a small constituency…
Siobhan: That`s all well and good, and to promote what Derek does, at election time, and not in real time, is what my concern is.
Derek would do better if he did not rely on the Labour Party machinery to engage with the electorate, the Labour party are particularly bad at engaging with the electorate until it comes to seeking their votes in an election.
Caerphilly Labour Councillors are notoriously bad in relation public engagement, even Labour Party members are sometimes ignored during the periods between elections, communications between movers and shakers in the party is good, but they do not win elections or votes.
The sooner the Labour party realises that it does not hold the right to a persons vote, as it could in the past, the better. As I said before the Labour Party will suffer the same fate as Plaid Cymru did at the last election and suffer a cull which will remove them from local office, the same goes for this election and they cannot rely on the usual support, and that is unfortunate considering the hard work being put in by a few diehard supporters.
Good luck.
Voting for anyone other than UKIP unpatriotic.
Realist: using the same logic, voting any other than for the Plaid Candidate is unpatriotic for any Welshman or woman?.
Not really, as Plaid, Labour & Conservatives want unelected bureaucrats to decide how the people of this country to live.
It would also mean voting for a party that wants to legalise handguns, scrap your legal right to four weeks paid annual leave and introduce a flat rate of tax i.e. raise for the poorest people and let the rich pay less.
You seem to misunderstand the concept of Flat Tax. The most iniquitous tax the poorest have to pay is the EU’s very own, special tax, which is VAT. A true flat tax regime removes all the other taxes including, National Insurance, Duties and VAT.
A tax allowance is still allowed so that all the people that currently pay tax, which is everyone including those on low incomes, would receive the same tax free amount. This is worth, comparitively, more to the poorest.
The richer people, deprived of the loop holes provided by the present, complex system, would actually pay far more tax on their income that at present and the poorest would pay less or in many cases nothing at all.
And?
The European Union is not there to benefit you! No matter what false politicians say from the labour/lib/con/ and plaid illusionists of the false left-right paradigm.
The reason that the media and other politicians attack the likes of UKIP and call them racist and try to character asasinate is due to the fact that they are not part of the status quo that push the agenda for One world government. The same thing happend to Ron Paul when he run for election of the US presidency.
That’s all the EU is. A stepping stone towrds the New World Order, and the quicker we get out of the EU the better for the UK.
Plaid cymru state that it is important for Wales to be part of the EU; however being part of the EU runs totally against what Plaid cymru stand for. The argument of devolution of power to Wales is total and utter nonsense when all laws are being given to the EU. All that Wales is becoming is a region, or if you like a state of europe were local politicians become more like councillors that push the EU agenda in tue face of the populous.
Zbigniew Brzezinski writes in his books that the world will eventually be run by banking elite/technocrats, and that is exactly were we are going, if we stay in the EU.
I have a song for people to listen to, if you like. Its very informative and packs a lot of info on this.
Love and peace to all on this planet.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MeZJyaQ65rQ
In the nnineties I took a job in Germany working in the automotive industry. I learned the language and enjoyed the different culture. I learned a lot from working in the German car industry. In the noughties I returned to work in Wales and brought all of that knowledge and experience to local companies here. This was only possible with current EU treaties in place. The only way to reform europe is with MEP’s who have Wales’ interests first.
Just google “what has the eu done for us”
One good experience is of little value to the vast majority.
The results of the local elections are now coming in, there is much speculation on what the EU election results may hold. In the midst of this political change The Caerphilly Observer holds that UKIP is a small party, on a par with the Green party. Perhaps they thought “not really worth adding anything about their policies, too small, just include a paragrath from Pippa Bartolotti of the Greens.”
Really? Or will The Observer change its mind in the light of facts?