The General Election takes place on May 7 and Caerphilly Observer has asked all the candidates in the county borough to submit 100 words. We begin with those standing in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.
The Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency covers the Darran Valley, New Tredegar, Moriah, Pontlottyn and Twyn Carno wards to the north of Caerphilly County Borough.
The seat has been held by Labour since the ward was created in 1983, most recently by Dai Harvard since 2001.
In 2010 Labour won 43.7% of the vote with the Liberal Democrats in second with 31%.
There is an electorate of 54,715 and the turnout in the last General Election was of 58.6%, compared with 65.1% nationally.
The Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency sits on the Heads of the Valleys and contains two of the top ten most deprived electoral wards in Wales, according to the Welsh Government’s Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation – Twyn Carno and Merthyr Vale.
EDDY BLANCHE, INDEPENDENT: Eddy Blanche is a 46-year-old electrician.
He is the vice chairman of United Valleys Action Group and has actively and successfully campaigned against the Covanta incinerator in 2011 and is currently fighting the Nant Llesg opencast in Rhymney.
He will fight to end the draconian austerity measures dragging down our communities.
He would work to encourage sustainable long-term investment and employment in the area, protecting the natural heritage and beauty, bringing back prosperity and returning it to its former glory as the jewel at the Heads of The Valleys.
BOB GRIFFIN, LIBERAL DEMOCRATS: Bob Griffin believes that as the local MP he could help focus public services on actually achieving real improvements in health, education and jobs.
Despite all the money spent on projects and schemes to tackle deprivation in Merthyr Tydfil, little has changed in 15 years and it is now time for some strong leadership.
He has been a member and campaigner with the Welsh Liberal Democrats for over 20 years and was a county councillor in Merthyr Tydfil until the last council elections.
He was part of the team leading the protest against the proposed incinerator in Merthyr.
ROBERT GRIFFITHS, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BRITAIN: By almost every measure, Merthyr Tydfil and the upper Rhymney Valley is one of the poorest areas of Britain, with some of the most serious social and economic problems.
Yet, over generations, the people of this region have produced enormous amounts of wealth.
Should it have an MP who does what he’s told by Westminster whips? Or do people want an outspoken MP who fights injustice?
An MP who demands that the rich and big business pay their taxes. An MP who campaigns for proper jobs, higher incomes, decent housing and public ownership of gas, electricity, the railways and banks.
A fighting socialist, Communist MP – or a tame time-server?
GERALD JONES, LABOUR: Gerald Jones has been a Labour county councillor in the New Tredegar ward since 1995, also serving as Deputy Leader at Caerphilly Council between 2004 and 2008 and again since 2012.
He has spent many years working as a Community Development Officer for Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations.
A Labour Government will build a fairer future for our country. Labour will freeze energy bills until 2017, ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, raise the minimum wage to £8 and scrap the ‘Bedroom Tax’. Measures such as these will have a positive impact on ordinary working families in this constituency.
ELSPETH PARRIS, GREEN PARTY: I joined the Green Party because I care about the people of Merthyr and Rhymney who have been suffering under austerity.
The Green Party is the only party which has pledged to scrap, not only the ‘Bedroom Tax,’ but also the Work Capability Assessment and the sanctions programme – they need to go!
I’m also concerned about fracking, opencast mining and nuclear waste storage. Recently bills have been passed to permit both fracking and nuclear waste storage without reference to local communities.
We don’t want any of these here – they are all issues which the Green Party stands against.
RHAYNA MANN, PLAID CYMRU: Rhayna Mann, the daughter of former Caerphilly Council leader Allan Pritchard, has been a member of Plaid Cymru for over 20 years.
Rhayna was a teacher before working for Jocelyn Davies AM. Rhayna lives with her husband, a firefighter, and their four children.
If elected, Rhayna will fight for fair business rates for small businesses, a living wage, 1000 extra doctors and fair funding and the same rights as Scotland.
“Plaid Cymru is the only party that will put Wales first because we are the only party that isn’t ruled from London. A vote for Plaid Cymru is a vote for Wales.”
BILL REES, CONSERVATIVE: My name is Bill Rees and I am the Welsh Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney.
I am fighting this election on the basis of getting more and better jobs in Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney. We can only do this if we get behind local businesses and encourage entrepreneurs to come to establish their businesses in the area which is something I am pledging to do.
I also want to make sure that work pays, which is why I am keen supporter of raising the tax threshold to £12,500 to take more workers in Merthyr and Rhymney out of tax altogether.
DAVID ROWLANDS, UKIP: Born, bred and educated in The South Wales Valleys, I have been a self-employed businessman for over 40 years, including several directorships.
I joined Ukip in 1999 due to my concern with the growing aspirations of the EU and my passionate belief in the unity of the UK.
First list candidate for the Assembly elections in South Wales East region on three occasions and first list candidate in the European election in 2004.
I am current Chairman of Wales Regional Committee, and the Parliamentary candidate for Merthyr and Rhymney. I believe uncontrolled immigration to be the biggest threat to the British economy.
Profiles of the candidates standing in Islwyn and Caerphilly will appear in our April 30 edition and online.
The Independent is deluded about austerity. Communism simply does not work. The Lib Dem has not said anything substantial. The Labour candidate highlights what a Labour government will do but I disagree with him. The Greens are tree-hugging idealists, and Plaid only seem to understand how to spend someone else’s money. At least the Conservatives and UKIP have something nicer to say.
The Independent is deluded about austerity. Communism simply does not work. The Lib Dem has not said anything substantial. The Labour candidate highlights what a Labour government will do but I disagree with him. The Greens are tree-hugging idealists, and Plaid only seem to understand how to spend someone else’s money. At least the Conservatives and UKIP have something nicer to say.
Who to vote for?
The Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency is probably the one most effected by the ideological Uk Government austerity processes over the past five years.
Local People are finacially worse off, living standards have deminished, and the bedroom tax has resulted in huge increases in money owed to the Council by the poorest residents, including the severely disabled. But, if another Tory Government gets elected, or, as was the case in 2010, the Tories get propped up by the Lib Dems or/UKIP and USERP authority again, then in thier own words, “we ain`t seen nothing yet” by way of austerity mesures taken against the poorest in our communities. Not to mention the very dangerous `tug of love` such an unholy alliance between these unlikely bedfellows would cause in respect to any EU referendum, austerity cuts, defence bugets, etc etc, it would simply be a grab for power, and not what is best for the citizens of the UK.
Dean, Tories and UKIP never have anything “nice to say” which is what you benifit them for doing, , what they do is say the most appalling things, “in a nice way”. The only person who is likely to pay any true and honest attention to this constituency if elected is Gerald Jones, Labour, not just because he is Labour, but because he is a good communicator, he is a senior local political mover and shaker, having cut his teeth in local government, and he knows how to treat everyone with respect, particulalry those who he serves.
The ideology is not the sensible cuts needed to control a deficit but the unrealistic thought process that leads to people believing there is an alternative to austerity. Labour and the left in general are obsessed with throwing other people’s money at people who do not understand the need to live within our means.
The reality is that whoever wins the election is going to have to cut government spending. Labour is, apparently, going to pay for everything with ‘a mansion tax’ which is naive beyond belief.
The Labour councillor is a senior figure in a council that decided to give the Chief Executive, and many more council officers, a massive pay rise. Perhaps not the party to elect in order to reduce government expenditure.
The Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency is probably the one most effected by the ideological Uk Government austerity processes over the past five years.
Local People are finacially worse off, living standards have deminished, and the bedroom tax has resulted in huge increases in money owed to the Council by the poorest residents, including the severely disabled. But, if another Tory Government gets elected, or, as was the case in 2010, the Tories get propped up by the Lib Dems or/UKIP and USERP authority again, then in thier own words, “we ain`t seen nothing yet” by way of austerity mesures taken against the poorest in our communities. Not to mention the very dangerous `tug of love` such an unholy alliance between these unlikely bedfellows would cause in respect to any EU referendum, austerity cuts, defence bugets, etc etc, it would simply be a grab for power, and not what is best for the citizens of the UK.
Dean, Tories and UKIP never have anything “nice to say” which is what you benifit them for doing, , what they do is say the most appalling things, “in a nice way”. The only person who is likely to pay any true and honest attention to this constituency if elected is Gerald Jones, Labour, not just because he is Labour, but because he is a good communicator, he is a senior local political mover and shaker, having cut his teeth in local government, and he knows how to treat everyone with respect, particulalry those who he serves.
The ideology is not sensible and the cuts are needed to control a deficit. The unrealistic thought process that leads to people believing there is an alternative to austerity is mind-boggling. Labour and the left in general are obsessed with throwing other people’s money at people who do not understand the need to live within our means.
The reality is that whoever wins the election is going to have to cut government spending. Labour is, apparently, going to pay for everything with ‘a mansion tax’ which is naive beyond belief.
The Labour councillor is a senior figure in a council that decided to give the Chief Executive, and many more council officers, a massive pay rise. Perhaps not the party to elect in order to reduce government expenditure.
It does strike me as curios that many fight against austerity and cry out for more jobs but when such a job oppourtunity as open cast arises they fight against it.
I know I’m over simplifying it here but I sometimes wonder if some politicians just want nothing to happen.
It does strike me as curios that many fight against austerity and cry out for more jobs but when such a job oppourtunity as open cast arises they fight against it.
I know I’m over simplifying it here but I sometimes wonder if some politicians just want nothing to happen.