The Plaid Cymru manifesto for the Westminster elections has precious little about the environment in it because most environmental issues are devolved matters. Therefore, Plaid Cymru Westminster MPs play little role in debates or votes on such things. So, if a Welsh voter, you know that electing a Plaid Cymru MP will do little good, and little harm, on environmental matters – maybe that is the type of MP we need! [See SNP manifesto]
Here are my thoughts on likes and gripes (restricted to the environmental issues – so not many):
Good things:
- ‘Plaid Cymru will increase energy generation from renewables including delivering tidal lagoons in Swansea Bay, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay.‘ – I assume that means if they pass stringent environmental standards equivalent to the EU directives?
Bad things:
- none that I could see
Interesting things:
- ‘Our farms are set to lose European grants that account for 80% of their income. Plaid Cymru will fight to ensure that every penny of European funding, including farming payments, is replaced by the UK government‘ – see, it’s not just the Scots who want the money (unsurprisingly) and not just the Scots who see this as income support rather than environmental grants.
- ‘Plaid Cymru will oppose the construction and use of pylons through National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, advocating underground or undersea cabling where possible‘
Overall assessment: if you send a Plaid Cymru MP to Westminster they will have little impact on the Welsh environment, and even less on the UK environment except they will be occupying a seat which another party would otherwise occupy. If you vote Plaid Cymru you are preventing a Green, LibDem or Labour MP from doing some good, but equally stopping a Conservative from doing some harm. Tricky!
Just a note on the detail;
‘Plaid Cymru will oppose the construction and use of pylons through National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, advocating underground or undersea cabling where possible‘
Nice idea, but undergrounding high voltage lines (the ones on metal pylons) is incredibly expensive, hundreds of millions of pounds per km. The policy suggests an that they put it in because it sounds nice without bothering to check if it was actually do-able. Which doesn’t reflect well on the credibility of the rest of their ambitions.
Medium and low voltage (the ones on wooden poles) are more affordable, maybe “only” £100k/km.
Pylons are an issue on Anglesey, a Plaid Cymru target, so this is likely to be garner more votes there. I can’t see them removing the many in other places such as the ones I can see from my house in the Brecon Beacons National Park!
A high proportion of farmers speak Welsh and vote Plaid Cymru. Farmers are the environment as far as Plaid Cymru are concerned. Science, wildlife, bio-diversity forget that stuff. It’s farmers twp!