Think selling out Wales. Think Plaid

Think selling out Wales. Think Plaid!
Have a look at Plaid Cymru manifesto for the 2010 general election!


Where do Plaid stand on the privatisation of military training and bringing disreputable corporations and arms dealers to waler! Like Raythoen - Sodexo and Quineq!   

We call for the immediate implementation of the much delayed (NEW LABOUR) strategic defense review 

Think New Labour. Think Plaid 
Also from the manifesto.

Plaid Cymru also recognises that there is opposition  to the proposed development of the St Athan Defence Training College in the Vale of Glamorgan. We therefore hold reservations and await reassurance that this large amount of public money will be used wisely and carefully to invest in high quality jobs and the local economy.

Think Lies. Think PLAID

Plaid Cymru MPs and AMs have been telling the people of Wales that centralising training at a new college would create 5,000 high quality jobs. 
Now Metrix are talking about 2,200 jobs in security, cleaning and catering   

Although fair play, Jill Evans has also telling her colleagues this for some time. Ieuan Wyn Jones would rather believe Metrix and lie to the Welsh people.

Jill Evans said 

"I have said many times that people in Wales have been misled over the St Athan project and that the job promises were wildly eggagerated. Those of us who have dared to question or oppose the project have been attacked over and over in the press by its supporters who refused to look at anything other than the jobs they claimed would come."

Anti metrix have always said this is about job relocation not job creation.


Think betrayal. Think Plaid. 


How can those of us seeking peace and justice opposing Metrix suceed when the  Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport ..

support for the project is quoted to us from the WAG and the MoD. 

Think Shame Think Plaid

The welsh assembly government didn't call this planning application in contrary to guidelines and with no AMs calling for it or opposing the plans then we are left with an inquiry into the compulsory purchase orders for the military college and aerospace fantasy. 

Just who are representing us the WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT at the inquiry??? With the benefit of a lawyer.  


Brigadier Antony Harking,
Group Captain David Evans
Lt Colonel Johnny wheeler
Captain Robert Rusbriger Royal Navy
Michael Grimmel Sodexo
Paul Vinning 


And a local at last ...Nicky Goodwin Bailey
who came into the WAG from the old WDA and boasts of being the one to start the ball rolling on the military PFI! She was quiet happy to state that there was no assessment of the impact of the effects on Welsh culture or the Welsh language or the impact on S East Wales and on Cardiff especially with regard to policing and NHS. 


She also boasts of being the author of the previous red dragon debacle! Was it 46 jobs created at a cost of about £2.5 million per job!!! Building on failure!?


If we don't want Wales to turn in to a massive military playing field  
for arms dealers and war profiteers and worse a source of cannon fodder then this department should have a massive shake up and be looking away from military sector and the declining aerospace to other areas. We want genuine  high quality jobs which could be created by thinking green jobs. 

NOT 5,000 jobs then!

The consortium behind the scheme, Metrix, has said around 2,200 jobs would be created, most in security, cleaning and catering, with around 800 building workers employed during the the four-year construction period.

As we said all along ....not 5,000 jobs
NO great careers here for children of wales!

First Minister Rhodri Morgan’s new year message 2007 " I hope that construction machinery will move onto the St Athan site to start work on the £5bn military training academy at the end of the year. This will be a major boost for Wales, bringing 5,000 jobs, many of which will be highly skilled."
So wrong!

"http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2007/12/28/it-s-been-a-knock-out-year-for-joe-and-wales-91466-20292372/!

 

Welsh Secretary Peter Hain was wrong whjen he said its a "tremendous" opportunity adding that the range of jobs created as a result of the military academy would be huge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6272709.stm

John Smith MP was wrong when talking of  "the 5,000 direct jobs it will create" and for telling staff and children in the Vale of Glamorgan schools of job opportunities that were never there!

BBC report from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8446720.stm

David Cameron yesterday attacked the Government over St Athan plans!

 Why are Plaid so quiet ....no comment or debate?

David Cameron attacks Government over St Athan plans Jan 09 2010

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron yesterday attacked the Government for not making a clear decision about the future of the proposed £13bn Defence Training College in St Athan ahead of this year’s general election.Read

video of Cameron on wales on line

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron yesterday attacked the Government for not making a clear decision about the future of the proposed £13bn Defence Training College in St Athan ahead of this year’s general election.

He did not pledge to support the landmark project – predicted to create more than 5,000 jobs – but condemned Labour’s stance as “disingenuous”.

On Thursday, the MoD confirmed the final sign-off would not take place until after the election, meaning the decision may fall to an incoming Conservative government.

Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said: “Plans have advanced considerably, but the work has exceeded the assumptions made in 2008 and hence the change to when the investment decision will be taken...the project is on track for an investment decision in the summer.”

Mr Cameron said: “We recognise the importance of this project and totally see the logic of bringing together these services. I think the Government is being disingenuous with their announcement.

“They are still the Government and they have had plenty of time to make a decision about this. After all, the Vale of Glamorgan council granted planning permission for the scheme last September.

“We will have a proper strategic defence review if we win the election.”

This drew a fiery response from Labour Rhondda MP Chris Bryant.

What Chris Bryant said

He said: “He’s the man who’s been refusing to sign on the dotted line. He’s the person committed to swingeing cuts.

“He’s the person who’s been saying that in this present year we should be making cuts.”

Mr Bryant was adamant the proposed training centre, which was suggested as a possible target for cuts by Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable last year, would save money.

He said: “It wouldn’t save any money not to do it, which is why I think Vince Cable was so daft when he said what he said and why I think Cameron and the Tories have not understood the situation.”

Mr Cameron also stood by proposals from Conservative members of the Assembly to end universal free prescriptions and free school breakfasts, saying: “This is devolution and it is their decision. By returning to modest prescription charges for those who can afford to pay, Welsh Conservatives will put more money into hospices and stroke services.”

When asked what Conservatives would do to combat binge drinking, he said: “We need to stop the deep discounting of drinks by supermarkets and a thorough reform of the licensing act – we’ll do both.”

He insisted it was also right to reduce the number of MPs, saying: “I think that we should cut the size of the House of Commons by 10% and reduce the cost of politics. After all, we are going to be asking other parts of the public sector to find efficiencies and cost savings so why should politics be any different?

“Clearly, this must apply in Wales as elsewhere.”

Mr Cameron would not rule out taking military action against Iran to stop the country joining the nuclear club.

He said: “We should not rule things out but we must first try dialogue as President Obama is currently doing and if this fails we should implement very tough sanctions. It’s important that all European countries join in these endeavours and that we persuade both the Russians and Chinese that a nuclear armed Iran would be a cause of great instability.”

He also stressed the need to ensure that all the countries taking part in the military effort in Afghanistan fully signed up to a “common strategy and programme”. Mr Cameron strongly denied that measures to cut the deficit would kill off hopes of growth as the country pulls out of the recession.

He said: “I don’t believe that getting to grips with the appalling budget deficit and getting the economy growing are alternatives – one depends on the other. Even the Chancellor admitted that this week.

“If we don’t deal with the deficit the danger is that interest rates, mortgage rates and taxes will all have to rise and that would wreck the recovery.”

£13 bn to fat cat profiteers

Re. Tomos Livingstone article, 7th January

St Athan project is not a £13 billion Training Centre

The £13 billion is not investment, nor is it the cost of the Defence Training Centre.  It’s the cost of the 30 year mortgage for private companies to provide training courses, in collaboration with some 650 MoD staff.

Most of the £13 billion goes in salaries of 735 trainer staff, in site management, in fees and payments to banks and in profits over the 30 years.

The training college is to cost only around £500 million (housing for MoD staff and trainees comes on top) so is far from the mega-investment that politicians claim.

Brigadier Harking, Project Team Leader, in evidence to the St Athan Inquiry starting 12^th January says the PFI was “appropriate”.  The House of Lords into the “Private Funding Initiative” means the MoD can no longer claim PFI is good value.  

The National Audit Office memo to PFI costs 23% more than funding the same investment through government borrowing.  The Lords questioned how PFI was made to look cheaper than public borrowing through manipulating the "public sector comparator". Ex-Treasury official, Sir John Gieve let out: "That was a pretty crude rule, I always thought, and it was one we were trying to peddle for all it was worth."

With Britain’s burgeoning debts and the black hole in MoD funding, are Labour still refusing to reappraise the affordability of this £13 billion mortgage?  If they refuse to admit economic failures, including PFI, let’s conclude they’re unfit to govern.  


Max Wallis

pre st athan inquiry propaganda

St Athan decision due this summer

Defence Management -

The future of the £12bn Defence Technical College (DTC) at St Athan will not be finalised until the summer, according to Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell. ...

Welsh £12bn defence academy delayed

Building.co.uk - Sophie Griffiths - ‎

A final decision on plans for a £12bn defence academy in Wales will not be made until summer, the government has said. ...

Defence academy plans put on ice

PlanningResource (subscription) - Huw Morris -

Plans for a £1.3 billion defence training academy in South Wales have been delayed until after the general election. The proposal, the biggest UK government ...

Decision on £13bn training centre will be after election

WalesOnline - Tomos Livingstone -

A FINAL decision on a £13bn training centre for the armed forces the Vale of Glamorgan will not be taken until after the general election. ...

St Athan Defence Training Centre decision delayed

BBC News -

A final decision on a proposed £12bn defence academy will not be made until the summer, the UK government says. The Defence Technical College (DTC) is set ..

St Athan Defence Training Centre decision delayed

BBC News - ‎19 hours ago‎

A final decision on a proposed £12bn defence academy will not be made until the summer, the UK government says. The Defence Technical College (DTC) is set ...

St Athan Defence Training Centre decision delayed

St Athan Defence Training Centre decision delayed

BBC News - ‎Remember the inquiry into the compulsory purchase of land for this project starts next week..election liability for new labour and Plaid Cymru .. and how many jobs???

The Defence Technical College (DTC) is set to create more than 2000 jobs at St Athan, by providing specialist training for all the armed services. ......

The 'complexity and size' of the defence academy deal means a final decision, expected in the spring, is postponed until the summer

A final decision on a proposed £12bn defence academy will not be made until the summer, the UK government says.

The Defence Technical College (DTC) is set to create more than 2,000 jobs at St Athan, by providing specialist training for all the armed services.
Armed forces minister Bill Rammell said extra work on the deal meant a delay to plans to make a decision in the spring.
Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith said there could be "no doubt whatsoever" at UK ministers' commitment to the scheme.
Planning permission for the DTC was granted by Vale of Glamorgan council in September last year, although the final say on the go-ahead rests with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Construction was due to begin late this year, with the college billed to provide specialist engineering, communications and information systems training to all the UK's armed forces, bringing them together in one location on new premises.

The UK's armed services will have specialist training at the college

The consortium behind the scheme, Metrix, has said around 2,200 jobs would be created, most in security, cleaning and catering, with around 800 building workers employed during the the four-year construction period.
Mr Rammell said plans for the college had "advanced considerably" but the work involved had "exceeded assumptions".
He said: "It is not uncommon for a project of this complexity and size to experience delays, but the project is under constant review to ensure it meets value for money requirements.
"The benefits the project will deliver are very considerable and include real savings against existing defence budgets over the next 30 years."
'Record investment'
Mr Smith, who is standing down as an MP at the general election, welcomed "the firm timetable".
He said: "The St Athan project is making good progress and we are now approaching the home stretch.
"I want people here in the Vale of Glamorgan to know that I will go the extra mile in the time I have left in parliament to facilitate the start of this record investment which has the potential to transform the fortunes of the Vale and the Welsh economy for the better."