Wednesday 19 October 2016

Shame on Leanne for experiencing what the rest of us face.

What a selfish politician Plaid  Leader Leanne Wood is.

Oggibloggyogwr  in his coverage  of First Minister s Question time has Ms Wood concentrating  on Trains


Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood AM (Plaid, Rhondda), focused on rail services. The forthcoming franchise needs better scrutiny as the UK Department for Transport seeks to remove certain routes, particularly those serving England. Do the four rail franchise bidders know which routes they're bidding for?
Leanne believes there's an opportunity to address overcrowding, delays and poor rolling stock on the Valley Lines, raising the prospect of dual tracking the Treherbert line to improve frequencies. The last franchise was also awarded on a “zero growth” basis, with no emphasis on improving rolling stock – how will it be addressed and does the First Minister believe travellers deserve better?


  1. But it seems this Politician actually uses these Trains herself
  2. Ironic - train chaos on lines on day I raise overcrowding in . Only 2 carriages, huge demand.
Why can't Ms Wood  find a home outside her constituency like many other AM and MPs

A nice house in the Cardiff suburbs where the travel to Cardiff Bay is easy would be sensible 

But Ms Woods insist on living in the area where she grew up sharing the experience  of those who elected her.

Including having to choose to be on a overcrowded Train in her commute to work or facing a drive into Cardiff and be stuck on Manor Way for ages.


As her predecessor Leighton Andrews  points out there is a great advantage in having more that one home despite the large amount of constituents having to travel daily from their Rhondda Homes


My designated main home is the home I registered with the Fees Office in 2003 when I was elected – in other words, our home in the Rhondda.
“I have never claimed the full amount available under the Additional Costs Allowance. Indeed, for the first 16 months I was an AM, I made no claims at all under this allowance.
Claims under the Additional Costs Allowance in respect of mortgage interest and council tax on our Cardiff home were specifically cleared with the Fees Office before I submitted any claims. I have chosen to make no claims for items such as furniture, food or home improvements.
“Since we have homes in both places, and I do not commute daily, my travel claims are among the lowest in the Assembly. I spend nights each week in both homes except of course, when we are away on holiday.
“The decision to include the Rhondda constituency as eligible for the Additional Costs Allowance was of course made by the first Assembly elected in 1999. In
other words, before I was elected to the Assembly.
How could the electors of the Rhondda  chose someone who lives amongst them sharing their everyday experiences rather than a Weekender?

Don't they realise we electors are are only there as voting fodder to provide a platform for our political masters who vote themselves pay rises whilst making cuts to Social Security   and claim expenses on frivolous  items like a bloody Duck House.

Do we really want AM or MPs like Leanne Wood finding out what we have to put up with in areas like our daily lives and then try and do something about it?

2 comments:

Owen said...

Coincidentally, I saw Leanne "attempting" to use trains during evening rush hour a few weeks ago, so I can vouch first hand that she knows how bad it gets sometimes - this wasn't a researcher's question or done for show.

Leigh Richards said...

Let's face it privatisation has been a disaster for public transport. Awarding rail franchises to a different private companies will make no difference to the quality of the services people get - because makng a profit and offering a decent public transport system simply arent compatible. I think this is why polls show that renationalising the railways is very popular with the public.

Unfortunately we in wales dont have the powers to return the railways to public ownership (though we do have powers to reregulate buses and the Assembly should do so because services are falling apart in many parts of wales)