The leader of Plaid Cymru has attempted to clarify he party's position on nuclear power and how it relates to Anglesey.
Plaid opposes the building of a new nuclear power station in Wales, although Ynys Mon AM Ieuan Wyn Jones, the former party leader, supports efforts to secure a new power station on the island.
With important council Elections coming next May on Anglesey Ms Wood now says that...
"I'll be telling those candidates in that election to make sure that they communicate Plaid Cymru's clear message with their voters, which is about doing everything we can at local government level, working with the assembly and also at Westminster level to create as many possible jobs as possible on that island".She later said that
"this did not mean candidates needed to campaign on the party's national nuclear policy but on supporting local jobs on Anglesey".
BBC Sunday Politics 2012
This reflects the problem Plaid have with Nuclear Power . Its instinct may be to oppose them but practicabilities mean that since Wales two Nuclear Power stations were built in the stronghold of Ynys Mon (Anglesey) and Meirionydd they find it hard to campaign against them there realising they would be accused by their opponents of damaging jobs.
Which makes me ask If the Party have been built where Plaid were weak then perhaps the party may have not been so generous in allowing members and candidates to go against party policy?
Or should the party have a policy on Nuclear power and have it up to individual conscious anyway?
Its easy for myself to call for and end to Nuclear Power when I live in an area where jobs are not dependent on them but we must realise the main reason that Wylfa and Trawsfynydd were built was not to provide jobs but because its remoteness.
Most of the UK Nuclear power Stations were built in areas of low population
If we are to have Nuclear power stations and they are as safe and as the supporters have claimed lets build them near Major cities.
For Plaid the dilemma will not go away but the other parties except the Greens and the Conservatives are similarly divided and there are even some Conservatives who oppose Nuclear Power.
But for Plaid it will be hard to promote the Green fuel agenda whilst some of their members are supporting the building of a Nuclear Plant on Ynys Mon.
Alas although she's leader there's probably little Leanne Wood can do about it than pursue her present course.
1 comment:
The purpose of Nuclear power plants is to generate electricity, not to create employment. There are other ways to create employment, as there are other methods of generating electricity.
Either the principle of non-nuclear, based on efficiency, cost and the inherent risks, is valid, or it isn't. Abandoning principle on the basis of creating a few jobs is questionable. It's an example of selling out for the benefit of the scraps that might fall from the Westminster table. Scraps which, in the event of a nuclear disaster could bite the people of Wales - especially Angelesey - in the backside.
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