Response to Plaid's Manifest show sadly NHS is the only issse.

I tend no to look at Manifesto's with a wary eye. They are usually  full of promises  and extravagant spending plans and (especially with Labour and the Tories) hidden hints that we can expect major cuts.

So I was surprised when Plaid  took the risk of not making outlandish promised to  increase NHS spending.

Plaid is making big promises on health to cut hospital waiting times and provide free social care for the elderly.

It says it could make £300m in back office savings, partly by scrapping Wales' seven health boards.

But it shows how difficult it is to be realistic on NHS expenditure   when in the middle ofthe Wasting Mules coverage   the reporter managed to say that  "Welsh Labour accused Plaid of making cuts to health.

Anyway Plaid's pledges on Health include

• Access to diagnostic tests in suspected cancer cases within 28 days
• Scottish-style initiative to decrease waiting times
• £50m New Medicines and Treatments Fund for Wales
• Robbie’s Law, in memory of Robbie Powell of Ystradgynlais, will see all entries on patients’ medical records kept visible.
• End the “perverse” historic divide between health and care, creating "a new seamless healthcare continuum"
• Replace the seven Local Health Boards by a new Community NHS delivered through new regional combined authorities
• Free personal care for the elderly within the first two years of government
• Maintain staffing levels throughout Wales by recruiting and training 1,000 extra doctors and 5,000 extra nurses
• Minimum pricing for alcohol

Already Labours Welsh Branch Manager Labour would create an £80m fund to pay for new NHS drugs,

Whilst Labour Arfon candidate seems to have forgotten whose been running the Welsh NHS for 17 years

Labour Candidate in pathetic publicity stunt.

Over at the Lib Dems's pathetic  Subordinate Central their  Ceredigion candidate  Elisabeth (Who) Evans  writes that

Plaid’s manifesto won’t solve the problems facing our nation – in fact, their plans to centralise and reorganise health services will lead to chaos at a time when our focus should be on getting the basics right in delivering our public services.Plaid’s obsession with an unnecessary reorganisation will drag money out of frontline health and local government services, at a time when every penny counts. They still haven’t learned their lesson from the last NHS reorganisation that happened under their watch, which left rural areas with a raw deal.Under Leanne Wood, Plaid have lost touch with their roots in rural Wales. Not only have both their two election launches taken place in Cardiff, but their centralising policies would absolutely devastate rural communities like mine.It’s clear that only the Welsh Liberal Democrats can be trusted to stand up for all of Wales – north, south or mid; urban or rural – and deliver a Wales that works for you.

What that is in Plaid Pledges that lead to a bad deal for rural areas  she doesn't say , But being the Lib Dems I expect a candidate in areas  Rhondda Cynon Taf claim it  will be Rural areas that are affected diversly.

I expect Plaid to carry out similar negative attacks when the other Parties  publish their manifestos.

The trouble is that we are led to expect every Party to pledge increased spending on the NHS  and there  would be nothing wrong  with that if it didn't lead to other important areas savagely cut.

The NHS and to a lesser extent Education will be the major themes of this election .

Despite the Manifesto carrying a whole range of promises the sad thing is they will be largely irrelevant in the campaign .

Those of us who wished to see the debate expanded and Indeed to question where Devolution is heading are likely to be disappointed.