Elfyn Llwyd MP

Elfyn Llwyd MP for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy 21^st Jan 2008

“As your letter implies the decision was one made by the Westminster Government.

Plaid Cymru recently debated St Athan in the context of its Defence Policy at National Council. After a very interesting and detailed debate it was decided that this would be a constituent of a conventional defence policy.

My personal view is that, although Plaid is not a pacifist party many Plaid members hold that view. I am not a pacifist as such and believe that Wales should play its full part in defending as opposed to conducting any aggressive military policy. …

You will know that we ahve established a strong reputation in the House of Commons in defending human rights and we have consistantly voted agaisnt Afghanistan and Iraq from the very beginning.

The motion that was passed at National council also calls on the Wales Assembly Government not to involve itself in arms sales.”

Contact Elfyn at his Constituency

Sheila Williams
Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales
Ty Glyndwr
Heol Glyndwr
Dolgellau
Gwynedd
LL40 1BD
email sheila@plaid-cymru.org
phone 01341 422661
fax 01341 423990

Westminster

Elfyn Llwyd MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
email llwyde@parliament.uk
phone 020 7219 3000

Surgery Details

Friday evenings, Saturday mornings monthly at:
Balenau Ffestiniog, Bala, Tywyn, Harlech, Bramouth and Llanrwst.

Weekly surgeries are held in Dolgellau.

For further information please contact Sheila Williams on 01341 422661.

National Council:

• notes the attached position paper on defence
• notes that the decision to establish a DTA at St Athan was the decision of the UK government alone
• notes that many party members for religious and moral reasons are campaigning against the development
• reiterates Plaid Cymrus opposition to privatisation, including that of military training

National Council further:

· supports the economic development programme of the One Wales government which will ensure the creation and retention of employment “firmly guided by sustainability principles, encouraging long term, high quality jobs” in all parts of Wales

· calls on the One Wales Government to remain committed to the stautory requirement in the Government of Wales Acts to promote sustainable development

· emphasises the need for the Assembly to be kept fully informed of all developments relating to the Defence Training Academy and to be consulted on all future decisions relating to the project

· notes that there is no direct spending by the NAG on the Defence Training Academy but asks that any ancillary spending by the Welsh government is made public

· calls for more detailed information about the kind of jobs that would be offered to local people and the planned wage levels

· calls on the One Wales Government to seek assurances that the companies involved in the Metrix consortium are not engaged in the illegal trade of unethical arms and to make that information public

· calls on the One Wales Government to request a guarantee from the British Government that no training will be offered to countries which are undemocratic or guilty of human rights abuses

· reiterates our opposition to the Iraq war and notes our concern regarding sending soldiers without them having the appropriate equipment.

John Smith MP claims that Defence Academy is on the Curriculum

Is John Smith pic with pupils from a N power event? Defence academy on curriculum?

Young scientists and their MP enjoy
ic Wales, United Kingdom - 28 Jan 2008
PUPILS who enjoyed a practical science and MP, John Smith. He

Mr Smith said: “Young people learned more from scientists and engineers about

I told you yesterday that many parents will be horrified to read that young pupils at Llanwit Major Comprehensive school were doing course work on the benefits of the defence academy. Are the children being told about the arms companies behind this project? Are they being told about Raytheon’s association with cluster bombs or Sercos links to nuclear weapons? Are they aware of the PCS unions opposition to the privatising of military training? The school has not approached the campaign against St Athan Military Academy for information. The children in the photograph didn’t have the permission of their parents according to Mrs Thomas, deputy head, to appear in this misleading propaganda advertisement where they are pictured showing their work to John Smith who said "I am pleased that the benefits of the Defence academy provided St Athan are being studied in our schools" Deputy Head Mrs Thomas said “the training has nothing to do with politics, this is a Welsh Assembly Government careers education programme provided by Npower.” She went on to say that questions should be put to John Smith MP.

EDM 785 PRIVATE MILITARY & SECURITY

Early Day Motion PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY COMPANIES EDM 785

24.01.2008

Anderson, David

That this House is concerned by the exponential growth of private military and security companies (PMSCs) since the invasion of Iraq; is disturbed by the substantial rise of reported incidents of civilian killings and human rights abuses by PMSC guards in Iraq who remain unregulated and unaccountable; further notes that problems posed by proliferation of PMSCs were highlighted in a Green Paper in February 2002 that originated in a request from the Foreign Affairs Committee but that, six years later, there is still no United Kingdom legislation regulating PMSCs; believes that self-regulation by the industry is not appropriate in this instance; and urges the Government to bring forward legislative proposals for the control of the PMSC sector as an urgent priority.

Conservative Party Bottomley, Peter Open: 1 Closed: 0 Labour Party Anderson, David Caton, Martin Corbyn, Jeremy Cryer, Ann Drew, David Jones, Lynne Meale, Alan Open: 7 Closed: 0 Liberal Democrats Hancock, Mike

Regulate Mercenaries 24 Jan 2008
Dave Anderson MP has again urged controls on private military and security companies.
This time he has tabled a Commons motion expressing his concern at the unregulated activities of some of these companies in Iraq and calling for regulation.

Martin Canton Addresses: Constituency 26 Pontardulais Road, Gorseinon Swansea SA4 4FE

• Labour MP for Gower
• Majority: 6,703 votes. — 339th out of 639 MPs.
• Send a message to your MP (via WriteToThem.com)
• Sign up to HearFromYourMP to get messages from your MP
• Email me whenever Martin Caton speaks (no more than once per day)

Alan Meale MP
Ann Cryer MP rowenc@parliament.uk
Lynne Jones

The strange tale of the Wrekin MP Mark Pritchards appointment to the Welsh Affairs committee!

10 October 2007 : Parliamentary Question

RAF St. Athan

Mark Pritchard questions the Secretary of State for Wales on progress on infrastructure projects in support of the Defence Training Review project at RAF St. Athan. full story

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/welsh_affairs_committee.cfm

On Monday 17 December 2007 Mr Stephen Crabb MP was discharged from the Committee and was replaced by Mark Pritchard MP

Member Constituency Party Dr Hywel Francis MP (Chairman)AberavonLabour

David T.C. Davies MP Monmouth Conservative

The Grange 16 Maryport Street Usk Monmouthshire NP15 1AB or House of Commons London SW1A 0AA.

if you would like to meet him at one of his surgeries please ring his office on 01291 672817. These are held regularly in Usk, Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth.
If you need to reach me during the week, my office number in Westminster is 0207 2198360, and my fax number is 0207 2192806. I can also be reached by e-mail, at daviesd@parliament.uk
http://www.david-daviesmp.co.uk/contact.aspx

Nia Griffith MP Llanelli Labour
Mrs Siân James MP Swansea EastLabour Mr David Jones MP Clwyd West Conservative
Mr Martyn Jones MP Clwyd SouthLabour Rt Hon Alun Michael MP Cardiff South and Penarth Labour Co-op Albert Owen MP Ynys MonLabour Mark Pritchard MP The Wrekin Conservative Mr Hywel Williams MP Caernarfon Plaid Cymru Mark Williams MP Ceredigion Liberal Democrats

& Who is Mark Pritchard, MP??? Mark Pritchard is Conservative MP for The Wrekin (Shropshire). He is Secretary of the Conservative Defence Committee; and Secretary of the Conservative Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a member of two Select Committees: Department of Work & Pensions; and Environmental Audit Select Committee.

PCS expose blatent job number lies

PCS met with Jill Evans MEP...The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the blatant distortion being expressed by a number of Welsh MPs as to the number of new jobs being created in south Wales as part of this multi billion pounds private finance deal.
Activists explained that the thousands of new high skill jobs promised by Welsh MPs were a fallacy because existing civil servants were already employed in them. This means that only low paid and low skilled jobs would be on offer.

As part of the programme, some 1,100 civil servants have been identified as being likely to be transferred across to a private consortium called Metrix. Yet the Welsh Assembly had frequently gone on record as stating that somewhere in the region of 6,000 new jobs were being created.

http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=915899