From: Jill Evans MEP, Vice President, Plaid Cymru; Coun. Pauline Jarman, Leader, Plaid Cymru Group, Rhondda Cynon Taf; Leanne Wood AM, Shadow Minister, Social Justice & Regeneration

For publication

Dear Editor,

Rhondda Cynon Taf council tenants are about to be blackmailed into voting to transfer their homes to a private housing company. Nearly 11,000 families, including 700 tenants in sheltered housing, will experience a costly public-relations campaign to force a “Yes” vote.

Some New Labour councillors say they have no choice. They claim a “No” vote will result in a £10 million debt and a shortfall of £250 million that they plan to invest in repairs and maintenance by 2012. ‘It’s out of our hands’, they bleat. ‘It’s the Treasury’s fault’ – not even Labour’s toothless Assembly.

This is a crucial time for thousands of local families. But where are Rhondda Cynon Tâf’s four New Labour MPs - Chris Bryant, Ann Clwyd, Huw Irranca-Davies and Kim Howells – who have voted on the UK budget which is forcing privatisation?

They can find the money to increase British military expenditure by 32% to £30 billion a year. On top of that, the ‘fabulous four’ put their hands up for the illegal Iraq war which, aside from the human misery, has cost UK taxpayers £3 billion and rising by £1 billion every year. They support New Labour’s plans to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system at a cost of at least £15 billion, as well spending over £1.5 billion every year on existing nuclear weapons. They can even find money to spend £31 billion on two new aircraft carriers – Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales!

These four MPs have a consistent policy of ‘guns before homes’. They seem more interested in supporting expensive US-led foreign adventures than providing decent, affordable public housing in Cynon, Ogwr, Pontypridd and Rhondda. Their predecessors would be turning in their graves that the present Labour Members are letting down their constituents so badly.

Yours sincerely,

Jill Evans

Pauline Jarman

Leanne Wood