Jonathan Clark Plaid Cymru

The voters of Monmouth constituency need an MP who will be the clear voice for Monmouth in London, rather than the voice of London in Monmouth.

Arch Blairite Huw Edwards has put his career before the interests of the people who elected him by voting with Tony Blair 98.8% of the time, since 2001. Obviously a seat in the Lords awaits as a just reward for the betrayal of the people who elected him, eight years of forcing Blairite policies made for Middle England on to our people must end.

The National Assembly is wholly incapable of fixing the problems with the NHS, pensions, crime and public transport. Wales needs a proper Parliament so that we can make our own laws for education, health and housing, enabling us to express our proud tradition of social justice in Wales.

Plaid Cymru plans to cut waiting lists and waiting times by implementing a 12-point action plan for health. The plan includes the establishment of new NHS walk-in centres and diagnostic treatment centres to take pressure off hospital accident and emergency units.

Our new citizens' pension would be available for all people of retirement age. A single pensioner would receive £106 per week; a pensioner couple would receive £161. We will link the annual increase in state retirement pension with the average rise in incomes and scrap the wasteful pensioner credit elements which a third of Welsh pensioners do not claim.

There are more police officers than at any time previously; increasingly bogged down with excessive paperwork. Policing in Wales should be community centred, with more officers available for beat duty. Home Office control of policing powers should be devolved to the National Assembly, as in Scotland. A national community safety strategy for Wales should be developed, with a clear and coherent approach to tackling crime and the fear of crime.

We need to develop an integrated transport strategy if the communities of Monmouth are to enjoy long-term sustainable prosperity. We must develop cross border partnerships with local authorities in Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, with local authorities in Wales, and the National Assembly for Wales.

Railway stations at Chepstow and Abergavenny need to be revamped, a parkway station should be developed at Little Mill and feasibility studies are needed to explore the possibilities of re-opening the railway line from Little Mill to Usk, and re-opening the Wye Valley rail line to Monmouth.