Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood: 'We have to defeat these pernicious Tories'

Updated
General Election 2015 campaign - April 2nd
General Election 2015 campaign - April 2nd

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has called on all young people to register to vote, as she told a campaign rally "we have to defeat these pernicious Tories".

Speaking in Llanelli on Saturday, assembly member Ms Wood said she believed the "youth vote can determine the outcome of the election, particularly here in Wales".

Ms Wood, who was in the South Wales town to support local constituency candidate, Mari Arthur, said: "Young people are very sceptical as to what the main parties are able to deliver.

"If they register and actually vote in great numbers in this election, I think they can have a real impact, so my message to anyone who is under the age of around 30 is don't see this election as being irrelevant to you, it is highly relevant and your participation in it can make a big difference."

She added that she had spoke to many young people in schools around the following the EU referendum last year and felt as though their voices hadn't been heard.

She urged young people not to let that happen again.

Llanelli, which has been held by Labour since 1922, is one of the areas Plaid plans to target in the lead up to the June 8 vote.

The nationalist party has candidates contesting all 40 of Wales constituencies.

Ms Wood said this election was about the defence of Welsh people, communities and nationhood - and that Labour could not be relied on to oppose the Tories, who posed "grave threats" to the country.

She said: "We have to defeat these pernicious Tories.

"We have to defend our people, our community and our country from what they (the Conservatives) are capable of doing

"We can't rely on Labour to oppose the Tories; they are split, they are divided and so many of those Labour MPs here in Wales are just ready, waiting with a knife in their hand ready to stab their leader in the back.

"It is down to Plaid Cymru to provide the opposition to the Tories because Labour has failed to do that."

Speaking in the town centre, which has many closed or boarded-up shops, Ms Arthur vowed to fight for the regeneration of the town if elected, while Ms Wood called on supporters to take to the streets and spread the party's message.

She said: "We can't rely on the media to take our message to people we have to do that ourselves and it's not just about broadcasting our views on people.

"Those conversations on the doorstep are two-way.

"We listen to people as well as telling them about our vision. I call upon all of you, go out there now, deliver those leaflets, speak to those people, have those conversations."

:: According to the latest Welsh Political Barometer poll, and if the predictions mirror the actual result, then the Conservatives are set to win nine seats - all from Labour.

The Conservatives are on 41% (+1); Labour on 35% (+5); Plaid Cymru on 11% (-2); the Liberal Democrats 7% (-1); Ukip 4% (-2) and others 2% (-1).

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