Cyflwynwyd yr ymateb hwn i ymgynghoriad y Pwyllgor Biliau Diwygio ar Fil Senedd Cymru (Aelodau ac Etholiadau).

This response was submitted to the Reform Bill Committee consultation on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.

SCME205 Ymateb gan: | Response from: Janet Roberts
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Dear Sir/Madam,

Please accept this message as an objection to the Senedd Reform Bill.

- The Bill appears to only meet the alleged needs of the Senedd and not the needs of the people of Wales.

- The Bill will deny the citizen to vote for an individual of choice

- The Bill will effectively gag members of the Senedd as fear of not being on the list will not allow for healthy debate.

- The Bill takes no account of the dire financial position of Wales and will only add further unnecessary costs.

- The Bill will increase the element to power and control the Welsh Government has over the citizens of Wales, and decrease citizens involvement with politics

- The Bill will not add anything to democracy and accountability it will in effect make Wales a one party state.

To explain:

To vote for a party and not an individual, is to vote for the manifesto, the party plan. 

Here in Wales, we have experienced that the first minister for Wales repeatedly has said, that ‘we’ the electorate, are in agreement, with all that the Welsh Government is doing, a) because ‘we’ have voted Labour, & b) because all that they are doing is in the manifesto.

However, today over 463,000 Welsh people have now said that they do not like what the Welsh Government is doing. We the electorate have told the Welsh Government this via a petition. Yet, the ruling party, will not listen to the voice of the people, and ignores the voice of the people.  A short sentence hidden in the manifesto that did not set out what the sentence meant, should not be taken as agreement to what has now been implemented.

I messaged my elected representatives who I voted for and have had no response.  I feel this is a good example of an MS who is effectively gagged and too scared to say ANYTHING in case her name is not on the list if this Bill went through. 

To vote for a party, and only the party, will take away, all of our democratic rights to be involved, and to connect with our politicians of choice.  There are some very good MSs here and also some poor ones.  If we have no say in which representative we get how can we weed out the poor ones who may get on the list because the party happens to like them. 

The Senedd Reform Bill will not enhance democracy in Wales, it will not increase accountability, it will increase the cost of Government at a time of financial crisis.

Please rethink this Bill, show the people of Wales you are listening!

Yours faithfully,

Janet Roberts