Wales’ newest political party has a radical solution to poverty across the Nation – it wants there to be a guaranteed £11,500 state ‘salary’ for everyone of working age in the country which will be paid to them whether they are in work or not.

“The current welfare system traps people in welfare dependency. We will develop a Citizen’s Income, ensuring a fairer system for all,” said GWLAD leader Gwyn Wigley Evans.

“The current system of Universal Credit is costly to manage and has many failings which leave the less well-off even worse off,” said Gwyn. “For example, anyone signing on right now because they have lost their job will not receive any money until after Christmas.

GWLAD believes that by creating a floor through which no-one can fall through, the uncertainty and poverty which can be seen throughout some of the poorer areas in our communities will be ended.

“Our people deserve better, it cannot be right that men and women are having to take on several zero-hours contracts in an attempt to pay their bills,” said Gwyn. “The damage caused to society by long working hours, low wages and worry over when the next pay cheque will come in has a devastating effect on family life.

GWLAD is committed to the common good of all citizens of Wales whatever their ethnicity, language, religion, nationality, gender.

“And unfettered by years of the status quo, we want to provide radical, pragmatic solutions to the economic and social issues facing contemporary Wales, we have had enough of the same, we need something new,” said Gwyn.

“Gwlad Gwlad​ is willing to combine policies from across the political spectrum – whether perceived as traditionally left wing, centrist or right wing – driven only by the best interests of Wales.

“An example of this is the way that the party advocates combining a Citizens’ Income with a Flat Tax on all earned income regardless of people’s income level.”

”Our Citizens’ Income proposal isn’t an un-costed giveaway to people on benefits so they can stay at home and do nothing. People who rely on benefits are already getting them under our current system, after all.

“Our calculations show that by putting a Citizens Income and Flat Tax together – a combination we’ve seen no other party propose – the effect on the overall tax burden is neutral but the traps that discourage people from taking on new jobs or new challenges, across the income spectrum, are eliminated.”

He went on to say “We want to see a working countryside with opportunities for young people so they don’t feel they have to leave. We don’t want to see communities cleared off the countryside to make way for trees to provide carbon offsetting for distant cities.”

”We want to see more successful local businesses that keep communities alive and schools open and we believe it is important that people who favour Welsh independence have an option on the ballot paper that they can vote for,” he added.

The party – whose name comes from the Welsh national anthem – was launched in 2018 to promote a drive for Welsh independence, with a strong emphasis on putting the economic case and advocating realistic, practical policies.

”We want to see more successful local businesses that keep communities alive and schools open and we believe it is important that people who favour Welsh independence have an option on the ballot paper that they can vote for,” he said.

The party is also putting forward candidates in Cardiff Central and the Vale of Glamorgan – other constituencies where Plaid Cymru has decided to stand down, effectively denying people in those constituencies an opportunity to vote for a sovereign state of Wales.