Gareth Roberts, Independent Wales Party.

GARETH Roberts has been a member of the Party almost since its foundation in 2000.

Gareth brings with him many years of experience, particularly with regard to public transport and our rail system.

I'm standing in the forthcoming election as I believe passionately in the case for Welsh Independence.

I left Plaid Cymru, where I had be a member since 1970, and joined Cymru Annibynnol/Independent Wales Party because it puts independence at the very top of its agenda and as a Party we are committed to Wales in the EU as well as a seat at the UN.

Achieving one or two members to the Assembly would in itself be a historic event which would transform Welsh political landscape and place the case for independence at the top if the Welsh agenda for the first time in over 600 years.

Susan Price, Independent Wales Party.

MRS Susan Price. Sue is a member of Cymru Annibynnol, presently branch secretary in her home town of Aberyleri.

Sue's administration skills are a key factor in the branch she runs. Why did I join the IWP? Well, I have never considered myself a political person although I have always used my vote and I'm acutely aware of the sacrifice made by so many, the 'chartists' for example who during their movement fought to give me my right to vote.

As most people do, over the years I have discussed with friends and family many matters regarding this land we call Wales. Criticising the government at West Minister, Cardiff or locally but always leaving the doing to someone else in the vain hope change would occur, but it never did.

Since joining Independent Wales Party, I have come to realise that many other families and friends share the same frustration and together we have become the do-ers, working towards our common goal, the independence to make our own decisions and take our own chances and whatUs so heartening is that we include all people into our party regardless of their nationality, ethnic background, religion, creed or political bias.

We want for our children a better future than our own, a future where all the peoples of Wales stand together as one nation.

Andrew Broad, Wales Independent Party.

NEXT on the list of candidates is Andrew Broad, a constituency chairman for the party in Blaenau Gwent. Andy recently became the 'first' party member to appear on a ballot paper at a by-election held on March 13 2003. It was the first time out for the local branch in the heartland of Labour and took a respectable 8.2 per cent of the vote.

Former Welsh Guardsman and Falklands veteran, Andy now dedicates his time to serving his country again. Since joining Cymru Annibynnol/Independent Wales Party, Andy has become a very popular personality with the members he works with, his disciplined approach gets things done.

"Sadly today there is little to tell the other parties apart which is why together they only represent about 30 per cent of the population. We are a Party that is different, we are the fastest growing Party in Wales because we are the party for the 'silent majority' in Wales who see little to support in the other mainstream parties.

"Labour monopoly or a Lab/Lib coalition is a key factor with what is wrong with our country today. They are all so alike; the Assembly has no effective opposition, which allows the assembly government to do pretty much what it wants. Cymru Annibynnol/Independent Wales Party is the only credible alternative to the present position, Wales has suffered enough, we can not continue as we have been it simply doesn't work."

Cymru Annibynnol is fielding a list of candidates in all five political regions of Wales giving everyone, for the first time in our history, the chance to vote for Independence

Joseph Biddulp, ProLife Party.

JOSEPH Biddulph is a 52-year-old writer and publisher living in Pontypridd, a researcher into the vernacular languages of Africa, with a long-standing concern with poverty and unemployment issues

"THE termination of pregnancies has become such a commonplace in our hospitals and clinics that we have what has been called a 'Culture of Death' and it is very difficult to convince people, for instance by looking at administrations where abortion is now illegal, that there are alternative and more civilised ways of dealing with our circumstances.

Future generations might well wonder at how we can so easily destroy over one fifth of children conceived, often in a distressing operation that I cannot described here, with scarcely a murmur from out politicians and practically no help from the public authorities for the women who have undergone this distress.

Abortion is legal up to birth in the United Kingdom, but and Assembly unfortunately has no power to change this, but it does have the ability to allocate health monies and to demonstrate respect for pre-birth human life. In a recent debate the majority of Assembly members preferred to vote through a "technical" measure supporting the practice of abortion, while a member who spoke on conscientious grounds was accused of being 'emotional' and holding up the proceedings.

One of my motives in standing for the Assembly is to try and make it possible for it to be a forum of honest and frank debate on life and death issues without members feeling that they are marginalised by their appeal to reason and conscience. It would also be more democratic if such matters as issuing the abortifacient morning-after pill to girls as young as nine without parental knowledge (as was trialed recently in Bridgend) could be openly debated in the Assembly instead of being quietly implemented by the executive, without any form of democratic accountability.

In a Wales where the population is falling below replacement level, I feel that there are better answers to social depravation and problem pregnancies than issued a pill, and precious little evidence, while the Assembly uses public money to terminate pre-birth children, that present members will adopt a holistic approach and promote a truly compassionate society."

Norman Plaisted, ProLife Party.

THE ProLife Party was born out of a growing conviction among large numbers of young voters, pro-life groups, and many other concerned citizens that many current policies are deeply harmful, not only to the individual concerned, but to the common good of society. I will be seeking to safeguard the rights of all citizens in primary matters related to their welfare, through the Welsh Assembly.

The first duty of the state is to protect its citizens. By refusing to proclaim and defend the right to life of all, the main political parties condemn to failure attempts to alleviate this country's ills. I will promote the provision of Pro-Life - education which upholds respect for all human life, and affirms the dignity of parents and children. I will promote a policy of care that protects human life from conception.

We cannot stop abortion (the legalised killing of the unborn child) through The Welsh Assembly, but it facilitates financially the promotion of abortion, throughout Wales, via our schools, hospitals, and family planning clinics, this we can change.

There is an ongoing commitment for equal opportunities for the disables, this should also apply to the unborn disabled child.

The attacks on the weakest and most defenceless of our society have extended to encompass those who, because of age or infirmity, are perceived to be a burden on others. I maintain that society cannot abdicate its responsibilities to the elderly or the infirm. The equality of all citizens is paramount in a just society and this implies adequate care for all, at whatever stage of life.

I pledge to promote a society in which all citizens in Wales enjoy equal status, in which the family is reinforced as the bedrock of our social structure, where motherhood is once again respected and where we use with wisdom the fruits of new scientific discoveries. Only with absolute respect for life in centre place at the Welsh Assembly can we look forward to true progress.

The mass destruction and trivialisation of human life and its corrupting effects on society as a whole "is the supreme challenge of our times," I intend to take up that challenge, with the support of the good people in South East Wales.

Fiona Pinto, ProLife Party Wales.

I'M 23 and work as a political researcher and I believe passionately that elected representatives have a duty to fight for their constituents and work tirelessly to help the most vulnerable.

Two years ago, while record numbers of people were refusing to vote in the last General Election, I stood for the ProLife Party days after finishing my university final exams, and I am standing again today because until there is absolute respect for human life, not only will the killing of innocent children continue, but the political system as a whole will continue to fail those most in need.

It does not surprise me to read that the government failed to support the first children's hospital in Wales, that there are over 4,000 preventable children's deaths in the UK every year, that there is a staffing crisis in the NHS, and that the government squanders millions of pounds.

The main political parties care more about image than substance. They say thatheir first duty is to protect their citizens yet they endorse the killing of 200,000 unborn citizens by abortion. In one hospital ward, doctors fight to save the life of premature babies, in the ward down the corridor babies of the same age are being aborted. Can we wonder at the mess the NHS is in when priorities are this confused?

It is politically correct to support women's rights, but every abortion represents a failure to help women. As a recent graduate, I know holittle support there is for pregnant students, and how much pressure there is to abort or drop out of university.

The ProLife Party's advocates real support for women and families, as well as support for the elderly, medical research which does not involve destroying human life and is scientifically more advanced than destructive embryo research, and real overseas aid to countries.

No one could fail to be moved by the plight of the Iraqi boy without arms pictured in the newspapers, with an appeal to the compassionate British public for help. But every newspaper remains silent about the babies that are dismembered daily in this country. The BBC has censored the ProLife Party repeatedly on the grounds that abortion is too terrible to be seen.

If it is too terrible to be seen, surely it must be too terrible to do? On May 1 please remember that you have the power to make your voice heard for a child who will never have a voice.

Thomas Flynn, ProLife Party

AT the age of 25 this will be the first election I have contested. I have recently completed a degree in classics from Oxford University. Besides battling away in politics I do have a more ordinary side which largely revolves around enjoying real ale and Humphrey Bogart films.

I became active in the pro-life movement whilst at university having realised just how serious the issues are. Much of the public still believes pro-life issues are the prerogative of the 'religious right'. This could not be further from the truth. This is a human rights issue of the greatest magnitude.

Science continually amazes us with new insights into early human life. Last year Richard Gardner, an embryologist from Oxford University, demonstrated that the process of shaping the human body begins at the moment of conception.

More recently, Baroness Greenfield, a professor of neurology said there was evidence to suggest the conscious mind could develop long before 24 weeks, the upper age limit where abortions on 'normal' babies are permitted. Abortion on 'disabled' babies is allowed up until birth.

Yet 600 times a day by abortion, and through the processes of IVF and embryonic research, we disregard such scientific knowledge. We laugh at those who once defied science by believing the Z<caron>earth is flatU yet every single day we are repeating this folly.

So why should you vote for the ProLife Party Wales rather than any other party? Firstly, without the right to life all other rights are meaningless. What use are policies on tax, education, or health to those who have already perished?

Secondly, the ProLife Party Wales has already achieved a lot. Our sister organisation the ProLife Alliance has fought 2 major court cases in the last month alone. We managed to put a hold to cloning for 2 and a half years and fought for the right to show abortion on television. This not only affected us but the right to freedom of speech and therefore the nature of democracy in this country.

What by contrast have other opposition parties recently achieved? Nothing. By voting for the ProLife Party you can help continue our success. We will ensure pro-life issues are rightly devolved to the Welsh national assembly. We will fight for the right to life for all in Wales. Make the right choice, Vote ProLife.

Arthur Scargill, Socialist Labour Party.

I AM standing as a Socialist Labour Party candidate for the National Assembly because I believe Wales desperately needs socialist policies instead of the disastrous policies of New Labour, the Tories, the Liberal democrats and Plaid Cymru, all of whom, whatever they may say, support the capitalist system, the free market, globalisation and the European Union.

Economy I would like to see policies for Wales which would result in the use of clean coal technology used in the opening or re-opening of at least 20 pits - creating thousands of jobs in what was once the greatest coal industry in the world. I would like to see the re-opening of a publicly owned steel industry, an industry which I warned would close under New Labour, and I want, above all, to see the economy of Wales based on the manufacturing industries, thus creating real jobs for all the people of Wales.

Health If elected I would campaign for a first class National health Service, available on demand, at the time of need and completely free of charge. I would campaign for the abolition of private health care demand that the pharmaceutical industry - which gets rich and healthy on the backs of the sick, the elderly and the needy, should be taken into public ownership.

Housing I want to see an end to homelessness - that means a housing programme for Wales which provides good quality affordable housing for all and which is either owner-occupied or built and maintained by the Local Authorities.

Transport I will campaign for the rail industry to be taken back into public ownership and for all bus services to be owned and controlled by local authorities. Transport should be a service for the people and not for the shareholders of private companies.

Pensions If elected I will campaign for a decent pension for all, a pension at least equal to two thirds of the national average wage.

Future for Wales We can afford a decent National Health Service, education system and pension scheme, provided that our priorities put people first. If New Labour can spend billions of pounds on unlawfully invading Iraq, killing and maiming soldiers and civilians alike, then it can spend that amount here in Wales improving the quality of human life rather than destroying it.

I stand in this election, in the same way as the legendary A.J.Cook, not as someone from England, but as a socialist who has fought all his life, not just for the miners, but also for all working people. I stand for a socialist Wales in a socialist world. For information about the SLP visit our website : www.socialistlabourpartywales.org

Paul Adam, Socialist Labour Party.

I COME from Pontllanfraith, am 26 years old and have a degree in Politics and Economics from Cardiff University. I now write scripts for TV and films, although I also have a job in the Civil Service to pay the bills!

I was a member of the Labour Party for several years and, like generations of people in South Wales, supported them almost unthinkingly. In 1997 I was delighted to see the Tories kicked out after 18 years in government. But 4 years ago, I finally despaired of New Labour.

I asked myself why I should continue to support a party with which I no longer agreed on fundamental issues such as privatisation, cuts in benefits for lone parents and the disabled, the bombing of Yugoslavia etc. Apart from the policy disagreements, there was also the growing authoritarianism within the party, the imposition of z<caron>safe candidates, such as Alun Michael and the almost frightening hero-worship of Tony Blair. The Welsh Nationalists, with their separatist agenda and cynical reinvention of themselves as a socialist party U? did not attract me. After all, they started life as a fascist party!

Instead I joined the Socialist Labour Party, led by Arthur Scargill. The party is very democratic; its members include trade unionists, peace campaigners and environmentalists. The party is committed to socialism, internationalism and democracy. My main concern at the moment is the rampant aggression of the USA and the right wing clique who control it. Corporate America - especially the oil companies and arms industries- are bent on world domination. They call this 'full spectrum dominance' which means the USA must be invincible in every way, everywhere and forever!

This is what the war in Iraq is all about - oil and US power. Naturally the Iraqi people rejoice at the fall of Saddam Hussein (the Americans, of course, put him in power in the first place). But they have merely exchanged one tyrant for another.

The time has come for all the countries of the world - including Britain - to free themselves of American Imperialism, to take control of their own resources and use them for peaceful and constructive purposes.

I realise the Welsh Assembly doesnUt have any power over these things, but I would appeal to Welsh voters to remember the slogan z<caron> think global, act local. Even journeys of a thousand miles begin with a single step!

Hayley O'Rourke, Socialist Labour Party.

WHEN I first decided to stand for the socialist labour party, I knew straight away that this was the party for the people. Being a family person I knew that I had to choose a party that would support family values.

I have been with my partner for seven years and we have a three-year-old daughter so I feel I have a broad experience of family life. I am also a local youth worker, and enjoy working with young people.

I have lived in the Crumlin area for quite a while and I fully realise the damage right wing policies and privatisation has done to the local and national economy. The destruction of traditional industries that have been the backbone of valley life, such as the steel industry, have made a profound effect on the quality of life of people all over South Wales.

The creation of such widespread unemployment and deprivation has contributed to the huge drug culture we have here currently. I am incensed by the increasing spiral of descent I see the valleys falling into.

Therefore I feel one of the prime policies that I will be lobbying for, should I become your Assembly member, will be tackling crime and drug abuse at its source. The young people of South Wales need to be provided for through youth clubs and community projects in order to keep them out of crime.

The Socialist Labour Party stands for equal and free education across the board. Social deprivation can only be truly removed through equal opportunities in education for both privileged and under privileged children.

Similarly all health services should be completely free with no prescription charges, no dental charges and no other such charges in other departments. Every person in South Wales, regardless of their income, deserves equal health care.

The Socialist Labour Party stands for the development of local economies and local businesses and the support of traditional high employment industries in order to drag South Wales out of its accelerating decline.

One of our policies is the improvement of transport and infrastructure through the restoration of the railways and the increased subsiding of public transport and the improvement of roads throughout. This will give smaller, family businesses increased access to suppliers and the national market. Also traffic will be greatly reduced by this reform of public transport and investment in other forms of transport. Hopefully, these policies will also have a positive impact on the environment.

Robert Morris , Socialist Labour Party.

I WAS born and brought up in the Sirhowy valley. IUve worked in the construction Industry for 20 years and am now a full time Trade Union Official for UCATT, the construction Union. The following is a brief outline of where the Industry is at in the 21st century.

Bogus self-employment, death and serious injury, no proper pension provision, denial of statutory rights. That is currently the lot of the Construction worker. However, the current system is fast becoming unworkable for all concerned. I am therefore of the opinion that along side UCATT and its membership, the Assembly Elections has a pivotal role to play in bringing onto the agenda the scandal that is raging within the construction Industry.

Given the right conditions the Assembly could, even with its current limited powers, follow the example of around fifty local authorities in Britain in helping to eradicate bogus self-employment.

This form of employment not only denies construction workers basic statutory rights, leading to poor health and safety standards but actually costs the tax payers of Britain around three billion pounds per annum, in unpaid National Insurance contributions. Currently around 40% of all contracts awarded in the Industry are through local Government and other public bodies. So what better place is there to start from than the beginning, before the contract is awarded.

The scale of bogus self-employment is huge, compounded by Labour in 1998, when they introduced the CIS4 card which led to over 800,000 applications for the card. In the same period, death on construction sites rose, from 68 deaths in 1998 to 114 deaths in 2000 a 68% increase. Also in that period profits of the top 100 Construction tycoons soared from 6.1 billion to 7.5billion.

In addition to the carnage on site there are a further 5,000 to 10,000 deaths attributable to asbestos related disease. This appalling rate of death, it's believed, will continue to rise over the next thirty to forty years.

In conclusion, the struggle of construction workers cannot be confined within those narrow boundaries. It is a struggle that every correct thinking person should be concerned with. It's about the very idea of society. What sort of society are we living in that takes for granted death, serious injury, denial of basic rights as just another day at work. I certainly donUt want that perpetuated in my name. I urge you all to vote Socialist Labour, give the workers a voice from within the Assembly.

Mary Millington, Socialist Labour Party.

IT was our Assembly that was instrumental in ending the imprisonment of innocent people, who happened through no fault of their own to be seeking asylum from oppressive regimes, in Cardiff Prison. I therefore see great hope for the Assembly in making Wales visible as a country which will not tolerate racism, bigotry or injustice, and one in which all cultural backgrounds, religious faiths and languages are valued on equal terms with the Welsh bi-lingual culture which we have so much reason to be proud of.

In the Socialist Labour Party we stand for social justice. Our aim is full employment in industries and services which we the people own and control. We intend to do away with the Private Finance Initiative schemes which are eating away at our schools and hospitals and ensure that the people's money is used for the people's needs, not to line the pockets of Tony Blair's business friends.

As a Party we were present at the huge demonstration against war in Iraq on February 15, where two million of us gave a clear message of 'Not in our Name!' We appreciate that for many people in Wales this Assembly Election represents a chance we desperately need to express our opposition to the war and Tony Blair's complete subservience to the US military industrial complex while he arrogantly refuses to listen to the demands of his own people for peace and injustice through a strengthened and independent UN. Vote for us on the regional lists and you will be voting against the war.

I shall be in Palestine on May 1 doing four weeks voluntary work with the Womens International Peace Service. This is unfortunately necessary because Tony Blair and his US friends refuse to take any action against Sharon's government, which continues to defy UN resolutions by illegally occupying the West Bank and Gaza and denying the most basic human rights to the Palestinian people. I have arranged to vote by proxy, and am passionately committed to my party's campaign in the Assembly Election.

I see the Assembly as a seed which can grow and develop until we in Wales have control over our own lives and our relations with the rest of the world. We can do better than Westminster, but we need to be free of the stifling influence of Tony Blair's government. Pleidleisiwch Blaid Lafur Sosialaidd! Vote Socialist Labour Party

Reehana Sayeed Socialist Labour Party

MY decision to stand for the Socialist Labour Party came with relative ease due to my own strong values and beliefs. I have lived in the Blackwood area for a number of years and am the mother of two daughters one being a young adult.

My current position is as a youth worker and driver of a mobile information service, which targets rural areas providing support, information and advice to our young people.

I am able to see first hand the issues that effect our next generation such as widespread unemployment and deprivation, which has contributed towards the phenomenal drugs culture we are now faced with. I would like to see policies put in place to overcome the issues and tackle head on, drugs and crime. As a youth worker and a parent I believe we need to establish good working relationships with our younger generation starting with community projects within the youth environment, such as schools and youth clubs.

The Socialist Labour Party stands for equality of education, that means abolishing private schools allowing all our children the same standard of education. By using the annual profits of privatised industries this can be achieved. But the lack of powers for the National Assembly do not allow for this.

The Socialist Labour party wants to see an end to homelessness over the next five years, and a commitment to providing one million new or refurbished houses. By using the annual profit of £20 billion from Britain's major banks this can be achieved, on a British-wide basis but Westminster lacks such commitment.

The Socialist Labour party want to provide a National Health Service that is available upon need and demand, which would be completely free of charge, to every person in South Wales, regardless of income. By cutting Britain's defence budget by just two thirds therefore saving £16 billion per year this can be achieved. That is why we demand a real parliament in Wales, to give us the power to make changes.

Over one fifth of Britain's children are living in poverty, and over 10 million adults are living on or below the poverty line. South Wales has more that its share of poverty. Britain's capitalist society developed by New Labour provides twenty company directors with a staggering income of £2 million. What could we do with this money in Wales?

We believe that many of the injustices suffered by Black and Asian people and all those from Ethnic backgrounds are connected with the above inequalities. Should you choose to elect me I will endeavour to commit myself to struggle on your behalf.

Candidates who have not submitted biographies are: Joanne Davies (Plaid), Ernest Hamer (Green), Geraldine Layton (Green), Teresa Telfer (Green).

Other regional candidates are all standing in individual constituencies.Their statements can be found elsewhere in this section.