Cardiff-jealousy is holding back Plaid.

Byline: By David James South Wales Echo 

Plaid Cymru will never truly be the party of Wales while it keeps up the lazy anti-Cardiff electioneering we've seen this week.

Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones' speech, in which he promised to move jobs away from the capital, was a cheap way of pleasing voters in the party's rural heartlands.

Yet it is a tactic that shows the party really is not ready for government.

It is worth comparing Wales with England. Comparisons like this are difficult but it is worth considering that Britain seems to have grown out of London jealousy.

The UK capital is much wealthier than the rest of the country. It has massive amounts of money sunk into its specialist hospitals, public transport and infrastructure.

But its success on the world stage as a financial capital has arguably driven the economic boom that has benefited all of us.

Talk of regeneration in the north east and the regional capitals like Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham is no longer accompanied by jibes about London.

Plaid Cymru must realise a thriving Cardiff could have massive benefits for the rest of Wales.

A successful, recognisable, effective capital with the transport links and an airport to match is a huge advert for a nation to overseas investors.

Improving life for people from Llandudno to Llanelli may be Plaid's admirable aim but it will be damaged by weakening Cardiff.

What the party needs to do, if it really is to be the party of Wales, is to unite Wales under one banner - to persuade people to give up their petty jealousies about Cardiff and become as proud of it as they are of the Millennium Stadium.

If transport links to Cardiff International Airport were improved. If civil servants stopped seeing the capital's needs as an annoyance.

If, if, if, all of this and more happened perhaps one day Cardiff could be one of the top cities in Europe.