Plaid Cymru meets in Aberystwyth today in high spirits following a crushing by-election victory for the national assembly Ynys Mon (Anglesey) constituency in the summer, where the party's Rhun ap Iorwerth swept to victory with over 50 per cent of the vote. 

It was a truly staggering result considering that Rhun was replacing former Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones, who had served the island for the best part of three decades at both Westminster and the national assembly.

The party ran a purely positive campaign, refusing to get sucked into the negative tactics of its opponents. 

Labour in particular ran a disgraceful campaign for a governing party and it deserved its new-found status in the constituency, slugging it out in a battle with Ukip to claim a poor second place. The Tories and the Lib Dems were wiped off the political map.

Plaid however put forward a radical political programme. We recognise that we are living in the age of political climate change - where the "business as usual" approach favoured by the three London parties is no longer acceptable.

The party is further buoyed by detailed research by the Silk commission which is investigating the next steps in the constitutional journey of Wales as a political country. 

The research, the most detailed since devolution, indicated a significant majority wanting more powers for Wales - clear majorities wanting the Welsh Parliament to have responsibility over energy, broadcasting, policing and welfare policy.

I watched the recent party conferences with bemusement at the similarity of the policy proposals brought forward by the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems.

Highlights seem to be gimmicky announcements which fail to really get to grip with the injustices which permeate our society.

The reality is that their political platforms are indistinguishable. Politics for the London parties is no longer a battle of ideas.

I feel a pity for the media which has to try to find artificial division lines between warring tribes that for all intents and purposes are joined at the hip. 

Westminster political discourse is based on personality, poll ratings, the latest narrative development and who's employed who - a situation derived from the similarly debased political class in the US - rather than a genuine ideological debate.

There is a direct correlation between Westminster's descent into an ideas-free conformity, its subservience to the economic elite, and the growing support for Welsh democratic institutions. 

We in Wales know that no matter the colour of the government in London, the trajectory of political travel will remain the same. 

The only real alternative for those who want to create a more prosperous and just society is to empower our own national parliament with the tools to make a difference.

The Party of Wales of course, for as long as we send representatives to Westminster, will be a reformist force. 

We don't go down to Westminster to protect the interests of the super-rich - which is why we will be putting forward a radical platform for the 2015 Westminster election.

While Labour couldn't even be bothered to join us and vote against the Tory tax cut for millionaires, we would restore it and introduce a genuinely progressive taxation system.

While the Tories block and Labour dithers, we will promote a Robin Hood tax on big bank trading.

While Labour joins with the Tories in protecting the universal banking model allowing speculators to gamble with the backing of public money - effectively privatising profit and nationalising debt - we will commit to splitting the banks so that taxpayers do not pick up the tab for the next financial crash.

While in terms of geographical and individual wealth the British state has developed into the most unequal member of the European Union, we will continue to demand a economic fairness Bill which will address the disgraceful legacy of the Labour-Tory tag team.

While Labour and the Tories remain committed to a new generation of nuclear weapons at a cost of £100 billion, we will scrap Trident renewal and reinvest our share of this money in public services and productive infrastructure investment from Port Talbot to Prestatyn.

At the next Westminster election we will be inviting the people of Wales to cast verdict on Labour and Tory collusion at the behest of our first minister to locate weapons of mass destruction on the Cleddau following Scottish independence.

While Labour and the Tories are more than happy to use UK taxpayers' cash to fund England-only projects without compensation to the Celtic countries, we will demand that Wales gets the billions of pounds - our fair share - from HS2 which would revolutionise transport infrastructure in our country.

While Labour and the Tories have built a risky economic strategy around consumer debt and house price inflation, we will demand a genuine industrial strategy that rebalances the economy away from serving the needs of the financial sector based in the City of London towards the production side of the economy, creating sustainable growth.

While Labour MPs voted with Tory Eurosceptics to reduce Welsh European funding, we will always put the Welsh national interest first.

While Labour and the Tories are happy to see the energy and natural resources of Wales plundered, we will demand that they are used and developed for the benefit of our own economy and our own people. 

I say no-one in an energy-rich country such as ours should live in fuel poverty.

Westminster isn't working for Wales. It never has. This is why our party has dedicated its existence to the creation and development of our own democratic national political institutions.

We are living in the age of political climate change. The old order of elitist direct rule from London is coming to an end.

It's our duty in the Party of Wales to step up to the challenge of leading the people of our country to a better future.

Jonathan Edwards is Plaid Cymru AS/MP Dwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr/Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.