Plaid Cymru's former MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Adam Price, said recently that politics needs to become more inclusive, drawing in the best talents to aid the economic recovery. He was, of course, correct. You need only look at the frontbenches of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in Westminster to see the narrow pool of talent that makes up the leadership of the UK government.

Of the 29 ministers entitled to attend cabinet meetings, 23 are millionaires and 19 have been educated at private fee-paying schools. This poses the question: is this a real reflection of the general public?

There is little doubt that the public are becoming increasingly angry at the proposals they see as injurious to the most vulnerable. Iain Duncan Smith, who has been telling the people of Merthyr to get on their bikes and find jobs, and culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has been urging poor people to have fewer children, have a combined net worth of around £5.5m. They are pretty unlikely to find themselves at the sharp end of the cuts agenda.

I am proud to say that in the National Assembly for Wales we have a far greater representation of society. AmongPlaid Cymru's Welsh Ministers in the One Wales Government alone there are as many women as there are female secretaries of state in Westminster.

Our Assembly is one that reflects all areas of Wales. We are proud that the party was able to contribute to a world record in 2003 as the first ever legislative body to have equal representation between men and women.

This representation also extends to experience. Plaid Cymru is a party that at the Assembly is made up from members who come from a host of professional backgrounds: the creative industries, economics, religion, medicine and social services to name a few.

There is, of course, still work to be done on this issue. We must strive, within all elected bodies, to better reflect the country as a whole inside the debating chamber. That means making politics more accessible and continuing to engage as much as possible with the general public beyond the political classes.

Elin Jones is the Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for the Ceredigion constituency and minister for rural affairs

Tags: Across the Border, Elin Jones, Issue 31, Plaid Cymru, Wales