Everything Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said in his Spring Conference speech
He said that Plaid Cymru is focused on rebuilding public services and growing the economy in Wales - and the only party willing to stand up to Keir Starmer and UK Labour.
Gyfeillion, diolch yn fawr am y croeso. Mae’n hyfryd bod yma ymhlith gymaint ohonoch chi a hithau’n flwyddyn mor arwyddocaol yn hanes ein plaid.
Dwi’n gobeithio gwneith y gynulleidfa ehangach faddau i fi am gymryd munud bach ar y dechrau fel hyn i sôn am achlysur ein canmlwyddiant ni fel plaid.
‘Di ddim cweit yn amser i fi ddymuno penblwydd hapus i Blaid Cymru eto – mi ddaw’r cyfle swyddogol hwnnw yn y Sdeddfod Genedlaethol yn Wrecsam ym mis Awst, a dwi’n edrych mlaen yn fawr iawn am hynny – ond dwi am edrych yn ôl ar ganrif o’n bodolaeth ni a be sy’, dros y ganrif honno, wedi gwneud ein plaid ni yn gwbl unigryw yng ngwleidyddiaeth Cymru.
Mi ges i dipyn o hwyl yn ymchwilio i ‘efo be’, ac ‘efo pwy’ dan ni’n rhannu’n penblwydd – rhai o’r pethau eraill ‘na sydd yn y llyfrau hanes yn y bennod ‘1925’. Teg deud bod ‘na rai sy’n fwy o faterion dathlu na’i gilydd!
Sut mae technoleg wedi datblygu… dyna pryd gafodd y lluniau teledu cynta eu darlledu gan John Logie Baird.
Mae’n debyg mai dyna pryd ddechreuodd Clough Williams Ellis adeiladu pentre Portmeirion.
Genedigaethau gwleidyddol o bwys… Odd hi’n flwyddyn geni Tony Benn. A geni Margaret Thatcher hefyd! Ie, gwell symud ymlaen dwi’n meddwl!
Ac union gan mlynedd nol i HEDDIW mi chwaraeodd yr Alban gem rygbi ryngwladol yn Murrayfield am y tro cynta... yn curo Lloegr.
Ganrif yn ddiweddarach, mae Portmeirion yn drysor cenedlaethol. Dan ni’n dal yn cyfri cost dyddiau Thatcher, a dan ni dal, fel yr Alban nol yn 1925 yn cael boddhad mawr pan dan ni’n curo Lloegr yn y rygbi, ond yn teimlo’r boen i’r byw pan dan ni’n colli – mi ddaw dyddiau gwell, dwi’n siwr!!!
Ond ganrif yn ddiweddarach be ydi’n gwaddol ni fel plaid?
O wreichion gwres a gobaith 1925, be sy’n dal heddiw yn sicrhau fod tân yn ein boliau ni o hyd, yn NWY FIL a dau ddeg pump i fynnu’r gorau i Gymru?
It was Martin Luther King who said “you don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
And that’s precisely what happened a hundred years ago in the Maes Gwyn Hotel in Pwllheli, when ‘Y Blaid Genedlaethol’ – the National Party - was established.
We can only hope that those who met on that August day with vision and determination would be proud of their enduring legacy today.
By the way, the story has it that the reason D J Williams - one of the early Plaid Cymru giants - missed that fateful meeting was because his train getting into Pwllheli was very late – some things never change!
But friends, as we remember those who came before us, let me take a moment to pay tribute to two of them for their contributions, not only to our party but to our nation too.
Dafydd Elis-Thomas’s service to Wales was driven by a sense of vision and purpose and no lack of charisma. As a key architect of Wales’s modern democracy, I know Dafydd would want us to keep building the inclusive, outward looking, green and European Wales we all want to see.
Diolch Dafydd am helpu i osod seiliau cadarn ar gyfer dyfodol ein cenedl.
A dan ni’n cofio Emrys Roberts – wnaeth gymaint i arwain twf y Blaid yng nghymoedd y de, ddaeth yn agos at gael ei ethol yn Aelod Seneddol Merthyr Tudful cyn dod y cynta erioed i arwain Cyngor Sir Plaid Cymru, yn y dre honno, yn 1976. Diolch i bobl fel Emrys mae ôl troed etholiadol Plaid Cymru i’w weld ym mhob cwr o’r wlad.
So, a century may have passed since Plaid Cymru came into being, but not a day goes by without the realisation that each and every one of us stands on the shoulders of those giants.
Mark Twain once said that history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. And it certainly does.
There are many constants to be found in the challenges our party has tried to address, has sought to overcome, since its inception a hundred years ago.
Poverty, lack of opportunity, economic stagnation, continuous injustices at the hands of Westminster, whether the government is red or blue.
But Plaid Cymru has been consistent in its conviction, resolute in its resolve to say that this is not as good as it gets for Wales.
Because unlike Labour, we won’t say one thing in opposition and another thing in power time and time again, slamming Tory austerity, then delivering their own austerity. We won’t waiver on 1950s women or on the Crown Estate.
And unlike the Tories, it hasn’t taken US fifteen years to decide that Wales is, after all, owed billions from England-only spend on HS2. Demanding action now when they can’t deliver it. Silent when they could have.
Because our principles aren’t dictated by our proximity to power – they’re driven by what’s best for Wales.
And despite the challenges – the many threats to our communities, our industries, our language and our culture ... everything we hold dear – Dafydd Iwan is right, ‘dan ni ‘Yma o hyd’. We ARE very much still here.
But being ‘Yma o hyd’ in itself isn’t enough.
“Yma i beth?” – that is the question. It’s not just we are here.. It's what are we here FOR?
It’s a question we ask ourselves today. We have an election to win next year, a new WALES to win, and we have to be clear what it is that we’re trying to mend, what the vision is for Wales.
Of course, it’s a question we can ask in a world-wide context too.
I, like so many of you grew up in the shadow of the Cold War, and the international chill that’s returned in recent months is something that worries us greatly.
We’ve drawn strength from standing together internationally, but seeing a new President tearing up the Paris climate agreement, withdrawing from the World Health Organization, threatening the Palestinian people with ethnic cleansing, siding with a Russian aggressor... these things go against the grain of all I, and we, stand for.
Curtailing trans rights, banning the use of federal funding for abortion and continuing an assault on women’s rights, attacking diversity and equality as BAD things. And many Americans I know are as worried as I am, of course.
But whilst it’s so easy to feel despondent - to despair at how a change of leadership can set back an entire society, set back the world, let’s remember the actions of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.
Her courage and defiance - to look a President in the eye and speak the truth whatever the consequences - should inspire us all.
“Courage calls to courage everywhere, and its voice cannot be denied”.
That suffragist mantra rings just as true now as it did when it was first uttered more than a century ago.
Because be in no doubt - those wishing to silence that voice are more energised, more organised, more enfranchised than they have been in a very long time.
So as Trump, Musk, Farage and their followers seek to profit from the currency of fear and hate, we too must show courage.
We must be united and determined in exposing these morally bankrupt millionaires and billionaires who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Trump believes in Trump. Musk believes in Musk. Farage believes in Farage.
Beware these men whose only real ideology is their ego.
But if we can show courage - to speak up for the vulnerable, to call out discrimination, to challenge injustice and seek prosperity through equality and fairness - we can make sure that our voice is heard.
From Kharkiv to Khan Younis, we stand with the innocent civilians of Ukraine and Gaza.
Friends, the genocide against the Palestinian people is the most heinous crime the world has seen in recent memory. The horror of October 7th shocked us too, and the world condemned the terror then, and I still do, but the Israeli government must be held to account for its abhorrent actions in punishing an entire population.
And as the so-called leader of the free world chooses to empower the Kremlin, we must join our European neighbours in showing solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
Our message is clear – we must support the right to self-determination, and stand for peace not appeasement.
So, across the world and in our own communities, an unparallelled determination is needed to chart a better course.
Conference, this is no time for half measures, for managerialism or mediocrity.
As political winds and whims buffet like never before, as snake oil merchants trade on fear, as the establishment retreats to the routine at the expense of the radical, and as Wales is vetoed by Westminster – we must prepare for our next
century with a single-mindedness that heralds a Welsh revival.
There was a time when that very possibility was floating in the air.
Consider what the late Rhodri Morgan told a Labour audience in his 2009 Conference speech.
He said this:
“Over that decade of devolution, I’ve seen Wales grow enormously in confidence.
Learning the art of government.
Getting used to making our own decisions.
Moving away from the old culture of blaming others for anything that goes wrong.
We would not, and could not, go back to the old days of going on bended knee for help from the likes of William Hague and John Redwood – those figures from what now seems like the prehistoric past.
That era is over for ever and ever.
Finito.
Dead as a Norwegian blue dodo,” he said, as only Rhodri Morgan could.
Except of course that the Norwegian blue dodo has risen again, a red-feathered phoenix - bowing its head to Westminster.
For Hague and Redwood see Starmer and Reeves – when it comes to Wales, they’re blockers not builders.
Let it sink in. We were told that we would not, and could not, go back to the old days of going on bended knee for help.
Well friends, the carpet is threadbare from the bended knee.
The Winter Fuel Payment
The two-child cap.
National insurance.
Inheritance tax threatening the family farm.
HS2.
Fair funding.
The devolution of the Crown Estate, policing and justice.
I could go on - but you get a sense of the roll call of shame.
And they have the temerity to criticise us for our belief that decisions affecting Wales should be made in Wales – at least we have a plan and believe in something – we believe in Wales’ potential, in Wales’ future, which is more than can be said about them.
Felly rhan pwysig o’r ateb i’r cwestiwn “yma i beth?” ydi ‘yma i gynnig rhywbeth gwahanol’.
Yn rhedeg trwy ein DNA ni am ganrif fu’r penderfynoldeb nid yn unig i sefyll i fyny dros fuddiannau Cymru, ond i weld ein cenedl yn cymryd camau breision ymlaen.
Tryweryn.
Buddugoliaeth Gwynfor.
Deddf Iaith.
Cefnogi’r glowyr, gweithwyr Ferodo a phensiynwyr ASW.
Iawndal i’r chwarelwyr.
Gwrthwynebu Rhyfel Irac.
Refferendwm ’97.
Pwerau deddfu llawn.
Prydau ysgol am ddim.
Trwy’r degawdau, dan ni wedi gallu gweiddi’n falch y buon ni yno o hyd, yn ddyfal ac yn ddi-droi-nôl.
Yn ymgyrchu.
Yn ymbweru.
Yn ymrafael.
Yn ymateb i alwad Cymru.
A’r ddolen gyswllt? Gobaith a chred yn nyfodol pobl Cymru.
We have a powerful currency in our movement – a principle which we embrace, knowing that there isn’t a problem in Wales for which there isn’t a solution.
That currency is hope.
“The most exciting thing about Wales is her possibilities. They are limitless.”
Those were Gwynfor’s words in his maiden speech to the Commons in 1966, and those are words which give us hope to this day that a better future is possible.
And that future must be a future for all.
Whoever you are and wherever you live, whatever your back story and whatever your story yet unwritten – I give you this assurance.
The unwavering commitment of a Plaid Cymru government would be to root out inequality.
A commitment not based on a vague mission or abstract assurance – but on a concrete undertaking to identify the problem and pinpoint the remedy.
Friends, there’s a lot that Wales can be proud of - but there remains a national stain, an indelible mark on communities the length and breadth of our country. And that’s poverty, and child poverty in particular.
In the week where Labour laid out their heartless welfare cuts, that’ll hit some of THE most vulnerable in society, let’s also remember that it’s unforgivable that so many of our children go without the basics – not even afforded the decency of good health and the bare essentials, let alone an equal chance to succeed.
We cannot continue to fail the very people on whose futures we depend for a brighter tomorrow, and on this issue, the record of successive Labour Welsh Governments, coupled with the deep austerity of Conservative UK Governments is nothing short of shameful.
Sometimes we’ll see a percentage point shift here and there, but the bottom line is that three in ten of our children still live in poverty. What’s worse is that governments have allowed it to become the norm, driven by a fantasy that an economic upturn alone will shift the dial.
Conference, it simply won’t.
The UK Government won’t see progress on child poverty by the end of this Parliament – even with high economic growth – if investment in social security doesn’t form a part of its child poverty strategy. That is the stark conclusion of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Its annual report on UK poverty is further proof that Welsh Government action is inadequate, and
that paying lip service to deprivation has become its state of being.
Labour could argue that they were once serious about giving every child the best start in life.
There was a target to eradicate child poverty by 2020. But that target was dropped, nearly a decade ago.
The Labour Welsh Government’s new strategy promises to "put in place robust monitoring and accountability mechanisms to track progress against key indicators on child poverty.” But how about having targets to deal with child poverty... to try to eradicate child poverty.
Their actions just don’t meet the scale of the problem. Their strategy lacks both the foresight and provision to make a discernible difference.
As the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says - even if the UK economy grows significantly more than expected, overall child poverty rates will show little change and could even rise if growth benefits higher income households more than lower income ones.
Specific, targeted policies are needed if child poverty rates are to come down.
Drawing on the experience in Scotland and learning from its transformational benefits, I can announce today that a Plaid Cymru Government will begin the process of implementing a child payment in Wales – a weekly direct benefit to support those who need it the most.
After 14 years of austerity under the Tories and 26 years of ambivalence under Labour – this would be a new government rooted in the values of fairness and social justice.
The ‘Cynnal’ payment as it’ll be known will do exactly that - it will sustain families and support communities.
Those in receipt will feel less anxious about making ends meet – becoming more productive in the long run.
Children go on to be healthier and more economically active, and the money will be re-invested in local economies, where people buy the bulk of their essential goods and services.
Conference, doing nothing is not an option.
As things stand, only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 – and that’s largely because of the Scottish child payment and their government’s actions.
Doing what’s right and implementing what works doesn’t have to be an entirely new idea.
We know that Labour’s policy cupboard is bare, but it tells you how far they’ve fallen when they show no interest in delivering tried and tested life-changing policies that have worked elsewhere. Friends – we in Plaid Cymru will always have an open mind, when it comes to trying to open doors for others.
The truth is that the establishment wants to stifle, even obstruct, our ambition. On one hand, Keir Starmer makes life more difficult for the most vulnerable – his and Rachel Reeves’ Tory-inspired benefits cuts will hit some of the most vulnerable people, and on the other, Eluned Morgan doesn’t want the powers that could make a difference to people’s lives.
It’s a lose-lose for Wales.
Mark Drakeford, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance is absolutely right.
In the Senedd some weeks ago he conceded – and I quote – “We don’t have some of the things that other parts of the United Kingdom can use to draw attention to their views. Scotland,” he said, “has always had the possibility that it might choose to leave the United Kingdom, which means that the UK Government will want to listen to what they have to say.”
Yes, even the former Labour First Minister can see the writing on the wall.
It’s an echo of what his mentor Rhodri Morgan argued years ago. I remember it well. He argued that Scotland have threatened independence, Northern Ireland lived through years of the Troubles... Wales should surely be rewarded for good behaviour. It doesn’t work like that, Labour!
The SNP have secured more powers and a better deal for Scotland because of their determination to stand up to Westminster.
Meanwhile in Wales, we have a Labour First Minister blinded by party loyalty, too afraid to rock the boat, pandering to Starmer, stuck in the middle of the road and failing to move our nation forward.
Perhaps the First Minister should heed the words of one of her party’s most revered politicians, Aneurin Bevan – “We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road,” he said. “They get run down.”
Gyfeillion, pan mae Llafur yn copiio’r Ceidwadwyr, pan mae gwleidyddiaeth yn cael ei ddallu yng nghanol y ffordd, pan mae Prif Weinidog yn rheoli nid arwain ac yn cropian pan mae angen brasgamu mlaen efo pwrpas, mae eithafiaeth yn cael lle i anadlu a chodi stêm.
Fel mae llawer ohonach chi’n gwybod, dwi’n dad balch i dri o blant, y ddau ieuenga yn dal yn y brifysgol. Profiad eu cenhedlaeth nhw o wleidyddiaeth San Steffan ydi o niwed dwfn gan Lywodraeth Geidwadol, ac yna methiant gan Lywodraeth Lafur, oedd yn addo ‘newid’, i gynnig newid go iawn unwaith y cafon nhw’u gafael ar rym. Mae o ‘di mynd i deimlo fwy a mwy fel UN dosbarth gwleidyddol Llundeinig - un sefydliad Prydeinig – sy’ ’di colli cyswllt efo bywydau pobl go iawn.
Mae hynny wedi siglo ymddiriedaeth pobl mewn gwleidyddiaeth a bwydo’r math o ofnau sy’n meithrin rhagfarnau, a sy’n rhoi llwyfan i garfannau roi’r bai ar amrywiaeth, mewnfudwyr, cydraddoldeb a goddefgarwch am bob problem sy’n wynebu cymdeithas.
Felly be sydd angen i ni ei wneud? Ie, herio’r rhai sy’n elwa drwy godi bwganod, ond hefyd dwyn Llafur i gyfrif am y ffordd maen nhw i’w weld mor barod i droi eu cefnau ar rai o’r gwerthoedd yna sy’n creu cymdeithas wâr.
We know, don’t we what those straw men of populism are - blowing in the wind in whichever direction points towards a momentary bounce in the polls. Railing against efforts to combat the climate crisis, against the Covid vaccine, against those fleeing war, against so-called attacks on free speech. They’ll make those the enemy.
But let’s remember the REAL enemy:
Poverty.
Poor housing.
Intolerance.
Long waiting lists.
Declining educational standards.
Hollowed-out high streets.
Low wages.
Lack of opportunity.
A warming planet and warmongering presidents.
And because these are the realities which lie at the root of the problems facing our society and the wider world, we know that Reform is not the solution.
By refusing to recognise the truth, by scapegoating and oversimplifying, they expose themselves as having no plan, no vision – other than letting private profiteering infect our NHS - and no interest in doing what’s best for Wales.
So, whilst Labour’s failures feed Reform’s fearmongering, we’re here to offer hope – a fresh start and an end to Labour-led rule in Wales after twenty-six years.
A fresh start that will begin the work of mending the fabric of society, torn by years of Tory and now Labour austerity.
A fresh start that will strive to reconnect our communities on a practical and personal level - better transport links, improved community facilities, smart planning which works for people and planet alike.
And a fresh start that will represent all, and seek to deliver for all - the nurse, the teacher, the business-owner, the family farm. Our mission will be to inject a new sense of determination into making the government work for all the people of Wales – whether that’s on the economy, on public services or on the environment, where we DO face a crisis a Plaid Cymru Government will be determined to meet head on.
Under my leadership, the days of a “can’t do” attitude in Welsh Government would be over.
I share your frustration at the way Governments, red and blue, have failed our communities, but we’ll offer a Government that works WITH those communities, that has real ambition for our nation’s future.
And my first meeting with Keir Starmer as Plaid Cymru’s First Minister of Wales? Well, it’ll mark a new beginning – the start of discussions on building a NEW Welsh nation.
I’ll do all I can to make it a constructive relationship, certainly, but for one thing, the future of Wales will clearly be the only focus for me – no party loyalties to balance, or blind loyalty to a broken Union.
And there’ll be a plea to see Wales differently in so many ways.
Not just as fertile ground for electoral fodder, or for fleeting campaign pit stops and photo-ops.
Not just an afterthought – fourth in line behind England, Scotland and Northern Ireland because their First Ministers and Mayors refuse to settle for less.
Not just a dead cat or a nodding dog to change the subject or cheer him on when times are tough.
But a nation whose people deserve the respect of being heard, of being listened to.
And there can be no ducking the HS2 issue, no dodging when the Crown Estate should be on the agenda or turning away when fair funding HAS to be on the table. The UK Government will HAVE to respond.
Now, they can keep turning us down, forced to be honest about where exactly their loyalties lie, and where Wales stands for them… but we’ll keep making the case… focused, determined… unlike this Labour Welsh Government that’s just given up.
All those issues I mentioned, though, will only be the building blocks – ‘events’ as someone once put it.
Yes, I’ll have that constructive, professional relationship with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but we must put him on notice that the relationship will change because our destination demands it.
Our vision of Wales – open, inclusive, independent and internationalist – is of a nation where decisions affecting its people are made in Wales for the benefit of its people.
Our ultimate aim is to future-proof Wales by not allowing ourselves to depend on the whims of Westminster. We want to be good neighbours - but equal neighbours.
But as long as we’re tied to the unequal union, we must leverage the prospect of Wales standing on its own two feet. And becoming a genuine partner in a redesigned Britain.
As Mark Drakeford said, when Scotland speaks, Westminster listens.
And when Wales speaks with a Plaid Cymru First Minister at the helm, they’ll need more than platitudes to silence us. Be in no doubt, it’s a win-win when we negotiate with the mindset of an ambitious nation, focused on rebuilding public services and the economy in Wales, whilst also standing up to Keir Starmer and UK Labour.
Felly ie - yma i beth?
Here for what?
That’s the question we must return to most often, not least when we imagine that Wales with Plaid Cymru leading.
Yes, powers with principle – always.
But powers with purpose too – that’s my guiding mantra.
Labour’s fragmented thinking, their short-term fixing has let Wales languish for too long.
Their failure to see the big picture also blinds them to the need for our nation to have more control over its own affairs – Wales decides what Wales does.
Such a simple concept, isn’t it?
But one shunned time and time again by parties whose true powerbase lies in another place, in another parliament.
And no mission should give us a greater sense of purpose than securing the future of our NHS.
A treasure. A literal lifeline. Our biggest employer – over 110,000 people directly or indirectly caring, treating, supporting and saving lives.
But our National Health Service has become a National Sickness Service.
People are presenting at A&E because they can’t see a GP.
Ambulances are queuing up outside emergency departments.
A lack of adequate social care provision means that patients aren’t being discharged from hospital.
And the latest data shows that one in five deaths in Wales in 2022 were considered avoidable.
It’s not acceptable. It’s not excusable. And it’s not sustainable.
Patients and staff have been failed by a perfect storm of historic underfunding from Westminster and a quarter of a century of mismanagement under Labour Health Ministers.
But we can’t dwell on the problems.
I want to focus on solutions, so let’s ask again – here for what?
Our interactions with the NHS are deeply personal, and I’m no exception. The birth of my children. The care for my mother.
Our health and that of loved ones defines our lives perhaps more than anything else – our ability to communicate, to contribute to society, to live a happy and fulfilling life.
And I want a healthy Wales – both mentally and physically - to define Plaid Cymru’s vision for government more than anything else too.
Earlier this year we unveiled our plan to bring down waiting times in the NHS.
The plan has five key pillars:
- regional elective care hubs to get people on waiting lists seen more quickly;
- an Executive Triage Service to improve the referral process;
- emergency legislation to make collaboration between health boards the norm and release NHS capacity
- a new approach to waiting list planning, matching staffing with demands;
- and better use of technology for quicker assessment of symptoms.
These are clear set-out proposals for a Plaid Cymru Government on Day One.
Of course, announcements of new NHS funding are welcome but that alone won’t solve the problem, and perhaps Labour’s main weakness is that they rarely have plans to follow the pounds.
Because we know that you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.
Just like voting Labour, in fact!
For over a century, Wales has been loyal to the party that’s normalised decline and fostered a “this is your lot” culture where we’re expected to grovel with gratitude for every bit-part our nation gets to play in Westminster’s carousel of tragic-comedy.
The protagonists – from Blair to Boris to Badenoch – understand little and care even less about Wales.
So, isn’t it time to write our own story?
A government focused on what Wales can do, not what we can’t.
A government excited by the possibilities, not fixated on limitations.
A government more interested in talking about what it will do for you, not to you.
A Government has to be very careful about appearing punitive. Decisions that affect our lives must be seen to enhance our lives, not to compensate for government failings.
I will promote healthy eating, absolutely – it’s part of the prevention revolution I want to see! But it really isn’t a good look for Labour to look to ban 2-for-1 chocolate bars on one hand whilst cutting preventative health spending on the other.
Perhaps Labour view the Welsh citizen in the same way they see Wales itself – incapable of independent thought, of making wise choices or of taking difficult decisions for themselves.
A Plaid Cymru government would be an accountable government.
We’d much rather assume responsibility for decisions affecting Wales than blame Westminster for eternity.
For centuries, Labour and the Tories have denied our nation the opportunity to prove it can stand on its own two feet. >>>
35 years on from the end of Thatcher’s tenure in office, it feels as if Wales’s economy has been frozen in time.
The “post-industrial” label lingers, suggesting that little progress has been made in shaping our economic thinking for the twenty-first century.
But I want to turn this on its head.
No, we will never forget the hardship and struggle, the betrayal of our mining communities north and south by Westminster, but I want to focus on the future.
What does Wales’s next economic era look like?
How do we close the wage gap with the rest of the UK?
How do we replace despondency with opportunity?
How do we increase productivity and grow resilience against unpredictable global headwinds?
You’ve heard me speak before about my desire to see a new National Development Agency for Wales fit to face the challenges of today.
Well, working to mirror the brand recognition and international reach of the former WDA, but learning also from its mistakes, that new agency WILL be created by a Plaid Cymru Government. It will act as a one-stop-shop for business support, offering constructive challenge to government.
I’m not advocating a carbon copy of the original agency but instead a more modern iteration to move beyond past approaches on attracting ‘here today gone tomorrow’ forms of foreign investment.
A key priority will be to provide a vehicle to overcome Wales’s ownership gap. I want to create a new prosperity in Wales, building and keeping profits IN Wales so we can collectively keep investing in our own future. Creating more jobs. Better jobs. Better wages for you. A better future for your children.
A Plaid Cymru government will help small and medium-sized enterprises to thrive. The lifeblood of our economy, they were hit hard by the pandemic and now they face the Labour UK Government’s National Insurance contributions hike.
And while the Labour Welsh Government have cut funding for further education, I want to see a renewed focus on apprenticeships so we can nurture the skilled workforce of the future.
By better aligning education with industry needs and helping to retain local talent, a Plaid Cymru government would take a more strategic >>> approach to ensuring that all our young people are able to fulfil their potential whether academic or vocational.
And be in no doubt, Plaid Cymru will ensure that Welsh universities have a sustainable future – because when our educational institutions are eroded, society itself regresses.
Curiosity, critical thinking, innovation, progress are all threatened when our higher education sector faces decline.
That’s why we in Plaid Cymru have urged the current Welsh Government to work with us, work cross-party and with the sector itself to undertake a wholesale review of our universities. Such is the crisis we face, we have to work quickly.
Gynhadledd, gorau arf arf dysg meddai’r hen ddywediad – ac mae hi’n anodd cofio cyfnod pan fo’r angen i herio, i gadw meddyliau agored ac i amddiffyn y rhai sydd ddim yn gallu amddiffyn eu hunain wedi bod mor bwysig.
Mae ton o gasineb ac o gamwybodaeth yn ein wynebu ni, ond yn wahanol i’r pleidiau Llundeinig, fydd Plaid Cymru ddim yn kowtow-io nac yn cyfaddawdu ar be ‘dan ni ei gredu.
A gadwch i fi fod yn gwbl glir – mi fydd hyn wastad yn cynnwys arddel Cymru heddychlon, ryngwladol sydd yn falch o’i hunaniaeth Ewropeaidd, a fydd byth yn troi cefn ar ein perthynas efo’r cyfandir – partneriaeth unigryw sy’n ein cyfoethogi ni’n ddiwylliannol, yn gymdeithasol ac yn economaidd.
Gyfeillion, Cymry Ewropeaidd fyddwn ni bob amser.
Ac am fod yn Blaid gynhwysol, mewn Cymru gynhwysol fyddwn ni. Yn ein canfed blwyddyn, dan ni am gynnig gwell dyfodol i’n gwlad a phawb sy’n dewis ei galw’n adra.
To me, it’s simple enough if you feel this nation is yours and you want to have a stake in its future, that’s all that matters. Plaid Cymru wants to work with you to realise our vision.
Ask what vision other parties have, if at all! Ask Reform, if they believe in an NHS free at the point of need? What plan do they REALLY have to tackle the cost of living crisis that’s hitting you so hard. And what will become of Wales, our nation, its institutions, if they have their own way?
Empty vessels make the most noise, but we can’t let Wales be drowned out.
So next May, Wales has a choice.
Another four years of dithering and decline under Labour. More of the same.
A leap into the unknown with visionless Reform, so unserious about winning that they don’t even have a leader in Wales.
Or the opportunity to elect a Plaid Cymru government, a new beginning with a promise of a bolder, fairer Wales and an ambitious plan to deliver it.
Labour – you’ve had your chance.
And to every person in our nation who wants to build a better Wales together, we say this – Wales is good enough, big enough and smart enough to do just that.
So, friends, let’s look to the future not the past.
Prosperity not poverty.
Fairness not injustice.
Tolerance, not hate.
Country not party.
Wales not Westminster.
Hope not despair.
Come with Plaid Cymru on that journey – you won’t look back. Diolch yn fawr.