I accepted nominations and support as a leadership candidate because of three key beliefs.
Firstly, that it was time for the party’s leadership to move down the years to the post-devolution generation.
Secondly, that the party should be led from its centre of gravity, which is itself left of centre in the European political tradition, and
Thirdly, that I could be the leader to meet those two aims and increase the appeal of the party in all parts of Wales.
Since engaging with party members and in several informal hustings meetings, I have been convinced that the majority of the party agrees with me on the first two aims.
Achieving the third in a crowded field has been more difficult. As the most recent Assembly Member in the contest I have had a lot of ground to cover and make up. It’s been gratifying nevertheless to see a great deal of support for me. However, the most signal feature of the current election in Plaid Cymru is the fact that so many branches, constituencies and members are undecided and are seeking real direction. It has become clear to me that the majority of our members want a leader who will focus on building our nation’s economy; sustaining its environment and growing the support for independence in a credible way.
One thing is for certain, Plaid Cymru will not achieve government or electoral success by playing Fisher Price politics with people’s hopes and dreams.
Both Elin and I offer such a vision. I believe that by combining our experience, talents and different types of appeal we can work together to give the party the kind of direction and leadership it clearly needs.
Elin has succeeded in gaining considerable support. I congratulate her on that, and today I announce that I will withdraw my candidacy in order to support her as her deputy on a joint ticket. I ask the party now to trust the next credible generation of Plaid politicians to take us forward under Elin’s leadership.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Tynnu nol o'r ras am Arweinyddiaeth Plaid Cymru a chefnogi Elin Jones ar y cyd
Derbyniais enwebiadau a chefnogaeth fel ymgeisydd ar gyfer yr arweinyddiaeth oherwydd tri phrif amcan.
Yn gyntaf oll, ei bod hi’n bryd i arweinyddiaeth y blaid symud ymlaen i’r genhedlaeth ol-ddatganoli.
Yn ail, bod yn rhaid arwain y blaid o’i chanol, sydd ynddo’i hunan i’r chwith ar y sbectrwm gwleidyddol Ewropeaidd.
Ac yn drydydd, fy mod i’n medru bod yn arweinydd i gyflawni’r amcanion hynny gan gynyddu apêl y blaid ymhob rhan o Gymru.
Yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf, wrth ymwneud a thrafod gydag aelodau, rwyf wedi fy argyhoeddi bod mwyafrif llethol y blaid yn cytuno a mi ar y ddau amcan cyntaf.
Mae cyflawni’r trydydd mewn maes llawn ymgeiswyr wedi bod yn fwy o her. Fel yr Aelod Cynulliad mwyaf diweddar yn y maes, bu llawer o dir i mi ei ennill. Mae hi wedi bod yn galonogol serch hynny i weld y gefnogaeth i mi yn tyfu. Ond, y peth mwyaf nodweddiadol am yr etholiad presennol yn y Blaid yw’r ffaith fod cynifer o ganghennau, etholaethau ac aelodau heb benderfynu ac yn amlwg yn deisyf cyfarwyddyd cryf. Mae’n amlwg i mi fod mwyafrif o’n haelodau yn dymuno cael arweinydd a fydd yn canolbwyntio ar adeiladu economi ein cenedl; ar gynnal ei hamgylchfyd ac ar gynyddu’r gefnogaeth dros annibyniaeth mewn ffordd gredadwy.
Un peth sydd yn siŵr - ni fydd Plaid Cymru yn cyrraedd llywodraeth na llwyddiant etholiadol drwy chwarae gemau gwleidyddol gyda breuddwydion a gobeithiol pobl.
Mae Elin a minnau yn cynnig gweledigaeth o’r fath. Rwy’n credu yn awr y dylsen ni gyfuno ein profiad, talentau a’n hapêl wahanol i gyd-weithio a cheisio uno’r blaid. Gyda’n gilydd, gallwn ni gynnig y cyfarwyddyd a’r arweiniad y mae’r blaid ei angen.
Cafodd Elin gryn dipyn o gefnogaeth. Rwy’n ei llongyfarch ar hynny, ac heddiw felly datganaf y byddaf yn tynnu fy enw yn ôl, er mwyn ei chefnogi hi fel arweinydd fel ei dirprwy. Rwy’n gofyn yn awr i’r blaid ymddiried yn y genhedlaeth nesaf o wleidyddion Plaid Cymru i fynd a ni ymlaen o dan arweinyddiaeth Elin Jones.
Yn gyntaf oll, ei bod hi’n bryd i arweinyddiaeth y blaid symud ymlaen i’r genhedlaeth ol-ddatganoli.
Yn ail, bod yn rhaid arwain y blaid o’i chanol, sydd ynddo’i hunan i’r chwith ar y sbectrwm gwleidyddol Ewropeaidd.
Ac yn drydydd, fy mod i’n medru bod yn arweinydd i gyflawni’r amcanion hynny gan gynyddu apêl y blaid ymhob rhan o Gymru.
Yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf, wrth ymwneud a thrafod gydag aelodau, rwyf wedi fy argyhoeddi bod mwyafrif llethol y blaid yn cytuno a mi ar y ddau amcan cyntaf.
Mae cyflawni’r trydydd mewn maes llawn ymgeiswyr wedi bod yn fwy o her. Fel yr Aelod Cynulliad mwyaf diweddar yn y maes, bu llawer o dir i mi ei ennill. Mae hi wedi bod yn galonogol serch hynny i weld y gefnogaeth i mi yn tyfu. Ond, y peth mwyaf nodweddiadol am yr etholiad presennol yn y Blaid yw’r ffaith fod cynifer o ganghennau, etholaethau ac aelodau heb benderfynu ac yn amlwg yn deisyf cyfarwyddyd cryf. Mae’n amlwg i mi fod mwyafrif o’n haelodau yn dymuno cael arweinydd a fydd yn canolbwyntio ar adeiladu economi ein cenedl; ar gynnal ei hamgylchfyd ac ar gynyddu’r gefnogaeth dros annibyniaeth mewn ffordd gredadwy.
Un peth sydd yn siŵr - ni fydd Plaid Cymru yn cyrraedd llywodraeth na llwyddiant etholiadol drwy chwarae gemau gwleidyddol gyda breuddwydion a gobeithiol pobl.
Mae Elin a minnau yn cynnig gweledigaeth o’r fath. Rwy’n credu yn awr y dylsen ni gyfuno ein profiad, talentau a’n hapêl wahanol i gyd-weithio a cheisio uno’r blaid. Gyda’n gilydd, gallwn ni gynnig y cyfarwyddyd a’r arweiniad y mae’r blaid ei angen.
Cafodd Elin gryn dipyn o gefnogaeth. Rwy’n ei llongyfarch ar hynny, ac heddiw felly datganaf y byddaf yn tynnu fy enw yn ôl, er mwyn ei chefnogi hi fel arweinydd fel ei dirprwy. Rwy’n gofyn yn awr i’r blaid ymddiried yn y genhedlaeth nesaf o wleidyddion Plaid Cymru i fynd a ni ymlaen o dan arweinyddiaeth Elin Jones.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Debate on NHS accountability and centralisation 18 Jan 2012
Simon Thomas: The record will show, of course, that Plaid Cymru invested heavily in local health services, including those in Bronglais and throughout mid and west Wales, which is where I shall centre my contribution. There was investment in the Prince Philip Hospital, in Bronglais and in our district general hospitals. That shows the reality of Plaid Cymru in Government, rather than the posturing of the Conservatives, who are actually cutting the Welsh budget.
However, what we are focusing on today is accountability—
Darren Millar: You refer to our cutting the Welsh budget; do you accept that your posturing about independence for Wales would see a massive axe taken to the cash available for public services in the future?
Simon Thomas: Surprisingly enough, Darren, no, I do not. [“Laughter.”] What independence would bring to us, no doubt, is more accountability and, hopefully a Minister who would stand up for her responsibilities. I have to say that I find it deeply strange that the Labour Party is prepared to see £5 billion of public money spent without their Ministers, as elected politicians, deciding how it is spent. They are washing their hands of the Labour Party’s greatest achievement—because there is no doubt that the national health service is Labour’s greatest single achievement in Government. I do not quibble with that, and I do not quibble with Aneurin Bevan’s role in that. However, I do quibble with a Labour Party that is now prepared to let unelected appointees from outside Wales decide what happens to the NHS in Wales, without taking the responsibility for the spending of that money. Aneurin Bevan famously said that he would get the NHS if he had to stuff the consultants’ mouths with gold; that is what is happening in Hywel Dda Local Health Board at the moment, with the private consultants who are coming in to give advice without local people having a say. The LHB paid £1,000 a day for Sir Jonathan Ashbridge, who is actually employed by Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, to tell us in Hywel Dda, without any consultation with local people, how to run community care. The result was 20 medical beds cut overnight in Llanelli Hospital. That is what happens when you pay consultants of that kind £1,000 a day and stuff their mouths with gold.
What do the LHB’s spokespeople say about this? None of them are named. You cannot get hold of any of them. None of them, as Elin Jones pointed out, are really prepared to engage with local representatives. Very few of them actually live in the Hywel Dda area, knowing that their older people will be subject to the issues in that area later in their lives.
We are told that this is scaremongering. Back in September 2010 the then Minister for health said that this was pure scaremongering.
'It is pure scaremongering—I can absolutely say on the record that the service is safe—there will be no changes to the A&E unit in Llanelli’.
That is what she said. A year down the line, everyone here knows that there have been changes to the accident and emergency unit in Llanelli. There have also been changes to the minor injuries units in Tenby, Pwllheli and Pembroke Dock. We are told that those are temporary, but we are not told when that will come to an end. The Minister may recall that I wrote to her and pointed out the problems with ambulance services in the area. I asked how she could expect people to attend Withybush or Glangwili when their local minor injuries unit had been closed because of a problem with ambulance services. She wrote back saying that there was no problem with ambulance services; none whatsoever. So, Nia Griffiths MP is wrong when she talks about
'some very worrying examples of long waits for an ambulance’.
She is wrong when she says, just today in the “Llanelli Star”, that there is a knock-on effect in the time that people have to wait before an ambulance gets to them. The Minister says one thing, Labour MPs say another, and Labour AMs say another, and vote another way. Locally, people say something different again.
Keith Davies “rose”—
Simon Thomas: Keith, I welcome the opportunity for you to clarify your position on this.
Keith Davies: I just want to quote Helen Mary Jones on 20 April:
'We’re not talking about freezing the services and keeping everything exactly the same. We know that some specialist services will need to be provided in one place and some in others’.
That is your party’s position.
Simon Thomas: That refers to the breast cancer facilities that have come into Llanelli and been strengthened. That is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with specialist services being strengthened, but you are in charge now, and your Minister has to take responsibility for £5 billion. There is an accountability gap—there is no doubt that the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats was right to point that out. We do not necessarily need to go back to smaller areas, but we do need to look at what is happening in Scotland, where locally accountable politicians are going on to their health boards in order to ensure better accountability. The sum of £5 billion of public money demands a damn sight more scrutiny and accountability, from the Minister right down to the local health board.
However, what we are focusing on today is accountability—
Darren Millar: You refer to our cutting the Welsh budget; do you accept that your posturing about independence for Wales would see a massive axe taken to the cash available for public services in the future?
Simon Thomas: Surprisingly enough, Darren, no, I do not. [“Laughter.”] What independence would bring to us, no doubt, is more accountability and, hopefully a Minister who would stand up for her responsibilities. I have to say that I find it deeply strange that the Labour Party is prepared to see £5 billion of public money spent without their Ministers, as elected politicians, deciding how it is spent. They are washing their hands of the Labour Party’s greatest achievement—because there is no doubt that the national health service is Labour’s greatest single achievement in Government. I do not quibble with that, and I do not quibble with Aneurin Bevan’s role in that. However, I do quibble with a Labour Party that is now prepared to let unelected appointees from outside Wales decide what happens to the NHS in Wales, without taking the responsibility for the spending of that money. Aneurin Bevan famously said that he would get the NHS if he had to stuff the consultants’ mouths with gold; that is what is happening in Hywel Dda Local Health Board at the moment, with the private consultants who are coming in to give advice without local people having a say. The LHB paid £1,000 a day for Sir Jonathan Ashbridge, who is actually employed by Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, to tell us in Hywel Dda, without any consultation with local people, how to run community care. The result was 20 medical beds cut overnight in Llanelli Hospital. That is what happens when you pay consultants of that kind £1,000 a day and stuff their mouths with gold.
What do the LHB’s spokespeople say about this? None of them are named. You cannot get hold of any of them. None of them, as Elin Jones pointed out, are really prepared to engage with local representatives. Very few of them actually live in the Hywel Dda area, knowing that their older people will be subject to the issues in that area later in their lives.
We are told that this is scaremongering. Back in September 2010 the then Minister for health said that this was pure scaremongering.
'It is pure scaremongering—I can absolutely say on the record that the service is safe—there will be no changes to the A&E unit in Llanelli’.
That is what she said. A year down the line, everyone here knows that there have been changes to the accident and emergency unit in Llanelli. There have also been changes to the minor injuries units in Tenby, Pwllheli and Pembroke Dock. We are told that those are temporary, but we are not told when that will come to an end. The Minister may recall that I wrote to her and pointed out the problems with ambulance services in the area. I asked how she could expect people to attend Withybush or Glangwili when their local minor injuries unit had been closed because of a problem with ambulance services. She wrote back saying that there was no problem with ambulance services; none whatsoever. So, Nia Griffiths MP is wrong when she talks about
'some very worrying examples of long waits for an ambulance’.
She is wrong when she says, just today in the “Llanelli Star”, that there is a knock-on effect in the time that people have to wait before an ambulance gets to them. The Minister says one thing, Labour MPs say another, and Labour AMs say another, and vote another way. Locally, people say something different again.
Keith Davies “rose”—
Simon Thomas: Keith, I welcome the opportunity for you to clarify your position on this.
Keith Davies: I just want to quote Helen Mary Jones on 20 April:
'We’re not talking about freezing the services and keeping everything exactly the same. We know that some specialist services will need to be provided in one place and some in others’.
That is your party’s position.
Simon Thomas: That refers to the breast cancer facilities that have come into Llanelli and been strengthened. That is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with specialist services being strengthened, but you are in charge now, and your Minister has to take responsibility for £5 billion. There is an accountability gap—there is no doubt that the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats was right to point that out. We do not necessarily need to go back to smaller areas, but we do need to look at what is happening in Scotland, where locally accountable politicians are going on to their health boards in order to ensure better accountability. The sum of £5 billion of public money demands a damn sight more scrutiny and accountability, from the Minister right down to the local health board.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Quick Quids, Long Term Debts
For several weeks I have been raising the issue of dangerous pay day loans in the Assembly. Today an independent report backed up my fears. In these difficult economic times an increasing number of us are trying to find new ways to make ends meet. With more traditional avenues of credit being difficult to come by, more and more people in Wales are forced to turn to “pay-day” or short-term lenders. These opportunistic loan companies have become a common sight on the TV, in newspapers and even on our high streets. They unscrupulously prey on vulnerable people who need supporting through a difficult time. Some of them tell their story here.
Their latest move is to promote heavily smartphone apps which make no mention of the rates of interest paid as you download them.
After only a few minutes I was able to obtain quotes from two of well known lenders; Wonga and QuickQuid, at rates of 4,214% and 1,734% APR respectively. This means, without taking into account fees and charges, if I had taken up Wonga on their offer and taken a £100 loan, in one month I would have had to repay £351.17 in interest alone. It is clear from these figures alone that these interest rates have spiralled out of control.
In addition, the lack of checks carried out by these companies has led to many people falling victim to identity theft. There have been multiple cases where constituents have spoke to their AM’s after pay-day loan companies have contacted them demanding huge payments, even though the individual has had no contact with any such company.
At the moment there is no legislation to place a cap on these outrageous interest rates and to govern the way the companies operate and promote themselves. I am particularly concerned that the increasing omnipresence of such advertising, apps and sponsorship (Wonga sponsored the Liberal Democrats) normalises such irresponsible borrowing and lending.
Westminster has clearly failed to govern these immoral practices. With many of these lenders based outside of Wales we must pressurise the Con-Dem government to act swiftly to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our community are protected from these wholly unfair lenders.
Though Westminster should regulate the market, we can do something in the Assembly and Wales to better publicise these exploitation. I have asked the First Minster twice to lead the debate in Wales and for better life skills education in our schools on APR, which research shows many people do not understand.
We must also support feasible alternatives in Wales such as credit unions and Moneyline Cymru, which offers support to many social housing tenants. I am very proud of Wales’ 22 credit unions, which currently offers support to 42,000 people. Plaid Cymru is the only party with its own credit union. However, we must do more to ensure these ridiculous interest rates are capped and the people who are in need of help are not exploited, but treated fairly.
For further information about credit unions, contact the credit unions in Wales Helpline on 0800 4960865 or email creditunions@wales.gsi.gov.uk.
Their latest move is to promote heavily smartphone apps which make no mention of the rates of interest paid as you download them.
After only a few minutes I was able to obtain quotes from two of well known lenders; Wonga and QuickQuid, at rates of 4,214% and 1,734% APR respectively. This means, without taking into account fees and charges, if I had taken up Wonga on their offer and taken a £100 loan, in one month I would have had to repay £351.17 in interest alone. It is clear from these figures alone that these interest rates have spiralled out of control.
In addition, the lack of checks carried out by these companies has led to many people falling victim to identity theft. There have been multiple cases where constituents have spoke to their AM’s after pay-day loan companies have contacted them demanding huge payments, even though the individual has had no contact with any such company.
At the moment there is no legislation to place a cap on these outrageous interest rates and to govern the way the companies operate and promote themselves. I am particularly concerned that the increasing omnipresence of such advertising, apps and sponsorship (Wonga sponsored the Liberal Democrats) normalises such irresponsible borrowing and lending.
Westminster has clearly failed to govern these immoral practices. With many of these lenders based outside of Wales we must pressurise the Con-Dem government to act swiftly to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our community are protected from these wholly unfair lenders.
Though Westminster should regulate the market, we can do something in the Assembly and Wales to better publicise these exploitation. I have asked the First Minster twice to lead the debate in Wales and for better life skills education in our schools on APR, which research shows many people do not understand.
We must also support feasible alternatives in Wales such as credit unions and Moneyline Cymru, which offers support to many social housing tenants. I am very proud of Wales’ 22 credit unions, which currently offers support to 42,000 people. Plaid Cymru is the only party with its own credit union. However, we must do more to ensure these ridiculous interest rates are capped and the people who are in need of help are not exploited, but treated fairly.
For further information about credit unions, contact the credit unions in Wales Helpline on 0800 4960865 or email creditunions@wales.gsi.gov.uk.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Datganiad o fwriad i sefyll fel arweinydd Plaid Cymru
Rwy’n cyhoeddi heddiw fy mod am gynnig fy hunan fel ymgeisydd i fod yn arweinydd Plaid Cymru.
Rwy’n gwneud hynny gan gredu y gallaf gynnig rhywbeth gwahanol a ffres i’r Blaid a chan anelu i ennill y ras, wrth obeithio hefyd bod yn rhan o adfywio’r Blaid a gwleidyddiaeth Cymru.
Credaf fod gan Blaid Cymru y polisïau cywir yn y bôn. Ni yw’r blaid sydd yn symud Cymru ymlaen. Ein syniadau ni sydd yn blodeuo ac yn egino mwya amlwg yn yr ardd wleidyddol. Hebom ni, er enghraifft, ni fyddai cwestiwn sylfaenol cyllido Cymru wedi gweld golau dydd.
Ac eto, nid ydym yn gweld y llwyddiant y byddwch chi’n ei ddisgwyl wrth weld cyrhaeddiad ein syniadau a’n polisïau.
Rydym wedi caniatáu i bleidiau eraill ddwyn ein dillad ni a’u gwisgo yn fwy ffasiynol.
O dro i dro, rydym yn debycach i glwb sydd ond yn siarad ymysg ein gilydd. Weithiau yn llythrennol mewn iaith nad yw’r rhan fwyaf o bobl Cymru yn ei deal; weithiau mewn ffordd astrus, megis am annibyniaeth, nad yw’r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn ei chlywed.
Efallai fod gan Siambr y Cynulliad waliau gwydr, ond yn rhy aml rydym yn fodlon fel plaid i’r etholwyr yn ein gweld, heb sylweddoli nad ydynt yn gwrando arnom.
Byddaf am fynd a’r Blaid mas i’r genedl gyfan o flwch y Cynulliad a hawlio yn ôl y tir gwleidyddol o roi Cymru’n gyntaf.
Felly rwy am gynnig arweinyddiaeth o’r Cynulliad, ond nid yn unig yn y Cynulliad.
A pha fath ar arweinyddiaeth?
Credaf fod gwerth yn yr hen ddywediad o “primus inter pares”. Mae gan Blaid Cymru dalent ar draws y cenedlaethau ac ar sawl lefel llywodraeth. Nid yw pawb yn gymwys i sefyll ac rwy am arwain mewn ffordd gydweithredol, gan annog y blaid i ddisgwyl i mi fel arweinydd i ddod a’r gorau allan o’r blaid gyfan.
Cafodd Plaid Cymru ei eni i fod mewn llywodraeth. Does dim pwrpas credu mewn hunanlywodraeth neu annibyniaeth os na chredwch mewn arwain eich gwlad.
Fel arweinydd byddwn am i’r Blaid weithio ar strategaeth dros 10 mlynedd a thros ddau etholiad i fynd a ni i mewn i lywodraeth.
A rhaid bod mewn llywodraeth hefyd am bwrpas. A phwrpas Plaid Cymru i mi yw adeiladu cenedl fwy gwar a chyfiawn. Mae uno ein gofal am ein planed gyda’n dyhead am ddatblygu ein cenedl yn hanfodol. Dyma pam mae sicrhau rheolaeth a meddiant dros ein hadnoddau naturiol, megis dŵr ac ynni adnewyddol mor bwysig i mi.
Credaf ei bod hi’n bryd clywed neges Plaid Cymru mewn ffyrdd newydd a chydag acen newydd. Gwleidyddiaeth y dosbarth gwaith Saesneg oedd fy magwraeth i. Erbyn hyn, mae fy annel ar adeiladu cenedl. Rydym wedi gweld canrif o oruchafiaeth Llafur yn arwain at ddiwylliant o ddibyniaeth yn ein gwlad; diwylliant o anobaith a diffyg menter. Dyna etifeddiaeth y mae’n ddyletswydd ar Blaid Cymru a’i harweinydd newydd i chwalu.
Rwy’n gwneud hynny gan gredu y gallaf gynnig rhywbeth gwahanol a ffres i’r Blaid a chan anelu i ennill y ras, wrth obeithio hefyd bod yn rhan o adfywio’r Blaid a gwleidyddiaeth Cymru.
Credaf fod gan Blaid Cymru y polisïau cywir yn y bôn. Ni yw’r blaid sydd yn symud Cymru ymlaen. Ein syniadau ni sydd yn blodeuo ac yn egino mwya amlwg yn yr ardd wleidyddol. Hebom ni, er enghraifft, ni fyddai cwestiwn sylfaenol cyllido Cymru wedi gweld golau dydd.
Ac eto, nid ydym yn gweld y llwyddiant y byddwch chi’n ei ddisgwyl wrth weld cyrhaeddiad ein syniadau a’n polisïau.
Rydym wedi caniatáu i bleidiau eraill ddwyn ein dillad ni a’u gwisgo yn fwy ffasiynol.
O dro i dro, rydym yn debycach i glwb sydd ond yn siarad ymysg ein gilydd. Weithiau yn llythrennol mewn iaith nad yw’r rhan fwyaf o bobl Cymru yn ei deal; weithiau mewn ffordd astrus, megis am annibyniaeth, nad yw’r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn ei chlywed.
Efallai fod gan Siambr y Cynulliad waliau gwydr, ond yn rhy aml rydym yn fodlon fel plaid i’r etholwyr yn ein gweld, heb sylweddoli nad ydynt yn gwrando arnom.
Byddaf am fynd a’r Blaid mas i’r genedl gyfan o flwch y Cynulliad a hawlio yn ôl y tir gwleidyddol o roi Cymru’n gyntaf.
Felly rwy am gynnig arweinyddiaeth o’r Cynulliad, ond nid yn unig yn y Cynulliad.
A pha fath ar arweinyddiaeth?
Credaf fod gwerth yn yr hen ddywediad o “primus inter pares”. Mae gan Blaid Cymru dalent ar draws y cenedlaethau ac ar sawl lefel llywodraeth. Nid yw pawb yn gymwys i sefyll ac rwy am arwain mewn ffordd gydweithredol, gan annog y blaid i ddisgwyl i mi fel arweinydd i ddod a’r gorau allan o’r blaid gyfan.
Cafodd Plaid Cymru ei eni i fod mewn llywodraeth. Does dim pwrpas credu mewn hunanlywodraeth neu annibyniaeth os na chredwch mewn arwain eich gwlad.
Fel arweinydd byddwn am i’r Blaid weithio ar strategaeth dros 10 mlynedd a thros ddau etholiad i fynd a ni i mewn i lywodraeth.
A rhaid bod mewn llywodraeth hefyd am bwrpas. A phwrpas Plaid Cymru i mi yw adeiladu cenedl fwy gwar a chyfiawn. Mae uno ein gofal am ein planed gyda’n dyhead am ddatblygu ein cenedl yn hanfodol. Dyma pam mae sicrhau rheolaeth a meddiant dros ein hadnoddau naturiol, megis dŵr ac ynni adnewyddol mor bwysig i mi.
Credaf ei bod hi’n bryd clywed neges Plaid Cymru mewn ffyrdd newydd a chydag acen newydd. Gwleidyddiaeth y dosbarth gwaith Saesneg oedd fy magwraeth i. Erbyn hyn, mae fy annel ar adeiladu cenedl. Rydym wedi gweld canrif o oruchafiaeth Llafur yn arwain at ddiwylliant o ddibyniaeth yn ein gwlad; diwylliant o anobaith a diffyg menter. Dyna etifeddiaeth y mae’n ddyletswydd ar Blaid Cymru a’i harweinydd newydd i chwalu.
Statement of intention to stand as Plaid Cymru leader
I have said I would consult with party members, friends and family over the past few months on standing for Leader of Plaid Cymru.
I believe on the basis of those conversations that I can offer something positive and exciting for the future of Plaid Cymru. I believe the best way to explain and set out the ideas and vision I have for the party is by entering the race to become party Leader. I do this with the intention of winning, but also knowing that such debates and contests reinvigorate parties and politics in themselves.
I believe Plaid’s current policies are broadly right. We are widely seen as the party that brings forward the ideas that shape Welsh politics and whose ambition and urgency moves the political process along. Without Plaid we would not have seen the referendum, or the Holtham Commission setting the groundwork for the Silk Commission. Plaid has set the pace since the election on demanding a Plan B for the Welsh economy and our views on capital spending – and our Build for Wales idea – are now mainstream.
Yet, we don’t get the credit for this, and we lost our second party status in the last election.
Clearly, our message is not getting through. Sometimes it is confused: I support independence as the constitutional aim for Plaid Cymru and our nation. But independence in not the answer to today’s immediate problems and focusing on arguing about it only encourages the voters to assume we are not addressing their daily difficulties.
Sometimes we have allowed other parties to steal and wear the clothes we first designed and fashioned.
More than anything, however, we have become a party of the Assembly, rather than the national party of Wales. One of my key tasks as Leader will be to take the leadership out to the nation as a whole as much as possible and recapture the high ground of putting Wales first. Lately, other parties have claimed those heights, but the reality is that both Labour and the Tories have increasingly bowed to their Westminster party demands; revealing their claims to be empty positioning.
So leadership from the Assembly but for the nation as a whole.
But what sort of leadership? I believe there is great value in being the first among equals. Plaid Cymru has a tremendous team of talent across the generations. Not all can stand for this particular post at this time. I will work in collaboration with all parts of the party to lead from the front, yes, but to bring people with me at the same time. I will urge the party to look at the widest range of talent and not focus its hopes and ambitions on one individual but rather expect that individual to bring out the best in the party as a whole.
I believe Plaid Cymru was born for government. We exist to bring about ever increasing self-government. We must shoulder the responsibility that comes with that. In the last decade or so we have helped create a Welsh state. But our ambition cannot end there. We have seen in the last few months that allowing one party to drift along in government is not healthy for the Welsh economy. Progressive politics in Wales will not be delivered by Labour. An athlete never gives of his or her best if they train or run on their own. Wales needs and deserves another radical, progressive party breathing down the neck of Labour and challenging its supremacy. As Leader I would want Plaid to plan for a two elections, ten year strategy and maintain the conditioning and fitness building that a party needs for that long haul.
But Plaid doesn’t just exist for the sake of Wales’ constitutional future. We exist to fight for and deliver fairness in social and economic policy. I believe in a mixed economy - I think Plaid Cymru should be concerned that the private sector is not as strong or successful as it could be. But Plaid Cymru should never be laissez faire about the impact of global capital on our communities. Regulating business for environmental and social benefit is a core value of the party I want to lead. The prize for Plaid is to marry our national ambition with a proper concern for the long term future of our planet. We live in a comparably well off society. But we don’t do enough to exploit our natural resources for the benefit of our people and our planet. Fighting for regulation, control and ownership of our wind, water, wave and solar resources will be a key aim of Plaid under my leadership.
Finally, I believe Plaid’s message needs to be heard afresh, in a different accent and in a different way. I am the product of a one parent family from Aberdar; I was raised in an English only home at a time when Welsh was seen as a curious remnant of the past . My politics were forged in class consciousness - my shoulders may even still bear some of the chips. My destination, however, was the politics of nation-building, as time after time I saw Labour sell out Wales for the hope of power in London.
100 years of Labour domination in Wales has only made us more dependent; less resilient; less resourceful. That culture of dependency is the last great barrier between Wales today and a better future for our nation. In all its myriad ways, shattering that is now Plaid’s historic task.
I believe on the basis of those conversations that I can offer something positive and exciting for the future of Plaid Cymru. I believe the best way to explain and set out the ideas and vision I have for the party is by entering the race to become party Leader. I do this with the intention of winning, but also knowing that such debates and contests reinvigorate parties and politics in themselves.
I believe Plaid’s current policies are broadly right. We are widely seen as the party that brings forward the ideas that shape Welsh politics and whose ambition and urgency moves the political process along. Without Plaid we would not have seen the referendum, or the Holtham Commission setting the groundwork for the Silk Commission. Plaid has set the pace since the election on demanding a Plan B for the Welsh economy and our views on capital spending – and our Build for Wales idea – are now mainstream.
Yet, we don’t get the credit for this, and we lost our second party status in the last election.
Clearly, our message is not getting through. Sometimes it is confused: I support independence as the constitutional aim for Plaid Cymru and our nation. But independence in not the answer to today’s immediate problems and focusing on arguing about it only encourages the voters to assume we are not addressing their daily difficulties.
Sometimes we have allowed other parties to steal and wear the clothes we first designed and fashioned.
More than anything, however, we have become a party of the Assembly, rather than the national party of Wales. One of my key tasks as Leader will be to take the leadership out to the nation as a whole as much as possible and recapture the high ground of putting Wales first. Lately, other parties have claimed those heights, but the reality is that both Labour and the Tories have increasingly bowed to their Westminster party demands; revealing their claims to be empty positioning.
So leadership from the Assembly but for the nation as a whole.
But what sort of leadership? I believe there is great value in being the first among equals. Plaid Cymru has a tremendous team of talent across the generations. Not all can stand for this particular post at this time. I will work in collaboration with all parts of the party to lead from the front, yes, but to bring people with me at the same time. I will urge the party to look at the widest range of talent and not focus its hopes and ambitions on one individual but rather expect that individual to bring out the best in the party as a whole.
I believe Plaid Cymru was born for government. We exist to bring about ever increasing self-government. We must shoulder the responsibility that comes with that. In the last decade or so we have helped create a Welsh state. But our ambition cannot end there. We have seen in the last few months that allowing one party to drift along in government is not healthy for the Welsh economy. Progressive politics in Wales will not be delivered by Labour. An athlete never gives of his or her best if they train or run on their own. Wales needs and deserves another radical, progressive party breathing down the neck of Labour and challenging its supremacy. As Leader I would want Plaid to plan for a two elections, ten year strategy and maintain the conditioning and fitness building that a party needs for that long haul.
But Plaid doesn’t just exist for the sake of Wales’ constitutional future. We exist to fight for and deliver fairness in social and economic policy. I believe in a mixed economy - I think Plaid Cymru should be concerned that the private sector is not as strong or successful as it could be. But Plaid Cymru should never be laissez faire about the impact of global capital on our communities. Regulating business for environmental and social benefit is a core value of the party I want to lead. The prize for Plaid is to marry our national ambition with a proper concern for the long term future of our planet. We live in a comparably well off society. But we don’t do enough to exploit our natural resources for the benefit of our people and our planet. Fighting for regulation, control and ownership of our wind, water, wave and solar resources will be a key aim of Plaid under my leadership.
Finally, I believe Plaid’s message needs to be heard afresh, in a different accent and in a different way. I am the product of a one parent family from Aberdar; I was raised in an English only home at a time when Welsh was seen as a curious remnant of the past . My politics were forged in class consciousness - my shoulders may even still bear some of the chips. My destination, however, was the politics of nation-building, as time after time I saw Labour sell out Wales for the hope of power in London.
100 years of Labour domination in Wales has only made us more dependent; less resilient; less resourceful. That culture of dependency is the last great barrier between Wales today and a better future for our nation. In all its myriad ways, shattering that is now Plaid’s historic task.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Speech on broadcasting and media, National Assembly, 19 October 2011
Simon Thomas: I will just follow Jenny Rathbone by saying that, 30 years ago, I did not have a television. I was brought up without a television, so maybe I should sit down now and not play any part in this debate. However, I am now a media junkie, so I need to have my say. This might be because I was brought up without a television—who knows?
It is a very timely and opportune debate and it is a great pity that we have not seen a great deal more proactive action by the Government in leading this debate in Wales. One of the clear things that has emerged over the last 18 months—as we have seen what has happened to S4C and the cuts being made to the BBC—is the lack of real debate in Wales and a lack of democratic accountability and scrutiny of what is going on. Not in an ideal world, but in a properly functioning democracy, you would expect these proposals to be put forward in a Green Paper or a White Paper in order for us to have our say. For example, the ideas that Peter Black put forward in his amendment are not to be sniffed at, although I do not think that we will be supporting the amendment. They are a stab at attempting to say what the structure should be. That should really be the basis for a properly published governance relationship set out between the BBC and S4C, so that we could look at it in the round and come to a decision on it. This is why Ian Hargreaves, who led the previous Government‘s successful foray into reviewing the creative industries, said that it is time for this Government to get playing. This Government should be leading the debate on new media and the current media in Wales.
If I remember rightly, a debate on S4C has been tabled by the Government for 4 November, but it is the opposition parties that have tabled the debates that have led to some level of scrutiny of these proposals so far in Wales. I do not think that that is good enough. We need to see much more proactive action from the Government. Each time we hear the next step—such as S4C appointing a chief executive, who will not take up the post until next April, or new governance arrangements from the BBC, although we know that it is the UK governors who really control the money within the BBC—it raises even more questions about the long-term survival of S4C and that of the BBC as an institution. Although Murdoch has gone away, the forces that he represents are still present. I am quite happy to say, as a Welsh
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nationalist, that I love the BBC and I would be happy for Wales to be independent, but to keep a UK BBC. I would be very happy with that, as long as we have democratic accountability to the Assembly as the elected Chamber with regard to the BBC in Wales. That is the next realistic step that we need to see.
When the 20 per cent cut to the BBC was first mooted last May, the First Minister said that such a cut would be unacceptable. However, since this became reality in October, he has said virtually nothing about it and no debate or questions have been tabled on it and neither has there been a statement from the First Minister. It seems that things are just slipping out of the purview of the Government and we need to have better perception on these matters.
I would like to emphasise two points in this debate. First, Ken Skates made a very good point about how print media got itself in its current mess. I do not share his optimism that the print media can get out of it. I think that new media is the way to go. I do not think that that is against journalism. I have noticed that I no longer buy a daily paper, but I buy more magazines, news reviews and other forms of print journalism. I value print journalism as much as I ever did—and I think that many of us do—but it is being delivered in a different way. The daily grind of daily newspapers is no longer the future. That is why the previous Government did not establish a printed version of a Welsh-language newspaper, but an online Welsh-language newspaper. It is important to bear that in mind. That is why we need broadband availability throughout Wales and a dotCymru/dotWales internet presence as a national internet presence to support the sort of journalism that could be delivered by broadband.
Secondly, Ieuan Wyn Jones raised an important point about radio. I wish to add to that by saying that we need local radio to reflect its local audiences and communities. A new bid has been submitted for Radio Ceredigion, and it is vital that Ofcom and the Government work together so that Radio Ceredigion accurately reflects the linguistic make-up of the audience that it serves, which is a 50/50 Welsh/English split.
These things are vital for local democracy and a thriving Welsh democracy. As Assembly Members, we often complain that no-one pays attention to what we do here unless we tweet it directly from the Chamber. That is no substitute for proper journalism and a properly regulated press and broadcast media in Wales. I hope that things will change shortly.
It is a very timely and opportune debate and it is a great pity that we have not seen a great deal more proactive action by the Government in leading this debate in Wales. One of the clear things that has emerged over the last 18 months—as we have seen what has happened to S4C and the cuts being made to the BBC—is the lack of real debate in Wales and a lack of democratic accountability and scrutiny of what is going on. Not in an ideal world, but in a properly functioning democracy, you would expect these proposals to be put forward in a Green Paper or a White Paper in order for us to have our say. For example, the ideas that Peter Black put forward in his amendment are not to be sniffed at, although I do not think that we will be supporting the amendment. They are a stab at attempting to say what the structure should be. That should really be the basis for a properly published governance relationship set out between the BBC and S4C, so that we could look at it in the round and come to a decision on it. This is why Ian Hargreaves, who led the previous Government‘s successful foray into reviewing the creative industries, said that it is time for this Government to get playing. This Government should be leading the debate on new media and the current media in Wales.
If I remember rightly, a debate on S4C has been tabled by the Government for 4 November, but it is the opposition parties that have tabled the debates that have led to some level of scrutiny of these proposals so far in Wales. I do not think that that is good enough. We need to see much more proactive action from the Government. Each time we hear the next step—such as S4C appointing a chief executive, who will not take up the post until next April, or new governance arrangements from the BBC, although we know that it is the UK governors who really control the money within the BBC—it raises even more questions about the long-term survival of S4C and that of the BBC as an institution. Although Murdoch has gone away, the forces that he represents are still present. I am quite happy to say, as a Welsh
19/10/2011
78
nationalist, that I love the BBC and I would be happy for Wales to be independent, but to keep a UK BBC. I would be very happy with that, as long as we have democratic accountability to the Assembly as the elected Chamber with regard to the BBC in Wales. That is the next realistic step that we need to see.
When the 20 per cent cut to the BBC was first mooted last May, the First Minister said that such a cut would be unacceptable. However, since this became reality in October, he has said virtually nothing about it and no debate or questions have been tabled on it and neither has there been a statement from the First Minister. It seems that things are just slipping out of the purview of the Government and we need to have better perception on these matters.
I would like to emphasise two points in this debate. First, Ken Skates made a very good point about how print media got itself in its current mess. I do not share his optimism that the print media can get out of it. I think that new media is the way to go. I do not think that that is against journalism. I have noticed that I no longer buy a daily paper, but I buy more magazines, news reviews and other forms of print journalism. I value print journalism as much as I ever did—and I think that many of us do—but it is being delivered in a different way. The daily grind of daily newspapers is no longer the future. That is why the previous Government did not establish a printed version of a Welsh-language newspaper, but an online Welsh-language newspaper. It is important to bear that in mind. That is why we need broadband availability throughout Wales and a dotCymru/dotWales internet presence as a national internet presence to support the sort of journalism that could be delivered by broadband.
Secondly, Ieuan Wyn Jones raised an important point about radio. I wish to add to that by saying that we need local radio to reflect its local audiences and communities. A new bid has been submitted for Radio Ceredigion, and it is vital that Ofcom and the Government work together so that Radio Ceredigion accurately reflects the linguistic make-up of the audience that it serves, which is a 50/50 Welsh/English split.
These things are vital for local democracy and a thriving Welsh democracy. As Assembly Members, we often complain that no-one pays attention to what we do here unless we tweet it directly from the Chamber. That is no substitute for proper journalism and a properly regulated press and broadcast media in Wales. I hope that things will change shortly.
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