Live Afternoon Session

:00:00. > :00:07.The Plaid Cymru plan for leaving the EU fleshed out

:00:08. > :00:32.Good afternoon. Welcome to round two of our coverage from Plaid Cymru's

:00:33. > :00:40.conference in Llandeilo and. Divisions over talk with a coalition

:00:41. > :00:44.with Labour coming to a four and Brexit is likely to feature heavily

:00:45. > :00:50.with Leanne Wood. Vaughan Roderick is back for more. The Plaid Cymru

:00:51. > :00:55.vision for leaving the European Union doesn't look deliverable at

:00:56. > :01:00.present. They want membership of the single market with free movement. An

:01:01. > :01:04.easy sell may be in Llandeilo but more difficult the wider population

:01:05. > :01:10.who voted to leave. It is the softest of soft Brexits.

:01:11. > :01:19.Plaid Cymru are banking on the idea that there are some people who voted

:01:20. > :01:24.leave you wanted a soft Brexit. They could make up the majority. They are

:01:25. > :01:29.also banking that public opinion could change and if the exit process

:01:30. > :01:34.proves to be rough and if people see that the pound will buy a lot less

:01:35. > :01:38.when they go on holiday and they see announcements made by companies

:01:39. > :01:41.leaving the UK, if any of that happens then public opinion could

:01:42. > :01:46.change and Plaid Cymru could find themselves ahead of public opinion.

:01:47. > :01:52.It is a real gamble doing that but I think they sense, as the Liberal

:01:53. > :01:57.Democrats do, there is a gap in the market for a party that is basing

:01:58. > :02:01.its appeal starting with the people who voted remain.

:02:02. > :02:06.Plenty more from you later in the afternoon. Taking the pulse of the

:02:07. > :02:12.party in Llandeilo this afternoon is Bethan Lewis. Good afternoon.

:02:13. > :02:15.Good afternoon and welcome back to the pavilion here. The delegates

:02:16. > :02:20.have had their lunch and have gone back into the Hall and are gearing

:02:21. > :02:24.up for the main event, the leader 's speech. The highlight of any

:02:25. > :02:29.political conference. As you have mentioned, we had a taste of what

:02:30. > :02:34.Leanne Wood is likely to say and talk of this 3-point plan for Brexit

:02:35. > :02:38.and how she would like to see Welsh interest represented in that

:02:39. > :02:41.negotiation process and that 3-point plan would include first of all

:02:42. > :02:48.staying as part of the single market. You have already talked

:02:49. > :02:52.about that. She also wants to see all four UK nations having a role in

:02:53. > :02:58.those negotiations as the UK withdraws. The third point is about

:02:59. > :03:01.the constitution. As the powers are transferred back from Brussels she

:03:02. > :03:05.wants to make sure they are not centralised at Westminster but the

:03:06. > :03:08.appropriate powers are perhaps devolved as well. A taste of what

:03:09. > :03:11.she is likely to say but we will hear the speech in about 15 minutes

:03:12. > :03:17.time. Plenty more later on the programme.

:03:18. > :03:23.We will go into the main hall now where Steffan Lewis, the Plaid Cymru

:03:24. > :03:27.member for South Wales East is already taking centre stage.

:03:28. > :03:31.It may not be universally popular to say this in the current climate that

:03:32. > :03:38.we all know who is to blame for Wales being a low wage economy, for

:03:39. > :03:40.services under pressure and so many rely on state support. The blame

:03:41. > :03:45.does not lie with those who came here seeking a better life, it lies

:03:46. > :03:51.on successive London governments who take our people for granted and our

:03:52. > :03:58.country for a ride. I know that concerns about immigration and held

:03:59. > :04:04.for genuine reasons for most people in Wales, a genuine concern about

:04:05. > :04:06.jobs, homes and communities. Those people deserve honesty from their

:04:07. > :04:11.politicians and not political expediency. Will be the whole

:04:12. > :04:17.question isn't thinking about cash, although we know the positive

:04:18. > :04:20.benefits of migration in that respect, but I am concerned that if

:04:21. > :04:26.we have a hard Brexit with closed borders coupled with the UK's free

:04:27. > :04:36.market outlook on trade and regressive reforms to trade with

:04:37. > :04:38.England, it would put the national health service under threat.

:04:39. > :04:41.Increased marketisation of the NHS in England will have consequences

:04:42. > :04:46.for this country due to the way we are funded. The UK Government has

:04:47. > :04:50.refused to back Plaid Cymru demands that public services should be

:04:51. > :04:59.protected in any future UK trade deals. We know almost a third of

:05:00. > :05:07.doctors in Wales, a are trained overseas. We have a toxic cocktail

:05:08. > :05:12.that threatens the success of the greatest achievement of Britain, the

:05:13. > :05:16.NHS. People are demanding politicians say what they believe

:05:17. > :05:18.and we need a straight talking politics were politicians speak

:05:19. > :05:25.their minds, even if that means disagreeing with popular opinion. As

:05:26. > :05:29.an elected representative I am duty-bound to say that if faced with

:05:30. > :05:32.a choice of insuring a free and flourishing NHS for our children and

:05:33. > :05:45.their children or shutting down the border then the NHS wins my vote

:05:46. > :05:49.every single day of the week. And if our public services, if our NHS

:05:50. > :05:53.matters to the Labour government, I urge them to reconsider their

:05:54. > :05:58.position today on Welsh membership of the single market and our

:05:59. > :06:01.relationship with Europe. In fact, I ask the Labour government to go a

:06:02. > :06:10.bit further and come up with a coherent position in terms of

:06:11. > :06:13.Wales's place in Europe. It is simply unacceptable for them to

:06:14. > :06:17.point to the incompetence of the UK Government and claim we should all

:06:18. > :06:21.be sitting on our hands waiting for Westminster to act on our behalf.

:06:22. > :06:28.There are three fundamental point that must be addressed. The process

:06:29. > :06:33.of our withdrawal from the EU, Wales's relations with the EU after

:06:34. > :06:38.we have left and the constitutional status of our country. I have

:06:39. > :06:40.repeatedly requested the First Minister address these three

:06:41. > :06:46.fundamental points and he has repeatedly failed to even reveal a

:06:47. > :06:52.partial position on any of them. Worse than that it seems the Welsh

:06:53. > :06:55.government policy is being conducted by TV interview, changing and

:06:56. > :07:01.contradicting itself within hours. In terms of Brexit negotiations, the

:07:02. > :07:05.First Minister said he wants Welsh input in the process of withdrawal

:07:06. > :07:09.but he hasn't said how that will happen and he is waiting for the UK

:07:10. > :07:20.position first. He hasn't elaborated on the post article 50 negotiations

:07:21. > :07:24.either. One day the First Minister told me he did not favour membership

:07:25. > :07:28.of the single market and the day before to Leanne Wood he said he

:07:29. > :07:33.did, before saying to Adam Price on the same day he preferred a

:07:34. > :07:37.free-trade deal. He has taken great leisure in highlighting the UK's

:07:38. > :07:44.lack of expertise in trade negotiations before ruling out

:07:45. > :07:49.recruiting Welsh trade negotiators. This is further confused by the fact

:07:50. > :07:55.the First Minister appears to have made free movement of people a red

:07:56. > :08:01.line issue at the same colour saying that Wales could have no say on

:08:02. > :08:04.migration policy in the UK. On the issue of the constitutional future

:08:05. > :08:07.of Wales, the First Minister talks federal when he is giving speeches

:08:08. > :08:11.overseas but when I asked him if people in Wales should decide their

:08:12. > :08:16.own national future, especially in light of a bad Brexit deal from

:08:17. > :08:21.London he categorically ruled out any referendum on Wales's future

:08:22. > :08:24.under any circumstances. Let's be clear, the First Minister of our

:08:25. > :08:30.country is sending Theresa May a message she could do whatever to

:08:31. > :08:36.Wales and there will be no political consequences from the Welsh Labour

:08:37. > :08:40.government. Not good enough. Labour sees Wales as an addendum and not a

:08:41. > :08:45.nation in its own right, that is revealed in the Brexit period we are

:08:46. > :08:49.living in. Plaid Cymru has a list of demands that would give Wales a

:08:50. > :08:53.distinct voice in these negotiations and beyond. We demand a full country

:08:54. > :08:58.approach to the negotiations and we will resist a Westminster one-way

:08:59. > :09:03.system. All for governments in the UK should commence negotiations now

:09:04. > :09:07.to establish the UK position on future negotiations with the EU

:09:08. > :09:13.before article 50th triggered. The Welsh government should establish or

:09:14. > :09:17.the policy areas that should be repatriated to Wales, not gobbled up

:09:18. > :09:21.by Westminster. Plaid Cymru demands that following the conclusion of

:09:22. > :09:28.these BOC aces and once article 50th triggered, all governments in the UK

:09:29. > :09:35.should be represented at the negotiating table. The Tories should

:09:36. > :09:39.not speak for all of us. Sun negotiations should take place in

:09:40. > :09:42.the UK itself and where there is particular Welsh interest we ask the

:09:43. > :09:47.Welsh government at least attempts to get some of those negotiations

:09:48. > :09:52.conducted here in Wales. Plaid Cymru insists that once an agreement has

:09:53. > :09:56.been reached with the EU and its enactment should require the consent

:09:57. > :10:01.of all four parliaments in the UK and to be clear, that means Wales

:10:02. > :10:02.preserving the right to veto any Brexit treaty that is damaging to

:10:03. > :10:16.our country. And an the constitutional future of

:10:17. > :10:22.Wales, there has never been a more important time to be a reassert the

:10:23. > :10:30.basic principle that the people of Wales should determine the country's

:10:31. > :10:35.future. The referendum result has been interpreted as a mandate for a

:10:36. > :10:39.centralised, inward looking British state. We do not recognise that

:10:40. > :10:44.mandate and we never will. There is no end date for Wales to be subsumed

:10:45. > :10:48.into a greater England entity. There is no mandate to dilutes devolution

:10:49. > :10:53.and no mandate to depress the Welsh economy. During the referendum

:10:54. > :10:58.campaign I was intrigued to hear politicians in London, many of whom

:10:59. > :11:02.have led a political life opposing devolution to Wales, said they

:11:03. > :11:15.wanted their country back. Conference, I also want our country

:11:16. > :11:19.back. I want it back from a discredited UK Parliament that sets

:11:20. > :11:24.out taxes, makes laws without being properly accountable to us. I want

:11:25. > :11:28.it back from a faceless Whitehall bureaucracy that get to decide which

:11:29. > :11:32.powers are reserved and which are devolved and I want it back from

:11:33. > :11:38.xenophobic Tories who have never won a mandate to rule over our country.

:11:39. > :11:45.I can tell you Plaid Cymru very much welcome the opportunity to talk

:11:46. > :11:50.about taking back control of our country. I Cymru is opposing a

:11:51. > :11:56.number of measures so we can do that. We would like to see the

:11:57. > :12:01.foundations laid so that we can build prosperous communities, a

:12:02. > :12:04.flourishing country and strong public services. And essential to

:12:05. > :12:10.that outcome is a considerable effort to establish Wales on the

:12:11. > :12:14.international stage. We must make Wales a global success story. In the

:12:15. > :12:19.short term, Plaid Cymru aims to transform Wales into one of the

:12:20. > :12:24.world's most recognised substate nations. To gain influence to

:12:25. > :12:28.further our national interest and to fulfil our obligations to the world

:12:29. > :12:32.community. It is a source of great disappointment the Welsh government

:12:33. > :12:38.has never undertaken a serious assessment of Wales' international

:12:39. > :12:41.recognition and it is a big hindrance to realising our

:12:42. > :12:46.potential. Add to that the refusal of the government to host the

:12:47. > :12:53.Commonwealth Games or the world Expo, or to resurrect the WDA and it

:12:54. > :12:58.is little wonder that Scotland or Qu bec take a bigger share of the

:12:59. > :13:05.international limelight. We should aim to be just as recognised

:13:06. > :13:09.globally as those two countries. I reiterate, it is time for Plaid

:13:10. > :13:12.Cymru and Wales to develop a distinct foreign policy for this

:13:13. > :13:17.country with a dedicated Minister for external affairs with an

:13:18. > :13:22.undertaking to raise Wales' global reach to boost trade, to create

:13:23. > :13:26.opportunities for culture, business and to develop Welsh influence in

:13:27. > :13:33.international bodies. As Westminster looks into itself, Wales must now

:13:34. > :13:39.look out. Over coming years, however optimistic you are or not about our

:13:40. > :13:44.prospects post exit, we can all agree there will be in and

:13:45. > :13:49.volatility until our departure from the European Union. Because of this,

:13:50. > :13:54.Plaid Cymru calls to take advantage of emerging opportunities and to

:13:55. > :13:59.mitigate against unforeseen challenges. For example, with the

:14:00. > :14:04.pound at record lows, now is the time to sell Wales more than ever as

:14:05. > :14:09.a destination for a holiday especially. If there is a challenge,

:14:10. > :14:12.as there appears to be, in recruiting overseas students, we

:14:13. > :14:16.cannot afford to wait for Westminster to come up with

:14:17. > :14:21.solutions. We must respond rapidly to mitigate the threat. Labour

:14:22. > :14:25.believes Wales is helpless and they have surrendered our fate to others.

:14:26. > :14:30.Now is precisely the wrong time to wallow in the aftermath of the

:14:31. > :14:35.referendum. Now we must demand the best from ourselves and each other

:14:36. > :14:39.to make the very best of our nation. My optimism for our country's

:14:40. > :14:43.potential is not dampened. We must resolve to be as determined as ever

:14:44. > :14:50.before. No one has the right to say to a nation, this is how far you

:14:51. > :14:54.should go and no further. The world has changed dramatically in a short

:14:55. > :14:58.period of time but there is still a place for Wales in that world. It is

:14:59. > :15:02.time for us to decide whether or not we are ready to take our rightful

:15:03. > :15:06.place as a nation among equals. And to take back control of our country

:15:07. > :15:07.and communities so that we can build the progressive Wales that our

:15:08. > :15:21.citizens deserve. Earlier this morning another debate

:15:22. > :15:27.was held on leaving the EU. Here is a flavour of the discussion chaired

:15:28. > :15:34.by Simon Thomas, the panellists were Steffan Lewis, Rebecca Williams,

:15:35. > :15:40.director of the Country Landowners Association in Wales, and Jill

:15:41. > :15:46.Evans. TRANSLATION: If I could begin by asking Jill whether she could

:15:47. > :15:52.outline... Obviously Theresa May has been in Brussels, and what are the

:15:53. > :16:01.impressions and so on? EU in the Parliament -- in the Parliament

:16:02. > :16:05.there is a great deal of good will still. People want us to come to an

:16:06. > :16:11.agreement which is fair for everyone and will benefit everyone if

:16:12. > :16:15.possible. As regards rural areas and agricultural policies particularly,

:16:16. > :16:22.this is extremely important for us in Wales, and I am very grateful for

:16:23. > :16:26.all the organisations, farmers organisations and rural associations

:16:27. > :16:31.and so on, which have carried out so much research in this field. One

:16:32. > :16:37.thing I am quite confident about is that we can draw up a new

:16:38. > :16:45.agricultural policy which will be suitable for Wales, and suitable for

:16:46. > :16:56.the needs of Wales, because over the years, I have been very proud to

:16:57. > :17:01.speak on things like food standards and what we export to other

:17:02. > :17:08.countries, and I am pleased and proud that Wales has played a very

:17:09. > :17:14.prominent part in this. I am sure we can cooperate. It won't be easy, I

:17:15. > :17:20.know, but I hope we can continue to do so by drawing up a policy for

:17:21. > :17:34.Wales, which also maintains our standards. Thank you, Jill, if I can

:17:35. > :17:38.turn now to Steffan Lewis. How will democracy in Wales form itself?

:17:39. > :17:42.Immediately after the Brexit referendum I think we all went

:17:43. > :17:46.through several stages and several motions, and after the Nile, despair

:17:47. > :17:52.and anger and the rest of it, as a party we came together and decided

:17:53. > :17:56.we need to look at how we move the country forward and try to find some

:17:57. > :17:59.glimmers of hope somehow, somewhere. It's a shame the Labour Party in

:18:00. > :18:05.Cardiff haven't done the same but that reflects more on them than us.

:18:06. > :18:11.I want to agree with what Jill has said. Whether in Europe or with

:18:12. > :18:17.diplomatic meetings in London, there isn't an appetite there to punish

:18:18. > :18:21.the UK. That isn't driving force. People are genuinely disappointed

:18:22. > :18:25.that the UK has voted to leave, and some people are really still shocked

:18:26. > :18:29.by it. There is no appetite to punish, but the other thing they are

:18:30. > :18:32.clear about is there cannot be a rewriting of the rules. If you are

:18:33. > :18:38.outside the club and do not pay into the club and abide by the rules, you

:18:39. > :18:43.don't get the benefits of membership. In Theresa May's speech

:18:44. > :18:48.at her party conference, and other noises coming from the Tory

:18:49. > :18:51.Government in London, there is a constant contradiction between, we

:18:52. > :18:54.want our country back and we will be a great sovereign, independent

:18:55. > :18:59.country on the one hand, and on the other hand talking about how you can

:19:00. > :19:03.pick and choose certain aspects of EU membership. So that will be a

:19:04. > :19:06.constant problem, and the repercussions for us in Wales, and

:19:07. > :19:16.for me as a Plaid Cymru membro want to bring it back to the

:19:17. > :19:19.Constitution, but all politics is about the constitution, when you

:19:20. > :19:20.look at the hands of the Northern Ireland Executive and Scottish

:19:21. > :19:23.Government have in these islands now, they have leveraged because of

:19:24. > :19:26.the way their countries voted, to exert pressure on the UK Government

:19:27. > :19:31.to find different solutions and opt in or out of some aspects of the new

:19:32. > :19:36.post Brexit UK. The Welsh Government should be right now covering up the

:19:37. > :19:41.distinct position for our country to create, and I accept it is difficult

:19:42. > :19:45.to create that leveraged at the same level, but to create leveraged so

:19:46. > :19:49.there is a distinct Welsh pressure on the UK Government, that we are on

:19:50. > :19:53.the radar, and I don't get the impression we are. Things being

:19:54. > :19:57.discussed at the moment might seem inconsequential, talk for example

:19:58. > :20:01.that Scotland and Northern Ireland could become substate members of

:20:02. > :20:04.certain EU organisations and represent themselves, and nobody is

:20:05. > :20:10.talking about Wales having that same right. In which case, then,

:20:11. > :20:13.constitutionally, we have this reinforcement of a greater England

:20:14. > :20:23.entity of which we are apart, and this is the biggest threat to Welsh

:20:24. > :20:26.political nationhood in Wales voted the same way as England in terms of

:20:27. > :20:29.the referendum, that that it seemed to reinforce the political entity of

:20:30. > :20:32.greater England, not even England and Wales, just greater England, and

:20:33. > :20:37.I think that will be devastating if it is not resisted and we don't find

:20:38. > :20:42.a way of overcoming it. So, at the moment, the focus has been on when

:20:43. > :20:47.Article 50 will be triggered, but let's never take our eye off the

:20:48. > :20:51.very, very great need for us to ensure that we secure a framework

:20:52. > :20:57.for negotiations, not just between the UK and the EU but between the

:20:58. > :21:02.nations of the UK, so that we can ensure that Welsh national interests

:21:03. > :21:17.are further that that level. Thank you, Steffan APPLAUSE. May I ask the

:21:18. > :21:28.CLA. The CLA is a body with over 3000 members, and we look after the

:21:29. > :21:35.rural members, and indeed, in all professions in the rural areas. As

:21:36. > :21:41.Simon said, as a body, we didn't say in the referendum which way we

:21:42. > :21:47.should vote, but we provide information about the best things,

:21:48. > :21:51.the worse things, so people could make a balanced decision. Because we

:21:52. > :22:03.have been neutral, we have started to prepare quite soon after the

:22:04. > :22:06.result, and we are looking at the project in Cardiff and in

:22:07. > :22:16.Westminster, and over the summer we have been working very hard to

:22:17. > :22:21.provide a leaflet, "New opportunities," looking at the new

:22:22. > :22:26.situation, looking at the possibilities of rules and trade

:22:27. > :22:30.agreements. This has raised questions. We haven't the answers

:22:31. > :22:42.yet and we are honest about that, but we need to raise the questions.

:22:43. > :22:47.Although it is very important, we saw that there are basic questions,

:22:48. > :22:58.constitutional questions, as you refer to, Steffan. They are

:22:59. > :23:03.important to us in the agricultural sector. In the last fortnight we

:23:04. > :23:08.have submitted a new pamphlet looking at the needs of rural Wales

:23:09. > :23:16.and the rural economy. And the constitutional issues arising from

:23:17. > :23:23.there. And giving suggestions as to what the Welsh Government needs to

:23:24. > :23:31.look at. There is a need of some sort of framework on UK level for

:23:32. > :23:36.agriculture and agricultural policies that might be

:23:37. > :23:40.controversial, I don't know. But from our members, we feel this is

:23:41. > :23:48.very important. We should keep a balance between what is happening in

:23:49. > :23:53.Wales and what is happening in the rest of the UK. That was a flavour

:23:54. > :23:57.of the debate earlier today on leaving the European Union. We are

:23:58. > :24:01.now getting very close to Leanne Wood's conference speech. Before

:24:02. > :24:08.that begins, let's cross back to the reference, where Bethan Harris

:24:09. > :24:13.guests. Thank you. I am joined by two prominent Plaid Cymru AM is

:24:14. > :24:19.before they going to take their seats for the leaders speech. Elin

:24:20. > :24:23.Jones, presiding officer, AM for Ceredigion, it has been a full week

:24:24. > :24:27.for Plaid Cymru, one of your colleagues has left the group. What

:24:28. > :24:32.role do you see Dafydd Elis-Thomas playing in the Assembly in future?

:24:33. > :24:36.It seems such a long time ago that happened, many things have happened

:24:37. > :24:39.since then. Dafydd Elis-Thomas is now an independent Member of the

:24:40. > :24:43.National Assembly who has moved to sit in a different location. I have

:24:44. > :24:55.no doubt he will contribute in his own interesting way in future, and

:24:56. > :24:58.we will hear what he has to say over the next few years, but he will not

:24:59. > :25:01.be saying it in the name of Plaid Cymru in future. I am sure that is

:25:02. > :25:04.disappointing for many who voted for him in the name of Plaid Cymru, but

:25:05. > :25:08.he has chosen this decision, so suddenly after the election he has

:25:09. > :25:11.only just stood in. There is speculation over the role he might

:25:12. > :25:16.play in future, whether he might join the Labour Government in some

:25:17. > :25:20.way. What do you think? Again, he was voted in other Plaid Cymru

:25:21. > :25:25.Member and I think it would be foolish to make any arrangement as

:25:26. > :25:29.an independent, I think that would tarnish his reputation. He still has

:25:30. > :25:34.40 years of public service to stand on. That is part of his good name,

:25:35. > :25:37.if you like, and I think he needs to remember that. In everything he does

:25:38. > :25:44.now is an independent, Plaid Cymru will continue to work for the best

:25:45. > :25:49.as we see it for Wales, including Dwyfor Meirionydd, still represented

:25:50. > :25:54.by a Plaid Cymru AM. Talking about working with Labour, we have heard

:25:55. > :25:59.Neil McEvoy talking about it on stage, other people referring to it.

:26:00. > :26:03.You worked as a minister in a Plaid Cymru- Labour coalition. Would you

:26:04. > :26:08.be comfortable with that arrangement happening again? It works very well

:26:09. > :26:12.for that period of four years, the one Wales Government between Plaid

:26:13. > :26:17.Cymru and Labour is held in high esteem, I think, as one of the

:26:18. > :26:22.periods in Government when Wales was at its most constructive, creative,

:26:23. > :26:25.and there is much to say for the fact that coalitions, two parties

:26:26. > :26:34.working together, challenge within Government as well as outside it,

:26:35. > :26:36.that that can be a greater force for the good, but obviously I am

:26:37. > :26:39.presiding officer now, therefore I have to watch these things and

:26:40. > :26:45.preside over these matters rather than have my own opinion on them.

:26:46. > :26:49.Simon Thomas, you can have an opinion, can't you? Really, I

:26:50. > :26:55.suppose we had seen a scope of using Plaid Cymru, Neil McEvoy at one end

:26:56. > :27:01.is totally opposed to co-operating, but Adam Price at the other end

:27:02. > :27:08.fairly pro-coalition. Where are you? We negotiated a compact with Labour

:27:09. > :27:11.which I negotiated with Jane Capcom -- Jane Hutt, used by Adam Price to

:27:12. > :27:17.deliver the best budget deal any opposition party has for any Welsh

:27:18. > :27:20.Government. Short of coalition that shows a progressive, grown-up,

:27:21. > :27:24.mature way of working when the card you are dealt with an election put

:27:25. > :27:28.you into Government. I think there are challenges for this present

:27:29. > :27:32.Welsh Government, the first of which is undoubtedly leaving the EU and

:27:33. > :27:36.the confusion about that. It means the Welsh Government itself has to

:27:37. > :27:39.examine whether it has the right talent in the right post and have

:27:40. > :27:43.the right leadership. Whether we go into coalition is a matter for

:27:44. > :27:47.parties at home and for the group to think about, but I think it also has

:27:48. > :27:55.to be a matter for the political timing. The One Wales Government

:27:56. > :27:57.worked well but the objective was clear, to deliver further powers

:27:58. > :28:02.with a referendum which we want handsomely in 2011. We have to be

:28:03. > :28:05.clear if we went into Government, what is the objective? Just having a

:28:06. > :28:09.pop at the current regime is not enough, we need more, which has not

:28:10. > :28:15.yet been offered. Is discussion going on with Labour about this,

:28:16. > :28:18.then? Not a discussion, no, but we have liaison groups, committees as

:28:19. > :28:23.we call them, ongoing, so we discussed the legislative programme

:28:24. > :28:33.with them, Brexit, we have discussed the budget, obviously, but we have

:28:34. > :28:35.no direct talks around joining them. Elin Jones, before you take your

:28:36. > :28:38.seat for Leanne Wood's speech, what would you like to hear from there

:28:39. > :28:41.this afternoon? It is important at this time, in such an uncertain time

:28:42. > :28:45.politically, in terms of how the future of Wales will work in the

:28:46. > :28:49.context of possibly leaving the European Union, clarity from a

:28:50. > :28:53.political party is very important at this point in terms of how Plaid

:28:54. > :28:58.Cymru wants to see negotiations and what we want to achieve as a

:28:59. > :29:02.political party and the nation out of negotiations, and all the good

:29:03. > :29:08.that has been in the European Union, how much of that we can salvage for

:29:09. > :29:10.the future and for Wales. Clarity on Brexit is definitely something I

:29:11. > :29:15.hope we will hear this afternoon, and I'm sure we will. Beyond Brexit,

:29:16. > :29:19.is there anything else to bring out in the speech? We have to be honest

:29:20. > :29:23.that Brecht Brexit is the biggest upheaval in politics at the moment.

:29:24. > :29:29.Leadership from Wales is woefully lacking at the moment and I sure

:29:30. > :29:32.Leanne Wood will out ideas about how we respond positively to new

:29:33. > :29:37.economic circumstances, and I think she will have exciting ideas, and I

:29:38. > :29:44.think the party as ready as well to take these forward. Thank you very

:29:45. > :29:49.much. Brexit is obviously the dominating theme in this conference,

:29:50. > :29:53.but the work of the Welsh Government and making sure public services,

:29:54. > :29:57.health, education and so on run effectively still goes on. Is there

:29:58. > :29:59.a danger Leanne Wood could be focusing on Brexit at the expense of

:30:00. > :30:06.everything else? There is that danger but in the

:30:07. > :30:13.minds of the electors, they don't seem to be that engaged with issues

:30:14. > :30:17.beyond Brexit at the moment. People have concerns about the health

:30:18. > :30:21.service and education but Brexit is tending to dominate everything in

:30:22. > :30:25.all of the party conferences at the moment. I think that'll change. As

:30:26. > :30:30.we move towards the local elections next year, local issues will come

:30:31. > :30:34.more to the fore that really at this time all the parties are having to

:30:35. > :30:36.set out their stalls on where they can go next.

:30:37. > :30:43.Do you think the local elections which you have just mentioned next

:30:44. > :30:47.year will be the first test on the things Leanne Wood has been saying

:30:48. > :30:51.about leaving the European union? A subject which has nothing to do with

:30:52. > :30:55.the local election but that doesn't stop people. Local elections are

:30:56. > :31:00.strange creatures because they do play out on different dynamics.

:31:01. > :31:07.National politics will play in in terms of Welsh politics but also UK

:31:08. > :31:11.politics. It showed on paper be an opportunity for Plaid Cymru because

:31:12. > :31:14.one suspects you are going to go into the election with the UK

:31:15. > :31:19.Government fairly unpopular as UK Government is always are at

:31:20. > :31:21.mid-term. The Welsh government probably not very popular. The

:31:22. > :31:26.Liberal Democrats still reeling after their awful results and Ukip,

:31:27. > :31:31.one suspects, not being able to field that many candidates. That

:31:32. > :31:35.should leave the field wide open for Plaid Cymru but I don't sense they

:31:36. > :31:40.are going up to those local elections with any huge enthusiasm.

:31:41. > :31:43.They don't sense they are going to make very substantial gains apart

:31:44. > :31:48.from maybe in a couple of places like Cardiff, where they haven't had

:31:49. > :31:51.much of a presence before. I think it is a very unpredictable set of

:31:52. > :31:56.elections. And apart from her particular

:31:57. > :32:01.election result in the assembly election, she hasn't made great

:32:02. > :32:05.strides as a party leader in terms of having successful elections, has

:32:06. > :32:09.she? In the programme this morning you raised the possibility of a new

:32:10. > :32:14.leader fighting the next assembly election so how crucial with this

:32:15. > :32:20.next electoral test be for a? If it is a disastrous election, it

:32:21. > :32:24.increases or puts pressure on her leadership. I don't think there is

:32:25. > :32:29.leadership at the moment and if it comes it will come later down the

:32:30. > :32:32.track. A good set of elections will free her hand to decide what she

:32:33. > :32:37.wants to do because I think she has a decision to make herself of

:32:38. > :32:41.whether she wants to lead the party into another election, which would

:32:42. > :32:46.mean she has led the party for seven or eight years, which is a long time

:32:47. > :32:50.to lead opposition in the assembly. A lot of people have said what Plaid

:32:51. > :32:55.Cymru are advocating has not been delivered. She is talking about the

:32:56. > :32:59.Norwegian model that does allow some movement but there is a level of

:33:00. > :33:04.control. Do you think the Plaid Cymru stance on free movement will

:33:05. > :33:08.soften? All parties positions will change as

:33:09. > :33:11.the negotiations proceed. That is inevitable because options will be

:33:12. > :33:18.taken off the table and options might be put on the table by our

:33:19. > :33:24.European partners. We are in a very fluid position. Place Cymru are

:33:25. > :33:28.starting their journey, if you like, or starting their opening gambit is

:33:29. > :33:32.being minimum Brexit. Good timing. Leanne Wood is taking

:33:33. > :33:36.to the stage in the Angolan. This will be her conference address. --

:33:37. > :34:04.in Llangollen. This good afternoon, conference. We

:34:05. > :34:11.gather here at a defining time for our nation. It has been a year of

:34:12. > :34:14.political drama and global upheaval. Even before our Welsh general

:34:15. > :34:22.election and the referendum on our membership of the European Union,

:34:23. > :34:29.2016 was a year are destined to weigh heavy on our collective

:34:30. > :34:32.memory. It is 50 years since the Quinn for Athens victory in

:34:33. > :34:42.Carmarthen. That set the scene for Wales to become a modern political

:34:43. > :34:48.nation. And it is 50 years since the tragedy of Aberfan. The 21st of

:34:49. > :34:58.October 1966. And industrial catastrophe half a century ago. 116

:34:59. > :35:07.children and 28 adults were lost in the collapse of the spoiled tech.

:35:08. > :35:14.Gwynfor himself remarked on the significance of Aberfan and said he

:35:15. > :35:19.could not imagine how such a monstrous mountain could be built

:35:20. > :35:27.above the school where the children of people of power and wealth go to

:35:28. > :35:30.school. Let us not forget that the tragedy of Aberfan took place

:35:31. > :35:38.because of the mismanagement. It was not a natural occurrence. M Gresford

:35:39. > :35:46.back in 1934, this industrial legacy unites both the north and the south

:35:47. > :35:54.of Wales. The whole of Wales mourned the children and the workers who

:35:55. > :36:00.were lost in Aberfan 50 years ago. And together we will remember then.

:36:01. > :36:06.Many of us thought the 21st-century all of our lives would be valued

:36:07. > :36:11.equally but when I see the way people are being treated in reports

:36:12. > :36:14.of the Calle jungle and reports of the refugee crisis and the lack of

:36:15. > :36:20.compassion, especially for the children, I am not so sure. The

:36:21. > :36:25.debate on the refugee crisis, immigration, free movement of

:36:26. > :36:28.people, it has become toxic. I am horrified by some of the comment I

:36:29. > :36:34.read on social and in the traditional media. Politicians are

:36:35. > :36:38.now openly fanning the flames. Adding fuel to the fire of

:36:39. > :36:46.xenophobia instead of seeking to provide a lasting solution or to

:36:47. > :36:51.calm people's fears. We may have come to expect it from the likes of

:36:52. > :36:56.Ukip but it has taken a dark turn when the UK Prime Minister joins

:36:57. > :37:08.Owen. Conference, the debate has been thuggish. It is no wonder we

:37:09. > :37:13.have seen a rise in hate crimes. Translation macro and during the

:37:14. > :37:18.last few days we have seen children and young people, refugees, being

:37:19. > :37:23.treated with suspicion. Conference, many people in our communities are

:37:24. > :37:31.concerned or worried about the direction of this debate. So I tell

:37:32. > :37:37.you clearly - Plaid Cymru will contribute to politics and will not

:37:38. > :37:43.contribute to hate. Instead, we will contribute to the politics of hope.

:37:44. > :37:48.That is our politics. Our Welsh nation is open to refugees and

:37:49. > :37:51.people who are escaping from all sorts of conflict. We will never

:37:52. > :38:10.close our doors in the faces of people who need sanctuary.

:38:11. > :38:20.The European market is our largest single market. Unlike the UK as a

:38:21. > :38:23.whole, Wales is a net beneficiary of EU funding. European Union

:38:24. > :38:28.membership is written into the legislation which underpins our

:38:29. > :38:31.national political nation had. These are facts but they don't change the

:38:32. > :38:37.reality. A majority of people in Wales voted to leave the European

:38:38. > :38:45.Union. It is vital we rebuild and we knew Wales following this decision.

:38:46. > :38:48.-- renewal Wales. There are many reasons why those in our most

:38:49. > :38:53.neglected communities chose to leave in June and the chief reasons in my

:38:54. > :38:58.conversations with people who voted to leave our economic and political.

:38:59. > :39:02.The EU structural funds programme was not sufficient to improve

:39:03. > :39:08.conditions in those communities that have received the largest terms.

:39:09. > :39:14.People in Ebbw Vale welcome the new railway, opened using the EU

:39:15. > :39:18.funding. But it isn't enough to compensate for the lack of

:39:19. > :39:20.opportunity in the area. People in Swansea are pleased with the new

:39:21. > :39:27.University science campus built using EU funds but the campus

:39:28. > :39:33.doesn't make up for the perception that the city isn't seeing enough

:39:34. > :39:38.prosperity. Conference, people and communities have been left behind.

:39:39. > :39:42.In the valleys, in Wrexham, in Newport and all the other parts of

:39:43. > :39:48.the countries which voted to leave so there has to be a new approach,

:39:49. > :39:50.both to economic regeneration and in terms of taking seriously and

:39:51. > :39:57.listening to people in some of the most forgotten about communities. I

:39:58. > :40:03.am sure you will remember that promise on the infamous bass,

:40:04. > :40:09.telling us that leaving the EU would free up ?350 million every week for

:40:10. > :40:14.spending an hour breaking point NHS. That has gone up to ?410 million per

:40:15. > :40:22.week now the pound has fallen. That was a promise which made sense areas

:40:23. > :40:28.hit hardest by austerity, even if that austerity came from Westminster

:40:29. > :40:31.rather than from Brussels. To overcome our economic challenges

:40:32. > :40:36.there has to be a plan that is much more innovative much more ambitious,

:40:37. > :40:43.more creative, more entrepreneurial than anything have seen to date. The

:40:44. > :40:50.Welsh government has set up a Welsh valleys tax force -- task force. I

:40:51. > :40:58.wonder what has prompted them to do that right now!

:40:59. > :41:03.But I'm afraid it isn't good enough. Plaid Cymru has emphasised the need

:41:04. > :41:07.for the creation of specialist economic development agencies,

:41:08. > :41:15.covering these regions where GDA stubbornly remains at 64% compared

:41:16. > :41:18.to the UK average. It is why we have said planned infrastructure projects

:41:19. > :41:23.should begin in those areas needing the investment the most. O and city

:41:24. > :41:26.deal projects for the South and North shouldn't start in the cities.

:41:27. > :41:33.They should start at the points furthest away from the big cities

:41:34. > :41:45.and towns. We favour a bottom-up approach because we know trickle

:41:46. > :41:50.down doesn't work. And while the cost of borrowing money has never

:41:51. > :41:55.been lower, we must take this opportunity to invest in our

:41:56. > :41:58.infrastructure and in our national institutions. We must make sure that

:41:59. > :42:03.we seize this chance to properly spread the benefits of this

:42:04. > :42:10.investment to all, everywhere in the country. I will reiterate again-

:42:11. > :42:15.Plaid Cymru accepts the referendum result. We might not have wanted

:42:16. > :42:20.this outcome but we have to try to secure the best possible deal for

:42:21. > :42:30.Wales. But what we will never accept is a negotiating a deal which sees

:42:31. > :42:35.Wales worse off. Our red line at all times is the Welsh economy and Plaid

:42:36. > :42:46.Cymru will never sign off or endorse something that is bad for Wales.

:42:47. > :42:52.And we can't accept that a majority of people in this country would have

:42:53. > :42:59.wanted to have voted for something that was bad for Wales either. As

:43:00. > :43:03.Plaid Cymru leader and as a Democrat I am not in the business of trying

:43:04. > :43:07.to alter the past or rerun lost campaigns. I am in the business of

:43:08. > :43:13.getting the very best outcome for Wales. Conference, there are three

:43:14. > :43:19.key steps we must take when it comes to Brexit. Three clear ways we can

:43:20. > :43:25.advocate and articulate the Welsh national interest. Firstly, the UK

:43:26. > :43:29.must adopt a four countries approach to the Brexit negotiations. There is

:43:30. > :43:37.no point having a Welsh national interest if we are put at the top

:43:38. > :43:42.table. The devolved governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have

:43:43. > :43:45.put machinery into action. What we hear from the First Minister of

:43:46. > :43:50.Wales? Apparently when he said Wales should have a seat at the table he

:43:51. > :43:54.didn't mean an actual seat at the table. Who knows what he meant? The

:43:55. > :44:02.Welsh government has been all over the place. When I was out in

:44:03. > :44:06.Brussels, officials from all other nations and regions had no idea

:44:07. > :44:12.about the Welsh position. There should be no more excuses and no

:44:13. > :44:16.more hesitation from the Labour government in Cardiff. Secure that

:44:17. > :44:20.seat at the top table and don't let the likes of Boris Johnson and Liam

:44:21. > :44:33.Fox to the negotiating on our behalf.

:44:34. > :44:42.My second point is that Wales must retain membership of the European

:44:43. > :44:50.market. In the most recent quarter 39% of Welsh exports went to the EU.

:44:51. > :44:53.Hi than the exports to North America or Asia. For food and drink, the

:44:54. > :45:01.European Union represents 90% of our market. That means salt from

:45:02. > :45:06.Anglesey, hand from Carmarthenshire, it means ?100 million worth of lamb

:45:07. > :45:11.exports. Businesses rooted in our communities.

:45:12. > :45:19.And across Wales, almost 200,000 jobs depend on that trade with

:45:20. > :45:24.Europe, and when our industry thrives, Wales thrives. For now, we

:45:25. > :45:28.are still enjoying the benefits of being in that single market, and we

:45:29. > :45:35.can continue to benefit from free charade with the EU as a Member of

:45:36. > :45:41.the European Economic Area or the European Free Trade Association.

:45:42. > :45:46.This would amount to a soft Brexit. That is the option that would cause

:45:47. > :45:51.the least harm to our businesses and industries. It is the best outcome

:45:52. > :45:57.we can hope for in the hard bargaining over Brexit that is to

:45:58. > :46:03.come. Plaid Cymru wants membership of the world's largest economic

:46:04. > :46:08.area. Never again should we see Labour voting with Ukip and the

:46:09. > :46:11.Conservatives in the national Assembly to muddy those waters.

:46:12. > :46:21.APPLAUSE. . Conference, there is no such

:46:22. > :46:27.coherent plan or position from Labour in Wales. We need that plan,

:46:28. > :46:34.and we need that seat at the table. Not the First Minister's Mehta

:46:35. > :46:38.metaphorical seat, a real one. By refusing to include our countries in

:46:39. > :46:42.these negotiations, the Prime Minister is playing a high risk

:46:43. > :46:46.game. She purports to want to keep the UK together. Why, then, would

:46:47. > :46:52.she make such antagonistic moves towards the Welsh, the Scots and the

:46:53. > :46:58.Irish? The Leave vote in Wales means bargaining position may not be as

:46:59. > :47:03.strong as those in other countries. But Welsh people still deserve to

:47:04. > :47:08.have a say. Whilst the majority of people might have voted to leave,

:47:09. > :47:12.the hard Brexit position favoured by the Prime Minister was not on the

:47:13. > :47:17.ballot paper. Hard Brexit is not the best option for Wales, and it is not

:47:18. > :47:21.just me saying that. I've spent weeks visiting and talking to some

:47:22. > :47:26.of the key players in the Welsh economy. Only this week I was in

:47:27. > :47:31.Tata steel in Shotton. These major employers are overwhelmingly telling

:47:32. > :47:36.me they want to see our continued participation in the single market.

:47:37. > :47:42.They don't want tariffs. But it is not just about tariffs. They don't

:47:43. > :47:46.want to have to operate outside the EU's regulatory regime, either. They

:47:47. > :47:49.understand it is in the best interest of industry, jobs, science

:47:50. > :47:54.and research collaboration as well as Wales's wider national interest

:47:55. > :48:00.to continue to participate as a Member of the single market. The

:48:01. > :48:07.third element is our position in the debate over the future of the United

:48:08. > :48:10.Kingdom. Brexit will mean unpicking decades of regulation and

:48:11. > :48:17.legislation. Every national Parliament within the UK must have a

:48:18. > :48:22.final say, not only on the terms of Brexit, but also on whether powers

:48:23. > :48:27.go back to Westminster or to the nation 's instead. In Belfast, the

:48:28. > :48:31.solution would need to accommodate the open border in Ireland. In

:48:32. > :48:36.Edinburgh, the failure to protect the Scottish European interests with

:48:37. > :48:41.a unique solution could put the future of the UK at risk if people

:48:42. > :48:49.in that country choose to become independent in the EU. The stakes

:48:50. > :48:55.couldn't be any higher. Far from uniting Britain, the Leave vote

:48:56. > :49:01.could well have created a disunited kingdom. Britain's governing itself

:49:02. > :49:05.but losing its grip on its territory. In that context, we need

:49:06. > :49:12.a bold response from the Welsh Government. If the Leave vote was a

:49:13. > :49:17.vote against distant and centralised rule, then it was not a vote to

:49:18. > :49:21.concentrate more powers at Westminster. In every crisis there

:49:22. > :49:26.was an opportunity. With strong leadership, Wales could even come

:49:27. > :49:31.out of this period stronger than before. We could well enter a

:49:32. > :49:36.scenario where powers recently rejected in the Wales Built like

:49:37. > :49:43.corporation tax, air passenger duty and R tax credits could come back

:49:44. > :49:47.on the table. A range of options could become available, such as a

:49:48. > :49:52.federal or confederal UK all the way through to an independent Wales. And

:49:53. > :49:56.it is essential that when that happens we are represented by a

:49:57. > :50:01.confident and ambitious government. First Minister, we will be watching

:50:02. > :50:07.your response to constitutional developments. And if you do not get

:50:08. > :50:09.the best possible deal for Wales, we will hold you to account.

:50:10. > :50:30.APPLAUSE. Four countries approach, membership

:50:31. > :50:35.of the single market, a stronger Constitution and a stronger nation.

:50:36. > :50:39.These are our aims. Let's make sure we don't let anyone forget, the

:50:40. > :50:44.Tories have no mandate in Wales. They have never had one. We have

:50:45. > :50:49.never given the majority here, and Brexit doesn't give them one,

:50:50. > :50:53.either. A revamped British nationalism is a danger to

:50:54. > :50:57.everything we hold dear about Wales, and I can assure you, Plaid Cymru

:50:58. > :51:08.will oppose that ideology. APPLAUSE.

:51:09. > :51:15.The Conservatives cannot offer an alternative to Labour. Since the EU

:51:16. > :51:20.referendum they have tried to undermine the future of the National

:51:21. > :51:24.Assembly. The Conservative leader in Wales is playing a dangerous game,

:51:25. > :51:29.like the one he was playing when he undermined Chris Coleman's football

:51:30. > :51:34.team. The days of Nick Bourne feel long gone. Instead we have a Welsh

:51:35. > :51:39.Conservative Party going backwards, backwards in the elections and

:51:40. > :51:45.backwards in attitude. We will always reject the mindset that says

:51:46. > :51:51.Wales is too small or too weak to look after ourselves. Wales needs

:51:52. > :51:54.the opposite of that kind of attitude. Hope for our country after

:51:55. > :52:00.Brexit comes from is being empowered and enabled to build our country to

:52:01. > :52:05.be more self-sufficient to improve our economic position. And we must

:52:06. > :52:12.also insist that Wales is enabled to protect our people from the worst of

:52:13. > :52:15.any fallout from June's vote. The Wales Built risks being another

:52:16. > :52:21.missed opportunity to empower our nation. The UK Government has missed

:52:22. > :52:26.a trick. The powers on offer are now already out of date before they have

:52:27. > :52:31.even been used. Drip feed devolution has failed Welsh democracy, whether

:52:32. > :52:36.under Labour or Conservative UK governments. In some fields like

:52:37. > :52:40.policing, Wales is behind some of the English regions. Greater

:52:41. > :52:42.Manchester can control policing but politicians here fall over

:52:43. > :52:50.themselves to stop their own country from having that responsibility.

:52:51. > :52:54.Every single system of devolution in Wales since 1999 has proven

:52:55. > :53:01.unworkable, and this has to be changed. To our cost, Welsh

:53:02. > :53:05.governments are missing the opportunity to make a difference to

:53:06. > :53:11.our citizens. They are given an easy way to explain their own failures.

:53:12. > :53:15.Conference, we need to develop more backbone, more confidence, and more

:53:16. > :53:17.self-respect, and it will only come with a Plaid Cymru Government.

:53:18. > :53:33.APPLAUSE. Plaid Cymru believes in democracy,

:53:34. > :53:38.and we believe that our democracy needs shaking up. If we accept that

:53:39. > :53:43.the vote back in June was in part a protest against not being listened

:53:44. > :53:50.to, then we have to accept that our current democratic model is failing

:53:51. > :53:54.to deliver for too many people. We need a democracy revamped, a renewal

:53:55. > :54:00.which should be designed with the purpose of giving everyone a voice,

:54:01. > :54:05.and we begin from the premise of local control, local

:54:06. > :54:11.decision-making, decentralisation. Wales as a community of communities.

:54:12. > :54:14.Another principle for us is subsidiarity, The Party of Wales

:54:15. > :54:19.believes the decisions about Wales should be made in Wales. That

:54:20. > :54:23.decisions should be made as close as possible to the people they affect.

:54:24. > :54:27.I am pleased to be able to announce to you today that Plaid Cymru

:54:28. > :54:34.members will be out in your community is asking for your views.

:54:35. > :54:39.Where do you stand on your democracy? Look out for our renewed

:54:40. > :54:45.democracy campaign. Let's not play lip service to the slogan. Let's

:54:46. > :54:49.really take control back of our politics. Plaid Cymru will make

:54:50. > :54:58.politics work for people against. APPLAUSE.

:54:59. > :55:01.-- work for people again. I want to make sure this country is in the

:55:02. > :55:07.best possible shape to decide upon its future, should people in

:55:08. > :55:12.Scotland choose to become independent. The choice for us will

:55:13. > :55:20.be whether we hitch our wagon to Westminster's divisive politics, or

:55:21. > :55:23.do something different. Theresa May doesn't represent me, with her lists

:55:24. > :55:28.of foreign workers. She doesn't speak to me when she says, "If you

:55:29. > :55:34.believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of

:55:35. > :55:38.nowhere." I consider myself to be a Welsh European. But I am also a

:55:39. > :55:50.global citizen. APPLAUSE.

:55:51. > :55:56.Thomas Paine, or one of the founders of the United States, sums up where

:55:57. > :56:01.I come from on this, when he said, "The world is my country, or mine

:56:02. > :56:08.came -- mankind my brethren, and to do good is my religion." I might

:56:09. > :56:16.include womankind and sisterhood, but you get the point!

:56:17. > :56:21.APPLAUSE APPLAUSE. I joined this party 25 years ago

:56:22. > :56:27.because I saw so many injustices around me in the community in which

:56:28. > :56:33.I live. The way people are written off, has so many people are allowed

:56:34. > :56:37.to go under. Going to university and meeting people from other places

:56:38. > :56:40.made me realise that the circumstances in the Values in the

:56:41. > :56:46.1980s were neither normal nor average. -- in the South Wales

:56:47. > :56:51.valleys. We were getting a raw deal and I wanted to do something about

:56:52. > :56:55.that. It made me ask questions about why we were in that situation when

:56:56. > :56:59.others elsewhere had better opportunities. So I became a

:57:00. > :57:05.probation officer and join Plaid Cymru, and in doing so I signed up

:57:06. > :57:09.to the project to build our nation, to end these injustices, and to

:57:10. > :57:16.empower ourselves by ending our dependence on others. I was

:57:17. > :57:20.motivated then in both my career and in my political work by the firm

:57:21. > :57:25.belief that the only way we will be able to reach our full potential as

:57:26. > :57:31.individuals and as a nation is when we can do for ourselves the maximum

:57:32. > :57:35.that we are able to do, when we can take more responsibility for

:57:36. > :57:39.ourselves, neither being dependent upon, nor blaming or scapegoating

:57:40. > :57:47.others, for the problems we have all the challenges we face. By taking on

:57:48. > :57:53.those challenges ourselves, it's never easy in the beginning, but if

:57:54. > :57:58.people can be empowered, then more than not, they will flourish and

:57:59. > :58:02.grow -- more often than not. This principle must also be applied to

:58:03. > :58:06.our communities. This is the first conference where I stand before you

:58:07. > :58:06.as the Assembly Member for the Rhondda.

:58:07. > :58:26.APPLAUSE. Yes, I'm pretty pleased about that,

:58:27. > :58:31.too! LAUGHTER. In May, Plaid Cymru was the only party to take a seat

:58:32. > :58:35.from Labour. In so many other seats, The Party of Wales was cemented as

:58:36. > :58:41.the only viable alternative to Labour. In Blaenau Gwent, Conway,

:58:42. > :58:45.Cardiff West and many other places, we lay the foundations for future

:58:46. > :58:49.success. Many sitting Assembly members increased their majorities,

:58:50. > :58:53.and of course, we want two out of the four police and crying

:58:54. > :59:01.Commissioners as well. APPLAUSE.

:59:02. > :59:06.-- police and crying commissioners. The evidence couldn't be clearer.

:59:07. > :59:10.Plaid Cymru candidates and elected politicians who work hard and are

:59:11. > :59:14.rooted in their communities see the result of that effort, while the

:59:15. > :59:19.Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats lost ground last May,

:59:20. > :59:24.Plaid Cymru gained. They went backwards while Plaid Cymru went

:59:25. > :59:30.forwards. And that campaign stands us in good stead to contest next

:59:31. > :59:34.year's council elections. For The Party of Wales, the community level

:59:35. > :59:38.of operation is the most important level of governance. Wales has a

:59:39. > :59:43.community of communities, and our programme for next year's local

:59:44. > :59:44.Government elections will be all about building up and strengthening

:59:45. > :59:54.our local communities. We want to do more of what Plaid

:59:55. > :59:58.Cymru run Carmarthenshire Council are doing, prioritising economic

:59:59. > :00:04.development, by climbing up the league table when it comes to how

:00:05. > :00:08.public services are delivered. We want to do more of what the party of

:00:09. > :00:13.Wales run Ceredigion Council are doing, one of the county council 's

:00:14. > :00:27.anywhere in these islands to welcome refugees. They are also one of the

:00:28. > :00:30.best local authorities for education outcomes, looking after the

:00:31. > :00:36.education of each child through a pupil tracker scheme and ensuring

:00:37. > :00:42.that no child is left behind. We want to do more of what Plaid Cymru

:00:43. > :00:46.run Gwynedd Council are doing, achieving some of the highest

:00:47. > :00:50.standards in the country this summer, along with Ceredigion

:00:51. > :00:56.Council, mainstreaming the workforce and prioritising local policies is

:00:57. > :00:59.to strengthen the local economy. And we want to do more of the

:01:00. > :01:08.infrastructure and investment and cross boundary regional

:01:09. > :01:12.collaboration that is being carried out by Conwy council. They are

:01:13. > :01:16.prioritising the development of the whole of the north of Wales and on

:01:17. > :01:24.tourism they are supporting new attractions. The way that we will

:01:25. > :01:30.survive and thrive post Brexit is by doing more for ourselves, by being

:01:31. > :01:34.more self-sufficient, by being more cooperative in our approach,

:01:35. > :01:40.especially in the production of our food and energy needs and in

:01:41. > :01:45.indigenously meeting the needs of our foundational economy. You can

:01:46. > :01:51.expect to see from us next May a programme of opportunity to get our

:01:52. > :01:57.communities into being ready and resilient for the new situation we

:01:58. > :02:01.are now in. While Brexit has dominated our thoughts and actions

:02:02. > :02:05.since June, we are still taking forward the Plaid Cymru agenda in

:02:06. > :02:11.the assembly. You might remember we had a tied vote for the election of

:02:12. > :02:14.First Minister in the days following the election. It was the first time

:02:15. > :02:25.Labour had been directly challenged for that post. To give the country

:02:26. > :02:29.stability, we entered into a compact to allow their candidate to become

:02:30. > :02:33.First Minister. That has come to fruition this week with an agreement

:02:34. > :02:38.on the Welsh budget. Plaid Cymru's opposition with a purpose has

:02:39. > :02:44.changed and shapes the priorities of the Welsh government. We forced them

:02:45. > :02:49.to rebalance their resources to delivered to people in all parts of

:02:50. > :02:54.the nation. It is a deal that reflects our manifesto priorities.

:02:55. > :02:56.We have halted further cuts to local government, protecting local

:02:57. > :03:03.authority budgets from deeper austerity. We have secured an extra

:03:04. > :03:14.?30 million for higher and further education, a sector which has felt

:03:15. > :03:19.the pinch under Labour in the past. This will help close the funding gap

:03:20. > :03:24.between Welsh and UK universities. We have almost doubled funding for

:03:25. > :03:35.Visit Wales to help us sell our fantastic landscape to the world as

:03:36. > :03:42.a top tourist destination. As part of the budget deal, there will be a

:03:43. > :03:52.new independent agency established as well as 5 million additional

:03:53. > :03:55.pounds for Welsh for adults. We will establish a national football

:03:56. > :04:01.Museum. There is no funding for a study into establish Roman in

:04:02. > :04:02.Wrexham, the original home of the football Association in Wales. -- to

:04:03. > :04:17.establish one in Wrexham. We have also stood up for arts and

:04:18. > :04:22.culture, backing those who tell the story of Wales. We have secured

:04:23. > :04:26.extra resources for key cultural associations like the National live

:04:27. > :04:30.brick, the arts Council, the Welsh books Council and our National

:04:31. > :04:38.Museum. These organisations should play a role in our cultural lives.

:04:39. > :04:49.Following several years of cuts, Plaid Cymru has acted to turn the

:04:50. > :04:54.situation around. In the health we have achieved more funding for end

:04:55. > :04:58.of life care, medical training, diagnostic equipment. This deal will

:04:59. > :05:02.increase the capacity at medical schools in Cardiff and Swansea as

:05:03. > :05:17.well as developing medical training in the North including in Bangor.

:05:18. > :05:21.And we have secured an extra ?20 million for an area which is to

:05:22. > :05:28.clearly close to my heart and that is for improved mental health

:05:29. > :05:33.services. While teenage self harm is on the rise, while suicide is such a

:05:34. > :05:39.big killer of our young man, we have to up our game in caring for people

:05:40. > :05:43.with mental health problems. I want to see more prevention, more people

:05:44. > :05:47.engaging in mindfulness to protect their health as well as more

:05:48. > :05:52.investment in talking therapies. People should get help from mental

:05:53. > :05:56.health services when they need it and Plaid Cymru will be focusing

:05:57. > :06:08.much more on mental health during this term.

:06:09. > :06:15.Linked to the field of mental health, we have built on the

:06:16. > :06:18.proposals in our manifesto by securing as a commitment to

:06:19. > :06:29.establishing a gender identity clinic as well as an eating disorder

:06:30. > :06:33.clinic for Wales. We are... We are widening the services of the NHS to

:06:34. > :06:39.groups who in the past had to move to England for treatment. Plaid

:06:40. > :06:42.Cymru has also made gains on our nation-building project by securing

:06:43. > :06:47.additional resources for the infrastructure and for our economy.

:06:48. > :06:54.Extra help for town centres to skew the advantage away from the out

:06:55. > :06:58.stores, investment in port infrastructure, a national cycleway

:06:59. > :07:03.and more money for safer Routes to schools. A full feasibility study

:07:04. > :07:09.into reopening the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth rail line. The West End

:07:10. > :07:17.show -- the essential next step for that ambitious scheme. Conference,

:07:18. > :07:21.this is an agenda which secures more public investment for all parts of

:07:22. > :07:25.the country. By reaching agreement on this budget, we have made the

:07:26. > :07:30.government raise their sights in terms of what can be delivered. And

:07:31. > :07:37.we will of course continue to look for opportunities to deliver a well

:07:38. > :07:41.educated and wealthier nation. The budget announcement this week

:07:42. > :07:46.represents the biggest deal ever secured by an opposition party in

:07:47. > :08:00.the assembly and it has been secured by the party of Wales!

:08:01. > :08:08.Plaid Cymru's budget deal will help Wales. It is the right thing to do

:08:09. > :08:13.in these difficult and uncertain times. But Wales still needs and

:08:14. > :08:17.alternative government. Wales went to see the change we need until we

:08:18. > :08:25.achieve a Plaid Cymru government in our own right. We have a rudderless

:08:26. > :08:29.and clueless UK Government pandering to Ukip, heading for a hard Brexit

:08:30. > :08:34.that is not in the interests of Wales. I have always said that I am

:08:35. > :08:39.willing to work with others to defend Wales and its people. The

:08:40. > :08:47.problem of course is that we have numerous Labour parties, a multitude

:08:48. > :08:52.of attitudes towards Wales from both within and outside the country.

:08:53. > :08:57.Unless they get their basic split on the fundamentals sorted out, I can't

:08:58. > :09:03.see what shape Labour would be in to work with us or anyone else to

:09:04. > :09:04.defeat the Tories. Conference, we are not seeking a coalition with the

:09:05. > :09:27.Labour Party. Be wary of those who suggest that it

:09:28. > :09:31.is our preferred option as a party. Don't allow anyone to mislead you.

:09:32. > :09:37.The wary of those who suggest it might be my preferred option. When I

:09:38. > :09:41.challenged the First Minister for his nomination, that wasn't cosying

:09:42. > :09:52.up to the Labour Party. It was taking them on, just like I took

:09:53. > :09:56.them on in the Rhondda valleys. Conference, I'm happy with the

:09:57. > :10:02.current opposition role that we play. We saw the fruits of that last

:10:03. > :10:05.week. The arithmetic of the National Assembly means that the votes to

:10:06. > :10:12.bring the government down simply don't exist and it is important to

:10:13. > :10:17.understand that. But the compact means we can implement parts of our

:10:18. > :10:18.manifesto and I believe that is the best manifesto in the history of

:10:19. > :10:33.devolution. It is an alternative to being in

:10:34. > :10:39.coalition and it is an alternative to working with Ukip for the Tories,

:10:40. > :10:43.parties who are not part of this country's solution, part of the

:10:44. > :10:47.solution to this country's problems. Now the compact and we have with the

:10:48. > :10:50.government is not a substitute for outright victory but it lays the

:10:51. > :10:57.foundations for us to deliver for those who vote for us. Let me

:10:58. > :11:01.clearly state today that we are not seeking ministerial car us, we are

:11:02. > :11:13.not seeking ministerial pensions, we are not seeking coalition.

:11:14. > :11:20.We will remain the strongest opposition party Wales has ever had,

:11:21. > :11:27.and more victories will follow our success in the Rhondda. To everyone

:11:28. > :11:34.who wants to see this alternative in Wales, I say to you this - join us

:11:35. > :11:37.today. For us to realise our alternative vision, Plaid Cymru has

:11:38. > :11:45.to have more members, more councillors elected next May, more

:11:46. > :11:52.MPs, more AMs. I have concerns about where our society could end up and

:11:53. > :11:57.about the future of Wales. Help us build the alternative, take a stand

:11:58. > :12:03.and did it now. Our role has always been to protect and secure the Welsh

:12:04. > :12:05.national interest. Despite the challenges and the uncertainties

:12:06. > :12:12.thrown up by Brexit, we remain optimistic. We have a clear and

:12:13. > :12:17.detailed policy programme which is designed to build our nation and to

:12:18. > :12:21.give confidence to our people. We have the chance to grow our presence

:12:22. > :12:25.at the council level and to lay the foundations for future success by

:12:26. > :12:31.building on that trust within our communities. At the next assembly

:12:32. > :12:37.elections, Plaid Cymru will be the only realistic challenger to Labour

:12:38. > :12:42.and I am convinced of that. Alone, out of all the other parties in the

:12:43. > :12:46.assembly, the party of Wales responded to the EU referendum vote

:12:47. > :12:53.in a way that shows we are ready and up for the challenge. Like me, you

:12:54. > :12:58.support Plaid Cymru because you believe in Wales. You believe in our

:12:59. > :13:02.capacity to look after our best national interests. Conference,

:13:03. > :13:09.let's take this message of conviction from this all today and

:13:10. > :13:15.into our communities. Plaid Cymru will make a difference and Wales

:13:16. > :13:26.will move forward stronger. Thank you.

:13:27. > :13:35.So, Leanne Wood talking for about 40 minutes there, talking, much of it

:13:36. > :13:39.was centred obviously around Brexit. There was also a passage on the

:13:40. > :13:44.budget deal struck between Labour and the Plaid Cymru government last

:13:45. > :13:50.week. She also did address the question of a coalition head on. She

:13:51. > :13:53.said, we are not actively seeking a coalition. Those were her words

:13:54. > :13:59.towards the end of the speech. Listening to all of it was our

:14:00. > :14:04.political editor Nick. Let's start with that. There has been something

:14:05. > :14:08.of a wobble this week on that question of a coalition, now ruled

:14:09. > :14:13.out in that last passage of the speech?

:14:14. > :14:18.I think you have got to say it was the biggest cheer of the speech when

:14:19. > :14:22.she said it and she said it at least twice. She was not seeking a

:14:23. > :14:27.coalition. The first time she did it it brought the huts down -- it

:14:28. > :14:33.brought the house down. You could say. Really it was in a way set

:14:34. > :14:38.against her stall and her position that the status quo is exactly where

:14:39. > :14:42.she wants to be at the moment and obviously not going in the direction

:14:43. > :14:45.of the coalition. In a way it told its own story with the amount of

:14:46. > :14:50.time that was taken up in the speech with the defence of the budget. As

:14:51. > :14:54.you said there, it turned into something of a list but it went

:14:55. > :15:00.through the higher education, the diagnostic equipment and it included

:15:01. > :15:04.an awful lot. But really stressing the point again and again about how

:15:05. > :15:08.she wasn't in the business of trying to get ministerial positions and

:15:09. > :15:16.cars, they were not in the business of going after a coalition.

:15:17. > :15:22.On Brexit, a 3-point plan flushed out by Leanne Wood. I don't suppose

:15:23. > :15:26.we have learned anything new from the Plaid Cymru stance after

:15:27. > :15:32.listening to Leanne Wood today. You are right. As you said, she spoke

:15:33. > :15:36.for 40 minutes, a big, long speech with plenty in there, lots of

:15:37. > :15:42.material, and it really started with probably the first half devoted to

:15:43. > :15:48.economics and the Brexit vote. Interesting, I suppose, in the sense

:15:49. > :15:52.that she did try to do a postmortem, an analysis of where it went wrong,

:15:53. > :15:57.if you like, for those on the Remain camp. Plaid Cymru fiercely

:15:58. > :16:01.Pro-remain of course. She spoke about funding in areas like the

:16:02. > :16:07.South Wales valleys and her analysis that they were left behind

:16:08. > :16:10.communities, and how the EU funding, although she supported it, wasn't

:16:11. > :16:15.enough to persuade people to remain in the EU, then she came through

:16:16. > :16:19.with this 3-part Brexit plan for the party, firstly the insistence that

:16:20. > :16:23.Wales should be at the top table, secondly the insistence that the UK

:16:24. > :16:28.should ring maintain membership of the single market and all that

:16:29. > :16:32.entails, and a third element with a reasonably heavy dose of

:16:33. > :16:36.constitutional trains, all wrapped up in Brexit, and this fear that we

:16:37. > :16:42.have heard a number of times during the weekend of the potential

:16:43. > :16:45.Westminster Power grab over a number of powers transferring back to the

:16:46. > :16:52.UK from Brussels via Westminster, and whether it flows to Wales or

:16:53. > :16:56.not. Generally we have spoken about this in terms of agriculture and

:16:57. > :17:00.things like regional funding, but she covered broader territory on

:17:01. > :17:06.that front, and she also tried to address this question, of whether

:17:07. > :17:13.the party is in denial or not about the result. She says she absolutely

:17:14. > :17:17.Act sets the result in Wales, with 52% of people voted to leave --

:17:18. > :17:22.accepts, but following up saying she doesn't accept that people in Wales

:17:23. > :17:26.voted for a bad deal. She also tried to deal with the issue of the top

:17:27. > :17:29.table and the potential influence of Wales in the Brexit negotiations,

:17:30. > :17:35.bearing in mind Wales voted to leave. Again she said Theresa May

:17:36. > :17:41.should involve Wales just because Wales voted to leave, it doesn't

:17:42. > :17:46.mean to say Wales should not have a say on this. Just to run through

:17:47. > :17:51.some other elements, some personal stuff there, a huge cheer she got

:17:52. > :17:59.restating her victory in the romper, that went down particularly well --

:18:00. > :18:05.in the Ron Vlaar, which flowed into her current leadership style and her

:18:06. > :18:09.strategy, which is to have this position holding Labour to account

:18:10. > :18:14.in opposition, while at the same time trying to say they can make a

:18:15. > :18:17.difference, they can get Plaid priorities into Government by the

:18:18. > :18:23.deal we have seen in the last week in the budget. Nick, thank you,

:18:24. > :18:28.let's get Vaughan's thoughts as well. If we tied Brexit and

:18:29. > :18:33.coalition into this mini debate, Brexit is the very reason Adam Price

:18:34. > :18:38.said he favoured a coalition, but it has obviously now been rejected by

:18:39. > :18:43.Leanne Wood. Death. There were two key lines, I think, in that speech

:18:44. > :18:48.-- yes. Nick pointed them both out, the first, the line about coalition,

:18:49. > :18:53.the other which didn't get a cheer at all, the line saying we accept

:18:54. > :18:57.the result of the referendum, which was then followed by a long passage

:18:58. > :19:02.which was more or less saying that it doesn't mean we will not continue

:19:03. > :19:05.to put the case for Europe. I was talking about this privately to

:19:06. > :19:09.someone quite senior in Plaid Cymru a couple of weeks ago, and they said

:19:10. > :19:15.to me, this is a party that had its whole reason for being rejected by

:19:16. > :19:19.the Welsh people by a majority of four to one in a referendum in 1979.

:19:20. > :19:24.We accepted that result and accepted the Assembly would not happen, but

:19:25. > :19:28.we continued making the argument for devolution, making the argument for

:19:29. > :19:35.the Assembly, then eventually that decision was reversed in 1997. What

:19:36. > :19:39.this person told me was, we have two except that Brexit will happen

:19:40. > :19:44.because of the referendum, but that doesn't make it illegitimate for us

:19:45. > :19:49.to argue what Brexit said mean or to argue after Brexit that we should

:19:50. > :19:53.re-enter the EU. No one said Ukip couldn't argue for withdrawal

:19:54. > :19:58.because a referendum in 1975 took Britain in. So they are preparing

:19:59. > :20:07.for a long game and nailing their flag to the European mask --

:20:08. > :20:10.pro-European mast. We have heard a lot of people saying the people of

:20:11. > :20:14.Wales didn't vote for a hard Brexit. They didn't vote for a soft Brexit

:20:15. > :20:17.either, which maybe leaves politicians until contrary about

:20:18. > :20:23.where they find and pitch the middle ground. Referenda are always like

:20:24. > :20:27.that, you are always asking about a broad principle, unless you have a

:20:28. > :20:32.post-legislative referendum, where you legislate in detail then ask

:20:33. > :20:35.people whether they agree or not. If you have a pre-legislative

:20:36. > :20:44.referendum like this one, inevitably people vote for a whole range of

:20:45. > :20:46.reasons, as they do in elections, of course. People don't vote for the

:20:47. > :20:50.Conservatives for a single reason, it you may vote for Labour for a

:20:51. > :20:55.number of reasons, so politicians exist to interpret the results of

:20:56. > :21:00.elections. What Plaid Cymru is doing is offering a radically different

:21:01. > :21:05.interpretation, almost the opposite interpretation, of the one being

:21:06. > :21:10.offered by Theresa May. And on the budget, Nick mentioned it read like

:21:11. > :21:16.a very long list of what Plaid had secured. Where would you stand on

:21:17. > :21:22.whether Labour would have done this anyway? Well, there are two ways of

:21:23. > :21:26.looking at it. Labour would never in a million years be against spending

:21:27. > :21:29.more money on higher and further education, albeit against spending

:21:30. > :21:36.more money on mental health. These are all things that in an ideal

:21:37. > :21:41.world, dare I say any party would want to do, but what you are doing

:21:42. > :21:44.is reordering priorities. There are probably things Labour might have

:21:45. > :21:49.chosen to spend money on instead which are a higher priority for

:21:50. > :21:53.them, but when you have a budget negotiation, and we have seen it in

:21:54. > :21:57.the past with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats, you always have

:21:58. > :22:01.to give the party supporting you credit for a specific shopping list.

:22:02. > :22:07.That's how these things work. It is no great surprise that but what they

:22:08. > :22:11.have, a list. Vaughan, thank you. Let's find out how this speech went

:22:12. > :22:19.down with the party faithful. Bethan Harris hold of some of them. Let's

:22:20. > :22:25.get more reaction to Leanne Wood's speech. I am joined by former leader

:22:26. > :22:30.Dafydd Wigley, a few speeches to conference yourself, and form a

:22:31. > :22:35.Plaid AM Nerys Evans. Dafydd Wigley, what were the main messages you

:22:36. > :22:39.take? The first was that this was the most confident speech I have

:22:40. > :22:43.heard Leanne Wood make. She has had a lot of exposure and built up a

:22:44. > :22:48.confidence, which is so important in leading Plaid Cymru as the main

:22:49. > :22:52.alternative to Labour in the Assembly. The second point, she

:22:53. > :22:57.cleared up, without doubt, where Plaid stands in the post-Brexiteer.

:22:58. > :23:03.Regrettably we must accept the result of the referendum but we must

:23:04. > :23:07.accept that the single market is important from manufacturers and

:23:08. > :23:15.agriculture. Nerys Evans, a very soft vision of Brexit. Is it in tune

:23:16. > :23:23.with people in the romper that Leanne -- people that elected Leanne

:23:24. > :23:27.Wood recently? The messages about Wales which is what Plaid Cymru is

:23:28. > :23:30.all about and I don't think we can define the percentage of people who

:23:31. > :23:34.voted to leave the EU as one entity in terms of how they feel about

:23:35. > :23:38.Brexit so it is our responsibility to set that out in terms of the best

:23:39. > :23:42.interest for Wales, but I agree in terms of her confidence, and also

:23:43. > :23:45.that is the most relaxed I have seen her deliver a speech because she

:23:46. > :23:50.knows in terms of her position and what she has managed to deliver with

:23:51. > :23:54.11 Assembly members in terms of the budget deal on the key priorities

:23:55. > :23:58.for Plaid Cymru is an achievement, and I think that came across in her

:23:59. > :24:04.speech today. Where do you think the confidence comes from, is it her

:24:05. > :24:08.victory in the Rhondda, is that reinforcing her position as leader?

:24:09. > :24:12.It has undoubtedly reinforced her possession. It has been a very happy

:24:13. > :24:16.conference. Plaid is united party here and the will to go forward to

:24:17. > :24:23.local elections next May as clear-cut, gaining numerous seeds

:24:24. > :24:28.and control. A happy conference despite losing Dafydd Elis-Thomas,

:24:29. > :24:33.or happy because of that perhaps? It is sad but that has happened. It has

:24:34. > :24:37.been in the offing for so long, it has now happened, we have to close

:24:38. > :24:41.that gap and move on for the sake of Wales as well as the party. Nerys

:24:42. > :24:46.Evans, a big cheer when Leanne talked about winning the Rhondda,

:24:47. > :24:51.also a big cheer when she said very plainly that Plaid Cymru was not

:24:52. > :24:56.seeking a coalition with Labour. Why such a big cheer for that? She was

:24:57. > :24:59.just clearing it up, there has been speculation and questions by the

:25:00. > :25:02.press because of a few comments here and there, and they are clearing it

:25:03. > :25:07.up and making sure the party understands where we are wrapped in

:25:08. > :25:12.terms of policy. It is reinforcing the message that the numbers don't

:25:13. > :25:18.stack up. We are trying to make the best of opposition and being a

:25:19. > :25:20.progressive opposition and challenging the Government where

:25:21. > :25:25.appropriate. We wanted it in the best interests of our nation 's. You

:25:26. > :25:34.have seen key people emerge as well, people like Steffan Lewis playing a

:25:35. > :25:38.prominent role, Adam Price on the main stage again. Plaid Cymru is

:25:39. > :25:42.becoming a party ready for Government. Would you like to see

:25:43. > :25:46.them joining in Government with another party? I would like to see

:25:47. > :25:51.Plaid Cymru leading a Government with a majority. But if there is an

:25:52. > :25:54.opportunity... If we are the largest party without a majority then we

:25:55. > :25:58.need an agreement that sustains us in power in the same way as Labour

:25:59. > :26:03.had. This is mature politics, delivering the best for the people

:26:04. > :26:09.of Wales, of course we want to deliver R4 programme, or as much as

:26:10. > :26:16.we can. The big focus in this speech was on Brexit and the implications

:26:17. > :26:20.for Wales. Not that much on the detail of policies and maybe less

:26:21. > :26:25.about the health service, the sort of stuff you would usually here in

:26:26. > :26:29.conference speeches. Is there a danger that the policies will be

:26:30. > :26:37.sidelined with all the focus on Brexit? Brexit is such a dominating

:26:38. > :26:40.factor it will affect everything. It threatens the future of our

:26:41. > :26:45.devolution settlement so the focus was rightly on Brexit, but also

:26:46. > :26:48.looking to next year's elections, local Government elections,

:26:49. > :26:53.increasing the number of councils we run and the campaign on renewing

:26:54. > :26:56.democracy. It is such a bizarre time politically with Brexit and

:26:57. > :27:00.everything else, it is right that we have that campaign to talk to people

:27:01. > :27:03.about the democracy they want, and that was a clear new campaign

:27:04. > :27:14.initiative launched by Leanne Wood today with an eye towards elections

:27:15. > :27:16.next May in local Government. And what are the aims for those local

:27:17. > :27:19.elections? In terms of local elections it is becoming the

:27:20. > :27:21.governing party in as much of Wales as we can. What is realistic? We

:27:22. > :27:29.already lead government in a number of councils, either with overall

:27:30. > :27:32.control or a minority regime. There is a need particularly in those

:27:33. > :27:35.Valley communities for an alternative to Labour to emerge.

:27:36. > :27:40.Plaid Cymru is the only serious party that can do that, and we need

:27:41. > :27:45.to build on becoming the governing party in those valleys for the sake

:27:46. > :27:49.of good government and the people of those valleys who need a fresh

:27:50. > :27:55.start. And the main message of the campaign for the local elections?

:27:56. > :28:02.Leanne is showing they are working and we need to get the message to

:28:03. > :28:06.members. I know members are tired, it has been a busy year politically,

:28:07. > :28:10.but it is now renewed focus on winning both elections next year.

:28:11. > :28:16.Nerys Evans, Dafydd Wigley, thank you very much, back to you for the

:28:17. > :28:21.last time, I think, from me. Thank you, Beth Allen. Plaid Cymru have

:28:22. > :28:24.long been trying to follow in the footsteps of nationalist

:28:25. > :28:28.counterparts in Scotland and replicate their success in Wales.

:28:29. > :28:32.Glasgow South West MP Chris Stephens was the guest speaker at the

:28:33. > :28:38.conference, and he shared some of his use and aspirations with

:28:39. > :28:45.delegates. I hope you forgive me for doing to the Welsh language what

:28:46. > :28:50.George did to your football team in 1977. It is a pleasure to be invited

:28:51. > :28:56.to deliver the fraternal address from your SNP Konradsen, in

:28:57. > :29:01.particular here in Llangollen. Although some people would say it's

:29:02. > :29:05.a good thing that my dulcet tones are aimed at you today rather than

:29:06. > :29:10.the judges of the Eisteddfod. A lot has happened in our politics since

:29:11. > :29:13.last year. In Scotland the SNP achieved over 40% of the

:29:14. > :29:17.constituency vote, the highest share of the vote of any governing party

:29:18. > :29:25.anywhere in Europe. APPLAUSE.

:29:26. > :29:31.Whilst the Labour Party have now been reduced to third place. The

:29:32. > :29:35.Tories, with a 22% share of the vote, are now the official

:29:36. > :29:40.opposition. But for those who suggest this is some great Tory

:29:41. > :29:45.revival, this is the lowest share of the vote the Tories have achieved in

:29:46. > :29:50.Scotland since 1987. As the SNP go from strength to strength we are

:29:51. > :29:54.working with Plaid MPs in Westminster daily, holding the

:29:55. > :29:55.Tories to account. We are collectively the effective

:29:56. > :30:01.opposition to the Tories at Westminster.

:30:02. > :30:10.The hard work carried out is inspiring and it is clear to me they

:30:11. > :30:14.represent this great nation with distinction. The support they have

:30:15. > :30:22.provided us is very much appreciated by all of us SNP MPs. Last week the

:30:23. > :30:26.SNP assembled in Glasgow for our annual conference. We arrived in

:30:27. > :30:29.good heart and left feeling energised at the possibilities

:30:30. > :30:33.before us because the events of the last few months have transformed the

:30:34. > :30:41.political landscape not just here and in Scotland but in all corners

:30:42. > :30:48.of this island these are dangerous times to. Not in my lifetime have I

:30:49. > :30:52.seen the file, degrading, naked bigotry now spewing forth from some

:30:53. > :30:57.members of the establishment. The front pages of some of our

:30:58. > :30:59.newspapers are quite simply an affront to human decency. The

:31:00. > :31:04.normalisation of the kind of attitudes we thought were consigned

:31:05. > :31:09.to the dustbin of history by those in charge of the UK is nothing short

:31:10. > :31:20.of a national and international disgrace. But I know the people of

:31:21. > :31:27.other nations are better than that. Better than divide and rule, better

:31:28. > :31:32.than the Daily Mail, better than anti immigration mugs, better than

:31:33. > :31:37.Ukip and better than the zealots. If people of these isles will not stand

:31:38. > :31:41.for a list of foreign workers compiled under orders of the Tory

:31:42. > :31:47.government, the people of our isles will not stand by while EU citizens

:31:48. > :31:51.are used as bargaining chips by the disgraced and disgraceful Liam the

:31:52. > :31:58.people of our isles will not stand by while the extremists give succour

:31:59. > :32:08.to fellow extremists and xenophobes elsewhere. Our call is to seek the

:32:09. > :32:12.opportunity to harness and channel the resources and talent of our

:32:13. > :32:17.nations alongside accommodating Europe and beyond. We look to a

:32:18. > :32:21.least that includes a multitude of cultures. The Welsh and the Gaelic

:32:22. > :32:25.alongside the French and German. Above all, as human beings, as

:32:26. > :32:30.people constantly on the move, culture is constantly integrating

:32:31. > :32:34.and moving forward, new cultures developing and evolving. Our cause

:32:35. > :32:41.is not that the little Englander variety. We are being dragged into a

:32:42. > :32:45.dystopian and pretty future where instead of reaching across the

:32:46. > :32:50.water, Westminster is setting fire to the drawbridge. This cannot

:32:51. > :32:53.stand. This hatred, this intolerance, this bigotry, this

:32:54. > :33:07.extremism, this disgrace, this cannot stand. In communities around

:33:08. > :33:12.these isles, it will not stand. Conference, my constituents in

:33:13. > :33:18.Glasgow know that the slippery slope Brexit has greased has been made

:33:19. > :33:24.more slippery by Westminster. They know that all that is required for

:33:25. > :33:29.bigotry to triumph is the silence of good men and women. We know that

:33:30. > :33:33.across these isles from Stornoway to Snowdon, Melrose to Merthyr,

:33:34. > :33:38.Holyrood to Holyhead, people will not let it stand.

:33:39. > :33:43.Chris Stevens of the SNP talking to delegate this morning. I am sure

:33:44. > :33:47.Plaid Cymru would give anything to replicate the success of the SNP. We

:33:48. > :33:51.touched on this in our earlier programme. The referendum result has

:33:52. > :33:54.played into the hands of Nicola Sturgeon which is very different

:33:55. > :33:59.here in Wales when it comes to Leanne Wood.

:34:00. > :34:04.That's true in the sense that Scotland voted to remain while Wales

:34:05. > :34:09.voted to leave. It is important to remember as well that the Plaid

:34:10. > :34:15.Cymru areas of Wales tended to vote to remain so Plaid Cymru did deliver

:34:16. > :34:22.their own hopeful the Remains said. Wales didn't vote the way they

:34:23. > :34:27.wanted. If you call yourself the party of Wales surely you have some

:34:28. > :34:30.duty to reflect the views of the majority of the people of Wales.

:34:31. > :34:35.The point Leanne Wood is making about membership of the single

:34:36. > :34:40.market, a lot of people have said this really just equates to

:34:41. > :34:46.continuing as a member of the EU and Carwyn Jones is making a different

:34:47. > :34:50.point that he wants access to the single market but membership isn't

:34:51. > :34:55.crucial. Can you explain to viewers whether there is a difference and if

:34:56. > :34:58.there is, what it is? Some of these arguments are almost

:34:59. > :35:06.theological. Basically what Plaid Cymru is looking for is a situation

:35:07. > :35:11.where although the UK has lost its influence, its ability to influence

:35:12. > :35:16.decisions in the EU, it basically continues to play by the EU's rules

:35:17. > :35:20.in return for full access to the single market. Every country in the

:35:21. > :35:25.world has access to the single market but the question is what

:35:26. > :35:30.access you have. I think that is where Carwyn Jones has been less

:35:31. > :35:34.than clear, to be honest. He talks about full access. Well, you can't

:35:35. > :35:40.really have full access unless you do what Plaid Cymru say you do. He

:35:41. > :35:43.seems to be... You know, people are saying what Plaid Cymru are asking

:35:44. > :35:48.for is unobtainable but what Carwyn Jones is asking for seems to me to

:35:49. > :35:53.be pretty unobtainable as well. We go to reason they says it will be a

:35:54. > :36:00.bespoke deal but, you know, what sort of deal and what timetable? We

:36:01. > :36:05.have seen today that the small province of Wallonia, a province of

:36:06. > :36:09.Belgium that has the same population of Wales has basically sunk the EU's

:36:10. > :36:15.trade deal for Canada which had taken seven years to develop. If

:36:16. > :36:20.they're going to be a bespoke deal? Is the Plaid Cymru deal possible?

:36:21. > :36:26.Unlikely. Is the Carwyn Jones Labour deal likely? It doesn't seem very

:36:27. > :36:31.likely. Nor does Theresa May's. So it seems to me that you may be

:36:32. > :36:35.getting a hard Brexit by default because it is just too difficult to

:36:36. > :36:39.get anything else. Thank you very much for the time

:36:40. > :36:43.being. We have heard from Leanne Wood a few minutes ago and she joins

:36:44. > :36:48.us now on the programme. Good afternoon.

:36:49. > :36:54.Good afternoon. Can we wind the clock back to last

:36:55. > :36:59.Friday evening to begin with, and the resignation of Lord Dafydd

:37:00. > :37:03.Elis-Thomas? You took the whip from him in 2012, sacked him as chair of

:37:04. > :37:11.an assembly committee in 2014. Should you just have got rid of him?

:37:12. > :37:16.Well, we are a centralist party and it is a matter for local members who

:37:17. > :37:20.they choose to select, of course. The local members chose to select

:37:21. > :37:27.him ahead of the last election. We are where we are now and Plaid Cymru

:37:28. > :37:31.is looking forward in a position of being more united in terms of our

:37:32. > :37:35.sense of purpose and I very much look forward to the future and not

:37:36. > :37:39.the past. So many assembly members have said,

:37:40. > :37:47.this news came as no surprise whatsoever. If it was no surprise,

:37:48. > :37:52.why did you let it happen? Sometimes in politics you have to

:37:53. > :37:57.play a long game and we were in the situation we were in. I am not a

:37:58. > :38:02.dictator. I am not the kind of leader who goes around and tells

:38:03. > :38:05.local party members decisions they should make. We are a centralist

:38:06. > :38:14.party, and I have said, and local parties make decisions.

:38:15. > :38:17.You say you are not a dictator but you are a leader. Is it up to you to

:38:18. > :38:22.make a decision as to whether you want him in the party or not?

:38:23. > :38:29.No, it is a matter for local members to decide. We are a decentralised

:38:30. > :38:32.party. As I keep saying. I am not a dictator.

:38:33. > :38:38.He was the opinion that Plaid Cymru should form a coalition with Labour.

:38:39. > :38:42.You have gone from actively considering coalition, saying Plaid

:38:43. > :38:47.Cymru is genuinely torn on the subject to no not a coalition in the

:38:48. > :38:52.matter of three days. You have a 3-point plan on Brexit but no idea

:38:53. > :38:56.on coalition? This question is asked every two

:38:57. > :39:01.weeks at least by the BBC and I don't know what the obsession is

:39:02. > :39:05.with it. I have made my position clear. We are not seeking coalition.

:39:06. > :39:09.We are happy with the position we have is a strong and effective

:39:10. > :39:15.opposition the budget deal we won last week had made a real difference

:39:16. > :39:19.to people living in all parts of the country in key manifesto areas and

:39:20. > :39:24.we are happy in the situation we are in. Of course there is going to be

:39:25. > :39:28.an ongoing situation as we are a minority government but if you keep

:39:29. > :39:30.asking the same question you are going to get a range of different

:39:31. > :39:39.answers. The McComb I's speech -- Neal

:39:40. > :39:42.McEvoy's speech obviously shares our obsession. He said Plaid Cymru

:39:43. > :39:49.should have nothing to do with Labour and he wants a vote of the

:39:50. > :39:53.compact you have with him. Why not give the Plaid Cymru group a say on

:39:54. > :39:56.whether there should be any cooperation between yourself and

:39:57. > :40:00.Labour? The Plaid Cymru group have a say and

:40:01. > :40:05.we agree things collectively, bound by the collective decision of the

:40:06. > :40:10.Plaid Cymru group. The compact that we have is something we have all

:40:11. > :40:15.decided upon as a group and we are enacting the group decision we made

:40:16. > :40:17.fairly early on in this assembly term.

:40:18. > :40:24.He also said you should not be there to move money around in a Labour

:40:25. > :40:29.budget. He is obviously not very keen on a deal struck between Labour

:40:30. > :40:34.and Plaid Cymru earlier this week? I'm sure anybody who knows Neil

:40:35. > :40:40.McEvoy knows his feelings about the Labour Party and his views are his

:40:41. > :40:43.views. We are an open party and we are happy to have these kinds of

:40:44. > :40:49.discussions and disagreements. I think debate is healthy and some

:40:50. > :40:55.people want to go into a more formal arrangement with the Labour Party in

:40:56. > :41:01.Wales and other people like Neil are against the idea. We will continue

:41:02. > :41:05.to have this debate and I and relaxed about it. I have made my

:41:06. > :41:09.position clear this afternoon. No matter how many times you ask me you

:41:10. > :41:13.are not going to get a different answer.

:41:14. > :41:17.What about Adam Price, who has said that post Brexit, after the

:41:18. > :41:22.referendum, now with the time for a coalition? We are in different and

:41:23. > :41:27.uncharted territories. His view, and he did say he was in a minority. His

:41:28. > :41:35.view was that a coalition was the way forward.

:41:36. > :41:40.He did. Adam's view is different to Neil's view and we are accommodating

:41:41. > :41:43.everybody's position and we are actively engaged in an ongoing

:41:44. > :41:48.discussion about this. I know you are keen to betray splits within the

:41:49. > :41:52.party but there are any. We are united on the way forward for Brexit

:41:53. > :42:00.and I challenge you to find such unity in the parties. We are united

:42:01. > :42:03.in the sense of purpose although we have an ongoing debate about various

:42:04. > :42:05.aspects of our strategy and I think that is healthy and perfectly

:42:06. > :42:13.reasonable. On your 3-point plan for Brexit,

:42:14. > :42:17.isn't that already in tatters? You are asking for membership of the

:42:18. > :42:26.single market, which means people say is not compatible with free

:42:27. > :42:31.movement? Sammy, what is the question? What is not compatible?

:42:32. > :42:36.You said you wanted membership of the free market but that is not

:42:37. > :42:43.possible with free movement? We have never been against free movement.

:42:44. > :42:51.Sorry, controlling the free movement of people. We have never raised the

:42:52. > :42:55.free movement of people as an issue. If you look at the figures,

:42:56. > :43:00.immigration and free movement is not a major issue in Wales. There are

:43:01. > :43:04.pockets of areas like in Wrexham and Llanelli were there may be workers

:43:05. > :43:11.from Poland or Portugal but it is not a problem here in Wales and in

:43:12. > :43:13.fact our problem is that people are depopulating our communities. In the

:43:14. > :43:22.valleys we are closing schools because of falling numbers. Our call

:43:23. > :43:27.for membership in the single market and free movement of people is a

:43:28. > :43:29.perfectly reasonable position and logical to hold.

:43:30. > :43:34.When people were voting in the referendum, they were not voting to

:43:35. > :43:39.control immigration? Some might well have been. We don't

:43:40. > :43:44.know because that question wasn't on the ballot paper. The ballot paper I

:43:45. > :43:48.voted on asked if I wanted to remain or leave. There was no question

:43:49. > :43:52.about immigration or hard or soft Brexit or anything to do with the

:43:53. > :43:56.single market. It was the straight question. We accept the vote to

:43:57. > :44:02.leave but the terms on which we leave are up for debate and we are

:44:03. > :44:06.seeking to influence that. The Welsh government should be seeking to

:44:07. > :44:10.influence that, demanding a seat at the negotiating table. If they went,

:44:11. > :44:14.we will do it instead. The accusation levelled at you is

:44:15. > :44:19.that you say you respect the result of the referendum but you are not

:44:20. > :44:25.listening to what people were saying during the campaign, especially when

:44:26. > :44:29.it comes to immigration. Ukip and the Tories through that at

:44:30. > :44:33.us all the time. There is still room for debate about the kind of Brexit

:44:34. > :44:39.we have and we also have to remember it was actually quite a close vote.

:44:40. > :44:43.48% of people don't want to leave the European Union and their voices

:44:44. > :44:47.deserve to be heard as well. On having a seat, a little seat at

:44:48. > :44:49.the top table when it comes to these discussions, would you concede it is

:44:50. > :44:57.not going to happen? It has been ruled out by the Prime

:44:58. > :45:03.Minister. It is very disappointing that she is seeking for the UK to go

:45:04. > :45:09.it alone, and I think she is playing a dangerous game by doing so. Wales

:45:10. > :45:13.needs a voice in those negotiations. We have interests which deserve to

:45:14. > :45:16.be safeguarded and upheld. Yes, the Prime Minister has said she will not

:45:17. > :45:21.consider that, but that doesn't mean we cannot still put the case for

:45:22. > :45:26.something we believe is right. You say people voted to leave for

:45:27. > :45:32.numerous reasons. I am sure they did. Do you think one of them would

:45:33. > :45:36.have been the fact that you saw a lot of European money coming into

:45:37. > :45:41.Wales, and were not convinced that money was spent very well? I am sure

:45:42. > :45:46.that's the case, I am sure there are various projects in many of our town

:45:47. > :45:50.centres right throughout the values, big sculptures we can name in

:45:51. > :45:54.certain town centres and so on which people see us being funded by the

:45:55. > :45:59.European Union and having little impact on their lives. If they have

:46:00. > :46:07.to take regular trips to the food bank I think you can take them --

:46:08. > :46:10.understand their point. The job of sending the party faithful home

:46:11. > :46:19.happy has fallen to Adam Price this year. Let's join him now as he

:46:20. > :46:23.brings proceedings to a close. The Labour Party imploding on the UK

:46:24. > :46:32.stage, but somehow limping over the victory line here at home. The vote

:46:33. > :46:36.against Europe, the coronation of unapologetically right-wing Tory

:46:37. > :46:41.Prime Minister, egged on by the Murdoch press. To paraphrase another

:46:42. > :46:47.Tory from perhaps gentler times, you'd never had it so bad. But, you

:46:48. > :46:51.know, in times like this, when you feel a sense of desolation, it is

:46:52. > :47:01.always good to get some sense of historical perspective. 1416, cast

:47:02. > :47:12.your minds back 600 years ago. I know some of you were there!

:47:13. > :47:17.LAUGHTER. It was the year Owain Glyndwr is thought to have died. A

:47:18. > :47:25.man whose birthplace was raised to the ground, who regained his

:47:26. > :47:30.nation's independence only to see it once more lost. His family

:47:31. > :47:35.disinherited, dead or disbursed, and his countrymen and women brutally

:47:36. > :47:41.punished through the aptly named Penal Laws. If you think this year's

:47:42. > :47:48.Wales Bill is bad, you should read the Wales Act passed in Westminster

:47:49. > :47:53.in 1402! One tradition has it being harboured by his daughter Alice in

:47:54. > :48:00.Herefordshire, disguised as the Scudamore family chaplain, who may

:48:01. > :48:07.even have been the poet we know as Sean Kent. In his most famous work

:48:08. > :48:14.he contrasts the glories of Wales passed with that travails of Wales

:48:15. > :48:21.around him, but ends with these words, "My hope is on what is to

:48:22. > :48:25.come." Whether or not those were the words of Owain Glyndwr himself, they

:48:26. > :48:29.were certainly the words of someone who breathe the same air, thick with

:48:30. > :48:35.the dust of defeat and the world at last brought low by the plague --

:48:36. > :48:41.the world at large. But even at this darkest hour the poet could summon

:48:42. > :48:47.up the courage to declare, "My hope is on what is to come," and that is

:48:48. > :48:53.the courage we need now. We live in a world, and Wales, in pain. If we

:48:54. > :48:59.don't know that, we don't know anything, from the charred hiding

:49:00. > :49:04.holes of a letter to the trafficked children of Calais, to the children

:49:05. > :49:12.of our future who risk suffering an environmental catastrophe as

:49:13. > :49:16.terrible as a thousands Aberfans. In this divisive and divided kingdom we

:49:17. > :49:20.have a Tory party moving so far and fast to the right it renders Ukip

:49:21. > :49:28.superfluous, as that party once did to the BNP. These are dark times --

:49:29. > :49:35.BNP. Let no one deny it. But we will not let the darkness enveloped us.

:49:36. > :49:43.It will not extinguish our hope. As they go low, so also will we go

:49:44. > :49:49.high, reaching for the light of a new dawn, a new day, in which the

:49:50. > :49:55.future will be better than the past. Not so devalued pound shop imitation

:49:56. > :49:59.of the 1950s, nor some tragic re-enactment of the 1930s. Now, no

:50:00. > :50:03.one should underestimate the challenges we face. We currently are

:50:04. > :50:12.in the situation, as we have seen an events of the last few days, that

:50:13. > :50:16.the Walloon Parliament will have more say in what happens to Wales in

:50:17. > :50:21.Brexit than our own Parliament. That is the situation we are in. Whatever

:50:22. > :50:27.happened to taking back control? To create the Wales and the world we

:50:28. > :50:31.want to see, we will have to tap into deep reservoirs of hope that

:50:32. > :50:36.have sustained this nation and its people in times even more desperate

:50:37. > :50:43.than these. It is easy to despair, give up, to carp from the sidelines,

:50:44. > :50:48.to blame others and, criticised, to withdraw into 1's own private world.

:50:49. > :50:54.This world in pain is crying out, not for selfishness but for self

:50:55. > :51:06.sacrifice, not for the individualism of the few but for the determined

:51:07. > :51:09.collective action of many. Sean Sion Cent talked about the birth of the

:51:10. > :51:13.National saviour who would take our pain away. It is beautiful poetry

:51:14. > :51:19.but the more prosaic truth is this. There is no saviour, singular. The

:51:20. > :51:24.one we have been waiting for is asked, and that is the hard message

:51:25. > :51:28.-- the one we have been waiting for is us. That is the message we need

:51:29. > :51:33.to take to everyone in Wales. We cannot do this without you, we

:51:34. > :51:38.cannot change Wales without you, there is no power outside ourselves

:51:39. > :51:42.that can change our country, Wales can only heal itself, and this

:51:43. > :51:51.party, The Party of Wales, can only ever be a vehicle for a process the

:51:52. > :51:55.people of Wales must lead. We are as strong as we decide. If you look

:51:56. > :51:59.with admiration and awe at Scotland and wish we had that leadership

:52:00. > :52:06.here, then look straight ahead into the mirror, because the answer there

:52:07. > :52:09.is right in front of you. It's great to see this whole fall, but look

:52:10. > :52:16.over here, there are a few empty chairs. -- this room full. Until we

:52:17. > :52:22.fill this hall and bigger halls and halls around the land, Wales will

:52:23. > :52:27.not be what she could be. The choice is ours at this time in a

:52:28. > :52:33.generation, what will become of us as a generation. At its best

:52:34. > :52:36.political party is in army of practical visionaries, the movement

:52:37. > :52:42.of doers and dreamers who together get big things done. The dreamers of

:52:43. > :52:46.1945 who built my family's council House, the hospital in which I was

:52:47. > :52:50.born, the mind my father worked in, the school and university that

:52:51. > :52:56.educated me and gave me hope of a future that is better than the past.

:52:57. > :53:01.The dreamers of July 1966 in front of the Guildhall, now owned by the

:53:02. > :53:04.people of Carmarthenshire, who built our Welsh medium schools, our Welsh

:53:05. > :53:10.Parliament, and rebuilt our self-respect as a people and as a

:53:11. > :53:15.nation. For the dreamers 50 years ago, when to be gay was to be

:53:16. > :53:20.guilty, and because of whose courage, I am now able to fall in

:53:21. > :53:24.love without fear, and shame on the Tory party using a filibuster

:53:25. > :53:29.yesterday to prevent John Nicholson's Bill, which would have

:53:30. > :53:30.provided the pardon and apology to 50,000 living gay men.

:53:31. > :53:50.APPLAUSE. Dreaming is as natural as breathing,

:53:51. > :53:55.as regular as our heartbeat. And, yes, we all dream, you know? If we

:53:56. > :54:01.sleep, we dream. And we have a dream, don't we? A dream of a Wales

:54:02. > :54:07.free and flourishing, a beaker of justice, a land in which poverty of

:54:08. > :54:11.ambition and circumstance could actually be abolished -- a beacon of

:54:12. > :54:15.circumstance. A country where knowledge flows freely, where long

:54:16. > :54:20.life is not a lottery but are right, where we heat every home by Sun,

:54:21. > :54:25.wind and wave, and where, yes, you can travel from the south to the

:54:26. > :54:29.north of your country via a publicly owned railway that does not make a

:54:30. > :54:42.detour into a neighbouring country. APPLAUSE.

:54:43. > :54:51.Independence is a state of mind. To turn our nation into a start-up

:54:52. > :54:55.society, pioneering, reinventing, shaping a -- anew. That is not a

:54:56. > :54:59.distant dream, the start-up nation begins when we begin to take power

:55:00. > :55:04.locally and nationally, and show through the breadth and depth of our

:55:05. > :55:10.innovation, the new nation that we could yet be. We have just

:55:11. > :55:15.negotiated 1% of the budget of our country. We did some important

:55:16. > :55:20.things. We began to close the funding gap with a knowledge base

:55:21. > :55:25.over the border. We invested in the best diagnostic technology so we can

:55:26. > :55:30.prise ourselves from the bottom of cancer's survival tables. We

:55:31. > :55:35.invested in mental health so we can finally build an NHS of the mind and

:55:36. > :55:42.not just of the body. We reversed the cuts in the arts, in culture and

:55:43. > :55:48.the language, because we believe that to truly thrive, a society must

:55:49. > :55:52.also have a soul. If that's what -- if that's what we can do with 1%,

:55:53. > :56:00.imagine what we could do with the other 99.

:56:01. > :56:04.APPLAUSE. We are a Government in waiting, but

:56:05. > :56:10.we are also an opposition that's working in the here and now. Because

:56:11. > :56:17.we cannot wait until 2020 to many people's broken lives and wasted

:56:18. > :56:22.potential. Our patriotism and our politics is pre-figurative. We must

:56:23. > :56:25.build tomorrow's Wales Today, because tomorrow cannot wait. We

:56:26. > :56:30.will put in the foundations, the scaffolding, the frame to build up

:56:31. > :56:35.the institutional architecture of the new Wales. A national

:56:36. > :56:38.development bank, and National Infrastructure Commission, a new

:56:39. > :56:47.national language agency, so when, in a fusion short years, we take the

:56:48. > :56:50.keys to our own front door, when we lead RM country, there will be

:56:51. > :56:55.levers there we can pull to drive our nation fast forward into the

:56:56. > :56:59.future -- lead RM country. By the way it was great to see David

:57:00. > :57:06.Markland, the former Labour MP here yesterday, our party. Contrary to

:57:07. > :57:11.perception, we do not operate a policy of one in one out in Plaid

:57:12. > :57:18.Cymru! LAUGHTER. APPLAUSE. And with that quip from

:57:19. > :57:23.Adam Price having the last word John -- last word on stage will give the

:57:24. > :57:26.last word in the studio to Vaughan. If there is one thing we have learnt

:57:27. > :57:34.it is that Leanne Wood is pretty confident with the setup it is -- as

:57:35. > :57:39.it is at the moment. Yes, and it has become clear that that is where most

:57:40. > :57:43.of the party sets, that there is a group around Adam Price who agree

:57:44. > :57:47.with his standpoint, another who agree with Neil McEvoy's standpoint,

:57:48. > :57:51.and Leanne Wood is trying to balance those groups together. I don't think

:57:52. > :57:55.it is a huge problem for her to do that at this stage but those

:57:56. > :57:59.tensions could grow as years go by during this Assembly term. And on

:58:00. > :58:08.Brexit, what if anything have we learned further to what Leanne Wood

:58:09. > :58:11.has said in the past? Well, I think what we learnt, and we headed from

:58:12. > :58:14.Adam Price, is this is a party with a long history that is used to

:58:15. > :58:16.failure, it is used to losing elections and referendums. They

:58:17. > :58:23.don't let losing a referendum make them change their opinions. They are

:58:24. > :58:26.pursuing vigorously pro-European path, as vigorously pro-European as

:58:27. > :58:30.they can without appearing to disrespect the result of the

:58:31. > :58:34.referendum. Vaughan, thank you very much for your company this afternoon

:58:35. > :58:39.and this morning. That's it from this year's autumn conference.

:58:40. > :58:44.Thanks to Vaughan and the team, Beth and Lewis and her guests for joining

:58:45. > :58:48.in as well, and to all of you at home for watching. Don't forget to

:58:49. > :58:54.follow all the latest political news on our Twitter feed, and there will

:58:55. > :58:59.be more from Leanne Wood on the Sunday Politics show tomorrow at

:59:00. > :59:00.11am, but from the soul, thanks for watching, have a very enjoyable

:59:01. > :59:05.afternoon. I've brought you all here

:59:06. > :59:07.to lay out a vision - a team of radio presenters

:59:08. > :59:09.without equal. Actually, we're already...

:59:10. > :59:12.Wynne Evans - singer, raconteur. I'm betting you'd also

:59:13. > :59:14.be funny on radio. But what about your

:59:15. > :59:18.own weekend show? Funnily enough...

:59:19. > :59:21.Jason Mohammad, you've nailed TV think of the guests you could chat

:59:22. > :59:27.with if only you were on radio. Owen Money, no-one works

:59:28. > :59:32.an audience like you. Together, you'll create

:59:33. > :59:35.the greatest radio team of all. DINAH WASHINGTON:

:59:36. > :59:55.# Now you say you love me