24/03/2012

0:00:12 > 0:00:16Good afternoon. Welcome to Ffos Las Racecourse where over the next two

0:00:16 > 0:00:21hours we will be digesting the result, not of the horse race but

0:00:21 > 0:00:25the race that has decided the next leader of Plaid Cymru. Leanne Wood

0:00:25 > 0:00:28took her place in the saddle just over a week ago and has already

0:00:29 > 0:00:33embarked on a mission to secure independence. We will hear her

0:00:33 > 0:00:39conference speech and talk to her live during the programme. We will

0:00:39 > 0:00:43be dipping in and out of the main proceedings in the hall as well.

0:00:43 > 0:00:48The delegate have just been hailing their council hero, something to do

0:00:48 > 0:00:52with council elections being in six weeks' time, no doubt. We are about

0:00:52 > 0:00:57to hear a succession of questions and answers to the party's leaders

0:00:57 > 0:01:01and we will be dipping into the session later. Thank you, Vaughan.

0:01:01 > 0:01:09Enticing the party faithful out into the sunshine this afternoon is

0:01:09 > 0:01:13James Williams. Thank you, Aled. Plaid Cymru leaders -- members

0:01:13 > 0:01:17decided put their money on Leanne Wood. We will hear how she

0:01:17 > 0:01:24negotiated the first fence and hear about the imminent local elections.

0:01:24 > 0:01:29Trying to outdo the Horseracing puns is Bethan powers. They say a

0:01:29 > 0:01:34week is a long time in politics, how can we gauge the impact which

0:01:34 > 0:01:37Leanne Wood has made during her first week in charge. There is

0:01:37 > 0:01:41excitement. With change comes excitement. I suppose the first

0:01:41 > 0:01:47thing that was clear from the decisive victory was that the party

0:01:47 > 0:01:53was ready for change. Nobody called Leanne Wood a safe pair of hands.

0:01:53 > 0:01:57That is what won heard the victory. There were one or two or more who

0:01:57 > 0:02:01came here wanting to settle their nerves as to how safe a pair of

0:02:02 > 0:02:05hands she will be. I think her speech was OK. There were others

0:02:05 > 0:02:10who came full of excitement and are looking forward to the next six

0:02:10 > 0:02:14weeks and beyond. More than anything, I think it was about the

0:02:14 > 0:02:18celebration and settling of nerves. Thank you, we will talk later in

0:02:18 > 0:02:22the programme. Leanne Wood is currently on the stage in the main

0:02:22 > 0:02:27hall. She is with the leader of the party in Westminster and the

0:02:27 > 0:02:32European Parliament. At the moment, Helen Mary Jones,

0:02:32 > 0:02:37the Party Chairman, has asked all three of the parliamentary leaders,

0:02:37 > 0:02:47the European parliamentary leader, Westminster party leader and Leanne

0:02:47 > 0:02:48

0:02:48 > 0:02:53Wood to talk about their priorities within their respective chambers.

0:02:53 > 0:02:58We have got to have priorities. We cannot take up every issue. I would

0:02:58 > 0:03:02like to put on record my congratulations for the work on

0:03:02 > 0:03:05this legislation. I know from the feedback I have had from women's

0:03:06 > 0:03:08organisations and the trade unions involved in the criminal justice

0:03:09 > 0:03:14system that they are very pleased with the work Plaid Cymru has done

0:03:14 > 0:03:19on this so that is all good. I would say priorities, there are

0:03:19 > 0:03:22short-term priorities and longer- term priorities. The short-term

0:03:22 > 0:03:26priorities are the local election campaign and I am hoping all of you

0:03:26 > 0:03:31will go here from -- goes from here today and roll up your sleeves and

0:03:31 > 0:03:36do all of the work that needs to be done over the next six weeks. We

0:03:36 > 0:03:41need more members as well, more members than we have already got.

0:03:41 > 0:03:45Over the longer term, my priority is the economy. We have got to come

0:03:45 > 0:03:52up with an economic plan to turn round the downward spiral and

0:03:52 > 0:03:58economy that we have here. And also, our communities. I think we need a

0:03:58 > 0:04:02big push on building communities again from the bottom and the time

0:04:02 > 0:04:08is really good for this sort of message. The economic crisis has

0:04:08 > 0:04:12brought a lot of fear to people and we have to offer hope. I was saying

0:04:13 > 0:04:17this yesterday. I think by bringing together local coalitions, working

0:04:17 > 0:04:22on projects to build the community are in practical and in a real

0:04:22 > 0:04:26sense is a way that we can potentially offer hope to people.

0:04:26 > 0:04:31The other thing we have to do is build up an economic case for

0:04:31 > 0:04:35independence and build up the party machine as well. Going back to the

0:04:35 > 0:04:39short-term priorities, the local election campaign is a really good

0:04:39 > 0:04:43place to start to build up that network in all of our communities

0:04:43 > 0:04:47in Wales and I would like to see by the time the next local elections

0:04:47 > 0:04:51come round, wherever you live in Wales, you will be able to vote for

0:04:51 > 0:05:01a Plaid Cymru councillor and if we can achieve that then we will have

0:05:01 > 0:05:02

0:05:03 > 0:05:06made a really good start. APPLAUSE First of all, to pick up

0:05:06 > 0:05:12on the points, I think we have tremendous resources in the party

0:05:12 > 0:05:16that we do not make the best use of and I hope we will get a much more

0:05:16 > 0:05:20effective and a stronger leadership team because we do work at

0:05:20 > 0:05:24different levels and we do need to make sure that we are supporting

0:05:24 > 0:05:30each other in all of the work that we do.

0:05:30 > 0:05:34Europe is in financial crisis, of course. There is an economic crisis

0:05:34 > 0:05:38and an environmental crisis and within our political group in the

0:05:38 > 0:05:44European Parliament, I will be working on that, working on keeping

0:05:44 > 0:05:48penny that we deserve because of the poverty levels that we actually

0:05:48 > 0:05:52get that money and I will be continuing to work on climate

0:05:52 > 0:05:55change issues. What is most exciting for me at the moment in

0:05:55 > 0:06:01the work that we did is what is happening in countries across

0:06:01 > 0:06:06Europe, which is a mirror image of almost what is happening in Wales

0:06:06 > 0:06:14as well, albeit at different paces. Scotland, of course, we know what

0:06:14 > 0:06:19is happening in Scotland but in Flanders now, our sister party in

0:06:19 > 0:06:23Flanders actually was the biggest party in Belgium at the last

0:06:23 > 0:06:27elections and they are fighting for independence for Flanders. There

0:06:27 > 0:06:30are big changes in the Basque country, in Catalonia. We are

0:06:30 > 0:06:34working with all these people and I think it is important that we see

0:06:34 > 0:06:37all of the developments happening in Wales and our progress towards

0:06:37 > 0:06:43independence against the backdrop of the European politics, because

0:06:43 > 0:06:47we are not on our own. We are one of the parties, one of the nation's

0:06:47 > 0:06:52working towards independence and we must strengthen the links with our

0:06:52 > 0:07:02sister parties in those countries as well.

0:07:02 > 0:07:09

0:07:09 > 0:07:16Thank you, Gill. Questions from the floor. Have we got a microphone?

0:07:16 > 0:07:19TRANSLATION: Millions of people are currently unemployed across Europe

0:07:19 > 0:07:23and the youngest people are demoralised when they look at their

0:07:23 > 0:07:31future prospects. Can I ask the parliament what are their opinions

0:07:31 > 0:07:36of that? Start with you, Leanne? would agree with your analysis. I

0:07:36 > 0:07:39have recently been going around a number of schools in my area,

0:07:39 > 0:07:44speaking to groups of young people about politics and tried to get

0:07:44 > 0:07:48them interested in the political system and the thing that is coming

0:07:48 > 0:07:51across their is that young people are very unsure about their future.

0:07:51 > 0:07:55They are uncertain about whether they will be able to get a job,

0:07:55 > 0:07:58whether they can afford to leave their parents' homes and I think

0:07:58 > 0:08:02there is a general feeling that they have been told they should

0:08:02 > 0:08:06work hard in school and if they work hard in school they will be

0:08:06 > 0:08:12rewarded. But now there is a sense that that is not necessarily the

0:08:12 > 0:08:16case. That is why I come back to this point for the need for Plaid

0:08:16 > 0:08:22Cymru to prioritise the economy. We have to offer hope to the young

0:08:22 > 0:08:26people but there is a future for them. I would give a plug to a

0:08:27 > 0:08:31document that some of you may be familiar with. It is called a green

0:08:31 > 0:08:39print for the Ballets. In there are a number of ideas for young people

0:08:39 > 0:08:41to come together to set up their needs doing in our communities. If

0:08:41 > 0:08:45we can encourage young people to give them the sense that they can

0:08:45 > 0:08:50do this for themselves, on a very micro level, if we can achieve that

0:08:50 > 0:08:55in our communities, Wales as a community of communities, could be

0:08:55 > 0:08:59that successful nation that we all want. It is all about starting from

0:08:59 > 0:09:04the very bottom, at the very community level and trying to

0:09:04 > 0:09:07encourage people to do things for ourselves. Gone are the days when

0:09:07 > 0:09:12the big multinationals are going to come and bring factories to Wales

0:09:12 > 0:09:17to create employment for people. I think those days are over now. We

0:09:17 > 0:09:21should try to get inward investment, obviously, but the solutions to our

0:09:21 > 0:09:29problems now are going to come from our own resources in our own

0:09:29 > 0:09:34communities. Thank you. TRANSLATION: Unemployment among

0:09:34 > 0:09:40young people is increasing and in some countries such as Greece it is

0:09:40 > 0:09:46a disaster. The one solution that we have on a European level, is the

0:09:46 > 0:09:51same solution, we need to create a Green economy. What we see now are

0:09:51 > 0:09:55governments that are cutting back on public expenditure and what is

0:09:55 > 0:10:02happening is that the situation deteriorates. What we need to

0:10:02 > 0:10:08create work are such schemes on community levels but ones that are

0:10:08 > 0:10:15funded as well. We should be read directing Our Financial lead to

0:10:15 > 0:10:19create jobs, not just for cutbacks or to provide assistance for banks,

0:10:19 > 0:10:23we should be providing assistance for people and that is one thing I

0:10:23 > 0:10:33have strongly debated and we need to ensure that Europe does take a

0:10:33 > 0:10:34

0:10:34 > 0:10:38new direction as well. Elwyn? Two points. I will say something

0:10:38 > 0:10:42which will be unpopular, not for the first time. I think it is

0:10:42 > 0:10:49completely unfair and not just for young people, to persuade them to

0:10:49 > 0:10:55go to university. If you do not go to university to pursue a career,

0:10:56 > 0:11:01don't go just in order to spend �40,000 and have that as a debt.

0:11:01 > 0:11:05For years now, I have been going around schools and sixth-form

0:11:05 > 0:11:10colleges and sent fine, if you want an academic career, fine if you

0:11:10 > 0:11:15want to access a profession but please, look at how well the the

0:11:15 > 0:11:18local plumber, the local builder, the local electrician are doing.

0:11:18 > 0:11:22They have got a good living and they can live in their own

0:11:22 > 0:11:28communities. It is unfair to tell young people, go to university and

0:11:28 > 0:11:33come back with a piece of paper and then you will earn far more money

0:11:33 > 0:11:43in a shining job. I'm sorry, those jobs are not there and that is the

0:11:43 > 0:11:51

0:11:51 > 0:11:55first point. And secondly, I am aware that if we

0:11:55 > 0:12:01took the S N each sector seriously in Wales, if we made it possible

0:12:01 > 0:12:07for those businesses and enterprises to take one worker each

0:12:07 > 0:12:13on, unemployment would be practically wiped Out. That is how

0:12:13 > 0:12:16important it is and that is why I am concerned. After we lost the old

0:12:16 > 0:12:25rural Welsh Development Board that could focus aid for those small and

0:12:25 > 0:12:29Ms -- medium-sized enterprises, when that was lost, there was

0:12:29 > 0:12:37nothing for that sector and that has faced more deterioration and it

0:12:37 > 0:12:41is difficult. We are still here, in Wales, very reliant on that sector.

0:12:41 > 0:12:45I know you're going to say, where is the money going to come from? I

0:12:45 > 0:12:52would rather give money to a business to employed a young boy or

0:12:52 > 0:12:55girl to learn to work properly than to pay them to sit on the dull. In

0:12:55 > 0:13:02the long run, it is investment for the government because that young

0:13:02 > 0:13:09person will pay tax at some point. We have to focus all our resources

0:13:09 > 0:13:11and energy on that sector in Wales. It is true in the cities, it is

0:13:11 > 0:13:19true in rural areas, it is something we have lost sight of for

0:13:19 > 0:13:24many a year and it is time that we focus on that in my opinion.

0:13:24 > 0:13:29STUDIO: There we will leave the session.

0:13:29 > 0:13:34Thank you, the views of the current leaders in various legislators. We

0:13:34 > 0:13:40can talk to a past leader who did have aspirations to become the

0:13:40 > 0:13:44current leader, Lord Alice Thomas. As someone who has been in the heat

0:13:44 > 0:13:49and heart of the battle, how has Plaid Cymru come through this

0:13:49 > 0:13:57process of deciding to elect a new leader -- Lord Elis-Thomas.

0:13:57 > 0:14:02decide how to interrelate and engage with the public, in this

0:14:02 > 0:14:06case, the membership and that did have an effect on the wider public.

0:14:06 > 0:14:12I must say that I thought the very successful campaign fought by

0:14:13 > 0:14:17Leanne, especially using social media, did mean that there was a

0:14:17 > 0:14:23swing during the course of the election process itself, which made

0:14:23 > 0:14:28it more exciting. When the referendum back in the 1970s was

0:14:28 > 0:14:31lost and when Plaid Cymru had its postmortem, it decided to take up

0:14:31 > 0:14:36the centre ground of politics. It is now obviously on a course to go

0:14:36 > 0:14:43to the left, in terms of trying to take Labour's ground, why was that

0:14:43 > 0:14:49decision made? That is not my recollection of the 80s. After the

0:14:49 > 0:14:541979 referendum, there was an emphasis on stating a nationalist

0:14:54 > 0:15:00position. There was also a reference for the first time in the

0:15:00 > 0:15:04constitutional party to a socialist position. In a sense, I see what is

0:15:04 > 0:15:11happening now, not dissimilar to what happened in the 1980s. Where,

0:15:11 > 0:15:15of course, we are faced yet again with a government of the centre-

0:15:15 > 0:15:20right in the UK, as we were in the Thatcher period, it seems that

0:15:20 > 0:15:24Plaid Cymru supporters want to respond by stating clearly that

0:15:24 > 0:15:29Plaid Cymru is a party of the left, but that does not prevent it

0:15:29 > 0:15:34picking up votes left to the centre ground. The centre ground in Wales

0:15:34 > 0:15:38is to the left of the centre ground in the United Kingdom and that is

0:15:38 > 0:15:48an important point. You will know the voters better than anyone, what

0:15:48 > 0:15:54

0:15:54 > 0:16:01do the landowners make of Leanne Of course, there is concern about

0:16:01 > 0:16:08people, from people in business, who have a different take on the

0:16:08 > 0:16:13relationship between class politics, and the economy. There is concern

0:16:13 > 0:16:18about the rhetoric. But, I think this is a matter of proving what,

0:16:18 > 0:16:24for example, will come out of the economic Commission which she has

0:16:24 > 0:16:28established. And I think this will be a very positive way of operating.

0:16:28 > 0:16:34I have always taken the view that it is important for asked to use

0:16:34 > 0:16:40people in the party but also upside, who are experts in their field. I

0:16:40 > 0:16:47have certainly benefited from that in both portfolios I have so far

0:16:47 > 0:16:52had in this Assembly. In that session, words it to the effect,

0:16:52 > 0:16:57the days of large multinational companies coming to Wales are over.

0:16:57 > 0:17:02That hardly gives out a message Wales is open for business at a

0:17:02 > 0:17:08time when she is stating economy is the priority. That is not the case,

0:17:08 > 0:17:12certainly in the sector where I am still involved, as chair of the

0:17:12 > 0:17:22Environment and sustainability Committee. We are talking to very

0:17:22 > 0:17:29

0:17:29 > 0:17:34large companies, power companies. These involve Hydro and wind power.

0:17:34 > 0:17:39We will be announcing soon be preferred reactor bidder for a

0:17:39 > 0:17:47possible development in Anglesey. These are issues which will have to

0:17:47 > 0:17:53be debated in the wider public in Wales. Somebody who has a quarter

0:17:53 > 0:17:57of century expense in politics, you know it can be a cruel game. How

0:17:57 > 0:18:05will we be able to decide whether Leanne Wood has been a success or a

0:18:05 > 0:18:10failure? Success is decided by any one thing. Whether you manage to

0:18:10 > 0:18:16make change. Change can be made in a number of different ways. Looking

0:18:16 > 0:18:20back, as you invite me to do, at the development of the National

0:18:20 > 0:18:26Assembly, the argument for an Assembly, clearly we have been

0:18:27 > 0:18:33successful. It isn't Plaid Cymru, but a project for Wales as a whole,

0:18:33 > 0:18:38which shows its success. increasing representation within

0:18:38 > 0:18:44the Assembly, changing the way the campaign in elections. How will be

0:18:44 > 0:18:51let us know whether this has been a success for Leanne Wood? If for

0:18:51 > 0:18:57example, I measure my success over the next four years, whether the

0:18:57 > 0:19:02percentage of electricity generated from new sources from -- in Wales,

0:19:02 > 0:19:06there is no other way of judging. Politics is only a means of

0:19:06 > 0:19:11delivering. Let us not judge politicians on politics but whether

0:19:11 > 0:19:15they have delivered. The bank you very much indeed.

0:19:15 > 0:19:21We can see whether the party faithful believe Leanne Wood will

0:19:21 > 0:19:27be delivering over the course of her reign.

0:19:27 > 0:19:34I am joined by Ian Johnson, a candidate in the Vale of Glamorgan.

0:19:34 > 0:19:40The local elections are imminent, a first test for Leanne? We are going

0:19:40 > 0:19:46in with a positive message. One of hope, and Wales can become a better

0:19:46 > 0:19:52place. That is what we will be telling people on the doorsteps.

0:19:52 > 0:19:58You had a very good result in 2008. Can you better that? For that is

0:19:58 > 0:20:03not what this is about. But putting down a marker for the future for

0:20:03 > 0:20:12Plaid Cymru and showing a message to people, one of hope and to make

0:20:12 > 0:20:19Wales a better place. If you go backwards, that's not a good marker

0:20:19 > 0:20:25to put down. We are fighting a strong campaigns across Wales in

0:20:25 > 0:20:35Quinn earth, Ceredigion, Carmarthen, all the way across the country. We

0:20:35 > 0:20:37

0:20:37 > 0:20:42are looking good, I think. Should this be seen as a referendum on

0:20:42 > 0:20:47Leanne's leadership? She has come in with a strong mandate from the

0:20:47 > 0:20:57membership. It will take time to bed in. The ant macro has got

0:20:57 > 0:20:58

0:20:58 > 0:21:03momentum. We are looking good because Leanne is here.

0:21:03 > 0:21:13Plaid Cymru councillors are said to go the extra mile, do you? It I am

0:21:13 > 0:21:18not a cuts left yet. We do, yes. We saw Fiona Cross, selected as

0:21:18 > 0:21:28commuter champion for the whole of the UK. That is the sort of level

0:21:28 > 0:21:29

0:21:29 > 0:21:36people expect, our counsellors do go the extra mile. Plaid Cymru

0:21:36 > 0:21:43councillors do the work, that is why people vote for them.

0:21:43 > 0:21:48You are a supporter of the campaign by Leanne, and you're happy she won.

0:21:48 > 0:21:52I am thrilled she won. At the end of the day, we have to have a party

0:21:52 > 0:21:57leader who speaks to everyone in Wales and Leanne was in the best

0:21:57 > 0:22:02position to do that. She speaks out to regeneration, a new generation

0:22:02 > 0:22:06of people, especially younger people like myself. And she speaks

0:22:06 > 0:22:13to people across Wiles who may never have thought of voting for

0:22:13 > 0:22:17Plaid Cymru before. She is making inroads. Leanne Wood said, before

0:22:17 > 0:22:27this conference, she wanted to use her first speech as an opportunity

0:22:27 > 0:22:32

0:22:32 > 0:22:38to show us her leadership, to make a mark. At the end of the day, she

0:22:38 > 0:22:43hasn't been here for very long. She was only elected a few weeks ago.

0:22:43 > 0:22:46It is very early to be suggesting these election results would be

0:22:46 > 0:22:52some sort of referendum on her leadership. At the end of the day,

0:22:52 > 0:22:58you have to accept these elections will take place in a UK context as

0:22:58 > 0:23:07well. So, if not these elections, when do you want to see some

0:23:07 > 0:23:11results? When will it be further -- fair to judge her leadership?

0:23:11 > 0:23:15the end of the day, she is already making clear that the party is

0:23:15 > 0:23:20moving in a new direction, reaching out to new people. We have a strong

0:23:20 > 0:23:29and positive message. We can judge her on that already. By Adam Price

0:23:29 > 0:23:35told us all reddish -- he believes she can be leader for 10 years.

0:23:35 > 0:23:40not? She is only 40 years old, she is very strong, her message

0:23:40 > 0:23:50resonates with many people. People are wanting to really attack the

0:23:50 > 0:23:52

0:23:52 > 0:23:59Labour Party in the valleys. She is a valleys Gulf. -- girl. Can she

0:23:59 > 0:24:04take control? I think she can. She speaks to people. She speaks to

0:24:04 > 0:24:09people like myself, my grandparents, who have always voted Labour but

0:24:09 > 0:24:15don't particularly want to, they feel obligated to. They don't feel

0:24:15 > 0:24:20in real reason, they have just done it. Why are they going to turn to

0:24:20 > 0:24:26Plaid Cymru now? She is a leader that can speak to them in a

0:24:26 > 0:24:36different way from others. This is a clean break. She can in the way

0:24:36 > 0:24:41others have not been able to in the past. Thank you very much.

0:24:41 > 0:24:48We can rejoin the main hall. A question is being asked from the

0:24:48 > 0:24:54back of the hall. TRANSLATION: That could be far

0:24:54 > 0:25:01reaching in solving our housing problem and employment issues. It

0:25:01 > 0:25:06was truly an inspiring speech. Would you be happy to invite him to

0:25:06 > 0:25:10our next conference for us all to share the experience of listening

0:25:10 > 0:25:20to his address and learn from him, how we can move forward from

0:25:20 > 0:25:22

0:25:22 > 0:25:29Yes, let us invite him to our next annual conference, and possibly to

0:25:29 > 0:25:32our summer school. Where we all get together and start thinking about

0:25:32 > 0:25:41building up the case for independence. Cop it is have a huge

0:25:41 > 0:25:51part to play in that. Why don't we consider taking a study trip to the

0:25:51 > 0:25:58Basque country. Let us organise that trip. I thought that might go

0:25:58 > 0:26:08down well. Our new leader knows how to make us of popular! A question

0:26:08 > 0:26:12

0:26:12 > 0:26:22We possibly have time for two more questions.

0:26:22 > 0:26:22

0:26:22 > 0:26:27With regard to the economy, we have spoken about SMEs employing one

0:26:27 > 0:26:33person, what about the creation of more, and the opportunities that

0:26:33 > 0:26:39enable budding entrepreneurs to create a company? I know, and have

0:26:39 > 0:26:45an investment in a big industrial park, but throughout the country

0:26:45 > 0:26:51there are several industrial units, in my ward in particular, which is

0:26:51 > 0:27:01badly in need of refurbishment. Couldn't we offer those units at

0:27:01 > 0:27:06

0:27:06 > 0:27:11low cost four rapier of time? -- for a period.

0:27:11 > 0:27:18That could maybe be looked at, with new European money? This shows how

0:27:18 > 0:27:22many ideas we have in the party. It is not just questions, people have

0:27:23 > 0:27:28all of this skill and knowledge that we need to put together, to

0:27:28 > 0:27:35put into our proper plan, the economic plan, that we need it so

0:27:35 > 0:27:40badly. It is really encouraging. We can use all of the expertise, all

0:27:40 > 0:27:45of the scale we have been the party to turn things around.

0:27:45 > 0:27:54TRANSLATION: I feel universities have an important role in this

0:27:54 > 0:28:00respect. If you look at the success Ireland have had, of late, working

0:28:00 > 0:28:07closely with smaller companies, mentoring them for a peer of 18

0:28:07 > 0:28:11months. I would like to see more co-ordination with universities in

0:28:11 > 0:28:20Wales, we have excellent universities. It is important we

0:28:20 > 0:28:27approach them, as parliamentary members, that we say, what are you

0:28:27 > 0:28:32doing to promote the E community? They have done it for years in

0:28:32 > 0:28:38Ireland, it is high time we now try to persuade our universities to do

0:28:38 > 0:28:46a bit more. That would be a very positive step forward. Again, I

0:28:46 > 0:28:52come back, it was a terrible loss, when we lost the Rural Wales

0:28:52 > 0:28:58Development Board. But that helped to establish and expand them. So

0:28:58 > 0:29:04possibly, in the economic plan, we should be looking at that sector,

0:29:04 > 0:29:11universities, agencies, how we can develop them. I agree very much

0:29:11 > 0:29:15with that. The economic renewal plan that was led by Ieuan Wyn

0:29:15 > 0:29:19Jones when he was minister for economic development, is now making

0:29:19 > 0:29:24available a series of loans for start-up companies. We also need

0:29:24 > 0:29:30the support, the mentoring, encouragement for people to

0:29:30 > 0:29:34actually set them up. We shouldn't have any empty factories, should

0:29:34 > 0:29:43we? Councils should be letting them out for free, but something is not

0:29:43 > 0:29:48connecting. It isn't happening. I know where I left -- live, there

0:29:48 > 0:29:53are lots of empty factories. We need to think more about this. I

0:29:53 > 0:29:58hope the economic Commission that was announced last week, headed by

0:29:58 > 0:30:03Adam Price, will get to grips with some of these issues. Why have we

0:30:03 > 0:30:08got such a low rate of start-up companies in Wales? How can we

0:30:09 > 0:30:17change that situation? We do need a new businesses to form, they are

0:30:17 > 0:30:23We could probably carry on this session all afternoon but I will

0:30:23 > 0:30:27take one more question. Just a quick one just before we

0:30:27 > 0:30:34finish. I wonder if Leanne Wood like to say more about priorities

0:30:34 > 0:30:39for the assembly group for the coming term? Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs,

0:30:39 > 0:30:48the economy, that will be everything we will do now. Given

0:30:48 > 0:30:53that that was so short, we can take one more question.

0:30:53 > 0:30:59I spent 35 years in the mining industry and I was head hunted by

0:30:59 > 0:31:03the Prince's Youth Business Trust. I spent three years based in

0:31:03 > 0:31:09Aberdare and in that three years I helped over 300 young people

0:31:09 > 0:31:18between the ages of 18 and 25 to set their own businesses up. The

0:31:18 > 0:31:22average cost of setting those businesses up was �4,000. The big

0:31:22 > 0:31:27bonus to it was we allocated a mentor to every one of those young

0:31:27 > 0:31:33people and there was a 75 % success rate but it was still trading after

0:31:33 > 0:31:38three years. It was cheap, good, it addresses what Elwyn was saying.

0:31:38 > 0:31:41Those were not going on academically, it is the lifeline

0:31:41 > 0:31:45for them. It is a cheap way of doing it, it is an easy way of

0:31:45 > 0:31:51doing it but they need support from people with experience so they have

0:31:51 > 0:32:01a mental to take them through. You can create thousands and thousands

0:32:01 > 0:32:09of small businesses. I think the panel did not want to

0:32:09 > 0:32:12add anything to that. And so that session draws to a

0:32:12 > 0:32:20close. We will be returning to the hall later in the programme but now

0:32:20 > 0:32:30it is back to our lead. Thank you, Vaughan. It is a highly

0:32:30 > 0:32:30

0:32:30 > 0:32:36contentious issue. Rhodri Glyn Thomas is here. We are sat in

0:32:36 > 0:32:39caraway and that is part of Carmarthen East. You are the

0:32:39 > 0:32:44spokesperson for local government and the local elections are upon us,

0:32:44 > 0:32:49Plaid Cymru only have a 6th of the council seats at the moment, how

0:32:50 > 0:32:53would you improve that tally? of all, we have to put more

0:32:53 > 0:32:58candidates through. We are going to reach a figure which is probably

0:32:58 > 0:33:02going to be as good as we have ever had, if not better. I think the

0:33:02 > 0:33:08calibre of the candidates we are putting up, the calibre has reached

0:33:08 > 0:33:13a high quality now. I was discussing this with the leader of

0:33:13 > 0:33:17Carmarthenshire County Council, the 60 candidates will have standing

0:33:17 > 0:33:23this time and we have managed to attract people who have background

0:33:23 > 0:33:29and experience which will make them excellent candidates. Helen Mary

0:33:29 > 0:33:34Jones said holding your ground will be your aim, it hardly shows

0:33:34 > 0:33:38aspiration, does it? It does in Carmarthenshire. If we were going

0:33:38 > 0:33:42to be in the position of increasing our numbers by three or four, we

0:33:42 > 0:33:48would be in a position to lead the council. There are opportunities.

0:33:48 > 0:33:52Obviously, in certain areas it will be difficult. They are going to cut

0:33:52 > 0:33:56the constituencies where we will be going head-to-head with Labour in

0:33:56 > 0:33:59some traditional Labour areas which we won at the last election, and we

0:33:59 > 0:34:04will have to make sure we have done the work to make us competitive.

0:34:04 > 0:34:08She said, in a time where we have a Conservative Lib Dem coalition at

0:34:08 > 0:34:12Westminster, if there is often a backlash against that, Labour get

0:34:12 > 0:34:17the votes here in Wales and it is hard to break through that. Now

0:34:17 > 0:34:22with Leanne Wood, you on Labour's territory, you cannot be putting at

0:34:22 > 0:34:26fault as an excuse, can you? No, I think the fact that Leanne has been

0:34:26 > 0:34:30elected as a leader shows that Plaid Cymru will move to be far

0:34:30 > 0:34:35more campaigning party and that will attract support from people

0:34:35 > 0:34:39who feel they are disenfranchised, that they are losing local services,

0:34:40 > 0:34:43that they will have councillors in Plaid Cymru who are fighting for

0:34:44 > 0:34:47the services. I think we have something to offer this election.

0:34:47 > 0:34:52Maybe it is a different message from the past and I hope it does

0:34:52 > 0:34:55attract support. Adam Price said Leanne Wood's focus should be on

0:34:55 > 0:35:00meeting the people of Wales and not on the work that she does in the

0:35:00 > 0:35:04assembly as an assembly member, do you want to see a vocal Leanne Wood

0:35:04 > 0:35:09presence in the chamber? Obviously, as the leader of the group, there

0:35:09 > 0:35:13has to be a vocal role for her but also, will believe that Leanne's

0:35:13 > 0:35:16strength is going out and meeting the people and building the party

0:35:16 > 0:35:20up. As a group we will be supportive of that. We will make

0:35:20 > 0:35:24sure she has time to go out there. The more people who meet Lehane,

0:35:24 > 0:35:33the more Group C meet her, the more groups will be attracted to Plaid

0:35:33 > 0:35:37Cymru. You resigned to being in opposition, any talk of a rainbow

0:35:37 > 0:35:42coalition is out the window at least, she said she is taking the

0:35:42 > 0:35:46fight to Labour, there does not seem to be much love between

0:35:46 > 0:35:52herself and Labour at the moment, are you resigned to a period where

0:35:52 > 0:35:57#ColourGreen Will be in opposition as a third party? -- Plaid Cymru.

0:35:57 > 0:36:03We have to ensure that we carry out that will probably. What happens in

0:36:03 > 0:36:08politics will happen. You cannot plan for the future. Nobody would

0:36:08 > 0:36:13have foreseen a One Wales Government in 2007 but it happened

0:36:13 > 0:36:17and these things happen. We will have to adjust according to what

0:36:17 > 0:36:21happens in the political context. At the moment, we are an opposition

0:36:21 > 0:36:25party. We want to scrutinise and campaign and offer the people of

0:36:25 > 0:36:29Wales hope at this time and we will fight to ensure they have services

0:36:29 > 0:36:34and job opportunities so they do not suffer too much as a result of

0:36:34 > 0:36:43the cuts which are being introduced by the Westminster coalition.

0:36:43 > 0:36:49is taking the fight to Labour strategy mean in progress? In her

0:36:49 > 0:36:53first question time she discussed a matter which Carwyn Jones had

0:36:53 > 0:36:59raised. Is that the tone you want to hear from Leanne Wood a green

0:36:59 > 0:37:03with Labour would you want to hear have fighting Labour? I am sure she

0:37:03 > 0:37:07will be fighting Labour. We have done this before. We are on

0:37:07 > 0:37:13traditional Labour territory here. We won the Assembly seat in 1999,

0:37:14 > 0:37:17the Westminster seat in 2001, we have the party -- largest party now

0:37:17 > 0:37:22on Carmarthenshire County Council. We have beaten them here and we can

0:37:22 > 0:37:27beat them in other parts of Wales. The if the local elections are not

0:37:28 > 0:37:32a referendum on Leanne Wood's period in office, when will we have

0:37:32 > 0:37:37the first referendum on her successes and failures? I think it

0:37:37 > 0:37:41is unfair to have a referendum when she has only been in post for about

0:37:41 > 0:37:45five weeks. But I'm sure the fact that she is the leader, it is a

0:37:45 > 0:37:50different kind of leadership, it is a different vision, it is making

0:37:50 > 0:37:54the party a different party. hear a lot about the supposed to

0:37:54 > 0:37:58bounce which the party has had, the new members which are joining, the

0:37:58 > 0:38:02party membership which is increasing by 25 %, you are more

0:38:02 > 0:38:06than willing to put that positive story out but you will not take any

0:38:06 > 0:38:11of the negativity if the council elections do not go well? Well, we

0:38:11 > 0:38:14do not know how the council elections will go. I think the fact

0:38:14 > 0:38:22that Leanne has been elected leader will have a positive effect. If

0:38:22 > 0:38:26there is a confidence here, people are feeling very encouraged to go

0:38:26 > 0:38:31out there and campaign and take the message out. I think we will have a

0:38:31 > 0:38:36bounce. Whether that then results in more seats, whether it means we

0:38:36 > 0:38:41win council, we will have to wait and see. 200 seats at a 1,200, what

0:38:41 > 0:38:46would be a positive light for Plaid Cymru? Anything above that 200

0:38:46 > 0:38:50would be very good news. I'm confident that we can do that. But

0:38:50 > 0:38:56obviously we are in the hands of the electorate. Nobody can force

0:38:56 > 0:38:59the election results. We have to go out there and we give people our

0:39:00 > 0:39:03message and we hope people will respond to it and we will do that

0:39:03 > 0:39:09again. Thank you. We can have more now From James

0:39:10 > 0:39:17Williams who is outside the main hall. Thank you. I'm joined by two

0:39:17 > 0:39:22Wrexham councillors. Mark Jones, what do you make of Plaid Cymru's

0:39:22 > 0:39:25chances for the upcoming local elections? Speaking for ourselves

0:39:25 > 0:39:31Col week stood a number of candidates last year and we are

0:39:31 > 0:39:36looking to double that. We cannot be too complacent. We have been

0:39:36 > 0:39:40working hard for the past four years and we will see how it goes.

0:39:40 > 0:39:45Why do think people will vote Plaid Cymru? Because of the work we have

0:39:45 > 0:39:50put in. At the grassroots we have been seen as the people who have

0:39:50 > 0:39:55spoken up for communities. We have held many referendums where we have

0:39:55 > 0:40:03gauged public opinions on controversial issues and I think

0:40:03 > 0:40:07people respect us and we listen to them. I'm shocked many people say

0:40:07 > 0:40:12they do hard work at local level for their representatives, what

0:40:12 > 0:40:18specifically have you been doing that will translate into votes -- I

0:40:18 > 0:40:23am sure many people say they do hard work. Speaking personally, we

0:40:23 > 0:40:27have set up 54 allotments in my ward, we have reopened a pub in the

0:40:27 > 0:40:32town as a Welsh centre, a co- operative. Without public funding,

0:40:32 > 0:40:38we have done that ourselves. That is not rhetoric, it is doing things

0:40:39 > 0:40:43in the community. How important you think Leanne Wood's leadership, it

0:40:43 > 0:40:47is only early days of course, do you think it will have effect on

0:40:47 > 0:40:52the election results? I think so. Lehane is well known in places like

0:40:52 > 0:40:56Wrexham. She has campaigned with us for a number of years. I think what

0:40:56 > 0:41:00goes around comes around. She has been a campaign and friend of

0:41:00 > 0:41:04grassroots community action and I think that is why she won. It has

0:41:04 > 0:41:08been heartening to see how many new people, how many young people have

0:41:08 > 0:41:16come to the conference here and generally, the enthusiasm has been

0:41:16 > 0:41:22fantastic. It boys you up going into the council elections. How do

0:41:22 > 0:41:26you think that Leanne Wood, she said the economy has to be the main

0:41:26 > 0:41:31focus for Plaid Cymru now looking ahead, do you agree with that? Do

0:41:31 > 0:41:36you think that that message and the particular messages that she is

0:41:36 > 0:41:41putting forward will translate? Absolutely. Jobs are Keay. We have

0:41:41 > 0:41:46lost a lot of jobs in Wrexham. We need to create jobs and we are very

0:41:46 > 0:41:52enthused by the work that the council in Caerphilly has done in

0:41:52 > 0:41:57terms of creating apprenticeships. We want to do that if we get back

0:41:57 > 0:42:02into power. I think it is important that we have clear, sensible,

0:42:02 > 0:42:08coherent ideas to create jobs in Wrexham and beyond. Thank you.

0:42:08 > 0:42:14Turning to you now, in 2008, Plaid Cymru did very well, the best

0:42:14 > 0:42:19record, do you think you can build on that this time? I think we can.

0:42:19 > 0:42:24We have continued the work since 2008. We have been very consistent.

0:42:24 > 0:42:28We have been doing things on the ground, practical things helping

0:42:28 > 0:42:32communities. I think that work will pay off at the elections in May. We

0:42:32 > 0:42:37have a host of candidates who are enthused and motivated and they are

0:42:37 > 0:42:42ready to go out and deliver the message. Why do you think Plaid

0:42:42 > 0:42:47Cymru were very successful in 2008 but then had disappointing

0:42:47 > 0:42:51elections in 2010 and 2011? Why were you not using the same

0:42:51 > 0:42:56tactics? I think we were but for some reason we were not getting our

0:42:56 > 0:42:59message across. That is something which Lehane has acknowledged. It

0:42:59 > 0:43:03is something which has become clear from this conference that we have

0:43:03 > 0:43:07to go out there and deliver that message. We have to rebuild

0:43:07 > 0:43:14communities from the grassroots up. It is something we are doing on the

0:43:14 > 0:43:19ground in Wrexham and I think that consistency will come through this

0:43:19 > 0:43:22time. Talking about the messages, part of the message is independence.

0:43:22 > 0:43:28With so few people not supporting independence in Wales, that will

0:43:29 > 0:43:36not go down well, will it? somebody like me, that does not

0:43:36 > 0:43:41faze me at all. It is amazing that a small part of the population

0:43:41 > 0:43:46support independence. We have not had that debate. We have had a lot

0:43:46 > 0:43:51of negative propaganda that we cannot stand on our own two feet.

0:43:51 > 0:43:578% of people, even with a decade's worth of propaganda like that,

0:43:57 > 0:44:01still want independence, the time has come for that scrutiny to be on

0:44:01 > 0:44:05debate in Wales and for us for the first time to have a debate about

0:44:05 > 0:44:12what independence means and we have to put that case forward. Carrie

0:44:12 > 0:44:16harper, Mark James, thank you both Thank you, we can talk more with

0:44:16 > 0:44:21the political editor Betsan Powys. Time is something which is rarely

0:44:21 > 0:44:26offered to the party leader. For Leanne Wood, the main goal is

0:44:26 > 0:44:30independence but a recent poll says only 7% of the Welsh people were in

0:44:30 > 0:44:35favour, we know Plaid Cymru has a lot of ground to regain in Leanne

0:44:35 > 0:44:39Wood's backyard, if you like, does this have to be a long-term gain

0:44:39 > 0:44:44for Leanne Wood and her leadership? It cannot solely be a long-term

0:44:44 > 0:44:48game. Along the way you have to show that you are causing things to

0:44:48 > 0:44:52change, that things are improving, that you're getting somewhere. The

0:44:52 > 0:44:57trick for Leanne Wood, and you saw it in her speech yesterday, this

0:44:57 > 0:45:02idea of there being a journey now. At the moment, we know where we are

0:45:02 > 0:45:05headed, towards independence, it cannot be a slogan which means

0:45:05 > 0:45:09different things to different people, we will decide as a party

0:45:09 > 0:45:14exactly what that means, but along the way there, some of you will

0:45:15 > 0:45:18come part of the way but you will drop off, you do not want to go any

0:45:18 > 0:45:21further along the constitutional route. Others we might persuade to

0:45:21 > 0:45:26stay on longer but the decision will be in your hands so you can

0:45:26 > 0:45:30show along the way you are gaining ground. She set out the ground as

0:45:30 > 0:45:34being of the economy. Her first act was to sort out this commission

0:45:34 > 0:45:39which will sort out the economy, come up with a strategy that goes

0:45:39 > 0:45:43beyond jobs, jobs, jobs and the economy which sounds a bit like me

0:45:43 > 0:45:46to be a slogan which cannot afford to have. She has to build with that

0:45:46 > 0:45:53and hope that people stay with Plaid Cymru and that enough people

0:45:53 > 0:45:58one-day will not want to stand by the flagpole but want to see an

0:45:58 > 0:46:08independent Wales. She cannot simply look to there, that is far

0:46:08 > 0:46:10

0:46:10 > 0:46:15She is a politician who is very left leaning. She is focusing on

0:46:15 > 0:46:20the economy. We have a debate on the public versus private sector.

0:46:20 > 0:46:24She will have to show in her public policies that she is on the side of

0:46:24 > 0:46:30private business as well as public sector. How difficult would it be

0:46:30 > 0:46:37for her? That is going to be one of the difficult juggling acts she has

0:46:37 > 0:46:43got. She is very aware of that. Clearly, people are excited at the

0:46:43 > 0:46:49thought she could gain Plaid Cymru some gain in some parts of Wales,

0:46:49 > 0:46:59they feel it is possibly. Conversely -- conversely, they are

0:46:59 > 0:47:04perfectly aware she could alienate some people. People say she does

0:47:04 > 0:47:09have this special ability as a leader to communicate with people

0:47:09 > 0:47:17in Caernarfon and Caerphilly. They are saying she has to go to talk to

0:47:17 > 0:47:22people, her big victories went just be in the Senedd. Across the

0:47:22 > 0:47:31political spectrum, she would have to keep others on board. That is a

0:47:31 > 0:47:37trick. The party machine is talking about increased membership. Is that

0:47:37 > 0:47:41superficial? When it be right to measure her success in terms of how

0:47:41 > 0:47:51many councillors Plaid returned in May? Is it too early to form an

0:47:51 > 0:47:52

0:47:52 > 0:47:57opinion? It is, after a few weeks. On the other hand, Plaid are saying

0:47:57 > 0:48:01areas and excitement, new members are joining. They are drawing

0:48:01 > 0:48:06activists who had been quite three years, they're coming back into the

0:48:07 > 0:48:12fold. In six weeks, if you lose ground, that doesn't work as a

0:48:12 > 0:48:17story. If you have momentum, they certainly need a decent set of

0:48:17 > 0:48:24results in six weeks. For Leanne Wood has not been a venerated by

0:48:24 > 0:48:29the Welsh public. She has won an internal contest. The Welsh public

0:48:29 > 0:48:35haven't really had the chance before, to form an opinion on

0:48:35 > 0:48:39Leanne Wood herself. No, Plaid are conscious. This it doesn't matter

0:48:39 > 0:48:44that she does not hold a constituency. Labour,

0:48:44 > 0:48:49understandably, given that Leanne Wood has said she is going to take

0:48:49 > 0:48:55on the valleys, if they are saying, give it a go. They know she will

0:48:55 > 0:49:01have a fight on her hands. Which is why plied his saying she must go

0:49:02 > 0:49:06out to the people so they can make up their own minds. We have talked

0:49:07 > 0:49:14about her, high time we hear from her, eight days after taking over

0:49:14 > 0:49:20the leadership of Plaid Cymru. Her first conference address yesterday.

0:49:20 > 0:49:30Today it is a day of firsts. The first speech. But the first woman

0:49:30 > 0:49:36

0:49:36 > 0:49:43to lead the first and still the And, after last weekend, we are

0:49:43 > 0:49:50getting used to the idea that Wales, first isn't just a dream. It can be

0:49:50 > 0:49:55our reality. No guts, no glory, whether you are a Welsh team or a

0:49:55 > 0:50:02Welsh party. When I say aye want us to win, I don't just mean an extra

0:50:02 > 0:50:06seat, I mean really winning. I did think of making my first act as

0:50:06 > 0:50:15leader to inform the entire Plaid Cymru group that we would be

0:50:15 > 0:50:24spending spring recess in Warren Gatland's Polish ice present! --

0:50:24 > 0:50:31prison! With or without liquid nitrogen! It is going to be a hard

0:50:31 > 0:50:41slog. This much I know. I can't get us to where we want to go, without

0:50:41 > 0:50:51

0:50:51 > 0:50:58TRANSLATION: When I was travelling around the country, campaigning, I

0:50:58 > 0:51:08saw people building the local economy, by starting co-ops.

0:51:08 > 0:51:12

0:51:12 > 0:51:22Community centres. People, like Chris Thomas, Mark Jones, Wallace

0:51:22 > 0:51:26

0:51:26 > 0:51:33George, Steve Garrett. People like them are an inspiration to me. And

0:51:33 > 0:51:41I hope and inspiration to you. Because everyone, we have to, as

0:51:41 > 0:51:48members of Plaid Cymru, we have to go out, just like Chris, Mark, and

0:51:48 > 0:51:53bring people in from the community, together, to build projects,

0:51:53 > 0:51:59projects that will create jobs. We have to promote the economy and

0:51:59 > 0:52:04boost it, from the bottom, up. We have to create jobs. We have to

0:52:04 > 0:52:10work, to keep the money in communities by supporting small

0:52:10 > 0:52:18businesses and social initiatives. Too much money is leaving our local

0:52:18 > 0:52:26economy. It is leaving Wales. We have to develop a plan to stop this.

0:52:26 > 0:52:31We have to develop a plan that will defend our communities. We have to

0:52:31 > 0:52:39introduce measures to safeguard and protect communities. Where people

0:52:39 > 0:52:41speak Welsh in their daily lives. The people of Plaid Cymru across

0:52:41 > 0:52:46the country are working in our communities, and they are doing

0:52:46 > 0:52:51things for themselves, and for the local economy, and a helping people

0:52:51 > 0:52:58who are unemployed, giving a future to young people, and helping them

0:52:58 > 0:53:04to state in the communities. I'd come from a very close community,

0:53:04 > 0:53:10as you know. I come from the Rhondda Valley. I live in the

0:53:10 > 0:53:16street where I grew up, just down the road from mum and dad. And I am

0:53:16 > 0:53:25a mother. My little girl is seven years old. And she is very proud of

0:53:25 > 0:53:33her mother. She saw my name in the newspaper. And now she believes she

0:53:33 > 0:53:39is famous! It is fantastic for her to see her mum, not just in the

0:53:40 > 0:53:48Senedd, that is big enough. But now, as the leader of Plaid Cymru. She,

0:53:48 > 0:53:51my parents, people in my street, are so proud with what has happened,

0:53:51 > 0:53:58and are so pleased, I am so pleased and proud as well. So thank you,

0:53:58 > 0:54:02all you, who have supported me in this election. I would also like to

0:54:02 > 0:54:12say thank you to Elin Jones and Dafyd Elis-Thomas, for making his

0:54:12 > 0:54:20

0:54:20 > 0:54:25campaign so interesting, so much They both conducted such good

0:54:25 > 0:54:28campaigns and both are in credit to this party. Between us, we have

0:54:28 > 0:54:33increased the party's membership substantially, and sparked a lot of

0:54:33 > 0:54:40new interest in Plaid Cymru. It wouldn't be right for me to let my

0:54:40 > 0:54:45first speech as -- without pain gibbet to my predecessor, a leader

0:54:45 > 0:54:50who will go down in history as the first ever Plaid Cymru minister,

0:54:50 > 0:54:55and the leader who delivered. He said we would have a referendum,

0:54:56 > 0:55:01and didn't we have a referendum? After all the tributes, I have a

0:55:01 > 0:55:05feeling he knows how grateful Plaid Cymru is to him. In reality, not

0:55:05 > 0:55:10many people can lay claim to such a significant contribution, not only

0:55:10 > 0:55:16to the development of the party, but more importantly, to the

0:55:17 > 0:55:24development of their nation. It is great to be here in Carmarthenshire,

0:55:24 > 0:55:30home of many of his party's Great's. The two DJs, DJ Davies, minor,

0:55:30 > 0:55:37boxer, sailor, scholar, entrepreneur, who wrote Plaid

0:55:37 > 0:55:42Cymru's first economic strategy in his spare time. The other DJ, who

0:55:42 > 0:55:52inherited a House and gave every penny to the party, even though he

0:55:52 > 0:55:57himself wasn't wealthy. For him, this was a country he loved. What

0:55:57 > 0:56:03better platform could any leader of this party had hoped for, than to

0:56:03 > 0:56:09be here, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. And this year marks

0:56:09 > 0:56:15the 30 years since the untimely death of the woman who sowed the

0:56:15 > 0:56:19seeds of the later victory in the first of those, then by-elections.

0:56:19 > 0:56:24It is great to be here at Ffos Las Racecourse. I am not a betting

0:56:24 > 0:56:29person. But, I am thinking of putting a bit of money down on our

0:56:29 > 0:56:34team here in Carmarthen, led by Peter Hughes Griffiths, to make

0:56:34 > 0:56:39advances in the local elections, in six weeks. It is not because I am

0:56:39 > 0:56:46feeling lucky. It is because I know that people really want a better

0:56:47 > 0:56:53future. Here in Trimsaran, and right across Wales. Plaid Cymru

0:56:53 > 0:56:58must become the party of hope. In our day-to-day practical work, we

0:56:58 > 0:57:04will fight to protect jobs. We will defend those things that are

0:57:04 > 0:57:10important to people. We will fight to protect pay, and we will protect

0:57:10 > 0:57:14our local public services. We are the party which has respect, and

0:57:14 > 0:57:21which shows common decency towards pensioners, young people, people

0:57:21 > 0:57:27without work. We respect those who care about the environment, and we

0:57:27 > 0:57:31are grateful to the people who work to bring our troops home. We can

0:57:31 > 0:57:37see through the moral bankruptcy that is the root cause of the

0:57:37 > 0:57:43economic crisis. A crisis of ethics which has shattered people's faith

0:57:43 > 0:57:47in politics, and democracy. And we will now work hard to provide the

0:57:47 > 0:57:54answers we need to reverse the spiralling decline and social

0:57:54 > 0:58:00devastation. Basing our future on depriving the many to feed the

0:58:00 > 0:58:05greed of the few, means building our House on sand. Any government

0:58:05 > 0:58:09that cuts the tax rate for the top 1% of earners, in the same budget

0:58:09 > 0:58:14as it cuts pay rates for public sector workers in the poorest

0:58:14 > 0:58:24places, and hits pensioners hard in the pockets, has lost all sense of

0:58:24 > 0:58:36

0:58:36 > 0:58:41I would say, it has lost its right to govern. Welsh workers in the

0:58:41 > 0:58:45DVLA, education, councils, government, should not be treated

0:58:45 > 0:58:55as second-class citizens in their own land. Under my leadership, we

0:58:55 > 0:58:59

0:58:59 > 0:59:04will support them. People being paid less because they

0:59:04 > 0:59:09are poorer, is a poll tax on poverty, and it is not something

0:59:09 > 0:59:14that this party will accept. We will fight for jobs, we will fight

0:59:14 > 0:59:19against privatisation. And we will be more interested in our own

0:59:19 > 0:59:24people than in our own power. When I was growing up, I was told there

0:59:24 > 0:59:30was only one choice. You had to vote Labour to get the Tories out.

0:59:30 > 0:59:38There was no other option. Well, I have never liked being told what to

0:59:38 > 0:59:43do! I decided to do my own thing. I wanted my own choice, and wanted

0:59:43 > 0:59:47something better. And I can see a generation of young people in Wales

0:59:47 > 0:59:57today who want to do their own thing. They don't want to be told

0:59:57 > 0:59:59

0:59:59 > 1:00:03They want to make their own decisions about the future of their

1:00:03 > 1:00:08own country. And many of the young people who have recently joined

1:00:08 > 1:00:12this party are already thinking independently. They have joined an

1:00:12 > 1:00:16independent party that is for Wales and from Wales. They understand

1:00:16 > 1:00:23that the only way that we will fix our economy and our society is if

1:00:23 > 1:00:27we decide to do it for ourselves. They, we believe we can do it.

1:00:27 > 1:00:33Anger may well be the antidote to complacency but it is never the

1:00:33 > 1:00:41real catalyst to progress. For real progress, we need to learn to hope,

1:00:41 > 1:00:47to dream big dreams. Let us decide today, from now on, to do our

1:00:47 > 1:00:52politics differently. Let us decide to do our politics positively.

1:00:52 > 1:00:57Let's talk about ideas, not personalities. Let's talk about our

1:00:57 > 1:01:05vision of what Wales can be, instead of running the others down.

1:01:05 > 1:01:10Let's push hope, not fear. Optimism, not despair. If we can do that, not

1:01:10 > 1:01:16only will we see a better politics, but we will also see a better Wales.

1:01:16 > 1:01:21I want us to win by presenting the larger, bolder vision of the Wales

1:01:21 > 1:01:26that can be. An economy that is sustainable and green, which also

1:01:26 > 1:01:34means more productive and more efficient. One that invests in the

1:01:34 > 1:01:38future, that generates more wealth, while creating more quality. I am

1:01:38 > 1:01:47proud to stand in a radical Welsh tradition that extends back to the

1:01:47 > 1:01:57early pioneers, RJ Deverell and Robert Owen and the three great

1:01:57 > 1:02:01

1:02:01 > 1:02:07Williamss of Plaid Cymru. It is that tradition that gives us our

1:02:07 > 1:02:12values and our vision, that everything, politics, our economy,

1:02:12 > 1:02:16institutions, our laws, are to be judged on how well they serve the

1:02:16 > 1:02:20needs and the aspirations of people. Not just the people at the top and

1:02:20 > 1:02:25not just the people that we know. Not just the people that are in the

1:02:25 > 1:02:29right party or who vote the right way, but all the people because in

1:02:29 > 1:02:35a democracy it is the people, all the people and nothing but the

1:02:35 > 1:02:39people that we serve. We want to build an economy that is built on

1:02:39 > 1:02:43equity, on fairness, on balance between the needs of the present

1:02:43 > 1:02:52and future generations and on the twin spirits of creativity and

1:02:52 > 1:02:57generosity. So, what is our most urgent priority? Over the last 20

1:02:57 > 1:03:02years, we have seen the gap in wealth grow wider and wider. On

1:03:02 > 1:03:08current trends, within a generation, Wales will no longer belong to the

1:03:08 > 1:03:13club of high-earning countries. But predictions only come true if we

1:03:13 > 1:03:19accept their inevitability. If we shift course then our future

1:03:19 > 1:03:22changes with us. What is this path to a better future? I think that

1:03:22 > 1:03:29there are three giant gulls that we need to set ourselves in the coming

1:03:29 > 1:03:33decade. We must build the Green economy, we must invest in our

1:03:33 > 1:03:38knowledge base and we must create the infrastructure for success in

1:03:38 > 1:03:42the 21st century. We need a green print, not just for the valleys but

1:03:43 > 1:03:47for the whole of Wales, retry fitting every home and every

1:03:47 > 1:03:52building until every last one is fit for the future, starting with

1:03:52 > 1:03:57those that need the health -- the help the most, the homes of those

1:03:57 > 1:04:00on low incomes. Through this one programme we can create thousands

1:04:00 > 1:04:04of jobs, hundreds of apprenticeships and save millions

1:04:04 > 1:04:14in energy use which could be continued to fund the project. We

1:04:14 > 1:04:16

1:04:16 > 1:04:22should have done this nearly 20 years ago. But this time, we have a

1:04:22 > 1:04:27parliament with a power to do it. Let's build up our renewable

1:04:27 > 1:04:31industry. As a nation we have been given a truly amazing legacy. Our

1:04:31 > 1:04:37country is infused with energy. First it was Cole and now it is

1:04:37 > 1:04:43wind and waves. But let us not repeat the mistakes of our history.

1:04:43 > 1:04:47Let us make sure that people here reaped the benefit from the second

1:04:47 > 1:04:52industrial revolution. The German renewable sector employs 40,000

1:04:52 > 1:04:58people in wind energy alone. If turbines are to be built, then let

1:04:58 > 1:05:03them be built by Welsh hands and minds with Welsh steel. Knowledge

1:05:03 > 1:05:07will be the economic frontier of the future, yet we invest far too

1:05:07 > 1:05:12little in research and development, so let's create incentives for

1:05:12 > 1:05:16innovation. Let's get the tax powers so we can power our economy,

1:05:16 > 1:05:20so we can reward those Welsh companies that invest in the

1:05:20 > 1:05:25sectors of the future. Look how well the Scottish government is

1:05:25 > 1:05:30doing, pushing the argument for taxation. There is no reason why

1:05:30 > 1:05:36Wales should be any different. Let's create a virtual enterprise

1:05:36 > 1:05:42zone for technology start-ups that use the new .com but Wales domain

1:05:42 > 1:05:47name. Wales should not be the country of minimum wage but a land

1:05:47 > 1:05:50of maximum potential. Let's aim to follow the success of Quebec's

1:05:50 > 1:05:55training levy and create a 1% minimum investment in training

1:05:55 > 1:05:59across all companies for all workers for all our futures. And

1:05:59 > 1:06:04let's have a Welsh Research Council so Welsh universities no longer

1:06:04 > 1:06:14lose out to the Oxbridge college cartel.

1:06:14 > 1:06:18

1:06:19 > 1:06:23Just imagine what an extra �30 million would do to our cash-

1:06:23 > 1:06:27starved university sector? Building up our economy also means building

1:06:27 > 1:06:35up our infrastructure, the National arteries that connect people, goods

1:06:35 > 1:06:38and ideas. We presented our bold proposals for a bid for Wales

1:06:38 > 1:06:43funding initiative over a year ago. Yet the minority government in the

1:06:43 > 1:06:48Bay have sat on that hands, having refused to back the right to borrow

1:06:48 > 1:06:52while they were in power in Westminster. They needed to be a

1:06:52 > 1:06:57partnership built between local government that can borrow and a

1:06:57 > 1:07:01Welsh government to invest in badly needed infrastructure. Local

1:07:01 > 1:07:06government is well within its borrowing limits and with a 30 year

1:07:06 > 1:07:10repayment period, �150 million of Welsh government expenditure

1:07:10 > 1:07:17annually could underwrite �3 billion of investment, enough at

1:07:17 > 1:07:21the very least to begin to reverse our economic decline. If this is to

1:07:21 > 1:07:27work, then councils of all political complexions will have to

1:07:27 > 1:07:31do their part for the good of Wales. We must also seek to rebuild Welsh

1:07:31 > 1:07:36agriculture. Our food producers have seen a half a billion pound

1:07:36 > 1:07:40loss in output since Labour came to power. We will work with the

1:07:40 > 1:07:45industry to increase local food production, to ensure food security

1:07:45 > 1:07:53and also to secure the future of the Welsh family farm and their

1:07:53 > 1:07:57wider communities. We are a party of nation builders. A party for the

1:07:57 > 1:08:01whole of Wales. We are eager to roll up our sleeves and we will

1:08:01 > 1:08:07work with those who share our vision and our determination to get

1:08:07 > 1:08:13the job done. No, that doesn't always mean sitting around the

1:08:13 > 1:08:18Cabinet table. That is not the only way that co-operation works. But it

1:08:18 > 1:08:23does mean putting our principles into action. Local council should

1:08:24 > 1:08:26become the powerhouses, fuelling our communities, helping people to

1:08:26 > 1:08:33rebuild their community institutions as well as to work to

1:08:33 > 1:08:38provide jobs and secure their local welfare services. Friends, the new

1:08:38 > 1:08:44Wales will not be built in the pages of your book. It will be

1:08:44 > 1:08:51built from the ground up, piece by piece, ward by Ward, person to

1:08:51 > 1:08:56person, in small acts multiplied by millions through all the

1:08:56 > 1:09:01conversations that we have over the next few weeks, months and years.

1:09:01 > 1:09:07Together, we can build the new Wales, case by case, project by

1:09:07 > 1:09:11project, the length and breadth of Wales. So, together with the Plaid

1:09:11 > 1:09:16Cymru leaders of the filly and Gwyneth, Alan Pritchett and Dafydd

1:09:16 > 1:09:21Edwards and with other group leaders, we in Plaid Cymru stand

1:09:21 > 1:09:26ready to do our part and work with others to find neutral ways forward

1:09:26 > 1:09:32for Wales. And remember this, the more Plaid Cymru leaders we have

1:09:32 > 1:09:38after May, the more of our vision we can begin to deliver. We will

1:09:38 > 1:09:46build Wales from the bottom up, starting with our communities. The

1:09:46 > 1:09:50nails will be the policies that we will hammer home together. You must

1:09:50 > 1:10:00be the carpenters. I will be the wood.

1:10:00 > 1:10:11

1:10:11 > 1:10:16That to me is what real independence represents. Not some

1:10:16 > 1:10:25distant date on which we will all gather and salute a flag, it begins

1:10:25 > 1:10:30here and now. It begins when we say no, we will not accept that our

1:10:30 > 1:10:36poverty is inevitable. We will not accept what our opposition says,

1:10:36 > 1:10:40that this nation cannot be successful. We will believe in the

1:10:40 > 1:10:45ability of our business is to thrive and in our families to

1:10:45 > 1:10:50prosper. We are finished with putting up with things as they are

1:10:50 > 1:10:57because that is how it has always been. We are done with simply

1:10:57 > 1:11:02surviving and with just muddling through. We want our people to soar

1:11:02 > 1:11:06and under my leadership, Plaid Cymru will work to make that happen.

1:11:06 > 1:11:12But we have to recognise that because we have been disappointed

1:11:12 > 1:11:18time and time again, our capacity to criticise is sometimes more

1:11:18 > 1:11:24developed than our ability to imagine. So, the first step is to

1:11:24 > 1:11:30hope. Hope is the belief in the plausibility of the possible. A

1:11:30 > 1:11:35refusal to accept the necessity of now. The leadership campaign filled

1:11:35 > 1:11:39me with that hope because I saw it in the faces of young people. These

1:11:39 > 1:11:48are the real leaders that will drive the Trans formation of our

1:11:48 > 1:11:58country. To echo the words of Baron de R T E Roy, another Wales has not

1:11:58 > 1:12:14

1:12:14 > 1:12:19only possible, she is on her way. If we listen, we can even hear her

1:12:19 > 1:12:23breathe. Friends, it is time for us together to move our nation forward,

1:12:23 > 1:12:33in the confidence that befits the pride and the ambition of our

1:12:33 > 1:12:47

1:12:47 > 1:12:56STUDIO: That was a Leanne Wood's conference speech from yesterday.

1:12:56 > 1:13:03Listening and Noddy was the party's secretary Helen Mary Jones and can

1:13:03 > 1:13:09I ask you -- listening and nodding. Can I ask you, did you back the

1:13:09 > 1:13:14winner? I think we all backed the winner. I am very pleased that

1:13:14 > 1:13:18Leanne had such a resounding victory that gives her the mandate

1:13:18 > 1:13:27to carry on with the good work. I have to say that I was very pleased

1:13:27 > 1:13:31with that speech. It was a confident speech. It was also

1:13:31 > 1:13:38upbeat. Every single problem she looked at, she hinted towards the

1:13:38 > 1:13:41answer, instead of just piling up the problems, saying we can do

1:13:41 > 1:13:47better. We have the confidence of the nation. I think it was quite

1:13:47 > 1:13:52inspiring. The Plaid Cymru members who vote for you might be different

1:13:52 > 1:13:58to the ones who might have voted for Helen Mary Jones, they might be

1:13:58 > 1:14:04more conservative perhaps, whereas in Helen Mary Jones's territory,

1:14:04 > 1:14:09they might be further to the left, how difficult a task will it be for

1:14:09 > 1:14:15Leanne Wood to balance between the members of Plaid Cymru who are

1:14:15 > 1:14:19possibly poles apart? First of all, I don't know whether there are any

1:14:19 > 1:14:23Conservative people in Blaenau Ffestiniog. I understand your point.

1:14:23 > 1:14:26The people who vote for Plaid Cymru vote because they want to do the

1:14:26 > 1:14:31best for the country. They do not say that because Leanne is

1:14:31 > 1:14:35perceived to be further to the left than a person like me, then

1:14:35 > 1:14:38suddenly they cannot support her. That I think will not happen. I

1:14:38 > 1:14:44also challenge you by saying this, what is right and left any more

1:14:44 > 1:14:47anyway, given that we have two parties in London who are identical.

1:14:47 > 1:14:53What Leanne will be doing is she will sketch out why Plaid Cymru is

1:14:53 > 1:14:58different, why the people of Wales can trust us and why we will trust

1:14:58 > 1:15:01them and that sort of bond will be built upon. I do not really worry

1:15:01 > 1:15:11about left and right tax any more and I am certain the electorate do

1:15:11 > 1:15:23

1:15:23 > 1:15:28The amount of support Leanne got from Plaid across Wales I think

1:15:28 > 1:15:33that really strong base, she has a really strong mandate, to take that

1:15:33 > 1:15:38truly positive message in her speech about to the people of Wales

1:15:38 > 1:15:43and build that conversation. In her speech, she said, you have

1:15:43 > 1:15:50to vote Labour, to get the Tories out. Her point is that is not the

1:15:50 > 1:15:55case, you can vote Plaid Cymru. If you're talking about Westminster

1:15:55 > 1:16:00politics, the tendency is to vote Labour. Are we going to see a shift

1:16:00 > 1:16:07in emphasis similar to the one which the SNP consciously made,

1:16:07 > 1:16:12which is to put less resources into Westminster elections? To a certain

1:16:12 > 1:16:21degree we have been doing that, the future lies in Cardiff, not

1:16:21 > 1:16:25Westminster. That is already happening. But I think the whole

1:16:25 > 1:16:30idea of voting Labour to keep the Tories out, is a bit of a joke in

1:16:30 > 1:16:37the valleys, but unfortunately people still believe. People like

1:16:37 > 1:16:41Peter Hain, with this silly statement during Assembly elections

1:16:41 > 1:16:50as if it had any bearing on what is going on. We are tired of these

1:16:50 > 1:16:58silly slogans, we want to talk of the way forward. That slogan wasn't

1:16:58 > 1:17:04resonating with voters back in 1999. The constituency for Leanne Wood,

1:17:04 > 1:17:13Plaid Cymru colt 13,500 votes. This time around, the share of the vote

1:17:13 > 1:17:19was 29.5%, we had haemorrhaged 7,500 votes. What has happened? To

1:17:19 > 1:17:24lose so many? He in 2011, it in my former constituency, the Labour

1:17:24 > 1:17:34message, you have to vote Labour to keep the Tories out, that did

1:17:34 > 1:17:41

1:17:41 > 1:17:49resonate. They were building on the idea of a coalition. It has nothing

1:17:49 > 1:17:53to do with Plaid Cymru? The Labour- Tory dynamic has an effect. Look at

1:17:53 > 1:17:59what the coalition is doing to people's benefits, people are right

1:17:59 > 1:18:07to be frightened. What Leanne was getting at, we have to get past

1:18:07 > 1:18:11that, to build people's conference -- confidence. We have been part of

1:18:11 > 1:18:16this union for centuries and yet we are still one of the poorest. We

1:18:16 > 1:18:23have to be positive and say, we are not going to build into that

1:18:23 > 1:18:30narrative of fear. Under the new leadership, we have a strong

1:18:30 > 1:18:39message, it is our job to give people hope. We didn't do that

1:18:39 > 1:18:44successfully in the 2011 election. I want to add, Leanne's job is not

1:18:44 > 1:18:48to say, why you should not vote for the Tories and Labour, but why you

1:18:48 > 1:18:54should vote for Plaid. She sketched out the future and vision that she

1:18:54 > 1:19:00has. That is one thing lacking in the National Assembly for Wales,

1:19:00 > 1:19:05any kind of vision. Once people see she has a genuine vision, an

1:19:05 > 1:19:11exciting vision for Wales, they will see why Plaid is different and

1:19:11 > 1:19:14why they should vote for Plaid Cymru. You are on a journey to sell

1:19:14 > 1:19:21independence to people. Adam Price has already tried to sell this

1:19:21 > 1:19:27residue to the people of Wales. He said there would have been 2.2%

1:19:27 > 1:19:31growth in the Welsh economy had Wells -- Wales become independent

1:19:31 > 1:19:38at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We have to make the

1:19:38 > 1:19:41case. The evidence is there. This is why Leanne has established an

1:19:42 > 1:19:48Economic Commission to develop an economic plan for Wales. And taking

1:19:48 > 1:19:54a key role in that work to get that message out. People would find it

1:19:54 > 1:19:57incredible we would be 39% richer as people if we had become

1:19:57 > 1:20:06independent at the fall of the Berlin Wall, bearing in mind the

1:20:06 > 1:20:10economic crisis we have had. He has been lauding Ireland and the

1:20:10 > 1:20:15economy has gone further... If you look at those examples, Norway,

1:20:15 > 1:20:20Luxembourg. There have been big economies which have done very

1:20:20 > 1:20:30badly, and small economies. If the evidence is there. We need to get

1:20:30 > 1:20:34

1:20:34 > 1:20:38those messages out. One other thing Leanne has been talking about is

1:20:38 > 1:20:43building an economy which is both prospers and responsible. We have

1:20:43 > 1:20:49to think about what it means to be prosperous, the kind of community

1:20:49 > 1:20:55we live in, quality of life. Of course we need more money. If we

1:20:55 > 1:21:01are going to build a fair society, invest in Social Services, housing,

1:21:01 > 1:21:06health. It is also about what kind of prosperity, that is a strong

1:21:06 > 1:21:11message. It's not just about the money in your pocket, but how you

1:21:11 > 1:21:15feel about yourself and your community. Do you feel safe on your

1:21:15 > 1:21:21streets? Do you feel part of something? That is the kind of

1:21:21 > 1:21:28confidence we need to build. We have just adopted the moving Ford

1:21:29 > 1:21:33report. My job as a chair is to go through the boring but important

1:21:33 > 1:21:39organisational changes. This is a new start for the party with a new

1:21:39 > 1:21:44leader. And taking a hard look at ourselves and see what we did wrong,

1:21:44 > 1:21:49and in the past. Adam Price says he can see Leanne Wood being the

1:21:49 > 1:21:56leader for the next 10 years. As a party, do you have to afford her

1:21:56 > 1:22:06that breathing space, to create a future? A I do not think that is

1:22:06 > 1:22:09

1:22:09 > 1:22:13quite what he said. The point it is, for the next 10 months, she is Our

1:22:13 > 1:22:16Leader. She is assembling around her a very good team of expiates

1:22:16 > 1:22:21people from all levels of representation. She is the person

1:22:21 > 1:22:26who can draw out the best in all of us. She will, undoubtedly, grow in

1:22:26 > 1:22:31that particular job. It is not going to take her that long to get

1:22:31 > 1:22:41corrupter speed. I have known her 20 years. She will do very well.

1:22:41 > 1:22:46

1:22:46 > 1:22:50She will always have her hat on what she is doing. I think, a good

1:22:51 > 1:22:55leader is someone who will sometimes take risks. She is

1:22:55 > 1:23:00certainly not somebody who will say what people want to hear. She won't

1:23:00 > 1:23:10be afraid to stand up for Wales. If that ruffles some figures, I am all

1:23:10 > 1:23:11

1:23:11 > 1:23:15for that. That is why we are at a horse racing venue. Thank you very

1:23:15 > 1:23:24much indeed. The future direction of any party does depend on the

1:23:24 > 1:23:30future of the party, and Plaid Cymru has a new chair of -- and

1:23:30 > 1:23:35this was her conference address -- his conference address.

1:23:35 > 1:23:40Our focus is on independence. Some say that in the past we have been

1:23:40 > 1:23:44scared of the so-called independence word. That may be the

1:23:44 > 1:23:50case but we can be confident at this point in time, it certainly is

1:23:50 > 1:23:54not. For us, it isn't about getting independence just because we want

1:23:54 > 1:23:59something to campaign on. It is about working together, to show the

1:23:59 > 1:24:04people of Wales that an independent Wales will be better country, a

1:24:04 > 1:24:10more prosperous and more successful country. That is what my

1:24:10 > 1:24:16organisation believes and envisages, and I determined while I am in

1:24:16 > 1:24:22charge of Plaid Cymru youth, will play our part in a journey towards

1:24:22 > 1:24:28freedom. Everyone in this room, indeed in this party, has their own

1:24:28 > 1:24:33hopes and aspirations for a better Wales. Each of us interprets this

1:24:33 > 1:24:39so-called better Wales to flee. What brings us together in a common

1:24:39 > 1:24:42cause is our shared profound love of the land we call home. Some may

1:24:42 > 1:24:47say that my generation of nationalists have had it easy,

1:24:47 > 1:24:56goodness knows, I barely remember a Wales without devolution. To some,

1:24:56 > 1:25:00that is a witness. But we consider it a strip. Let us be honest, it is

1:25:00 > 1:25:04my generation that will deliver an independent Wales, we're the ones

1:25:04 > 1:25:08that will be going out to work, raising our children in that Wales.

1:25:09 > 1:25:18So we have a duty to be organised and effective. Frankly, we have to

1:25:18 > 1:25:22pull our socks up. The TRANSLATION: While I am

1:25:22 > 1:25:27responsible for Plaid Cymru youth, I will be working with Leanne to

1:25:27 > 1:25:30ensure the young Plaid Cymru grows into being an important movement

1:25:30 > 1:25:34within the party so we make great strides towards independence in

1:25:34 > 1:25:39Wales, in the same way as Alex Salmond and his party have done in

1:25:39 > 1:25:43the north. What value will be spent in those

1:25:43 > 1:25:47next year's showing the people of Wales how much better an

1:25:47 > 1:25:54independent country can be. There is no point doing that unless we

1:25:54 > 1:26:01can get the young people onside. Now, that Wales will not be

1:26:01 > 1:26:06prospers or thriving unless the young people believe in it today.

1:26:06 > 1:26:10In February, it was estimated 130,000 young people in Wales were

1:26:10 > 1:26:14without work. You make your decision in terms of who is

1:26:14 > 1:26:21responsible, but I blame David Cameron and his government in

1:26:21 > 1:26:26Westminster, and this lazy Labour government in Cardiff Bay. Last

1:26:26 > 1:26:32November, he promised that the Labour Party in Wales would help

1:26:32 > 1:26:38young people into work. How much progress have we seen? Virtually

1:26:38 > 1:26:45nothing. You compare that with Scotland, where Angela Constance

1:26:45 > 1:26:51was appointed as Minister in December. Labour standing in

1:26:51 > 1:26:56Wales's corner? I do not think so. We must, in Plaid Cymru, campaign

1:26:56 > 1:26:59on this. With enough work, we together can show the young people

1:26:59 > 1:27:03of Wales that Plaid Cymru is the only party in the country that

1:27:03 > 1:27:08replaces them first. When I was preparing for this

1:27:08 > 1:27:13speech, but of us have not to put too much emphasis on Scotland. Let

1:27:13 > 1:27:16me never less. Northwards again. In two years, the people of Scotland

1:27:16 > 1:27:21will be asked whether they won their country to become an

1:27:21 > 1:27:26independent sovereign state. At the moment, it looks as if the signs

1:27:26 > 1:27:29are right for that referendum to be successful. Even if it isn't, the

1:27:29 > 1:27:34political landscape and constitutional make-up of the

1:27:34 > 1:27:39United Kingdom is undoubtedly changing. Even now, with more than

1:27:39 > 1:27:45two years to go, what happens to the UK after 2014 is one of the

1:27:45 > 1:27:48hottest topics of the moment. When it comes to Wales asking its

1:27:48 > 1:27:55citizens whether they want to be independent, be it in five years, a

1:27:55 > 1:27:58decade or more, my members will be part of that debate. With time, as

1:27:58 > 1:28:03Plaid Cymru used develops, I hope more and more young people and

1:28:03 > 1:28:07students joined us, and I hope when that debate comes, they will be

1:28:07 > 1:28:12firmly in our corner, calling and fighting for an independent

1:28:12 > 1:28:16sovereign Wales. But the way things are going, not just here but across

1:28:16 > 1:28:21Europe, we are in grave danger of turning a whole generation of young

1:28:21 > 1:28:26people into regeneration of people who do not care. Some call it the

1:28:26 > 1:28:30lost generation, and they are right. Those of us in Plaid Cymru and

1:28:30 > 1:28:33throughout politics, have to take extreme care we do not

1:28:33 > 1:28:39disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people. We have to get

1:28:39 > 1:28:44them involved, show them we care. Show them we hear in Plaid Cymru

1:28:44 > 1:28:50are standing up for them, as we always have done, that we are their

1:28:50 > 1:28:56natural political home. The new chair of Plaid Cymru youth,

1:28:56 > 1:29:01addressing delegates yesterday. We can go back to the main hall now.

1:29:01 > 1:29:09Another panel discussion is taking place. This time, on the green

1:29:09 > 1:29:19economy. It has three of the party's environmental experts on

1:29:19 > 1:29:24the panel. From Friends of the Earth. Among others.

1:29:24 > 1:29:31Particularly the nuclear power programme. This government has

1:29:31 > 1:29:37dithered fears in tried to produce alternatives to fossil fuel energy

1:29:37 > 1:29:45generation. Actually, at some point Barbara, we are going to sit -- hit

1:29:45 > 1:29:50a serious crisis. The degree of change we are prepared to

1:29:50 > 1:29:56contemplate, it is of nowhere near adequate to meet the sort of carbon

1:29:57 > 1:30:01reduction targets we are expected to look for. And were referred to

1:30:01 > 1:30:07in the international climate change panel and in the report. The second

1:30:07 > 1:30:11is in regard to Wales. Isn't it shameful the Welsh Government

1:30:11 > 1:30:18hasn't done more, that point has been made. The Welsh Government has

1:30:18 > 1:30:24very few powers in that area. With regard to Marini generation, the

1:30:24 > 1:30:29scale of the project is vastly over the 50 megawatt limit which is the

1:30:29 > 1:30:32capability of the current Welsh Government powers. We also know the

1:30:32 > 1:30:37Labour government in Wales has had very limited ambition in increasing

1:30:37 > 1:30:42those powers and has said, if you double it, that would be all right.

1:30:43 > 1:30:48If we are looking at the sort of renewable energy generation

1:30:48 > 1:30:53possible in Wales, we are talking about many hundreds of megawatts

1:30:54 > 1:30:58for single stations. You only have to look at one offshore wind farm

1:30:58 > 1:31:03in North Wales which is near the 500 megawatts, to realise the scale

1:31:03 > 1:31:08of the task that faces us in terms of exploiting our own natural

1:31:08 > 1:31:13resources. Wales does not have the power to do that, and all of the

1:31:13 > 1:31:19benefits of exploiting those natural resources goes to other

1:31:19 > 1:31:25countries. If you look at one particular installation being built,

1:31:25 > 1:31:32a tiny amount of the contract value is going into Wales. It is owned by

1:31:32 > 1:31:35three companies, a German electricity company, it is owned by

1:31:35 > 1:31:43the company getting 1.2 billion euros worth of work by producing

1:31:43 > 1:31:49the turbines, and the third partner owning this wind farm, is the

1:31:49 > 1:31:53Munich utility company. A public sector body in Germany investing in

1:31:53 > 1:31:59Wales on the basis it wants to be as green as possible, cannot

1:31:59 > 1:32:09capture enough energy streams in Germany. Making money out of our

1:32:09 > 1:32:10

1:32:10 > 1:32:13natural resources. Clearly a I'm glad we have not developed the

1:32:13 > 1:32:16natural resources of Wales because of their had been developed they

1:32:16 > 1:32:20would not have been developed for the Bennett fit of ours, they would

1:32:20 > 1:32:25have been developed for the benefit of shareholders outside Wales. The

1:32:25 > 1:32:31reality is, if you look at the situation in Wales, the one major

1:32:31 > 1:32:36area that a future independent Welsh government could look to

1:32:36 > 1:32:41would be the natural resources of Wales, and in order to do that, it

1:32:41 > 1:32:51would have to be in a position to tax those resources, it would have

1:32:51 > 1:32:52

1:32:52 > 1:32:59to be in a position to own those resources. Do you want to stop me

1:32:59 > 1:33:05there? I will, there was a lot of stimulating stuff there, can I

1:33:05 > 1:33:11invite somebody from the audience to make a point. I have seen the

1:33:11 > 1:33:17massive subsidies that these German and Danish companies have had from

1:33:17 > 1:33:22the public purse and also the cause of the skyrocketing of our utility

1:33:22 > 1:33:27bills. Our pensioners are freezing to line the pockets of these

1:33:27 > 1:33:33corporations in these areas. Also, as a small nation, can we really

1:33:33 > 1:33:37afford to ignore our massive coal reserves? Scotland has the good

1:33:37 > 1:33:43sense not to ignore their fossil fuel reserves and I would like to

1:33:43 > 1:33:50see some kind of arrangement in the future where any wealth that we get

1:33:50 > 1:33:56from Cole stays with the people and not frittered away from the

1:33:56 > 1:34:00corporation's. I would like to see that Welsh -- wealth put into green

1:34:01 > 1:34:10projects as some kind of transitional arrangement. Thank you.

1:34:11 > 1:34:11

1:34:11 > 1:34:1730 % of energy that we use in Wales has produced by coal still.

1:34:17 > 1:34:22TRANSLATION: First of all, we have to realise that climate change is a

1:34:22 > 1:34:26crisis which has to be tackled right now and reduce our dependency

1:34:26 > 1:34:31on fossil fuels. Of course, we can continue to mind all the coal in

1:34:31 > 1:34:36Wales but by the time we have burnt it all there will be very little of

1:34:36 > 1:34:40the planet left to live in so we cannot rely on those fossil fuels.

1:34:40 > 1:34:49We have to move away from dependence on oil and other fossil

1:34:49 > 1:34:54fuels. And look for other fuel options which are sustainable. So,

1:34:54 > 1:35:04I would disagree with you there, to tell the truth. There is obviously

1:35:04 > 1:35:04

1:35:04 > 1:35:14a vast subsidy for the fossil fuel industry, far more than for the

1:35:14 > 1:35:20renewable energy, wind energy and others. It is actually 20 cent but

1:35:20 > 1:35:24is by Cole. What I would say to regard -- with regard of that, we

1:35:24 > 1:35:29have to recognise that the increase in fuel bills is not as a result of

1:35:29 > 1:35:33these subsidies. There is a lot of information that it is because of

1:35:33 > 1:35:38green energy that the fuel bills are going up. You only have to fill

1:35:38 > 1:35:42up your car at the petrol station to know that it is the increased

1:35:42 > 1:35:47cost of fossil fuels which is causing the rise in hour bills,

1:35:47 > 1:35:51where Britain's coal or gas because we do not have a situation at the

1:35:51 > 1:35:54moment where we can benefit from cheap shale gas coming in from the

1:35:54 > 1:36:00United States because of the very problematic environmental issues

1:36:00 > 1:36:04created by that source of energy. That is the first point, it is not

1:36:04 > 1:36:10fair to say increased fuel bills today are caused by the subsidies

1:36:10 > 1:36:14to the green energy industry. The real cost is first of all the fact

1:36:14 > 1:36:17that fossil fuel prices, particularly oil have gone up very

1:36:17 > 1:36:23substantially. Secondly, the electricity companies, as they

1:36:23 > 1:36:27always do, actually have substantial leads and lags between

1:36:27 > 1:36:31a time when you get the electricity bill, it is always predicated on

1:36:31 > 1:36:36the idea that the cost of oil goes up. When the cost goes down, there

1:36:36 > 1:36:41is a considerable lag before you get the benefit in your bill. The

1:36:41 > 1:36:45second issue is that the entire fossil-fuel industry is incorrectly

1:36:45 > 1:36:50priced. The reason that it is incorrectly priced is because it is

1:36:50 > 1:36:56priced on the basis of the marginal cost of extraction. That means it

1:36:56 > 1:37:00pays no attention to replacement costs. If you are the end of a

1:37:00 > 1:37:03factory and you buy a machine tool and you say to yourself I have to

1:37:03 > 1:37:07replace this tool after ten years, you will look at the cost of

1:37:07 > 1:37:10operating that bit of equipment by saying, it is this amount that it

1:37:11 > 1:37:15cost me every year and in addition, I have to appreciate that piece of

1:37:15 > 1:37:19equipment so that I had enough money left in the bank after ten

1:37:19 > 1:37:25years to afford another one. What we have not done impressing the use

1:37:25 > 1:37:28of our fossil fuels is to say what is the amount of appreciation we

1:37:28 > 1:37:31have to factor in, to factoring there is no more down the road,

1:37:31 > 1:37:36that we have to have a replacement source of energy. One of those

1:37:36 > 1:37:41sources of energy is the green energy. To take your point about

1:37:41 > 1:37:45the subsidies, one of the reasons why companies like Siemens are over

1:37:45 > 1:37:49here making money out of us, is that our own governments have not

1:37:49 > 1:37:53been prepared to put the investment in on day one to provide us with

1:37:53 > 1:37:57the expertise in the green energy industry so that we are exporting

1:37:58 > 1:38:02that expertise to other companies - - countries, rather than vice versa.

1:38:02 > 1:38:07We should be investing in our green energy. If you look at something

1:38:07 > 1:38:12like a tidal lagoon which I think is a better way of hard missing --

1:38:12 > 1:38:20harnessing of the Marine Energy of the seven history, once you have

1:38:20 > 1:38:24financed it and you have paid off that finance, you still have an

1:38:24 > 1:38:30electricity producing entity which is good for another 85 years. The

1:38:30 > 1:38:35Design Build is about 120 years. For that extra 85 years, you have

1:38:35 > 1:38:40energy that is not dependent on oil shipped around the world or Kohl

1:38:40 > 1:38:44taken from under the ground, it is on a highly predictable series of

1:38:44 > 1:38:50tides which are not going to cost you anything other than the

1:38:50 > 1:38:59maintenance cost of what you have already built. That is why we

1:38:59 > 1:39:04should be focusing on green energy and focusing on it today.

1:39:04 > 1:39:08Firstly on the issue of fossil fuels, I would like to see us move

1:39:08 > 1:39:14into renewable energy and let other people develop carbon capture in

1:39:14 > 1:39:19terms of whether that keen -- can be developed as a technology. There

1:39:19 > 1:39:24we can look at the future of fossil fuels. I would hold back with them

1:39:24 > 1:39:29as a bank until we can look at the technology of carbon capture to see

1:39:29 > 1:39:32if it can be developed. I remain convinced his see it to work but I

1:39:32 > 1:39:40think we have to sit on what we have got until we can use it

1:39:40 > 1:39:47without killing the planet. I would like to correct Madoc, actually,

1:39:47 > 1:39:53the Welsh government has the powers to develop title test in Swansea

1:39:53 > 1:39:57Bay. Wash government could develop it if they want. When we went in to

1:39:57 > 1:40:00one Wales, I tried to sneak it in and twice Labour have pulled it out.

1:40:00 > 1:40:05They could do it now, they haven't done it, they have fallen behind

1:40:05 > 1:40:13the times. We could do it now to make a difference. Sell tidal

1:40:13 > 1:40:17how important it is, we can do two things at the same time. Where this

1:40:17 > 1:40:21lagoon -- where these lagoons are likely to be built on the north and

1:40:21 > 1:40:27south coasts of Wales. These are the areas which are likely to be

1:40:27 > 1:40:31affected by global warming sea level rise. Not only are you

1:40:31 > 1:40:34producing renewable energy for Wales but you are protecting coast

1:40:34 > 1:40:39line from future global warming sea level rises which are inevitably

1:40:39 > 1:40:49going to occur. Why the hell we are not doing this in 2012 is quite

1:40:49 > 1:40:53beyond me. We will take the questions for merely if we may.

1:40:53 > 1:40:58Now we have time to question the new leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne

1:40:58 > 1:41:02Wood. Congratulations on your victory. The new head of the

1:41:02 > 1:41:08campaign Commission called you an intelligent risk for the party. De

1:41:08 > 1:41:13feel you are a risk, some kind of experiment? I am the new leader of

1:41:13 > 1:41:17Plaid Cymru and I have a political programme that I have had a huge

1:41:17 > 1:41:23endorsement from, from the membership of Plaid Cymru. Maybe

1:41:23 > 1:41:27people will see my politics as a bit risky. I do not think it is

1:41:27 > 1:41:30necessarily. I think the economic time we are in necessitates a new

1:41:30 > 1:41:35type of politics and I think the radical agenda that I put forward

1:41:35 > 1:41:38in the election campaign was clearly attractive to a large

1:41:38 > 1:41:42percentage of the membership of Plaid Cymru and certainly from the

1:41:42 > 1:41:49conference this weekend, I know that people who were not supportive

1:41:49 > 1:41:54of me in the election campaign are rallying around my leadership now.

1:41:54 > 1:41:58While we could say maybe there was a risk, maybe there still is a risk,

1:41:58 > 1:42:03hopefully it is one that members are comfortable with. If in a

1:42:03 > 1:42:08year's time, somebody turned round tea and said, you're out lap, the

1:42:08 > 1:42:14policies, the way in which you are selling the message of quite come

1:42:14 > 1:42:17Marie -- your outlet, it is very similar to the one that was being

1:42:17 > 1:42:21sold in the time of Ieuan Wyn Jones, would you take that as a

1:42:21 > 1:42:26complement? Ieuan Wyn Jones has made a fantastic contribution to

1:42:26 > 1:42:30Welsh politics. The referendum that we won last year would not have

1:42:30 > 1:42:33been possible if he had not taken us into government. And not only

1:42:33 > 1:42:37taken us into government but stood firm when they were voices who

1:42:37 > 1:42:42wanted us to stop the referendum going ahead. He has to be

1:42:42 > 1:42:46remembered as a politician who has made a vast contribution to Welsh

1:42:46 > 1:42:49politics. I think the way that the party has been over the last ten

1:42:49 > 1:42:53years does need to change now. We need to move out of our comfort

1:42:53 > 1:42:57zone, we need to move out of the areas where we have traditionally

1:42:57 > 1:43:02had strong support, to new areas like the former industrial areas

1:43:02 > 1:43:12and I hope as a new leader we can take the party in a new direction.

1:43:12 > 1:43:18

1:43:18 > 1:43:22Labour have a strategy, they are trying to Welsher five the party.

1:43:22 > 1:43:28The labels that are thrown around, left, right, I'm not sure they are

1:43:28 > 1:43:33helpful in this context. But they define who you are? Well, Plaid

1:43:33 > 1:43:37Cymru is a party that is to the left and Welsh politics is to the

1:43:37 > 1:43:41left of UK politics. I want to ensure that we have a Welsh

1:43:42 > 1:43:46politics and not define ourselves in British terms. I see myself as

1:43:46 > 1:43:50someone who comes from the Welsh radical tradition and yes, that his

1:43:50 > 1:43:55Welsh politics but it is more than that. It is not a simple label.

1:43:55 > 1:44:03Talking about something that is radical, the Welsh public at the

1:44:03 > 1:44:06moment believe that independence is poll were in favour of it. Where is

1:44:06 > 1:44:11the economic evidence to suggest that Wales could prosper, where it

1:44:11 > 1:44:16to be an independent nation? Well, what I see at the moment is Wales

1:44:16 > 1:44:23not prospering under the current set-up. Historically, we have been

1:44:23 > 1:44:27tied to an economic system that does not put our interests, the

1:44:27 > 1:44:31part of the UK on the periphery, does not put our interests first.

1:44:32 > 1:44:37The only way we can assure our interests are put first is if we

1:44:37 > 1:44:41control everything from within Wales. You are right, 7% of people

1:44:41 > 1:44:45support independence now. I am not surprised at that because the case

1:44:45 > 1:44:50has not really been put. I am hoping in time we will see growth

1:44:50 > 1:44:55in that. It is interesting that 62 % of people now favour some tax-

1:44:55 > 1:45:00raising powers and 72 % of people support an independent health

1:45:00 > 1:45:06policy in Wales. But where is the evidence that Wales would prosper?

1:45:06 > 1:45:11Adam Price has done some work where he claims the Welsh economy would -

1:45:11 > 1:45:19- had -- the Welsh quarry would have grown by 2% after the fall of

1:45:19 > 1:45:24the Berlin Wall after -- if Wales was independent? How can you

1:45:24 > 1:45:28provide evidence for something that does not exist. He has put a report

1:45:28 > 1:45:33together we shows a series of correlations and you can deduce

1:45:33 > 1:45:37from that a potential pattern? there are a lot of IFS and buts?

1:45:37 > 1:45:40You cannot prove something which you have not done but I firmly

1:45:40 > 1:45:45believe that at the moment we are not prospering. If you look at the

1:45:45 > 1:45:49figures that were out last week one GDP in the valleys, our economy is

1:45:49 > 1:45:53in decline so the system we are in now is not so -- sitting our

1:45:53 > 1:46:03interests. We have to think differently now and think about a

1:46:03 > 1:46:04

1:46:04 > 1:46:10different system in the future Can we talk about the decline in

1:46:10 > 1:46:18support for Plaid Cymru in the area where you come from. When Geraint

1:46:18 > 1:46:24Davies was Assembly Member, he polled 48.7% of the vote. In 2011,

1:46:24 > 1:46:32Plaid Cymru achieved 29.5% of the vote, and lost. Somewhere along the

1:46:32 > 1:46:37line, 7,500 votes, why has that happened? We have seen a decrease

1:46:37 > 1:46:42in turn out over that time as well. You are talking about turnout, that

1:46:42 > 1:46:47hasn't affected the Labour vote. You have got a fair point. We need

1:46:47 > 1:46:53to go back, to look at what was successful for Plaid Cymru back in

1:46:53 > 1:46:571999. I haven't got a clear idea as to what was different then, to what

1:46:57 > 1:47:02it is now. But I think there is a lot of good will for Plaid Cymru.

1:47:02 > 1:47:07With respect, you are the new leader, and isn't it your job to be

1:47:07 > 1:47:14clear as to what has gone wrong, and to address those issues? We do

1:47:14 > 1:47:18need to look at the history of our success and our failures, I think.

1:47:18 > 1:47:23And the programme we have got going forward, I am very keen to build

1:47:23 > 1:47:26support for Plaid Cymru in those areas where we have and

1:47:26 > 1:47:33particularly had strong support in the past. There are some areas

1:47:33 > 1:47:36where we have had strong support, and lost that support. Did you over

1:47:36 > 1:47:41achieve in 1999? Did you raise the bar to a level which was not

1:47:41 > 1:47:49sustainable? We had a new institution in 1999. Everything was

1:47:49 > 1:47:59new and different. I want to see us make those gains in those areas

1:47:59 > 1:48:01

1:48:01 > 1:48:08like Islwyn, Llanelli, and it was just two months to try to change

1:48:08 > 1:48:12the narrative, time we didn't have. Now, we do have time. We're not in

1:48:12 > 1:48:17government in Cardiff Bay. We have to build the party and do that

1:48:17 > 1:48:27internal work. Not in any of those seats have you secured one in three

1:48:27 > 1:48:28

1:48:28 > 1:48:33of the votes. Rondo, 29%, a Caerphilly, 29%. There is a lot of

1:48:33 > 1:48:38work to be done to actually win those seats, how long will it take?

1:48:38 > 1:48:41I am not going to say we are going to make big changes and

1:48:42 > 1:48:48achievements overnight. It will take time. We have a party machine

1:48:48 > 1:48:54to build up. In some areas of Wales, we have no real activity at all.

1:48:54 > 1:49:03Over the longer term, with the next local elections, I want to see that

1:49:03 > 1:49:07you can vote for a Plaid Cymru candidate. And at the next Assembly

1:49:07 > 1:49:11elections? If we dent Labour's majority in a number of those key

1:49:12 > 1:49:17seats we will be going in the right direction. If you will not windows

1:49:17 > 1:49:23seats, there is little chance Plaid will form the next Welsh Government.

1:49:23 > 1:49:28Which brings on the question, Plaid and coalition. It seems like you

1:49:28 > 1:49:32only route back into government? the short term, you might be right.

1:49:32 > 1:49:40In the longer term, I would like to see Plaid Cymru become the biggest

1:49:40 > 1:49:45party in the Assembly. That is not going to happen in one term.

1:49:45 > 1:49:50have said it's not going to happen next time round in four years,

1:49:50 > 1:49:57which means it will be in 10 years. That is the time when Elin Jones

1:49:57 > 1:50:03wanted to have an -- a referendum on independence. I can't predict

1:50:03 > 1:50:07what events will happen in the next four years, or 10 years. So much of

1:50:07 > 1:50:17Welsh politics is determined by what happens outside of Wales. The

1:50:17 > 1:50:18

1:50:18 > 1:50:22economic crisis we're in now is driving what public opinion is.

1:50:23 > 1:50:27Wales was an independent nation now, we have just had the budget, where

1:50:27 > 1:50:33would you have set the level of income tax? That is not a question

1:50:33 > 1:50:36I can answer now. We don't have powers over income tax in Wales.

1:50:36 > 1:50:41People want to know what independence would look like?

1:50:41 > 1:50:45haven't got the answers for those questions yet. This is the work

1:50:45 > 1:50:51that Plaid Cymru needs to do. We need to look at all aspects of what

1:50:51 > 1:50:55independence means. It is coming across as a vacuous concept when no

1:50:55 > 1:51:00one can put facts or figures next to the word, independence. If

1:51:00 > 1:51:05someone came up to you today and said, Leanne Wood, this notion of

1:51:05 > 1:51:09independence does appeal to me, tell me, how much would I pay in

1:51:09 > 1:51:14tax? I couldn't answer those questions. If you look at Scotland

1:51:14 > 1:51:19in terms of building a case for independence, it has taken many

1:51:19 > 1:51:23years to be able to get to the point where they can answer all of

1:51:23 > 1:51:26those questions. Your policy director said yesterday, we can't

1:51:26 > 1:51:30expect them to be fully signed-up to be supporters of something they

1:51:30 > 1:51:37know very little about. You're not telling them much about

1:51:37 > 1:51:42independence. Real independence is about constitutional change, to

1:51:42 > 1:51:46sort out the problems we have got, the economy. That will happen

1:51:46 > 1:51:50gradually over time, which will only happen when the people of

1:51:50 > 1:51:55Wales come with us. We have a big job of work to do in working out

1:51:55 > 1:51:59that case and taking people with us along the way. I'm not going to

1:51:59 > 1:52:04attend our work has been done, it hasn't yet. We're ready to start

1:52:04 > 1:52:09building that case. What people will respond to is an understanding

1:52:09 > 1:52:15the current set up is not working for us. So we have to have an

1:52:15 > 1:52:23alternative. Alan keen to ensure as many people as possible contribute

1:52:23 > 1:52:27-- I am keen. I would say, if people are interested in building

1:52:28 > 1:52:31up the Welsh economy and their local economy, they should consider

1:52:31 > 1:52:36joining Plaid Cymru. Independence will happen when people come with

1:52:36 > 1:52:43us and when we have been able to persuade people of our case.

1:52:43 > 1:52:51said the economy, jobs, will be the key motivation. Can I ask you about

1:52:52 > 1:52:56something you raised last week, the public purse is the public --

1:52:57 > 1:53:06versus the private sector. I spoke to one woman celesta with a private

1:53:06 > 1:53:14practice he said she could not compete -- solicitor. I would say

1:53:14 > 1:53:21to her, let us not compete for a race to the bottom. We have low

1:53:21 > 1:53:26private sector wages in Wales. The way to address that is not to cut

1:53:26 > 1:53:32public sector wages. We needed to raise those private sector wages.

1:53:32 > 1:53:37That comes back to the witness in the Welsh economy. The GDP in West

1:53:37 > 1:53:42Wales is going down. On the private sector, you said during your

1:53:42 > 1:53:48question and answer section, enticing multinational companies to

1:53:48 > 1:53:53Wales, those days are over. It is hardly selling the message that

1:53:53 > 1:53:57Wales is open for business. We have to attract inward investment but I

1:53:57 > 1:54:04do not think there is a plethora of multinational companies wanting to

1:54:04 > 1:54:10come to Wales. Now, wages are cheaper elsewhere. We need to build

1:54:10 > 1:54:14our indigenous businesses, small businesses are key to the future of

1:54:14 > 1:54:21the Welsh economy. If every single small business in Wales could take

1:54:21 > 1:54:24one person on, an apprentice, a new worker, that would make a huge dent

1:54:24 > 1:54:29in our unemployment problem. Finally, Adam Price is willing to

1:54:29 > 1:54:37give you 10 years in the job. want it as long as the members of

1:54:37 > 1:54:45Plaid Cymru want to keep me here. And for a final time, James.

1:54:45 > 1:54:54We have reached the finishing line. Two candidates in the local

1:54:54 > 1:54:59election. Are you happy that Leanne Wood is the leader? I am overjoyed.

1:54:59 > 1:55:02She is the leader will need now for these elections and all the

1:55:02 > 1:55:12elections we will face in the foreseeable future. She has a very

1:55:12 > 1:55:13

1:55:13 > 1:55:19positive message. She is the representative in one of the most

1:55:19 > 1:55:24important constituencies. A I think we will do well wherever we stand.

1:55:24 > 1:55:31Wherever we put a positive message Ford for Wales. Leanne is an asset

1:55:31 > 1:55:37for our campaigns. Rebecca, what is the most important

1:55:37 > 1:55:42message Leanne has been saying this weekend. What stood out?

1:55:42 > 1:55:47economy has got to be at the forefront of our mind. She is a

1:55:47 > 1:55:54conviction politician. She is clear with the message. The members have

1:55:54 > 1:55:59spoken, Leanne is our leader and we are happy to support her.

1:56:00 > 1:56:06Back to you. The final word of the afternoon to

1:56:06 > 1:56:09our political editor. What did you make of what she had to say? Well,

1:56:09 > 1:56:15she was pointing out quite if you times she couldn't provide evidence

1:56:15 > 1:56:18yet for things which don't exist. The battle for her and Plaid is

1:56:18 > 1:56:21they are going to have to start providing evidence that things that

1:56:21 > 1:56:26don't exist if they are going to persuade people they are headed in

1:56:26 > 1:56:30the right direction. How much and that's what you pay in an

1:56:30 > 1:56:35independent Wales? There has to be a strategy towards answering

1:56:35 > 1:56:38questions like that, an economic strategy early on to convince

1:56:38 > 1:56:43people that Leanne Wood and her party can come up with answers that

1:56:43 > 1:56:47one day the Welsh public will buy. It would happen in six weeks. But

1:56:47 > 1:56:51pretty soon she will need to come up with answers. For does it also

1:56:51 > 1:56:58showed how far behind Scotland we are in that debate about further

1:56:58 > 1:57:03powers? Absolutely. Leanne Wood is perfectly right to say that it is

1:57:03 > 1:57:07only fairly recently that the SNP has had to, and the people have

1:57:07 > 1:57:10asked specific questions about an independent Scotland. There has

1:57:10 > 1:57:15been much reference to it this weekend. You can bet there will be

1:57:15 > 1:57:22more to come. We have reached the winning post

1:57:22 > 1:57:28now, that is our time at an end. I am back at midday tomorrow on BBC