18/02/2012 Welsh Labour Party Conference


18/02/2012

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 18/02/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Good afternoon. It is election year in Wales. Come to think of it, when

:00:15.:00:18.

is it not? In less than three months' time the Welsh public will

:00:18.:00:22.

be going to the polls in the local elections. Before then, the

:00:22.:00:26.

political parties will be making their pitch to the Welsh public,

:00:26.:00:30.

beginning with Labour at the home of Glamorgan cricket club in

:00:30.:00:36.

Cardiff. Over the next two hours we will be talking to Labour's big

:00:36.:00:41.

hitters, Ed Miliband, First Minister Carwyn Jones as well as an

:00:41.:00:45.

array of Assembly Members, members of parliament and grassroots

:00:45.:00:49.

members, a constant presence throughout the programme will be

:00:49.:00:56.

for Roderick. An important year for Labour bearing in mind what

:00:56.:01:01.

happened to them in 2008? It if you look back four years, historically

:01:01.:01:05.

they were the worst results for Labour at a local level in Wales in

:01:05.:01:10.

the whole of the party's history. They lost dozens of seats, they

:01:10.:01:16.

lost control of councils, they only managed to hold on in two. They

:01:16.:01:24.

were reduced to nothing in Cardiff, Swansea, even some of the Bali

:01:24.:01:29.

councils that they lost to a very disparate group of opponents.

:01:29.:01:32.

Labour are desperate to get at least some of their territory back.

:01:32.:01:37.

I don't think it thinks it can get back to the sort of dominance it

:01:37.:01:40.

had in Welsh local government, at least not in one jump. But they

:01:40.:01:50.
:01:50.:01:50.

seem to be wanting to make standard Gauging reaction to the keynote

:01:50.:01:53.

speeches and taking the pulse of the conference faithful this

:01:53.:01:58.

afternoon is James Williams. Thank you. As you can see, the

:01:58.:02:01.

seats behind me may be empty. The weather is not really sure what it

:02:01.:02:06.

is doing. Don't worry, it is not cricket season, it is conference

:02:06.:02:13.

season. The hall in front of me are packed full of Teen Labour members

:02:13.:02:17.

eagerly awaiting the leader's speech. I will be getting the

:02:17.:02:20.

party's pulls the head of the big test in the local elections.

:02:20.:02:24.

No conference would be complete without a voice to guide us through

:02:24.:02:33.

proceedings in the main hall. This Yes, welcome to the conference hall.

:02:33.:02:37.

They are gearing up, they are out there with their lunches. This

:02:37.:02:41.

morning we had Ed Miliband addressing the conference. The eyes

:02:41.:02:48.

are very firmly on the impending local elections, hoping to make

:02:48.:02:51.

advances on people like the Lib Dems. This morning was very much

:02:52.:02:56.

about the successes they have had in the referendum election, the

:02:56.:03:01.

referendum vote or widening Assembly powers. The success that

:03:01.:03:11.
:03:11.:03:11.

beat elections for Assembly Members was itself. Eyes are very firmly on

:03:11.:03:17.

the local elections. Those local elections will form part of a

:03:17.:03:22.

session chaired by the shadow Welsh secretary. Before that, we have a

:03:22.:03:27.

speech that many people will be here to hear, from the leader of

:03:27.:03:35.

Welsh Labour, the First Minister That is the team. The action is not

:03:35.:03:40.

far off commencing. I am seen pictures from the main hall at the

:03:40.:03:44.

moment, where party members are very slowly taking their seats

:03:44.:03:48.

ahead of the speech from Carwyn Jones. That gives us more time to

:03:48.:03:51.

talk about how Labour is going to retain this territory that they

:03:52.:03:56.

lost in 2008, losing control of Five councils. You have said they

:03:56.:04:00.

do not expect to get back to the level of 2008 this year. How close

:04:00.:04:05.

do you think they will be to that level? I think that is very

:04:05.:04:09.

difficult to read. There are two problems for Labour. The first one

:04:09.:04:14.

is simply this, they are not as far ahead, perhaps, as they feel they

:04:14.:04:19.

should be in the UK wide opinion polls. Labour and the Conservatives

:04:19.:04:23.

are roughly neck-and-neck, Labour slightly ahead, maybe. They would

:04:23.:04:27.

have thought in this economic and political climate they would have

:04:27.:04:32.

been further ahead. And they can't just rely of the unpopularity of

:04:32.:04:35.

the Conservative and Lib Dem government in Westminster. There is

:04:35.:04:39.

a Labour government as well, in Cardiff Bay. They have to convince

:04:39.:04:42.

the electorate in those council elections that cuts in services

:04:42.:04:46.

they are seeing are the fault of Westminster and not the fault of

:04:46.:04:51.

Cardiff Bay. Two difficulties that make it not a simple mid-term

:04:51.:04:56.

election for Labour. Which leads to the question, will they be fighting

:04:56.:05:00.

this election on the messages we are hearing from Ed Miliband? Let's

:05:01.:05:05.

have a bank a bonus tax, let's bash News Corporation? Will they be

:05:05.:05:09.

fighting this election on Welsh issues? First and foremost they

:05:09.:05:15.

will be fighting on local issues. Local issues are always the key

:05:15.:05:18.

factor in elections. But you have to think that things like the row

:05:18.:05:26.

we have seen in palace help ward is bound to impact on the elections. -

:05:26.:05:36.

They will be trying to get some mood music that makes Conservatives

:05:36.:05:40.

and popular. By and large it is going to be fought on local and

:05:40.:05:45.

Welsh issues. Success in local elections often depends on the

:05:45.:05:52.

health of the party machine. How respect? It's nothing compared to

:05:52.:05:56.

what it used to be. This is what the Conservatives discovered in the

:05:56.:06:00.

1990s. These days, most parties do not have Ward by ward organisations,

:06:00.:06:05.

they just have constituency level organisations. You are very

:06:05.:06:09.

dependent on councillors. Their networks, family networks, the

:06:09.:06:13.

networks of friends, to come out and do the work. Once you lose a

:06:13.:06:18.

council seat it can be difficult to get it back. Someone else has been

:06:18.:06:22.

in there, working award, when you haven't had the local organisation

:06:22.:06:26.

to challenge that person. What I think Labour will be looking to do

:06:26.:06:31.

is to regain state control of some of the Bali councils. Quite frankly,

:06:31.:06:35.

we were amazed when they lost some of those places. There will be

:06:35.:06:38.

looking for state control and hoping to get back into a position

:06:38.:06:42.

in places like Cardiff, for instance, where they might be the

:06:42.:06:47.

largest party and might be able to do deals with other parties. There

:06:47.:06:51.

was a time not that long ago when Labour controlled or of the really

:06:52.:06:54.

big councils in Wales. They controlled Cardiff, Swansea,

:06:55.:07:00.

Newport, Wrexham. I don't think that the Labour tide will advance

:07:00.:07:05.

far enough for them to take outright control in those sorts of

:07:05.:07:12.

the authorities, with maybe one exception. In case you think you

:07:12.:07:16.

are missing something, you are not. Housekeeping is going on at the

:07:16.:07:22.

moment and Carwyn Jones's speech is rather delayed. I wonder how much

:07:22.:07:32.
:07:32.:07:33.

momentum is building behind Labour. We have seen Carwyn Jones securing

:07:33.:07:39.

that power referendum. We have seen Labour agonisingly close to a clear

:07:39.:07:44.

majority in the assembly. As the tide turned in their favour? If you

:07:44.:07:53.

look at that, they only got up 10% on the previous elections. Because

:07:53.:07:58.

of the assembly set-up it brought them about half the seats, just

:07:58.:08:02.

about enough to form a government. If they only got 39% in local

:08:02.:08:07.

elections, I don't think it would take them very far. It depends

:08:07.:08:10.

where those votes were, how they were scattered throughout Wales. I

:08:10.:08:15.

think they would be to get more than that 39%. I don't really see

:08:15.:08:19.

any great Sime now that Labour are more popular than they were at the

:08:19.:08:23.

time of the assembly elections. That 39% is roughly the percentage

:08:23.:08:27.

at which they are pony nationally at the moment. That does lead one

:08:27.:08:32.

to believe that they might not further their cause in these local

:08:32.:08:36.

elections compared to what they did back in May? I think that is right.

:08:36.:08:41.

If they did as well as last May, that would bring them gains. That

:08:41.:08:46.

percentage was well up on what they got in the local elections. That is

:08:46.:08:52.

the pattern that we are looking at. Labour are deliberately trying to

:08:52.:08:57.

manage expectations. They don't want an expectation to arise, where

:08:57.:09:02.

to fail to take Cardiff, for instance, would be seen as a

:09:02.:09:06.

failure. They will want to. Bogota solid progress. They are looking to

:09:06.:09:10.

rebuild the local party machines, make a bit of progress, getting to

:09:10.:09:13.

control in a few council chambers. They will be happy with that but it

:09:13.:09:17.

will not be easy. This conference is as much about inspiring the

:09:17.:09:21.

workers here to go back and do the work on the ground as it is about

:09:21.:09:25.

portraying the wider message to the wider electorate. One local issues,

:09:25.:09:30.

we know that councils are facing very tight financial settlements at

:09:30.:09:35.

the moment. There will be services and many councils that will be cut.

:09:35.:09:39.

Some of them are regarding health. There is severe backlash from

:09:39.:09:45.

voters when health services are cut. Will that play a bit part in this

:09:45.:09:49.

campaign? That's very interesting. Health is something that is run by

:09:49.:09:52.

the Welsh government. The Welsh government will carry the can for

:09:52.:09:56.

that to an extent. They will blame the amount of money coming down the

:09:56.:10:01.

M4 from Westminster. What is more interesting is the services that

:10:01.:10:05.

are run by councils that are being cut. Who is going to get the blame

:10:05.:10:09.

for that? Say your local library is going to close, do you blame the

:10:10.:10:14.

local council, that might be controlled by independents, or the

:10:14.:10:18.

Labour government in Cardiff Bay or the Westminster government, which

:10:18.:10:21.

involves the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats? An awful lot of

:10:21.:10:26.

campaigning is going to be precise Iran that question. Parties

:10:26.:10:31.

planning -- precisely around that question, parties pinning the blame

:10:31.:10:34.

one thing is they don't control. If you are in control of the Council,

:10:34.:10:39.

you will blame Cardiff Bay. If you are in control of Cardiff Bay, you

:10:39.:10:44.

might blame the council or Westminster. We will cross over now,

:10:44.:10:53.

Shortly we are going to hear from the First Minister and the Labour

:10:53.:10:58.

leader in Wales Carwyn Jones. In the meantime, we will hand over to

:10:58.:11:03.

John Stephenson. As you say, Carwyn Jones will be on

:11:03.:11:08.

the platform addressing the Labour conference. We have just seen a

:11:08.:11:13.

number of awards being given to outstanding campaigning and

:11:13.:11:18.

outstanding fund-raising. These are the sort of thing this are the meat

:11:18.:11:25.

of any party, the work done by activists Land Party supporters at

:11:25.:11:28.

grassroots level. Without them, in many ways, there would not be any

:11:28.:11:36.

political party. The person on the podium at the moment is the chair

:11:36.:11:42.

of the Swansea Labour students' group. She is also an election

:11:42.:11:48.

candidate in the impending elections. Real people that roll up

:11:48.:11:51.

their sleeves and get out on the doorstep with us. We are not

:11:51.:11:55.

separated by a television screen and they did not live in ivory

:11:55.:11:58.

towers. There is nothing more inspiring than hearing

:11:58.:12:01.

representatives speak to people on the street and being reminded why

:12:01.:12:05.

you did not mind canvassing in the rain, delivering those last 500

:12:06.:12:12.

leaflets in the freezing cold. People like this, people who are

:12:12.:12:17.

there to stuff envelopes, march up and down the streets. We do it

:12:17.:12:24.

because we want a Labour government. And we have done it. As the only

:12:24.:12:27.

Labour administration in the United Kingdom, Welsh Labour have become a

:12:27.:12:31.

beacon of hope for our party. We have seen how David Cameron has

:12:31.:12:37.

tried to deflect attention on to Wales as his own disastrous health

:12:37.:12:41.

reforms have unravelled. But the Tories are wrought on the NHS, just

:12:41.:12:46.

like they were wrong on tuition fees, EMA, just like they were

:12:46.:12:50.

wrong on scrapping the future jobs fund. When I was asked to speak

:12:50.:12:55.

today and did not know where to start. But I knew I wanted to say

:12:55.:12:59.

thank you. Thank you for keeping our NHS intact so that young people

:12:59.:13:03.

can still have access to an excellent health service that

:13:03.:13:09.

provides them with the help, guidance that they need, and, of

:13:09.:13:13.

course, free prescriptions. Plenty for addressing the serious issues

:13:13.:13:17.

surrounding youth unemployment, the Welsh jobs fund is helping our

:13:17.:13:20.

young people, regardless of whether they are students or graduates, to

:13:20.:13:27.

gain new skills through experience and print ships. And thank you, we

:13:28.:13:31.

were right on tuition fees and EMA. Thank you for allowing Welsh

:13:31.:13:35.

students to study where they choose, regardless of potential financial

:13:35.:13:40.

restrictions. That before realising that education is not a privilege,

:13:40.:13:46.

it is a choice that should be made regardless of gender, race or class.

:13:46.:13:50.

We know you work hard and we just ask that you never stop listening

:13:50.:13:54.

to people like me. Thank you for giving us a few minutes of your

:13:54.:14:02.

time at an hour Welsh Labour youth and student conference in January.

:14:02.:14:08.

Just before Carwyn Jones comes on I would like to introduce a short

:14:08.:14:17.

That's going to be a party political broadcast by the Labour

:14:17.:14:23.

Party. In the meantime, after those elections in 2008, Roger Morgan,

:14:23.:14:27.

the former First Minister, came out and said that Labour took a

:14:27.:14:32.

building. Paul Murphy said that Labour had to redouble its efforts.

:14:32.:14:38.

In what way do you think Labour has made more effort this time round?

:14:38.:14:42.

What happened to Labour last time, if you talk to the candidates that

:14:42.:14:45.

lost, they said they were going from door to door and they were

:14:45.:14:49.

just getting it in the neck about the Labour government in

:14:49.:14:53.

Westminster. That is what happened to them. There was no great mystery

:14:53.:15:01.

about it. It was issues like Iraq that was going on at the time. You

:15:01.:15:04.

had the whole question of politicians in Westminster in

:15:04.:15:09.

particular, with expenses. You know, the climate is better. It's nothing

:15:09.:15:14.

really to do with what the party has done, apart from the fact that

:15:14.:15:18.

they managed to lose the last General Election. We also had a

:15:18.:15:22.

issue about the 10 pence tax rate, the beginning of the banking crisis.

:15:22.:15:28.

So, one could argue that there were legitimate excuses for Labour's

:15:28.:15:33.

failings in 2008. Are we right now to think that it can be a no

:15:33.:15:39.

excuses culture this time? Well, from Labour's point of view, they

:15:39.:15:42.

have an advantage of not being in power in most of those council

:15:42.:15:47.

areas. The local council does not reflect on them. They have not been

:15:47.:15:52.

in power in Westminster. Whether they have yet won the confidence of

:15:52.:15:57.

voters in local elections, I don't know. P will have got long memories.

:15:57.:16:01.

They have also got used to local councils that are a lot more

:16:01.:16:06.

pluralistic. The big story, if you remember, one of the big stories

:16:07.:16:10.

from the last local elections, it was the re-emergence of

:16:10.:16:13.

independence in it and Wales. It had never disappeared in rural

:16:14.:16:17.

Wales, it had always been there. Particularly in the South Wales

:16:17.:16:26.

valleys, we have whole raft of new independent candidates, people like

:16:26.:16:30.

People's Voice, independence in other areas, they made huge gains.

:16:31.:16:35.

I don't see any reason why that phenomena should disappear. It

:16:35.:16:39.

might recede a bit, Labour might take some of the independent wards

:16:39.:16:44.

in places like Merthyr Tydfil, but I cannot see them taking them all.

:16:44.:16:50.

I think the era, and it is not that long ago, when Labour held a 95% of

:16:50.:16:54.

the seats in some councils, it is not going to return. Good timing.

:16:54.:17:00.

Carwyn Jones is getting to his feet. He is now walking to the platform

:17:00.:17:05.

to the ovation of the crowd. We will join the First Minister and

:17:05.:17:15.
:17:15.:17:20.

leader of Welsh Labour for his Well, chair, conference, thank you

:17:20.:17:28.

very much for that will come. It is great to see so many familiar faces

:17:28.:17:31.

and people back on you to the conference here in Cardiff. It is

:17:31.:17:34.

the first time we have held the conference here in the stadium.

:17:34.:17:39.

It's great to see that we are holding a conference on the verge

:17:39.:17:45.

of another Grand Slam. I had to say, I was in Ireland for the game. I

:17:45.:17:49.

cheered Wales's three tries. I was the only person in that section of

:17:49.:17:55.

the crowd that did, but I did survive to tell the tale. In Ed's

:17:55.:17:59.

fine speech he made reference to the game. I think he was very

:17:59.:18:08.

diplomatic. I am less so, I want Wales to win on Saturday. In

:18:08.:18:12.

welcoming everyone to Cardiff, can I just say that there is a

:18:12.:18:18.

tremendous buzz around the conference this weekend. Since we

:18:18.:18:22.

met last February in Llandudno it has been an extraordinary year.

:18:22.:18:26.

That buzz is understandable. It is there not just for the party but

:18:26.:18:32.

for Wales as a whole. 12 months ago we stood on the verge of holding a

:18:32.:18:36.

referendum to have more war making powers for our assembly. 12 months

:18:36.:18:43.

ago, simultaneously, in fact, we were preparing for the assembly

:18:43.:18:47.

that would follow that referendum. We can be proud of what we achieved

:18:48.:18:53.

in both. Firstly, the referendum. When you think back to 1997 when

:18:53.:18:59.

the "yes" vote squeaked home by a margin of victory that was so small,

:18:59.:19:02.

last March bore no comparison to that previous vote. It showed

:19:02.:19:06.

clearly how far Wales have travelled in 12 relatively short

:19:06.:19:09.

years. From the first faltering steps of the early days of

:19:10.:19:14.

devolution, Wales not only gave a massive thumbs-up to having its own

:19:14.:19:18.

assembly, it also embraced overwhelmingly, across the land,

:19:18.:19:24.

the principle of having our Rome fully fledged legislative -- our

:19:24.:19:28.

own fully-fledged legislative power. Wales said clearly that it wanted

:19:28.:19:32.

an assembly that could make its own laws in the interests of all people

:19:32.:19:36.

in the country. We now have the power to make our own decisions.

:19:36.:19:40.

What a difference in just over a decade. On that day of the

:19:40.:19:43.

referendum result that was the day an old nation came of age. Do you

:19:43.:19:47.

know, as a party, we should not underplay what we achieved last

:19:47.:19:52.

March. This party played a central role in securing that "yes" vote,

:19:52.:19:57.

as did our friends in the Welsh trade union movement. We can all be

:19:57.:20:02.

proud of what we achieved. No sooner had the polls closed last

:20:02.:20:10.

month, were weak straight into the election campaign. It's fair to say

:20:10.:20:14.

that ADS vote gave a huge boost to morale and it was a true

:20:14.:20:17.

springboard for what we would achieve over the coming days and

:20:17.:20:22.

weeks. The elections to the assembly on 5th May last year gave

:20:22.:20:27.

our party the best ever result since devolution in 1999.

:20:27.:20:33.

Colleagues, there can be no greater achievement for a political party

:20:33.:20:35.

than to secured the support and endorsement of the people. There

:20:35.:20:40.

can be no greater honour for this party than to serve the Welsh

:20:40.:20:45.

people. To be entrusted by their hopes, their aspirations and

:20:45.:20:50.

ambitions. The people of Wales put their trust in my colleagues. I

:20:50.:20:56.

pledge again today that we will not let them down. As you know,

:20:56.:21:01.

elections are not just won one words and promises, it takes great

:21:01.:21:04.

organisation and campaigning skills to make the difference. For a start,

:21:05.:21:09.

we have a team of superb candidates who took our vision to the

:21:09.:21:14.

doorsteps of Wales with real gusto. Many of those candidates find

:21:14.:21:24.
:21:24.:21:32.

themselves as Assembly Members. I would like to say a special thank

:21:32.:21:42.

you to Dave and his team. Well done, all of you. Could I also thank Paul

:21:42.:21:51.

O'Shea for his work as chair, and his contribution to the party and

:21:51.:21:59.

Unison. For all you have done, thank you, Paul. But there was

:21:59.:22:05.

another reason why we won the election last May - our manifesto.

:22:05.:22:12.

Our manifesto was the most comprehensive set of policies put

:22:12.:22:16.

before the people of Wales by any political party. 12 months ago I

:22:17.:22:22.

made promises to you, promises about our principles, about what we

:22:22.:22:27.

stand for as members of this great party of hours. I spoke about how

:22:27.:22:31.

we would not accept another lost generation of young people without

:22:31.:22:36.

work. I spoke of how unlike the Tories in England we would fend for

:22:36.:22:42.

the NHS. I spoke of how we would make our community safer, and I

:22:42.:22:47.

spoke of how we would invest in the future of our children. The awful

:22:47.:22:51.

we made to our people at that conference was, if they placed

:22:51.:22:56.

their trust in us on polling day, we would repay them by standing up

:22:56.:23:01.

for Wales. I am proud to say, that is exactly what we are doing on a

:23:01.:23:06.

daily basis. Conference, we now need to take that momentum and

:23:06.:23:10.

vision into the next fight, the local elections in a couple of

:23:10.:23:15.

months. As we continue to stand up for Wales in both of the assembly

:23:15.:23:21.

and at Westminster, Thursday third May will give us the opportunity to

:23:21.:23:27.

restate that pledge at a local level. On your local council, in

:23:27.:23:33.

your local communities. I know, having met councillors from those

:23:33.:23:43.

local authorities, that there is a real desire to take Welsh Labour to

:23:43.:23:47.

the doorsteps, but we are not complacent. We have to fight for

:23:47.:23:53.

every single vote. The spirit and enthusiasm across Wales is

:23:53.:23:57.

infectious and it is unprecedented in my experience. We have a great

:23:57.:24:02.

chance to do well in May, and today I would like to thank Peter Hain

:24:02.:24:06.

for chairing the strategy group that is the engine room of our

:24:06.:24:12.

campaign. Peter, you are doing a great job. Thank you.

:24:12.:24:22.
:24:22.:24:22.

Colleagues, we have always prided ourselves on being a compassionate

:24:22.:24:28.

party, so let's collectively dig deep, both financially and

:24:28.:24:34.

emotionally this weekend, and spare a thought for our friends in the

:24:34.:24:41.

Welsh Tory party. As you know, it has been a less than auspicious

:24:41.:24:45.

start in 2012 for the Tories, and especially for their new leader in

:24:45.:24:55.

Wales. Cheryl Gillan, we are told, finds him irritating. Out of the

:24:55.:24:59.

blue, if you pardon the pun, came the news they had cancelled their

:24:59.:25:09.
:25:09.:25:11.

annual conference due to lack of funding. No -- nothing pulls on my

:25:11.:25:15.

heartstrings more than watching them have to cancel their

:25:15.:25:19.

conference by the seaside. Do you think we should start an appeal to

:25:19.:25:25.

help save the Welsh Tories? Comrades, giving it is easy. Just

:25:25.:25:35.
:25:35.:25:35.

remember to make your cheques out to Lord Michael Ashcroft.

:25:35.:25:44.

We might laugh, but in reality there is nothing remotely funny

:25:44.:25:47.

about the Tory party. Their approach in dealing with the

:25:47.:25:52.

economic downturn means the UK now has the highest unemployment for 17

:25:52.:25:58.

years. Presumably a price worth paying again. They are decimating

:25:58.:26:04.

the NHS in England, opening it up to profit-making private firms,

:26:04.:26:06.

despite the groundswell of opposition from the very doctors

:26:06.:26:12.

and nurses who work tirelessly to make sure the quality service is

:26:12.:26:16.

free at the point of delivery. Their intent on proposing savage

:26:16.:26:21.

cuts, which will destroy people's services, their jobs and their

:26:21.:26:28.

lives, and now we see the Tories' latest stunt. They want to impose

:26:29.:26:34.

regional pay settlements on Wales. We know where that roamed Leeds -

:26:34.:26:40.

it needs to pay cuts for Welsh workers. I have a message for the

:26:40.:26:45.

Tory Lib Dem coalition. A simple message. In Wales, we will fight

:26:45.:26:55.
:26:55.:26:59.

your plans to destroy people's livelihoods.

:26:59.:27:03.

But there is one thing you can say about the Tories, they are

:27:03.:27:07.

consistent. Wanting to cut the benefits of cancer sufferers is

:27:07.:27:13.

consistent with the Tory party we remember. Because let's be under no

:27:13.:27:17.

illusion, the nasty party are not back, the nasty party never went

:27:17.:27:25.

away. What of the Conservative leader in the assembly? It hasn't

:27:25.:27:33.

taken long to work out that when Cheryl says "Andrew, John" He says

:27:33.:27:40.

how high? He rolls over and does as he is told. So what about Plaid

:27:40.:27:45.

Cymru? By common consent, they are in a deep trough of the Rome making.

:27:45.:27:51.

Is it any surprise they are now the third party in world politics? In

:27:51.:27:55.

the elections, voters came home to Labour because they identified with

:27:55.:27:59.

our promise to stand up for Wales. Perhaps in the past we have been

:27:59.:28:04.

too reticent in reminding people that Labour is the only true party

:28:04.:28:09.

of Wales. No more, things have changed. Since last year's election,

:28:09.:28:14.

Plaid Cymru has put on the mantle of a protest route. They are in

:28:14.:28:19.

their comfort zone when they are waving placards, but there are

:28:19.:28:24.

voters surely expect and deserve better. During difficult times,

:28:24.:28:29.

they want leadership from their politicians, not protests. You

:28:29.:28:33.

can't negotiate a fair deal for Wales with a placard in your hand.

:28:33.:28:37.

You don't get investment in big projects found with a megaphone,

:28:37.:28:42.

you do it through leadership and persuasion, through making Wales'

:28:42.:28:51.

case robustly and clearly. In their recent internal review, they

:28:51.:28:56.

themselves recognised they have lost ground to us. No other party

:28:56.:29:00.

has a better record on the Welsh language than Labour, and I believe

:29:00.:29:10.
:29:10.:29:12.

it is time to remind people of that. Whilst Plaid Cymru wrestle with the

:29:12.:29:18.

notion of creating an English name for themselves, we have established

:29:18.:29:22.

Wales' first ever Welsh-language commissioner, and next month a new

:29:23.:29:26.

Welsh language strategy will be launched. Bolder than anything that

:29:26.:29:31.

has come before. It will recognise that, for many families, Welsh is

:29:31.:29:38.

no longer simply the language of the hearth, but of the social

:29:38.:29:43.

network as well. Labour, standing up for our language and communities

:29:43.:29:47.

the length and breadth of the country. Today, I say this to

:29:47.:29:51.

people who are not card-carrying members of Plaid Cymru but who have

:29:51.:29:56.

supported them in the past. If you believe in Wales, if you believe

:29:56.:30:00.

there can build a stronger nation, we can forge a better path best

:30:00.:30:06.

suited to our people, then Welsh Labour is your party. If you voted

:30:06.:30:11.

Plaid Cymru, believing them when they said they would speak up for

:30:11.:30:15.

Wales, only finding them to rule out a coalition deal with the

:30:15.:30:20.

Tories, then Welsh Labour is your party. If you believe that quality

:30:20.:30:26.

Welsh jobs, good education in Welsh schools, and making sure we have

:30:26.:30:30.

vibrant communities in Wales are more important than constitutional

:30:30.:30:34.

navel-gazing, then Welsh Labour is your party. If you voted Plaid

:30:34.:30:40.

Cymru, but you know as I do that independence is bad for Wales, then

:30:40.:30:48.

Welsh Labour is your party. TRANSLATION: If you believe in

:30:48.:30:53.

Wales, in working together, that we can build a stronger nation, take

:30:53.:30:59.

decisions together and a creative path to the future for our people,

:30:59.:31:03.

Welsh Labour is your party. If you supported Plaid Cymru after

:31:03.:31:06.

believing when they said they would stand up for the corner of Wales,

:31:06.:31:10.

only then to say they were willing to work with the Tories, then Welsh

:31:10.:31:15.

Labour is your party. If you believe that good quality jobs,

:31:15.:31:20.

good education in the schools of Wales, and making sure there are

:31:20.:31:23.

vibrant communities in Wales are more important than talking about

:31:23.:31:29.

the constitution, was Labour is your party. If you support to Plaid

:31:29.:31:33.

Cymru but you know full well like I do that independence would be bad

:31:33.:31:38.

for Wales, then Welsh Labour is your party.

:31:38.:31:43.

What about the Lib Dems? What about them? It is interesting to see them

:31:43.:31:48.

scurrying about, jumping on every passing bandwagon at the moment,

:31:48.:31:54.

acting holier than thou. They are desperately trying to detoxify

:31:54.:31:58.

themselves ahead of the elections in May. If you listen hard, you can

:31:58.:32:03.

hear the fear filling the corridors of Cardiff City Hall, but it is too

:32:03.:32:07.

late for them to reverse the damage of the last two years. The

:32:07.:32:11.

political reality is that lay have propped up the nasty party am they

:32:11.:32:19.

are about to suffer the consequences of the local level.

:32:19.:32:29.
:32:29.:32:30.

Despite their attempts to distance themselves from the Tories, Welsh

:32:30.:32:36.

people are far too savvy to be conned by the leaflet that drops

:32:36.:32:40.

through their letterbox. The Lib Dems are as guilty and responsible

:32:40.:32:44.

as the Tories for wanting to cut the benefits of the most honourable

:32:44.:32:49.

people in Wales. They are as guilty and responsible as the Tories for

:32:49.:32:53.

the closure of the Newport Passport Office. The Lib Dems are as guilty

:32:53.:32:59.

and responsible for the closure of the Swansea coastguard station. The

:32:59.:33:03.

Lib Dems are as guilty and responsible as the Tories for not

:33:03.:33:08.

already having delivered on rail electrification to Swansea. The

:33:08.:33:13.

fact is that both the Tories and Lib Dems have let Wales down, and

:33:13.:33:23.
:33:23.:33:29.

in May they will both get their Last May, we won fourth term

:33:29.:33:34.

because we showed people that we have the ideas, the vision and

:33:34.:33:39.

drive to create a better Wales for our people and their families. We

:33:39.:33:43.

pledged we would show them as an alternative to the destructive path

:33:43.:33:53.

being followed by the coalition over the order. We showed Welsh

:33:53.:33:57.

people would stand up for the services they depend on. This was

:33:57.:34:02.

not just rhetoric, we can show there is another way. Let's take

:34:02.:34:09.

the examples of the health service and the economy. We all know and we

:34:09.:34:14.

cherish the bond between this party and the NHS. The fact is that no

:34:14.:34:18.

other political party will have had the vision nor the will to create

:34:18.:34:23.

it. Over the course of the last 66 years, the NHS has seen many

:34:23.:34:28.

changes. One of its strengths has been its ability to adapt and

:34:28.:34:34.

modernise. Satisfaction levels for the NHS are so high because it

:34:34.:34:39.

delivers for the here and now, not for 20 years ago, and that is one

:34:39.:34:42.

reason why it holds such a unique place in the hearts of people

:34:42.:34:47.

everywhere. But staying relevant and modern is only one part of the

:34:47.:34:51.

equation when it comes to explaining the longevity of our

:34:51.:34:55.

health service. There was another part of the equation that is

:34:55.:35:00.

equally important, yet too often overlooked. I am talking about the

:35:00.:35:08.

NHS staff, the dedication of the porters, nurses, cleaners, and the

:35:08.:35:12.

other professions, all playing their part in making sure the best

:35:12.:35:17.

care is possible for the patients. It is there care that makes the NHS

:35:17.:35:22.

happen, it is them that keeps the NHS going, and that is why we

:35:22.:35:32.
:35:32.:35:36.

salute them today. And yet, in the face of the efforts of these

:35:36.:35:40.

dedicated staff, in the face of massive public concern, in the face

:35:40.:35:46.

of rumblings of discontent within the UK cabinet even, the coalition

:35:46.:35:50.

are relentlessly bulldozing ahead with their plans for NHS reforms in

:35:50.:35:56.

England. Let me state, for the avoidance of doubt, that I strongly

:35:56.:36:01.

believe inaccessible, high quality, Citizen cent of services for

:36:01.:36:09.

everyone, not choice for the few. Publicly funded, publicly provided

:36:09.:36:19.
:36:19.:36:20.

and freed at the point of delivery. -- free. We want to see good GP

:36:20.:36:25.

services across Wales with improved access for working people. We are

:36:25.:36:29.

making sure there is better care for people in their communities. We

:36:29.:36:33.

want world-class centres of excellence for specialised services

:36:33.:36:40.

such as cancer, strokes, or heart attacks. We are putting improving

:36:40.:36:44.

the health and preventing illness at the heart of what we do. We

:36:45.:36:49.

insist that the elderly are treated with dignity. Conference, unlike

:36:49.:36:55.

the Tories, we will not dismantle the NHS. We will not privatise the

:36:55.:36:59.

NHS. We make the pledge that the people of Wales, the forces of

:36:59.:37:09.
:37:09.:37:13.

market -- privatisation of the NHS will stop at the border.

:37:13.:37:23.
:37:23.:37:24.

But let's be clear, we know we have challenges of our own in Wales when

:37:24.:37:30.

it comes to health. If the NHS in Wales is to continue receiving the

:37:30.:37:34.

support of patients and public, it has to continue changing and

:37:34.:37:39.

improving. But that change must be informed by our NHS professionals,

:37:39.:37:44.

the people who know how to deliver a safe high quality treatment as

:37:44.:37:48.

close to where people live as possible. They are the people

:37:48.:37:52.

making life and death decisions, the ones who carry the can

:37:52.:37:57.

professionally when things go awry. It is those people that we have to

:37:57.:38:00.

listen to when it comes to delivering safe and improved health

:38:00.:38:08.

care across Wales. TRANSLATION: In order to keep public confidence,

:38:08.:38:12.

the NHS has to continue to change. These changes should be led by the

:38:12.:38:18.

professionals who make those extremely critical decisions in

:38:18.:38:23.

relation to people's care from day today. I want to see excellent

:38:23.:38:27.

services that are as close to people as possible.

:38:27.:38:37.
:38:37.:38:40.

We hear the shame we -- shameless opportunism, when no decisions have

:38:40.:38:45.

been made. But if ever we need proof we are taking the NHS in the

:38:45.:38:48.

right direction in Wales, we only have to look at what is happening

:38:48.:38:53.

in England. If that is not enough, take the word of eight out of 10

:38:53.:38:57.

Welsh GPs, who say they would much rather be working in Wales than

:38:57.:39:07.
:39:07.:39:12.

England, according to the BMA. The reason is that 82% of doctors that

:39:12.:39:17.

responded. I think the chairman of BMA Wales was right when he said

:39:17.:39:20.

doctors in Wales remain loyal to the principles set out for the NHS

:39:20.:39:25.

by Nye Bevan. He went on saying consecutive governments have

:39:25.:39:28.

diminished the role of the private sector from the NHS and the

:39:28.:39:34.

purchase of providers no longer offered. This was the right

:39:34.:39:39.

decision for doctors and patients. What the Tories and their Lib Dem

:39:39.:39:45.

accomplices are doing to the NHS in Wales is ideologically driven. Why

:39:45.:39:49.

can't they find it in themselves to have the humility to say we got it

:39:49.:39:55.

wrong. The more I read about their wretched health and social care

:39:55.:39:59.

bill, the more it reminds me of the Dead Parrot sketch from Monty

:39:59.:40:04.

Python. Any day now, I half expect Andrew Lansley to declare this bill

:40:05.:40:12.

is not dead, it is just pining for the fjords! We can be proud, we are

:40:12.:40:16.

showing them is an alternative to what they are offering when it

:40:16.:40:20.

comes to health. The NHS was made by Labour and it is safe with

:40:20.:40:30.
:40:30.:40:36.

Labour. When it comes to the economy and the jobs market, we

:40:36.:40:41.

know people are facing tough times on so many different levels. In

:40:41.:40:45.

Wales we don't possess all the economic levers that control our

:40:45.:40:52.

economy, but since reformed the Welsh government last May, we have

:40:52.:40:58.

taken steps to shore up the economy from the downturn. We have been

:40:58.:41:01.

seeing what project can be brought forward to support the Welsh

:41:01.:41:05.

economy at this crucial juncture. I am proud to say the action we have

:41:05.:41:10.

taken is not just about the here and now, but in many instances the

:41:10.:41:14.

initiatives we have set will help Wales in years to come as well.

:41:14.:41:23.

Actions like our �55 million package, vital in creating

:41:23.:41:26.

opportunities for entrepreneurs. Our �30 million scheme that will

:41:26.:41:30.

support the creation of 3000 jobs and make sure the businesses and

:41:30.:41:34.

workers of Wales who are best placed to grow the economy will get

:41:34.:41:39.

the support they need. Our �32 million package to stimulate the

:41:39.:41:44.

economy, giving resources to the young recruit programme, as well as

:41:44.:41:48.

investment in schools and social housing, in addition to bringing

:41:48.:41:51.

forward �90 million of capital funding for projects across the

:41:51.:41:59.

country, along with �170 million of investment in road improvements

:41:59.:42:03.

over the next three-year us. Why have we acted so quickly to develop

:42:03.:42:11.

new programmes? I will tell you why. It is because of the membership

:42:11.:42:15.

cards in your pocket. It is because we are Labour and remained true to

:42:15.:42:21.

Labour values. Our values demand that, when faced with the big

:42:21.:42:25.

challenge is in society, we meet those challenges head-on.

:42:25.:42:30.

Conference, in the whole history of British politics, there has never

:42:30.:42:37.

been a Labour government that has looked upon inequality and

:42:37.:42:41.

injustice and at the broken lives of the worst off and thought "let

:42:41.:42:47.

the market sort it out" And that remains the Great dividing line in

:42:47.:42:50.

British politics. That is the dividing line in the assembly as

:42:50.:42:54.

well. The choice between the Welsh Labour government on the side of

:42:54.:42:58.

the people and the opposition parties making plenty of noise, but

:42:58.:43:03.

with no ideas of their own. We won't be derailed by their attacks

:43:03.:43:06.

because they are hollow, and listening to them would have been a

:43:06.:43:16.

replication of the hand-wringing we Conference, where we see wrongs in

:43:16.:43:26.
:43:26.:43:31.

our society, we will intervene to Where the economy is weak or

:43:31.:43:34.

stumbles, we will support businesses and workers to stimulate

:43:34.:43:39.

growth. We do these things without apology. Unlike the Conservatives,

:43:39.:43:45.

who believe that politics is a game of chance, we believe in government

:43:45.:43:50.

as a force of good. We promised last May to stand up for the people

:43:50.:43:54.

of Wales against the worst excesses of this Tory government. And that

:43:54.:44:00.

is just what we're doing. Welsh Labour, standing up for Wales.

:44:00.:44:04.

Conference, when I spoke to you in Llandudno last year and told you we

:44:04.:44:08.

would take action to prevent another lost generation of young

:44:08.:44:13.

people, I meant it. Since devolution, fewer young people

:44:14.:44:19.

leave school without of occasions. More go on into third and higher

:44:19.:44:22.

education. More young people are fulfilling their potential. Few are

:44:22.:44:29.

being told, you cannot do this, aim lower. But we know there is more to

:44:29.:44:35.

do. That is why I became the debt and made education a priority,

:44:35.:44:38.

promising them that we would deliver millions more for our

:44:38.:44:48.
:44:48.:44:50.

schools in Wales. And we have done We promised that we would fill the

:44:50.:44:54.

void left behind by the Tory decision to break their promise and

:44:54.:45:01.

axe the future jobs fund. We have done that, with the creation of the

:45:01.:45:05.

jobs growth Wales programme, �75 million a year to give 4000 young

:45:06.:45:10.

people a chance to succeed, an out- and-out Welsh Labour designed made

:45:10.:45:14.

in Wales submission to the mess that the Tories left behind.

:45:14.:45:19.

Conference, never forget that means 4000 young people who are the

:45:20.:45:26.

Tories would have abandoned that will now get our help. Too often,

:45:26.:45:30.

sometimes, we hear the phrase sustainable development and we

:45:30.:45:34.

think of the environmental agenda. Important as that is, I tell you

:45:34.:45:39.

now that it is time to unlearn that way of thinking. These are the

:45:39.:45:41.

watchwords that will underpin all of the decisions that this

:45:41.:45:46.

government makes an office. The economy is central to that. That

:45:46.:45:49.

means our economic approach will not just be about weathering the

:45:49.:45:53.

current storm, although that remains a priority, but our daily

:45:53.:45:56.

decisions will be made in line with delivering a sustainable economy

:45:56.:46:02.

that delivers for our children a legacy that will outlive us all.

:46:02.:46:07.

That is what I mean by ambition. Not just to govern for today, but

:46:07.:46:12.

for tomorrow as well. That is why we have a renewed focus on

:46:12.:46:17.

education in schools. That is why we are not interested in the siren

:46:17.:46:21.

calls of regional pay, low corporation tax and the race to the

:46:21.:46:28.

bottom that would involve. No, it means instead a stronger focus on

:46:28.:46:32.

supporting the skills base of those in work and seeking work.

:46:32.:46:36.

Supporting indigenous small businesses, infrastructure and

:46:36.:46:40.

anchor companies. These are the building blocks of a sustainable

:46:40.:46:43.

Welsh economy. This is where the Welsh Labour government will target

:46:43.:46:50.

our efforts. Standing up for the people of Wales is important.

:46:50.:46:55.

Showing that there is another way to protect our people doing these

:46:55.:46:59.

difficult -- during these difficult times. We have to accept that

:46:59.:47:04.

Labour in Wales is in a unique position. We are able to show

:47:04.:47:10.

colleagues in other parts of the UK that with ideas, vision and to a

:47:10.:47:14.

determination to protect our most vulnerable, Labour can win. We are

:47:14.:47:17.

able to prove to the public in other parts of the UK that Labour

:47:17.:47:21.

is still fighting for their man still defending them. Labour is of

:47:21.:47:27.

their side. Because of devolution, we can let people compare the Welsh

:47:27.:47:32.

Labour way or fairness, social justice. A more progressive way to

:47:32.:47:36.

that approach taken by the Tories and Lib Dems in Westminster. As I

:47:36.:47:41.

say to you, we cannot squander this moment. We have to seize it for it

:47:41.:47:46.

is worth. Because of Welsh Labour in government must not just be

:47:46.:47:50.

about managing the country. It has to be about offering an alternative

:47:50.:47:53.

vision for ordinary people. Those people who lie awake at night

:47:54.:47:59.

worrying about their jobs. Not about independence. Those people

:47:59.:48:04.

who want a better health service to care for their families. They don't

:48:04.:48:07.

want a privately run free for all. Those people who want a better

:48:07.:48:10.

education for their children, not an obsession with so-called Free

:48:10.:48:17.

Schools. Conference, every week in to Senedd we hear the Welsh Tory

:48:17.:48:24.

obsession with what is happening in England. Every week in the Senedd

:48:24.:48:29.

we hear the Plaid Cymru obsession with what is happening in Scotland.

:48:29.:48:32.

Well, conference, I am going to let you into a little secret. You know

:48:32.:48:41.

what I am obsessed about? Wales and there are people of Wales. -- and

:48:41.:48:51.
:48:51.:48:53.

So, colleagues, let's take that message to the doorstep in the

:48:53.:49:00.

coming weeks. Our promise is that this party will offer inspiration,

:49:00.:49:05.

dedication and perspiration to protect our people. Colleagues,

:49:05.:49:11.

let's go out and win for Wales, win for Britain and deliver a fair,

:49:11.:49:21.
:49:21.:49:26.

prosperous future for our children. Carwyn Jones, getting a standing

:49:26.:49:33.

ovation from delegates here at the Elena Dementieva conference in the

:49:33.:49:42.

SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff. -- at the Labour part the conference. He

:49:42.:49:45.

said that Labour is a party that makes promises, and, more

:49:45.:49:52.

importantly, a party that keeps its promises. Drawing attention to the

:49:52.:49:58.

future jobs fund, the Labour answer to that in Wales. Fighting the cuts,

:49:58.:50:07.

imposed from the Conservatives in Westminster, from a Labour point of

:50:07.:50:13.

view, what the coalition parties have done. Not unsurprisingly, as

:50:13.:50:21.

in any party conference, a pop at the opposition. It guaranteed to

:50:21.:50:31.
:50:31.:50:31.

energise party supporters. He says they Aine hole and still digging.

:50:31.:50:38.

He says that Labour is the Welsh party, Plaid Cymru is seen as the

:50:38.:50:42.

Welsh-speaking party. An appeal to people who have supported Plaid

:50:42.:50:50.

Cymru in the past, people that have not been happy with what Plaid

:50:50.:50:56.

Cymru had been doing in the past. A pop at the Welsh Conservatives, and

:50:56.:51:03.

their coalition partners in de Lib Dems, saying that they can feel the

:51:03.:51:07.

fear gripping town halls. Back to you. I don't think there

:51:08.:51:12.

was a hand that was not shaken on his departure from the hall. A

:51:12.:51:16.

speech claiming there was a more progressive way compared to the

:51:16.:51:19.

route being taken by the Conservative and Lib Dem coalition

:51:19.:51:23.

government in Westminster. I am joined by Alan Jones and the

:51:23.:51:27.

minister for housing and regeneration. It was a speech

:51:28.:51:34.

heavily focused on attacking the opposition, pointing out that there

:51:34.:51:37.

were different priorities in Wales. Is that going to be the strategy,

:51:37.:51:41.

bearing in mind we are in our election year? I think we have

:51:41.:51:47.

shown we can do things differently in Wales. There is a real buzz that

:51:47.:51:51.

we need to go out there and tell people the things we have been

:51:51.:51:55.

doing over the years and the things we in tendering to protect them. I

:51:56.:51:59.

think his speech was very measured on where we are going to be between

:51:59.:52:02.

now and May 3rd. We're going to tell people what we are doing and

:52:03.:52:06.

what we want to do. That is standard for Wales. That's what we

:52:06.:52:10.

try to do every day as Assembly Members, but also as unelected

:52:10.:52:14.

representatives around the team, we are all going to be sitting from

:52:14.:52:17.

the sea -- same hymn sheet. Devolution has made a difference

:52:17.:52:21.

for Wales and we will continue to make that difference. She was

:52:21.:52:24.

mentioning what you have done over the years. People know what you did

:52:24.:52:27.

a few years back, free prescriptions, free breakfasts.

:52:27.:52:31.

People asking what you're doing at the moment, 12 months on since

:52:31.:52:36.

extra powers came into being. How have they been used? You were

:52:36.:52:40.

crying out for the tools to do the job. Some people say you have the

:52:40.:52:44.

tools but you're not doing the job. I think you heard it all in his

:52:44.:52:49.

speech. It was a speech shot through with Labour values about...

:52:49.:52:53.

Values, but not actions. He was talking about a wholly different

:52:53.:52:58.

way of approaching a full service, a different way of approaching

:52:58.:53:07.

schools and the school's policy. A completely different way of

:53:07.:53:11.

approaching the economy as well. The divergence between the Labour

:53:11.:53:15.

values and the liberal and conservative values coming out of

:53:15.:53:21.

Westminster is stark. It's always a very difficult didn't do in a

:53:21.:53:24.

leader's speech, to rally the troops, if you like, to speak to

:53:24.:53:28.

the party, but also to reach beyond it. His speech was all about what

:53:28.:53:34.

comes next. How things are going to work out in Wales through Labour

:53:34.:53:38.

values to be very different to that which is going on over the border.

:53:38.:53:41.

You are talking about values, people want action, they want to

:53:41.:53:46.

know what you have done since March of last year. Just one piece of

:53:46.:53:51.

legislation that the Welsh Labour government has actually put into

:53:51.:53:55.

motion so far. You were asking for the tools to do the job. People are

:53:55.:54:00.

saying, well, that's not really doing the job? Legislation is part

:54:00.:54:04.

of what you do in government. It's not the whole of it. Policy

:54:04.:54:07.

implementation is just as important. The implementation of that

:54:07.:54:10.

fantastic manifesto that he was talking about, the most

:54:10.:54:13.

comprehensive manifesto that has ever been put before the people of

:54:13.:54:17.

Wales. Implementing that is not just about law-making. Law-making

:54:17.:54:23.

does take time. We have a five-year term in the assembly. To make good

:54:23.:54:27.

law takes time. We will see that raft of legislation building as the

:54:27.:54:33.

Assembly term moves on. There were two main focus is for Carwyn Jones.

:54:33.:54:37.

One of them was health and the other was education. He said he had

:54:37.:54:41.

delivered on his promise to put millions extra into the school's

:54:41.:54:45.

budget. That is even though we see educational standards in Wales very

:54:45.:54:50.

low compared to other European countries. Also talking about not

:54:50.:54:53.

having the private sector involvement in the NHS in Wales,

:54:53.:54:56.

even though we still have people waiting longer than they should,

:54:56.:55:03.

according to the Welsh government, on waiting lists. Has Labour got

:55:03.:55:07.

this right in every respect? education, I think Labour has got

:55:07.:55:11.

it right. I think what we have done, what the Labour ministers have done,

:55:11.:55:14.

is that we have seen it is a need to invest and we made that

:55:14.:55:18.

investment. We may become difficult turns, turns where the Tory

:55:19.:55:23.

government in Westminster slashed capital budgets and yet Labour were

:55:23.:55:28.

able to put capital investment in. At my own constituency I have seen

:55:28.:55:31.

investment come into my own constituency in education,

:55:31.:55:36.

hopefully with a new school in the second largest town in North Wales,

:55:36.:55:41.

a new build. They have got those opportunities to learn. They have

:55:41.:55:47.

opportunities to get that started life. Not to embarrass the minister

:55:47.:55:51.

sitting onside me, we have seen money coming along for housing and

:55:51.:55:54.

regeneration. So we can do some clearing of housing to take down

:55:54.:56:01.

density of housing and give people a better standing of life. It's not

:56:01.:56:06.

just about legislation, we can make policies and enforce them. We will

:56:06.:56:11.

be looking at legislation about pensioners' fuel bills. Yes, we do

:56:11.:56:15.

have had some legislation but we can do other things as well. People

:56:15.:56:20.

are seeing the benefit, certainly in my constituency, from Labour's

:56:20.:56:23.

policies and for us standing up for Wales. That is the way we go

:56:23.:56:30.

forward. The Health Minister on Thursday announced a �90 million

:56:30.:56:35.

investment for a new accident and emergency ward. But if services are

:56:36.:56:41.

being cut, if services are being centralised, do you feel a backlash

:56:41.:56:45.

in the May election? Well, we are not saying that, we are not seen

:56:45.:56:50.

services cut. We are continuing to roll out investment. We are seeing

:56:50.:56:54.

protests across Wales from patient groups. I'm sorry to cut across,

:56:54.:56:58.

but we even saw a member of your own party campaigning to keep

:56:58.:57:04.

services at her local hospital because she fears that services

:57:04.:57:10.

will be taken away, Nia Griffith. People obviously guard their local

:57:10.:57:15.

health services and that is understandable. But the world of

:57:15.:57:20.

medicine and the world of health care is changing. The NHS has to

:57:20.:57:25.

continually evolve to meet those new challenges. Now, that can be

:57:25.:57:30.

tough. There can be tough decisions that have to be made in that regard.

:57:30.:57:40.

People should be under no allusions here. We are essentially

:57:40.:57:43.

safeguarding the vision of the NHS in Wales. Whatever happens at the

:57:43.:57:49.

end of the Assembly term, we will have taken through difficult times

:57:49.:57:53.

the NHS through this five-year period and kept it intact. Over the

:57:53.:57:57.

bordering England, that will not happen. The NHS will be

:57:57.:58:03.

progressively privatised. Can I ask you, looking back to 2008, a

:58:03.:58:07.

bruising election night for Labour at the local elections would you

:58:07.:58:12.

have lost control five councils, Paul Murphy said at that point that

:58:12.:58:21.

the party need to to redouble its efforts. In what ways do you think

:58:21.:58:24.

the party has gone further to try and make sure the ground lost will

:58:24.:58:29.

be regained this year? For me, the 2000 assembly elections I got a

:58:29.:58:37.

narrow majority. From then on, I think team Labour worked. I came

:58:37.:58:40.

back to the assembly with a 4000 majority. That's from hard work,

:58:41.:58:44.

connecting with voters. That is what we are telling local councils

:58:44.:58:49.

to do and local council camp -- candidates. Paul Murphy was right

:58:49.:58:53.

to say that we needed to redouble our efforts. We did lose touch with

:58:53.:58:57.

some of the electorates. I think he has appealed to people today to

:58:57.:59:00.

think about where their natural home is and who will support them.

:59:00.:59:04.

That is what we have been doing. Day-in, day-out, it is not a matter

:59:04.:59:08.

of turning up at elections. Those days have gone and I think we have

:59:08.:59:15.

very galvanised ourselves that every quarter. We are determined to

:59:15.:59:19.

see Labour representatives at every stage of government. Finally, we

:59:19.:59:23.

will hear from the leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband, shortly.

:59:23.:59:28.

Do you believe he will be a help or hindrance when it comes to

:59:28.:59:32.

campaigning in the May elections? Well, I think people will judge for

:59:32.:59:38.

themselves. But I think Ed Miliband, in his speech this morning, made an

:59:38.:59:43.

enormous impact on the conference here in Cardiff. A speech delivered

:59:43.:59:48.

from the heart with sincerity. Again, like Carwyn Jones's speech,

:59:48.:59:55.

shot through with Labour values. Gauging reaction to that speech

:59:55.:59:59.

from the First Minister and the lead role of Welsh Labour was James

:59:59.:00:05.

Williams. Thank you. Gauging reaction, I have gathered a few

:00:05.:00:10.

Labour members. Two Assembly Members, Julie Morgan, for Cardiff

:00:10.:00:15.

North, Councillor Chris Elmore from the Vale of Glamorgan. I'll begin

:00:15.:00:23.

with you. Carwyn Jones mentioned that Welsh Labour were offering a

:00:23.:00:26.

progressive alternative. Much was made of this throughout the

:00:26.:00:30.

conference. Do you think he really showed the progressive nature in

:00:30.:00:36.

his speech? Absolutely. He showed a clear dividing line between Welsh

:00:36.:00:39.

Labour and what is happening in Westminster. The big emphasis on

:00:39.:00:42.

the health service and the absolute commitment that there will be no

:00:42.:00:46.

market as Asian, no privatisation of the health service. That is

:00:46.:00:49.

something the people of Wales are looking for. People are wanting us

:00:49.:00:53.

to stick to progressive policies and not be influenced by the

:00:53.:00:57.

shambles happening over the border. You mentioned the NHS, not

:00:57.:01:02.

privatising. But there are other problems with the NHS in Wales. He

:01:02.:01:06.

mentioned them. It is not all rosy this side of the border? Absolutely

:01:06.:01:10.

not. An essential part of his speech is that there are challenges

:01:10.:01:14.

within the NHS. There are challenges everywhere across the UK.

:01:14.:01:17.

But we're not going to tackle those challenges by privatising of

:01:17.:01:24.

bringing in market forces. We are trying to improve the NHS and that

:01:24.:01:28.

was crucial to his speech today. He acknowledged that not everything

:01:28.:01:31.

was rosy but we have to tackle those issues. It's becoming a bit

:01:31.:01:34.

of a battleground between Cardiff and Westminster. Carwyn Jones

:01:34.:01:41.

referring to it bare. It's going to get heated question at absolutely.

:01:41.:01:46.

It shows two completely different philosophies. That is all the

:01:46.:01:51.

progressive force is in Welsh politics. We are not interested in

:01:51.:01:55.

the ideological market forces. We are interested in communities, we

:01:55.:01:58.

absolutely committed to doing the best for people. I think what

:01:58.:02:05.

Carlin said illustrated the unique position that Welsh Labour is in

:02:05.:02:08.

him standing up for the people of Wales. I think it's been a great

:02:08.:02:17.

speech. Talking about Labour values, he made much of that. Trade unions

:02:17.:02:22.

are a major part of Labour's history and present. Ed Miliband

:02:22.:02:28.

decided not to mention it. Carwyn Jones mentioned it directly. Will

:02:28.:02:31.

that become an issue for you? don't think so. I think we are

:02:31.:02:36.

clear where we stand as part of a Labour and trade union movement. Ed

:02:36.:02:39.

Miliband did talk about the history of our party in his contribution,

:02:39.:02:44.

where we come from. We're talking about the history of our party

:02:44.:02:47.

across all of the nations in the island of Britain and how we will

:02:47.:02:52.

come together as part of the Labour family today. We are clear about

:02:52.:02:56.

our relationship with trade unions, not just as part of the movement

:02:56.:03:00.

but also as friends as well. We hear from them when they are

:03:00.:03:03.

unhappy as well as getting praise when they think we are doing things

:03:03.:03:07.

right. I think it is a healthy relationship. There wasn't much

:03:07.:03:12.

praise for the other parties. He made a plea for Plaid Cymru voters.

:03:12.:03:15.

That is obviously the tactic, and he was very damaging about the

:03:16.:03:21.

Tories and Lib Dems? Debate dividing line is between Labour

:03:21.:03:24.

values and Conservative values. It is what we fought the election on

:03:24.:03:29.

just under a year ago. It's still the dividing line going forward.

:03:29.:03:33.

The Lib Dems Rooney have sold out on a UK level. That will affect

:03:33.:03:37.

them going through to next May. Plaid Cymru have real questions to

:03:37.:03:41.

answer after such an assault on people here in Wales. How is it

:03:41.:03:46.

that they became the third party in Wales behind even the Tories? Plaid

:03:46.:03:50.

Cymru members that are really progressives and want to see those

:03:50.:03:54.

values in Wales, a lot of their voters do not believe in full

:03:54.:03:58.

independence, there could be a place for them here. It's going to

:03:58.:04:00.

be interesting, a few of their candidates for the leadership

:04:00.:04:04.

election have mentioned winning round of yourselves is where they

:04:04.:04:09.

need to go forward. You are making a plea for their voters, they are

:04:09.:04:13.

making a plea for yours, who is going to win? I think we are in the

:04:13.:04:17.

much stronger position. Their election strategy is always

:04:17.:04:20.

disastrous, not least because they refused to rule out a deal with the

:04:20.:04:25.

Tories, but they never rule out their values, had they want to use

:04:25.:04:30.

the powers and policies. They could never do that. That refusal is

:04:30.:04:37.

still there. Going back into the really dangerous. Most people don't

:04:37.:04:39.

think about independence. They think about their family, their job

:04:39.:04:42.

and their future. That is where we are and that is where our

:04:42.:04:50.

priorities are. Carwyn Jones also mentioned momentum, having the best

:04:50.:04:54.

victory in the assembly elections last year. That is going to help

:04:54.:05:04.
:05:04.:05:06.

you and other candidates going into Yes, I was elected in 2008, and

:05:06.:05:10.

Plaid Cymru have a lot to answer for. Supposedly the party of Wales,

:05:10.:05:15.

but not going very far at all. We have got momentum, we have got a

:05:15.:05:20.

clear message to get out to people in Paris, where I represent, and

:05:20.:05:30.
:05:30.:05:35.

right across Wales. -- in Barry. They resent more of an emphasis in

:05:35.:05:38.

your message about what is happening in Westminster rather

:05:38.:05:43.

than what is happening in Wales? There is a mixture. The local

:05:43.:05:47.

council has a three per and �7 million overspend in social

:05:47.:05:51.

services, and that matters to people. They don't understand it

:05:51.:06:00.

when they are paying more council tax. We have got a good local

:06:00.:06:05.

message, a very positive manifesto locally. We have a good Welsh

:06:05.:06:08.

Assembly government running in Wales, then you have the problems

:06:08.:06:13.

happening in Westminster, so there is a positive message for us and

:06:14.:06:17.

the negative message of what is happening over the border in

:06:17.:06:21.

England. Thank you for now. Back to you.

:06:21.:06:28.

I am joined again to get an editor's spin on the speech. He was

:06:28.:06:33.

obviously trying to portray the party as being compassionate on the

:06:33.:06:42.

side of Welsh workers. I suppose the luxury is that he can now line

:06:42.:06:46.

the cuts in Westminster without having to provide an alternative.

:06:46.:06:52.

It was a good speech, will deliver it, he got applause, which wasn't

:06:52.:06:57.

always the case with Ed Miliband this morning, but it was a speech

:06:57.:07:02.

that didn't contain much about the future. There was a round of

:07:02.:07:07.

bashing the other parties. His approach to Plaid Cymru supporters

:07:07.:07:11.

was quite interesting, a different tone to the normal party bashing

:07:11.:07:15.

you get. Then we had the defence of what the government in Wales has

:07:15.:07:24.

done already, but there was no great explanation of what will be

:07:24.:07:32.

done over coming years. Am sure Carwyn Jones would say that will be

:07:32.:07:38.

in the manifesto, you can't expect me to start pulling a rabbit out of

:07:38.:07:43.

a hat, but it seemed to be a speech in the comfort zone of labour of

:07:43.:07:50.

bashing the other parties, pride in what they feel they have achieved,

:07:50.:07:54.

but no new great vision for the future, just the restatement of

:07:55.:07:59.

what he called Labour values. there has been a cloud over this

:07:59.:08:02.

Labour government, it has been the accusation that nothing has really

:08:02.:08:06.

happened over the last 12 months, it has been vacuous in bringing

:08:06.:08:11.

forward legislation for example. Will this speech deflect attention

:08:11.:08:17.

away from that? Our I'm sure it will do nothing to stop the

:08:17.:08:21.

opposition parties from throwing that accusation. I thought what

:08:21.:08:29.

Carwyn Jones said in response was interesting. He said Labour was the

:08:29.:08:34.

true party of Wales, and the implication of that is that Labour

:08:34.:08:39.

somehow is the grown-up party, the party in power, its job is to

:08:39.:08:49.

deliver, and these are just noises that the opposition parties are

:08:49.:08:53.

making. We are getting on with the business of the people, the

:08:53.:08:58.

business of government, that is the way he deflected. If you like,

:08:58.:09:03.

trying to rise above it. That is a different way to the way he

:09:03.:09:07.

approached it sometimes a few miles south from here in Cardiff Bay. At

:09:07.:09:13.

times it has obviously got to him, and at times he has been visibly

:09:13.:09:18.

annoyed by it, whereas here he was trying to say "nonsense, doesn't

:09:18.:09:23.

affect me". The there has been another Labour leader in the City

:09:23.:09:27.

today, a man often criticised and seen as under pressure but today

:09:27.:09:32.

finding a safe house amongst the party faithful. He is Ed Miliband,

:09:32.:09:38.

and this was his conference speech a little earlier.

:09:38.:09:48.
:09:48.:09:49.

Friends, thank you so much for that incredibly kind reception, and can

:09:49.:09:54.

I say that it is great to be here in Wales. It is great to be at

:09:54.:10:03.

Wales a' Test match cricket ground. An English man along a whole group

:10:03.:10:07.

of people from Wales at a sports ground. I thought it was better to

:10:07.:10:13.

do it this Saturday than next Saturday at Twickenham, and may the

:10:13.:10:20.

best team win! You know who that is, and I think I know who it might be.

:10:20.:10:24.

It is great to be in labour Wales, Labour governing in its own right

:10:24.:10:30.

once again. Let's pay tribute to everyone involved in those

:10:30.:10:36.

fantastic election results in May. It wasn't by chance that this

:10:36.:10:41.

happened, it was because of your hard work. It was because of the

:10:41.:10:44.

hundreds of thousands of conversations you had on the

:10:44.:10:50.

doorsteps with the people of Wales. We learnt a lesson also, it is

:10:50.:10:55.

because you showed you had a vision for the future of Wales. Not for

:10:55.:11:04.

yourselves, booked for the people you came into politics to serve.

:11:04.:11:10.

You had someone in that election, leading that fight, who walls and

:11:10.:11:15.

is the best man to stand up for Wales, the leader Carwyn Jones, and

:11:15.:11:19.

let's pay tribute to the fantastic work he did.

:11:19.:11:29.
:11:29.:11:29.

And let's also paid tribute to all of the members of the Welsh

:11:29.:11:34.

Assembly for their fantastic result, and in particular are duly Morgan

:11:34.:11:44.
:11:44.:11:48.

for that famous result here in Cardiff. -- Julie Morgan. I also

:11:48.:11:53.

want to thank somebody who stood alongside Carwyn Jones in those

:11:53.:11:57.

elections, someone who is a fantastic asset to our movement in

:11:57.:12:02.

Wales and throughout the UK, my good friend Peter Hain. Thank you

:12:02.:12:12.

for the service you provide to our party. You know, we saw not just

:12:12.:12:17.

Peter's humanity, but the role he plays as a local MP when we saw the

:12:17.:12:24.

terrible tragedy with the four Welsh miners in his constituency.

:12:24.:12:28.

Today we pay tribute to them and their families, and they are very

:12:28.:12:33.

much in our thoughts. There may also take this opportunity to thank

:12:33.:12:40.

MPs, trade union friends, councillors for the work you do. To

:12:41.:12:45.

local councillors in particular, I know that you are having to make

:12:45.:12:53.

decisions that you didn't come into politics to make, faced with tight

:12:53.:13:00.

budgets from Westminster. You are choosing sometimes between a local

:13:00.:13:04.

library or other services that are valued, but you know it is always

:13:04.:13:09.

better to have a Labour council in power, making decisions on the

:13:09.:13:15.

basis of Labour values. That is why the elections in May are so

:13:15.:13:21.

important to us, to our party, and indeed to the people of Wales. What

:13:21.:13:27.

is it about Welsh Labour that is so important, and so important at this

:13:27.:13:32.

time? It is the values of Welsh Labour. It is the very values that

:13:32.:13:41.

were founded in the pit communities, felt in the Valleys, the values of

:13:41.:13:46.

the sense of common good. They are the values I see in this government,

:13:46.:13:50.

in the council's we run, and hopefully a lot more after the

:13:50.:13:56.

elections. But you know something else, this Labour government in

:13:56.:14:01.

Wales means a Labour government in Westminster, and that is what I

:14:01.:14:08.

want to talk to you about today. What has been a mission of our

:14:08.:14:14.

party through the ages is to make it work for the whole country and

:14:14.:14:18.

not just a few, and that is more important than ever today in our

:14:18.:14:26.

economy. An economy not just working for a few at the top, but

:14:26.:14:31.

working for every working person in our country. I call it responsible

:14:31.:14:37.

capitalism. I think my dad would not have thought that was possible.

:14:37.:14:43.

But let's be honest, in our country today we see too much irresponsible

:14:43.:14:49.

capitalism. Take the issue of the Royal Bank of Scotland bonuses that

:14:49.:14:55.

Peter mentioned. Why was there such public anger about those bonuses?

:14:55.:14:59.

Because it was about seven-figure sums that seemed to be just for

:14:59.:15:05.

doing your job. Because the banks are still letting down the small

:15:05.:15:09.

businesses of our country, and because of something else, because

:15:09.:15:16.

people's sense of fairness and justice. Because the sense that, if

:15:16.:15:20.

the banks caused the financial crisis, and if people's living

:15:20.:15:25.

standards were being squeezed, how is it possible that banks are

:15:25.:15:32.

carrying on with bonuses as usual? That is why people were so angry.

:15:32.:15:38.

No, it is not about one man's bonus or one man's knighthood, it is

:15:38.:15:45.

about the kind of country we are, and the kind of country we want to

:15:45.:15:52.

be. It is about the values of Welsh Labour, and about how we lived

:15:52.:15:56.

together as a con trick. I had another experience a few days ago,

:15:56.:16:01.

last Wednesday, at a youth centre in London five miles down the road

:16:01.:16:07.

from the city of London where those bonuses are handed out. I met some

:16:07.:16:17.

young people looking for work. One girl had filled in and sent off 137

:16:17.:16:24.

CVs and not had a reply to any of them. She have found two months

:16:24.:16:34.
:16:34.:16:35.

working at a fish and chip shop but they have paid cash-in-hand. They

:16:35.:16:40.

raised the issue of bonuses at this youth centre, and they said how was

:16:40.:16:44.

it possible that they are carrying on as they are, and we are paying

:16:44.:16:48.

the price? In that moment I thought the best thing one of those bankers

:16:48.:16:53.

could do is come and meet those young girls at the youth centre

:16:53.:16:58.

looking for work, and they would see the truth. It is not about the

:16:58.:17:03.

politics of envy, it is about the culture of responsibility, and a

:17:03.:17:10.

lesson that too many parts of our country have forgotten. We succeed

:17:10.:17:17.

or fail together, that is what it is all about. It is not a lesson

:17:17.:17:21.

that Carwyn Jones' government has forgotten. When you are on the

:17:21.:17:26.

doorsteps between now and May, talk about Jobs Growth Wales Fund, 4000

:17:26.:17:30.

young people put to work as a result of what Carwyn Jones is

:17:30.:17:38.

doing. 4000 people who know the difference between being thrown on

:17:38.:17:48.
:17:48.:17:49.

the scrapheap, under government that invest in the next generation.

:17:49.:17:55.

-- and a government that invests. Think of what we could do together.

:17:55.:18:05.
:18:05.:18:10.

That is why we say tax the bankers' bonuses, and invest it. Then

:18:10.:18:18.

100,000 people would know. It is about jobs for young people, but

:18:18.:18:23.

not just about that. It is about creating good jobs and good wages.

:18:23.:18:29.

At the same time as we talk about irresponsible capitalism, we should

:18:29.:18:32.

talk about responsible capitalism and the good businesses doing the

:18:32.:18:38.

right thing. Take Ford at Bridgend, I have the privilege of going there

:18:38.:18:43.

are few months ago, seeing high quality jobs being created.

:18:43.:18:47.

Remember why it is possible, because of the partnership with the

:18:47.:18:51.

Labour government in Westminster during the recession in the tough

:18:51.:18:56.

times. But it also needs the partnership of government now. That

:18:56.:19:00.

is why this government is helping create 1000 apprenticeships, but

:19:00.:19:06.

think how much more we could do together. That is why I say one of

:19:06.:19:13.

the first acts of the next Labour government is going to be to say,

:19:13.:19:22.

if you want a major contract, you must by law provide apprenticeships

:19:22.:19:32.
:19:32.:19:35.

for the next generation. But to create those good jobs

:19:35.:19:39.

coming need a banking system that serves industry, not industry that

:19:39.:19:46.

serves the banks. No, it is not anti-business to say we need to

:19:46.:19:53.

reform the way banks work. In fact, it is bold thinking to say it is

:19:53.:19:57.

anti-business. It is called establishment thinking, thinking we

:19:57.:20:07.

must sweep away. Wing need entrepreneurs, small businesses,

:20:07.:20:13.

creating profits, creating wealth, creating jobs in our country. Go to

:20:13.:20:20.

any high street in Wales, and I bet you anything you will find a small

:20:20.:20:25.

business, many small businesses, that can't get the loan they need

:20:25.:20:30.

to expand because they don't have banks serving business properly. We

:20:30.:20:34.

have got to change that, and we have got to change it partly

:20:34.:20:38.

through better competition in the banking system, but also

:20:38.:20:45.

recognising the role of government. That is why I say the next Labour

:20:45.:20:48.

government should create an Investment Guide for Small

:20:49.:20:55.

businesses because that is the way we will create industrial-strength

:20:55.:21:05.
:21:05.:21:07.

for our country. I have a very simple do, which is this. As part

:21:07.:21:12.

of the reforms, they should be another very employee on every one

:21:12.:21:19.

of those top pay committees that set salaries and bonuses. If you

:21:19.:21:29.
:21:29.:21:32.

can't look an ordinary worker in the the -- the eye and justify the

:21:33.:21:39.

bonuses, you should not be having them. On official forecasts in

:21:39.:21:44.

three years' time the average worker will be earning the same

:21:44.:21:52.

amount as they were 10 years ago. And, at the same time as people's

:21:52.:21:58.

wages are stuck, cost are going up. You know that as well as I do. The

:21:58.:22:03.

weekly food shop, the costs are going up. It costs more to heat

:22:03.:22:08.

your home, energy bills are costing a lot more. It costs more to take

:22:08.:22:14.

the train, and those hidden charges the company is imposed, like

:22:14.:22:18.

overdraft charges from the banks, we have got to change that. At the

:22:18.:22:23.

moment, we have a government that doesn't think it's job is to stand

:22:23.:22:28.

up to those vested interests, they just think it is their job to stand

:22:28.:22:34.

by and let it happen. Take the issue of energy bills. I say that

:22:34.:22:38.

energy bills will rise over time as a result of climate change, and

:22:38.:22:44.

even if we didn't tackle climate change, they would rise anyway, but

:22:44.:22:48.

that makes it all the more important that we do everything we

:22:48.:22:52.

can to protect consumers, to protect people. Why is it in our

:22:52.:22:57.

country that those who can least afford it seemed to pay the most

:22:57.:23:04.

for their energy? That is not your idea of fairness, not my idea of

:23:04.:23:10.

fairness, and we have got to change it. Why is it that the pensioner,

:23:11.:23:17.

old, vulnerable, frail, what is the advice to them? Shop around, go

:23:17.:23:22.

online and get the best deal, I say that is not good enough. The next

:23:22.:23:26.

Labour Government will legislate so that, for every pensioner over the

:23:26.:23:33.

age of 75, 260,000 pensioners in Wales, they will by law get the

:23:33.:23:36.

lowest tariff available. That is a country that works for working

:23:37.:23:42.

people, a government that would stand up to vested interests. Take

:23:42.:23:47.

the issue of train fares - why is it that it seems when the train

:23:47.:23:51.

companies make losses, it falls back on the taxpayer to foot the

:23:51.:23:57.

bill? But when they make profits, the companies seem to be laughing

:23:57.:24:01.

all the way to the bank. It is wrong, we have got to change it.

:24:01.:24:07.

The government said "don't worry because train fares will only go up

:24:07.:24:11.

by 1% above the rate of inflation" So why is it that they seem to be

:24:12.:24:19.

going up much more than that? From Chester to Crewe, a 10% rise just

:24:19.:24:23.

this year. The reason is because the government has given the

:24:23.:24:27.

company's a loophole to allow them to do it. It is wrong and the next

:24:27.:24:32.

Labour government would change it. That is what I mean by an economy

:24:32.:24:37.

that works for working people. We would also tackle the banks and

:24:37.:24:41.

their overdraft charges so they can't impose unfair charges on

:24:41.:24:46.

people. We need an economy that works for working people, and we

:24:46.:24:53.

need public services as well. Since David Cameron became Prime Minister,

:24:53.:24:58.

we have seen 4000 frontline police officers lost across the United

:24:58.:25:05.

Kingdom. But Carwyn Jones here in Wales, because he understands the

:25:05.:25:14.

importance of tackling crime and police on the beat, he has added

:25:14.:25:22.

another 500 officers. When it comes to tuition fees, 9000 tuition fees

:25:22.:25:26.

for students in England, but Carwyn Jones has taken the right decision

:25:26.:25:31.

to protect the next generation and I say it is a cruel betrayal of the

:25:31.:25:35.

next generation, what David Cameron is doing with tuition fees. Then

:25:35.:25:41.

take the issue of the NHS. David Cameron is keen to give you advice

:25:41.:25:45.

about the Welsh Health Service. I don't think he is in a very good

:25:45.:25:48.

position to give people advice about how to run a health service,

:25:48.:25:56.

but I give you this one piece of advice. Don't have a free market

:25:56.:26:03.

free-for-all in your NHS, don't put profits before patients.

:26:03.:26:13.
:26:13.:26:14.

Profits before patients, creeping privatisation of the NHS, they are

:26:14.:26:19.

not the values of the people of Wales or the people of the UK it

:26:19.:26:25.

either, and that is why we will fight every step of the way against

:26:25.:26:32.

this NHS Bill in England. I say this to you also, friends. We know

:26:32.:26:37.

the government in Westminster is making a terrible mess of things in

:26:37.:26:44.

the economy. Growth down, business failures up, unemployment up, the

:26:44.:26:49.

cost of unemployment up. That means for the next Labour government, it

:26:49.:26:54.

will mean tough decisions, harder decisions than those we would like

:26:54.:27:01.

to make, but the different choices, the different priorities are, as

:27:01.:27:04.

the last government prioritised jobs over pay, we said we would do

:27:04.:27:08.

the same if we were in power in this Parliament, but we would never

:27:08.:27:14.

go down the Tory route. Cutting taxes for the banks at the same

:27:14.:27:19.

time as they are raising VAT for ordinary families, cutting tax

:27:19.:27:25.

credit. That will mean �580 for the average family with children this

:27:25.:27:35.
:27:35.:27:37.

Squeezing the middle even harder is the Government's approach on

:27:37.:27:41.

business. And what does the Business Secretary do about it? I

:27:41.:27:46.

want to give her some credit today. Because she is banging his fist on

:27:46.:27:53.

the table, fighting for hundreds of millions of pounds of resources.

:27:53.:27:58.

Unfortunately, it is not for the unemployed of Cardiff. It's not for

:27:58.:28:02.

the small businesses of Swansea or the young people of Anglesey. No,

:28:03.:28:07.

it is for her constituents in Buckinghamshire. It is because of

:28:07.:28:14.

high speed rail. What is the lasting memorial she is seeking?

:28:14.:28:24.

She is not Wales's woman in the Cabinet. She is Buckinghamshire's

:28:24.:28:27.

woman in Wales. That is the Welsh Tories for you. It is no wonder

:28:27.:28:30.

they had to cancel their conference because they couldn't find that

:28:30.:28:35.

people to come to it. It is only Welsh Labour that can stand up for

:28:35.:28:45.
:28:45.:28:50.

the people of Wales. That's the reality. Today, friends, I want to

:28:50.:28:55.

state a simple truth. Devolution has worked. Devolution has worked

:28:55.:29:01.

for the people of Wales. Frankly, if we don't say it, nobody else is

:29:01.:29:05.

going to. Let's say that devolution has worked. Not just for the people

:29:05.:29:09.

of Wales, but, as Douglas said earlier, for the people of Scotland

:29:09.:29:13.

and the people of the United Kingdom. And it is the duty of all

:29:13.:29:17.

of us to fight for the United Kingdom. It is an issue for the

:29:17.:29:20.

people of Wales as well as for the rest of the United Kingdom, this

:29:20.:29:26.

debate about the future of the Union. Now, why do I say that?

:29:26.:29:32.

Because, economically, we are stronger together. But also for a

:29:32.:29:39.

deeper reason. The deeper reason is this. That we are bound by a common

:29:39.:29:46.

history, by family ties, by shared bonds. You know, the history of our

:29:46.:29:51.

island is a history we built together. It was Clement Attlee, an

:29:51.:29:58.

Englishman, who led that 1945 government. It was a Welshman who

:29:58.:30:01.

was responsible for its greatest achievement, the National Health

:30:01.:30:06.

Service. And it was Keir Hardie, a man born in Scotland but who served

:30:06.:30:11.

Wales, without whom none of it would be possible without the

:30:11.:30:14.

formation of the day the party. The history we have built is a history

:30:14.:30:19.

we have woven together. It's not just our history, it is our present

:30:20.:30:25.

as well. I'll tell you why the nationalists are most wrong.

:30:25.:30:28.

Because they want to tell you that people in Wales only care about

:30:28.:30:31.

people in Wales and people in Scotland only care about people in

:30:31.:30:36.

Scotland. I say that is wrong. The family in Wales cares about the

:30:36.:30:39.

young kids born into poverty in London. They care about the

:30:39.:30:44.

pensioner living in poverty in Scotland. That is the Labour way.

:30:44.:30:49.

Those are the Labour values. We don't just want to improve one part

:30:49.:30:53.

of the United Kingdom, we want an equal and trust United Kingdom for

:30:53.:31:00.

every one that lives in it. Let's make that case to people. All of us

:31:00.:31:05.

have our different reasons for being here today. What brought us

:31:05.:31:12.

into politics. Here is mine. I am the son of two refugees, refugees

:31:12.:31:20.

from the Nazis. They sort out of the darkness of the Second World

:31:20.:31:26.

War a new world built. The world of the welfare state. The world of the

:31:26.:31:29.

National Health Service. And they taught me one very simple truth, a

:31:29.:31:34.

simple truth that we must remember today and in the years ahead. There

:31:34.:31:37.

is no point are just getting angry about injustice. You've got to do

:31:37.:31:42.

something about it. That is why we are in politics. That is why we are

:31:42.:31:47.

Labour. And what is our task in this generation? Our task is to

:31:47.:31:53.

seek that newer world again, to build that new will world again. To

:31:53.:32:01.

build on our ideas. -- that newer world. To replace the irresponsible

:32:01.:32:03.

capitalism we have with the responsible capitalism we believe

:32:03.:32:07.

in. To replace the economy that works just for the few at the top

:32:07.:32:11.

with one that works for all of our working people. To end the

:32:11.:32:14.

situation where the promise that the next generation does better

:32:14.:32:19.

than the last is being betrayed and replace it with a promise of

:32:19.:32:22.

Britain where the next generation does better than the last. To

:32:22.:32:26.

remember our values, the values of Welsh Labour. Solidarity,

:32:26.:32:30.

responsibility, a belief in the common good and in community. Those

:32:30.:32:34.

are the values that will serve us in the years ahead. That is why I

:32:34.:32:39.

am here. That is why I am Labour. That is who I am. In the weeks

:32:39.:32:44.

ahead, its campaign on those values in the run-up to the May elections,

:32:44.:32:47.

the council elections in May. Let's campaign on those values for the

:32:47.:32:52.

next General Election. That is the way we will win back trust. That is

:32:52.:32:54.

the way we will win the next General Election. Thank you very

:32:54.:33:04.
:33:04.:33:11.

Ed Miliband, talking about the beating heart, as he put it, of

:33:11.:33:18.

Welsh Labour's solidarity community for the common good. We can discuss

:33:18.:33:28.
:33:28.:33:30.

that with Paul Murphy. Also, Nia Griffith. It was highly

:33:30.:33:33.

concentrated on the word values, but this man has taken an absolute

:33:33.:33:36.

caning from the unions who do not particularly like his values when

:33:36.:33:42.

it comes to standing up to workers. How would you like -- counter that?

:33:42.:33:46.

He has stood up to Rupert Murdoch, he stood up to the banks to say,

:33:46.:33:52.

let's have the bonus cut from the RBS bank. It's very difficult for a

:33:52.:33:55.

leader of opposition to get that to happen. We are talking about a

:33:55.:33:59.

leader in opposition. What did Cameron achieve in opposition?

:33:59.:34:03.

Getting the message is coming through. I think he is forcing the

:34:03.:34:07.

current Prime Minister to rethink some of what he is doing. He's

:34:07.:34:10.

moving the ground, shifting the discourse on to what we are doing

:34:10.:34:15.

about banker bonuses, what are we doing about responsible capitalism.

:34:15.:34:18.

When you first mentioned that in September, people didn't take it

:34:18.:34:21.

seriously. Now they are saying, yes, that is resonating with people out

:34:22.:34:25.

there. I think we are really seeing a shift in the whole politics

:34:25.:34:30.

because of what he is saying. has been talking about a pay cap

:34:30.:34:33.

and so on. The GMB have been announcing they are looking again

:34:33.:34:39.

at their relationship between themselves and Labour. I think that

:34:39.:34:43.

is the whole point about being a broad political party. We have

:34:43.:34:47.

debates continually. But we are honest about those debates. It is

:34:47.:34:50.

part of making our policy for the next five years. We did not once

:34:50.:34:54.

have been dictated by the top. We want something where we have

:34:54.:34:57.

disagreement and discussion. Now is the time to have that discussion.

:34:57.:35:03.

Then we will have a clear manifesto for a General Election.

:35:03.:35:08.

mentioned responsible capitalism. Some would argue that we have had

:35:08.:35:11.

been responsible capitalism because we did not have a properly

:35:11.:35:17.

regulated banking system. Neither did most of the world. I think with

:35:17.:35:21.

hindsight, of course, things could have been different. But I was in

:35:21.:35:26.

the Cabinet when Ed's predecessor was taking very firm action in how

:35:26.:35:31.

to deal with the banks. There is no question of my mind that Ed has

:35:31.:35:35.

followed in Gordon's example and even gone further. You talked

:35:35.:35:39.

earlier about how trade unions and other people and the Labour Party

:35:39.:35:43.

feel about the issue of pay, for example. I'm sure any trade union

:35:43.:35:46.

member will listen to what was effectively a dazzling performance

:35:46.:35:53.

today, I have been coming to these conferences for 40 years and I have

:35:53.:35:56.

never seen anything quite like that. There is nothing that Ed Miliband

:35:57.:36:01.

said today that would not have moved a trade unionist or Labour

:36:01.:36:05.

party support in Wales or the United Kingdom not to want to vote

:36:05.:36:08.

Labour at the next General Election. Something else that featured more

:36:08.:36:13.

than once was the word injustice. Some will think back to 2008. There

:36:13.:36:17.

was that big hoo-hah regarding the 10 pence tax issue that counted

:36:17.:36:22.

against you in the 2008 local elections. You were one of the

:36:22.:36:25.

first Labour voices to raise concerns about that. Some people

:36:25.:36:29.

might have long memories when it comes to injustice. Indeed, Ed

:36:29.:36:33.

Miliband mentioned that has one of the things that Labour needed to

:36:33.:36:37.

apologise for and move on from. We do make mistakes. Nobody is

:36:37.:36:40.

absolutely perfect. What people now will be doing is looking to the

:36:40.:36:44.

future. They will be saying, what are you offering as for the future?

:36:44.:36:49.

What are the Tories and Lib Dems offering? What is Plaid Cymru

:36:49.:36:53.

offering? They will see a Labour government in Cardiff forging ahead

:36:53.:36:57.

with offering jobs to young people, offering grants and loans to

:36:57.:37:00.

industry and business to help get the economy back on its feet. They

:37:00.:37:03.

will see a complete contrast between what is happening there and

:37:03.:37:07.

what is happening with the UK government, led by the Lib-Dems and

:37:07.:37:12.

the Tories, determined to suck the life blood out of Wales, to take �6

:37:12.:37:14.

billion worth of cuts from the economy in the next three years.

:37:14.:37:18.

They will see that contrast and make their choice, I am sure, based

:37:18.:37:24.

on what they know Labour can do for people locally. We know what Ed

:37:24.:37:28.

Miliband does not envisage happening, there would be no higher

:37:28.:37:34.

VAT, no cuts to tax credit, there would be no �580 a year costs for

:37:34.:37:39.

the average family with children from April. What he doesn't say is

:37:39.:37:44.

where the money would come from. I don't think you can write a

:37:44.:37:47.

budget three years before a General Election. We are in the process of

:37:47.:37:50.

saying exactly what the policy is likely to be. But it is going to

:37:50.:37:57.

take time. But if it is based on credibility, where is that? It is a

:37:57.:38:01.

question of how we deal with the economy in a very different way

:38:01.:38:04.

from how the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are. Our view is

:38:04.:38:08.

that we are kidding far too deeply, we are cutting across a whole range

:38:08.:38:12.

of services that will affect productivity and growth in our

:38:12.:38:16.

country. It does not take an economic genius to work out that if

:38:16.:38:19.

there are more people unemployed, they are not paying taxes, we are

:38:19.:38:23.

paying out benefits to them and they are not buying things. You say

:38:23.:38:27.

cutting too far, too fast. That seemed to be the message in January.

:38:28.:38:32.

This month we have seen Ed Balls say that we are going to have to

:38:32.:38:38.

keep all of the cuts. What he is saying is that, like we did at the

:38:38.:38:42.

beginning of 1997, when we took over government, you don't

:38:42.:38:46.

immediately because you cannot immediately change things. At the

:38:46.:38:49.

same time we will have by then policies in place which I hope will

:38:49.:38:53.

mean that we are going to shift the way in which our country looks at

:38:53.:38:55.

how to deal with the recession, in a way that is totally different

:38:56.:39:00.

from the austerity based policies of George Osborne and David Cameron.

:39:00.:39:04.

It is a very different approach that we have got. An approach, by

:39:04.:39:07.

the way, that he said we were trying to do within the powers of a

:39:07.:39:11.

Welsh government. I think the theme that has come through this, look at

:39:11.:39:15.

what is happening in Wales. It can happen in the United Kingdom. Let's

:39:15.:39:19.

get that example of a Welsh government looking after its people,

:39:19.:39:22.

insuring that we do have productivity and growth instead of

:39:22.:39:26.

unemployment. We can do that in the United Kingdom and we can do that

:39:26.:39:30.

here. We have unprecedented levels of unemployment. We have the

:39:30.:39:34.

economy on the brink. You have a new leader who, even though the

:39:34.:39:38.

country is in such dire straits and we have unpopular cuts from the

:39:38.:39:42.

Westminster coalition government, cannot poke the Labour nose ahead

:39:42.:39:45.

of the Conservative one when it comes to opinion polls. What is

:39:45.:39:49.

going on with his leadership? think we need to have patients. We

:39:49.:39:52.

need to see that things are changing and people are seeing what

:39:52.:39:55.

Ed Miliband stands for and the way he is leading us forwards. It's

:39:55.:40:00.

right to get his principles right at the beginning. I think people

:40:00.:40:03.

get to a lot a honeymoon to Tory and Lib Dems? But you are willing

:40:03.:40:07.

to give him a long honeymoon? willing to say that what we are

:40:07.:40:11.

seeing is the foundation of a sound policy basis. We are seeing an

:40:11.:40:15.

emphasis on fairness, an emphasis on redistribution. We are a very

:40:15.:40:18.

rich country. I'm ashamed that people are having to go to food

:40:18.:40:22.

banks. We are a part of redistribution, we want to see more

:40:22.:40:25.

even redistribution of wealth. That's an important principle for

:40:25.:40:29.

us. For a party that wants to be a party of government, you say you

:40:29.:40:32.

have patients. But there must be a to them point at which the party

:40:33.:40:37.

says, well, if we are not moving ahead in the polls and winning back

:40:37.:40:41.

the losses, it is time to take another cause? I think we are

:40:41.:40:44.

beginning to win that battle. If you look at the election results in

:40:44.:40:48.

Wales, if you look at the number of councils elected in England last

:40:48.:40:51.

year, if you look at the wider membership has got that, we are

:40:51.:40:55.

moving forward. It is not easy, it does take a while but we are moving

:40:55.:41:01.

forward. Nia Griffith and Paul Murphy, thank you very much. We

:41:01.:41:04.

will have more reaction now from James.

:41:04.:41:09.

Well, joining me now to discuss Ed Miliband's speech I have Christine

:41:09.:41:16.

Chapman. Ed Miliband's message was solidarity, community,

:41:16.:41:19.

responsibility and belief in the common good. Are they are used you

:41:19.:41:24.

shared? Yes, I supported Ed for the leadership and I thought he did a

:41:24.:41:29.

terrific speech today. It was very inspiring. He works very close with

:41:29.:41:34.

us in Wales and with Carwyn. I think it is a strong partnership,

:41:34.:41:39.

delivering for the people of Wales when it is a difficult time. I was

:41:39.:41:43.

so impressed with him today. The conference has been brilliant.

:41:43.:41:47.

There are so many new people here today. There are more young people,

:41:47.:41:54.

more women. I am very optimistic. He was terrific. Do you think that

:41:54.:41:57.

spoke to double traditional wing of the party, the values he was

:41:57.:42:01.

talking about? -- to the more traditional wing. I did. He

:42:01.:42:06.

delivered the speech extremely well. We are in very difficult times. He

:42:06.:42:13.

is obviously somebody who understands what working people are

:42:13.:42:16.

going through. And the more vulnerable people that are at risk

:42:16.:42:22.

of having benefits cut. He really knows what is happening and they

:42:22.:42:26.

are working very hard for the people of Wales. Do you think it is

:42:26.:42:29.

an issue that over a year in his leadership he is still talking

:42:29.:42:34.

about his mission and his values, his background? We should know this

:42:34.:42:37.

message by now, he should be talking about other things, surely?

:42:37.:42:42.

I think you've got to keep reminding people of this. It's

:42:42.:42:46.

about delivery. The assembly of this term is about delivery. I

:42:46.:42:49.

think it's really important to hear that. We get that at times but I

:42:49.:42:53.

think it is important to hear what we stand up for and what we as a

:42:53.:42:56.

party stand up for. I think he was reaching out to people who possibly

:42:56.:43:01.

felt a bit cynical about the Labour Party. Equally, people who may have

:43:01.:43:04.

decided to vote for other parties. I think it's really important that

:43:05.:43:10.

both values are at the heart of what we do here. Moving on to Ken

:43:10.:43:18.

Skates, the AM for Clwyd South. A lot was made about Welsh Labour

:43:18.:43:24.

showing an alternative to the UK government. Do you think that is

:43:24.:43:30.

what the Government in Cardiff Bay is showing? Absolutely. A raft of

:43:30.:43:33.

measures that have been introduced showed that here there is an

:43:33.:43:38.

alternative. We can draw really clear differences between what the

:43:38.:43:41.

UK coalition government is doing and what we are doing. Take

:43:41.:43:45.

apprenticeships, take jobs for young people, protecting and

:43:45.:43:51.

increasing spending on schools, making sure that hospitals improve.

:43:51.:43:59.

These are issues we are committed that we have been very, very honest

:43:59.:44:01.

and upfront with them about what our policies are compared to the UK

:44:01.:44:05.

government, who seems to be backtracking and carrying out

:44:05.:44:08.

various U-turns. Actually, people are generally feeling pretty

:44:08.:44:13.

dismayed about what is happening. Thank you very much. We have to

:44:13.:44:18.

move on now. Councilor Kronenbourg, you are seeking re-election in the

:44:18.:44:22.

Vale of Glamorgan. Did that give you confidence, going into a

:44:22.:44:27.

campaign so close to an election? Absolutely. I found his speech very

:44:28.:44:31.

motivational, passionate. It was actually reaching out to the people

:44:31.:44:33.

in Wales. I felt he actually understood the problems and issues

:44:34.:44:39.

we have got in Wales. His knowledge of Wales, he actually mentioned

:44:39.:44:45.

Barry Island, where I am from. That was great for me. Definitely very

:44:45.:44:54.

inspired for the campaign. Three I'm sure for most of the conference

:44:54.:44:57.

delegates this afternoon the highlight has been the speech by

:44:57.:45:02.

the leader of Welsh Labour. The first Mr Carwyn Jones, who joins me

:45:02.:45:10.

Your Speech today was heavily critical of the other three main

:45:10.:45:13.

political parties. Is that a deliberate strategy and ploy ahead

:45:13.:45:17.

of the May elections? Partly. The speech was not entirely about that.

:45:17.:45:21.

We outlined a vision for Wales and reminded people what we had done. I

:45:21.:45:25.

think it is fair game in politics to point out what you see I your

:45:25.:45:33.

You highlighted a lot of things you said you had done. People will

:45:33.:45:37.

remember a lot of things you did a long time ago as part of the one

:45:37.:45:41.

Wales government, free breakfasts, or free prescriptions. People will

:45:41.:45:46.

be asking what you have done since March. Let's look at the jobs

:45:46.:45:49.

growth for Wales scheme. 4000 people will have the opportunity

:45:49.:45:52.

for training or an apprenticeship. We have increased education

:45:52.:45:57.

spending. We did that, as we said we would. We are increasing the

:45:57.:46:00.

number of Community Support Officers that helped the police.

:46:00.:46:05.

That is three things already we have done. We are not a year into

:46:05.:46:09.

the life of this government now. Very good progress has been made.

:46:09.:46:13.

We want to deliver all of our manifesto over five years. I know

:46:13.:46:17.

he will say it is not all about legislation, politics and the

:46:17.:46:22.

workings of government. But after running such a strong campaign

:46:22.:46:26.

asking for the tools to do the job, why only bring one piece of

:46:26.:46:31.

legislation in so far? A number of bills have begun their life in the

:46:31.:46:34.

sense that a White Paper has been produced. That has been consulted

:46:34.:46:38.

on and it will inform the bill when it is presented. Opposition parties

:46:38.:46:42.

have been critical, but they are the ones that want a better be full

:46:42.:46:47.

consultation on the White Papers. In other words, the consultation

:46:47.:46:50.

documents that the two bills. Then they wanted consultation and then

:46:50.:46:54.

have it introduced. It is perhaps a double slower than anticipated.

:46:54.:46:58.

That is because we have tried to be as open as possible to ideas as we

:46:58.:47:02.

go forwards. Legislative rules lethargy is the cloud that is

:47:02.:47:08.

rightly or wrongly hanging over you. Does that annoy you? It part of

:47:08.:47:13.

politics, you have to accept these things. Let's contrast ourselves

:47:13.:47:16.

with Plaid Cymru, they didn't come forward with one policy for

:47:16.:47:24.

legislation. That surprises me. We fought together as policies

:47:24.:47:27.

campaigners, and for them not to come forward with anything is a

:47:27.:47:30.

surprise. You highlighted the things you have done as a

:47:30.:47:37.

government, which seems to lead to some people thinking he didn't will

:47:37.:47:41.

you? You have to keep reminding people what you have done and what

:47:41.:47:45.

you are going to do. When you knock on doors in the elections people

:47:45.:47:49.

will say, you have done that, what are you doing next? You have to

:47:49.:47:52.

keep reminding people what you have done, what you're going to do, and

:47:52.:47:55.

then make a judgment on how well you have done. What you will do

:47:55.:48:00.

depends on how much money you have. You have made education a priority

:48:00.:48:03.

over health in terms of the money that you are allocating towards

:48:03.:48:08.

them, not in terms of the total but in the way that you are protecting

:48:08.:48:12.

those particular budgets. Millions of extra pounds for schools is what

:48:12.:48:17.

you said in your speech today. Even though the education minister said

:48:17.:48:20.

that educational attainment and outcomes in Wales is not dependent

:48:20.:48:24.

on money. Why prioritise education the head of health? We knew that

:48:24.:48:28.

there was a gap in spending for pupils between England and Wales.

:48:28.:48:32.

We want to bridge that gap. If you look at health, it takes up

:48:32.:48:36.

something like 45% of our budget. What we have been able to do with

:48:36.:48:39.

the cuts we have had imposed on us is to keep the health budget

:48:39.:48:43.

steadier over the next few years. It's not a case of anything been

:48:43.:48:47.

taken out of the health budget, it's difficult to protect the

:48:47.:48:51.

budget in terms of increasing it every year, because it is so big.

:48:51.:48:53.

The Conservative Party said they would increase health spending.

:48:53.:48:57.

They also said they would cut school spending by 20% and they are

:48:57.:49:00.

also cutting local government spending, sending council tax

:49:00.:49:05.

through the roof. We did not think that was the right approach. We

:49:05.:49:08.

wanted to see more money available to us so we can put in more money

:49:09.:49:14.

to help. Even though you are ploughing more money into education,

:49:14.:49:19.

results are still low compared to other European countries. The tests

:49:19.:49:23.

are being revisited by the minister. We have banding being criticised.

:49:23.:49:28.

You take the nut's money, but you are criticising it in your own

:49:28.:49:32.

brochure. Banding will hit education. Governors are being

:49:32.:49:36.

sacked. Even though you are ploughing millions of extra money

:49:36.:49:44.

I am a parent, I want to know how schools are doing, most parents

:49:44.:49:50.

want to know that, and league tables are not the right way. It is

:49:50.:49:56.

right that parents want to see how schools are doing. We're not saying

:49:56.:50:01.

they can't be improvement in areas of education, they can, but from

:50:01.:50:06.

our point of view we want to see an improvement in results, even though

:50:07.:50:12.

they are only a small part in education, and we want to make sure

:50:12.:50:15.

there is a higher percentage of Welsh school children getting good

:50:15.:50:23.

GCSEs. On health, it is a toxic is you. There have been spat about two

:50:23.:50:28.

weeks ago over this. Do you feel the backlash in May if local health

:50:28.:50:33.

boards decide to cut services? Health is difficult for a number of

:50:34.:50:38.

reasons. It is becoming more difficult to attract senior

:50:38.:50:45.

consultants in Wales. The problem has been exacerbated because the

:50:45.:50:53.

immigration rules have changed, and historically further west we have

:50:53.:51:00.

relied on doctors from outside the UK, also of the rules have changed.

:51:00.:51:04.

The trainees tend to want to go somewhere there are several

:51:04.:51:14.

consultants. Because of those changes, it is a challenge to

:51:14.:51:22.

provide services west of Swansea come but we want to do that. I

:51:22.:51:30.

understand people's concerns, but you can't all consultants out of a

:51:30.:51:38.

hat. You are giving the impression it is lot about money. The it is

:51:38.:51:45.

all about money. The money is there, but they can't attract people to

:51:45.:51:48.

fill those posts. The first question is what are we doing about

:51:48.:51:54.

it? We have launched a recruitment campaign to say to senior medical

:51:55.:51:59.

staff come to Wales because you will be supported as consultants in

:51:59.:52:03.

what you're doing, and we have to start doing that now, otherwise the

:52:03.:52:09.

problem will get worse. 50 is not about money, how come health boards

:52:09.:52:14.

have historically overspent? More tour of them have, to be fair. One

:52:14.:52:18.

has overspent over a number of years and it shows the scale of the

:52:18.:52:24.

challenge we have. You can't just produce consultants, there are a

:52:24.:52:28.

very limited number of them, and trying to provide a service bearing

:52:28.:52:34.

that in mind is tricky but we are working as hard as we can to make

:52:34.:52:38.

sure all people, regardless of where they live in Wales, have the

:52:38.:52:43.

service that is safe and excellent. The Health Minister has front

:52:43.:52:48.

loaded the money to health boards this time around, and said there

:52:48.:52:54.

won't be any more money should they require a bail-out, is that's no

:52:54.:53:00.

guarantee? What will the sanctions before overspending? We expect them

:53:01.:53:06.

to stay within their budget. In years gone by there was extra money

:53:06.:53:10.

available, but because of the settlement we have had that money

:53:10.:53:20.
:53:20.:53:20.

is just not there anymore. We can't produce the money from a hat.

:53:20.:53:26.

Miliband, in an interview earlier today, said there are lessons that

:53:26.:53:30.

Labour, or UK-based is, can learn from Welsh Labour - what do you

:53:30.:53:36.

think the lessons are that you can transfer? First of all,

:53:36.:53:40.

intervention in the economy. I listed the things we have done in

:53:40.:53:45.

the last few months to put money into the economy to create jobs, to

:53:45.:53:50.

keep people on board, and that has been done to make sure people stay

:53:50.:53:54.

in jobs. We know that the unemployment figures in Wales in

:53:54.:53:59.

the last two months have gone down, even as there figures in the rest

:53:59.:54:04.

of the UK have gone up. There is clearly an effect being felt. There

:54:04.:54:09.

was a long way to go yet, and I am not suggesting everything will be

:54:09.:54:14.

rosy after two months, but it is clear unemployment is going down in

:54:14.:54:21.

Wales. Unfortunately it is rising elsewhere but I hope this helps.

:54:21.:54:24.

You are the most senior elected politician as President - do you

:54:25.:54:29.

believe, bearing in mind the electoral success you have had

:54:29.:54:34.

recently, that you can help Ed Miliband in any way? Our experience

:54:34.:54:42.

in Wales is different, we Taylor the election campaign to

:54:42.:54:47.

circumstances in Wales. We wanted to make sure we had the right

:54:47.:54:51.

powers for the Assembly and the referendum for us did become a

:54:51.:54:56.

springboard for the election in May. That is what happened, and we

:54:56.:55:02.

wanted to show the people of Wales that we are a strong devolutionist

:55:02.:55:06.

outward-looking Welsh party, determined to use the powers we

:55:06.:55:11.

have to better the lives of people in Wales. The you have asked for a

:55:12.:55:16.

constitutional convention, and that might be seen as a talking shop,

:55:16.:55:20.

while we see things gathering pace in Scotland, you know, things might

:55:20.:55:26.

have flown by way ahead of this convention. With tea is an idea.

:55:26.:55:30.

The issue here at is you can't decide the future of the rest of

:55:30.:55:36.

the UK based on what is happening in Scotland. You can't look at the

:55:36.:55:41.

West Lothian question in isolation. That is the question that arises

:55:41.:55:51.
:55:51.:55:51.

when Scottish and Welsh MPs vote on what only happens in the English

:55:51.:55:55.

Parliament. The UK Secretary for State for Agriculture will go to

:55:56.:56:00.

bushels to cast a vote on behalf of the whole of the UK in the European

:56:00.:56:06.

Council, but in fact they are only acting on behalf of England, so

:56:06.:56:10.

that is the West Lothian question in reverse. I believe the best

:56:10.:56:14.

approach is to look at all of these at once and make sure we have a

:56:14.:56:19.

sustainable structure for the UK. What is the best approach in terms

:56:19.:56:25.

of devolving powers? Income tax we think is not something that will

:56:25.:56:29.

benefit the people of Wales. The Barnett Formula, yes, borrowing

:56:29.:56:36.

powers, yes, stamp duty, air passenger duty, we believe there

:56:36.:56:40.

are taxes they exist in areas that are already devolved that would

:56:40.:56:47.

make a difference to the people in Wales. In the council elections,

:56:47.:56:51.

you lost control of five councils in 2008, what hope of regaining

:56:51.:56:59.

them? We are confident but not complacent. 2008 was not a good

:56:59.:57:05.

year for us, but we will be working hard, as we did last May, to get as

:57:05.:57:09.

many Labour the councillors elected as possible. When you are out

:57:09.:57:14.

campaigning, do you think Ed Miliband will be an asset or a

:57:14.:57:20.

liability? I think an asset. People like him. When they meet him, they

:57:20.:57:26.

like him. He has an easy manner with people and that is a great

:57:26.:57:32.

asset for a politician. That is the end of our coverage here at the

:57:32.:57:37.

SWALEC Stadium. That is the Liberal Democrats conference next door on

:57:37.:57:42.

the conference trail in about two weeks' time. Join me tomorrow

:57:42.:57:45.

lunchtime on the Sunday politics when we will have a special

:57:45.:57:48.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS