Rhys ab Owen: Scotland—and I'm coming to your point shortly, Gareth—Scotland introduced a single transferrable vote system in 2007 across all local authorities, and the change has been dramatic. Consensus has become the rule of the day, with councillors working co-operatively to benefit their constituents. Furthermore, local democracy has been strengthened. In 2003, in Scotland, 61 seats were...
Rhys ab Owen: I'm glad you're reading out all your pre-prepared interventions already. Let me answer: this idea that turnouts are lower in PR is absolutely ridiculous. In Australia, it's nearly 100 per cent; Ukraine, it's over 90 per cent; Malta, it's over 90 per cent. Turnouts do not go down after introducing PR.
Rhys ab Owen: First-past-the-post voting leads to tactical voting, which, in itself, is damaging to our democracy. A vote to keep something out rather than casting a positive vote for one's preference. A vote for a larger party very often, rather than a smaller party that they truly want to support, like the Greens for example.
Rhys ab Owen: We are limiting people's freedom to choose by keeping this archaic first-past-the-post system, which is now almost 150 years old. There is not only a moral argument to introducing a proportional system, there are strong practical reasons also. In England and Wales, many councils have single parties holding in excess of 75 per cent of the seats. This can give councils and administrations carte...
Rhys ab Owen: And I look forward to hearing the contribution of my colleague Heledd Fychan, of her experiences in the Republic of Ireland. Why has no-one shifted back to the first-past-the-post system? Well, because that system isn't fit for a modern democracy. We must move away from the concept that politics is a battle with winners and losers. In the wonderful tributes paid to Aled Roberts yesterday,...
Rhys ab Owen: And this Senedd, as I'm pleased to see, has had co-operation at the heart of it from the beginning. There has never been a majority in this Senedd, with coalitions and co-operations being the rules of the game. And I'm glad, I'm glad to see that the Plaid Cymru and Labour co-operation is the latest incarnation of that. I know, during the election in 2021, many commentators and many...
Rhys ab Owen: In this place, we often hear about low voter turnout, and political apathy is all too apparent in Wales. Sam Rowlands often mentions low voter turnout for Senedd elections. But one way to address that is by ensuring that Welsh democracy reflects far better the views of the people in our places of power.
Rhys ab Owen: A good democracy reflects the choices of its voters, not just 40 per cent of them, but as many as possible. If we want to combat political apathy, we need to help people to maximise their votes and their voices.
Rhys ab Owen: John Stuart Mill said—.
Rhys ab Owen: John Stuart Mill said, back in 1861, that the first principle of democracy is this: representation in proportion to the numbers. Today, let us, in this Senedd, not allow outdated ideas, not allow prejudices, not allow the ambition for power to block this very basic principle of democracy. Diolch yn fawr.
Rhys ab Owen: I'll explain it now, if you want.
Rhys ab Owen: The fact that STV has been introduced into Scotland has nothing to do with the fact that the number of people who've voted has gone down. It's not connected at all.
Rhys ab Owen: Is that a risk with your seat, Sam—in the North Wales region?
Rhys ab Owen: As an intervention there, on the point you make, Darren Millar, Samuel Kurtz and I met with the Baptist Union of Wales last week, and the issues that chapels are having with Cadw, of being unable to renovate the buildings at all and then the chapel closes and everything goes and the building is demolished. It's not fit for purpose at the moment.
Rhys ab Owen: 2. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Cardiff replacement local development plan? OQ57696
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Brif Weinidog. The most recent Welsh Government prediction for the growth of the Cardiff population was 0.6 per cent per annum, however, the three options provided by Cardiff Council in the replacement local development plan are far higher than that. The first option is 19,000 extra homes on 0.8 per cent per annum, the second is 24,000 with a projected growth of 1 per cent,...
Rhys ab Owen: Good question. [Laughter.]
Rhys ab Owen: 2. What discussions has the Minister had to resolve the pension dispute in higher education institutions in Wales? OQ57697
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Minister. It was a privilege to meet some of the strikers on the steps of the Senedd today and they praised my colleagues Sioned Williams and Mike Hedges for the support that they've shown them. A fair pension should be a fundamental right for every worker in Wales, and the fact that they are cutting end-of-employment pensions by 35 per cent is disgraceful, and that is...
Rhys ab Owen: I thank the Conservatives for bringing this debate before us, but I'd like to start today by taking you back on a history tour—not back to the age of David and the early saints, but far enough back to a time when Tom Giffard was wearing the short trousers of primary school and Gareth Davies was eating the Denbigh plum on his mother's lap, when Jack Sargeant had no beard and when I had a lot...
