Carwyn Jones: Because the circumstances have changed, and I'll develop that argument in a moment, if I may. Mark Reckless can stand in this Chamber and he can argue that it was a vote to leave under any circumstances. He can make a case for that on the basis of the result in 2016, even though nobody argued it in 2016, but he can use that evidence to make a case. Similarly, I take the view that it was a...
Carwyn Jones: Will the Minister make a statement on the recent announcement by Ford on the Bridgend Engine Plant? (EAQ0007)
Carwyn Jones: I thank the Minister for that answer. I watched that plant being built. I watched the trains coming into the plant from the chemistry lab of Brynteg Comprehensive School it was so close. And now, it seems, there is a strong possibility that I will see the plant close. Minister, the economy of Bridgend has done well over the past few years, but this is a blow to the solar plexus of the town....
Carwyn Jones: I'm grateful to the Member. I distinctly heard the First Minister deal with the position of the Government in relation to Plaid Cymru's amendments. I don't know why he didn't hear that; perhaps he wasn't listening.
Carwyn Jones: I'm grateful. Two observations, really. First of all, it's quite common in Westminster to debate issues and matters that relate to other countries. And so Westminster has debated, certainly in the past few years, the situation in Yemen, in Syria, just to give two examples where there is no influence at all for the UK Government and the UK Parliament. Having a direct influence or direct power...
Carwyn Jones: I thank the Member for giving way. Does he not realise that Winston Churchill was not only a proponent of a European union, but actually, before the second world war, wanted the UK and France to unite as one country. So, please, you can't use Winston Churchill as someone you can portray as anti-European. He was quite the opposite.
Carwyn Jones: I've been in this place now for over 20 years and I have never seen a situation such as this one. A mess, shambles, chaos—there are plenty of words to describe the situation that we are in, but it’s a major problem for the UK and, of course, for Wales. And may I say that this Parliament, as the Parliament of the people of Wales, has every right to meet to discuss an issue that is...
Carwyn Jones: We have, Dirprwy Lywydd, a Prime Minister not elected by the people, one who refused to call an election when it suited him in July and August, who tried to close down the UK Parliament. And one of the reasons why we’re meeting today is because the UK Parliament is being muzzled. A UK Parliament, may I add, that was actually elected in 2017—a year after the referendum. A UK Parliament...
Carwyn Jones: And I have to say that it starts at Westminster. I look at the Conservative benches opposite. I see people who I’ve disagreed with many, many, many times, but disagreeing with somebody is not the same as disliking somebody. And I look at those benches and I ask myself the question: it starts in Westminster—who’s next? Who’s next? And I say that with no pleasure at all, without trying...
Carwyn Jones: I'm grateful to the Member for giving way. What is the alternative to the backstop? That is the question that I ask. Lots of people have said they don't want it, but what is his alternative?
Carwyn Jones: 7. What measures are in place to prevent avoidance of extra council tax on second homes? OAQ54350
Carwyn Jones: First Minister, while listening to the radio last week, I was struck by an advert I heard on a commercial station that began by informing people of how they could create an extra income out of their second homes and ended by saying, 'Take action now in order to avoid the extra council tax on second homes.' Will the First Minister agree with me that it is morally repugnant for companies or...
Carwyn Jones: We face this afternoon the deepest political crisis that I have seen in my 20 years of politics. I have to say that I have seen at least one Conservative MP attack the Supreme Court—David Davies. He said they were part of a pro-EU establishment. We all, First Minister, are the subject of court judgments sometimes that we don’t like, but we have courts for a reason—they’re there to...
Carwyn Jones: 2. What is the Welsh Government's policy on free schools? OAQ54361
Carwyn Jones: Thank you, First Minister. Do you agree with me that the Prime Minister's intention, as he put it, to create 30 free schools across the UK—perhaps that's an improper comment—shows his ignorance of devolution, because, as we all know in this Chamber, education is devolved? Will the First Minister continue then to assure the people of Wales that we will not see the marketisation of...
Carwyn Jones: 3. What discussions about Brexit has the First Minister had with the UK Prime Minister over the last month? OAQ54536
Carwyn Jones: Does the First Minister share my concern that that shows a complete contempt for the people of Wales, for this institution and the Government that springs from it? Doesn't it show that the current Prime Minister is interested in England and in nowhere else? We know that the Conservative Party membership, if we believe the opinion polls, care more about Brexit than the union. And indeed, an...
Carwyn Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm going to try and calm things down a little, if I may. It's perfectly correct that this, the elected National Assembly of the people of Wales should debate these matters. It is a legal issue that we're discussing here and that is the question of an LCM. So, this is not time wasted in some way; we're doing this because a request has come to us from a Whitehall department...
Carwyn Jones: What did you think would happen? The level of naivety among Brexiteers stuns me. And, yes, we would have certainty if we'd said, 'We will stay in the customs union.' That would be certainty. The problem of Ireland would have gone away. The issue of Ireland would have gone away. That wouldn't have been an issue that we would be discussing today. I come back to Ireland. It gives me no pleasure...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, here we go, here we go. Yes, 3,000 people dead in Northern Ireland; 'here we go', say the Tory benches. That shows exactly what they think of Northern Ireland and how blind they are to the issue of Ireland itself. Let me remind Members that this is not a question of trade; this is a question of peace. It's a question of peace. Since 1998, in my wife's home city, people are not being...
