Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 7 February 2017.
I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. It’s a little surreal, to be honest with you, because we have a motion before us that has been endorsed by the two parties that authored the agreement and then an amendment tabled that actually opposes the triggering of article 50 unless certain conditions are met. So, I do find that somewhat bizarre that there couldn’t be that agreement just on this simple motion that is before us, leave alone, maybe, some of the wider points in the document that is before us for debate today. I do note that the leader of Plaid Cymru has talked about promoting positive self-determination, which is another word—three words—for independence. If they’re to do that, how then can they sign up to the comments and the aspirations of the document that talks about the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom frameworks that would stem from when we leave the European Union? Because if you’re promoting positive self-determination, then, ultimately, why don’t you just use the word ‘independence’? I have asked the First Minister what exactly is the meaning of the word ‘participation’ when it comes to the single market, because that does seem to have been almost a compromise position that the two parties have arrived at, and doesn’t every—