8. 8. Plaid Cymru Debate: Economic Development in the South Wales Valleys

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:39 pm on 17 May 2017.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 5:39, 17 May 2017

I welcome this debate and welcome Plaid Cymru’s interest in our south Wales Valleys communities. Indeed, I gather from the press that the Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr is holding a public meeting in Neath this evening, so I commend to him the Gwyn Hall as an outstanding performance venue. It has a lot to offer in terms of theatre, film and, of course, pantomime [Laughter.] I’m sure that the opportunity to excite local party members with his revivalist preaching will stand him in good stead in the future—perhaps the not-too-distant future. But people in our Valleys communities will judge Plaid Cymru on its actions, and not on the sermons and the slogans. They will recall that the last time Plaid Cymru held the economic development brief, when Lehman’s was collapsing, they were prioritising building bypasses in Porthmadog, so they will not forget those actions on their part—