Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:05 pm on 5 December 2017.
No. The amount of money also being wasted is staggering—staggering. Tens of millions of pounds on questionable land deals, questionable business supports—that's where the money goes. And, I'm tired of the dependency culture in Wales. I want to see a budget that demands we stand on our own two feet. I want to see a budget that leads to people being empowered to live their own lives. With a sovereign Parliament, we could do much more, but this Government doesn't want extra powers to change things really.
Wales is a great country and we deserve a great Government, but that's not what we've got. We have a First Minister who's being investigated and his future is in doubt, and there's hardly any new legislation being introduced. Plaid Cymru has been involved in the budget and has made improvements, but only a small fraction of it; 99 per cent of this budget is all Labour, and that really shows.
I'll also be voting against the Conservative motion because, with respect, they've not got a leg to stand on. They've bunged £1 billion to the north of Ireland, whilst projects like rail electrification in Wales get cancelled. And even after sending them all that money, they let a party of religious extremists dictate our future with the European Union.
Wales is full of talent, but there's nothing serious in this budget to stop people having to leave our country to make their future elsewhere. It's been clear for years, but this budget only shows it more clearly: the only way to move Wales forward is by moving Labour out of the way.