And 562,000 people can speak Welsh in the last census, 19 per cent of the population. That is a cause for absolute celebration and wonder that Welsh has defied all attempts at obliteration over the centuries.

Now, bloodthirsty histories are not unique. Our particular bloodthirsty history here in Wales has, though, fuelled our absolute desire that our language will survive, that Wales will survive against all odds. Yma o hyd, yn wir. It's not to be taken lightly at all; otherwise, we betray the sufferings and commitments of previous generations that insisted on being Welsh and speaking Welsh despite punishment. But, as I said, that's just one aspect of Wales's history. 

I've got no time, really, to dwell on Tryweryn—that's why I'm looking to the school history lessons—dwell on Tryweryn or the exploitations of the coal industry—Mick touched on them—or Aberfan, all of that. So many injustices, so little time. And there's a load of inspiring people. We've heard about them. Can I just add a few more? Robert Recorde invented the equals sign. He was from Tenby. William Grove from Swansea invented the photovoltaic cell, forerunner of the battery, in 1843. It's in NASA spaceships today. All those American presidents with Welsh roots. David Lloyd George, yes; Aneurin Bevan; Frank Lloyd Wright, internationally renowned architect, who grew up in a Welsh-speaking family with Welsh-speaking neighbours, not in rural Ceredigion but in rural Wisconsin in the United States in the 1860s.

So, our history reminds us that Wales and its people have accomplished stunning achievements in many fields. Wales has been independent in the past. It has had over 1 million Welsh speakers in the past, so let our history inspire our future. Diolch yn fawr.