I am urging you to support both of Plaid Cymru's amendments today. This Johnson deal is a hard Brexit. The people of Wales have not given a mandate for a hard Brexit, and this Senedd must show strong opposition to it. It's not a choice between two ills—that's not what we're here to do. Our work today is to signify through a symbolic vote that the Johnson deal is damaging to Wales and that we do not support it. Voting for our amendment 4 would ensure that that stance could be taken properly by the Welsh Parliament.

Plaid Cymru has been clear from the outset that we won't consent to undermining the economy and rights of the people of Wales, nor will we consent to damaging the future of generations to come. Plaid Cymru wasn't part of creating the Brexit saga. Our vision is one that extends outwards from Wales towards Europe and the world. But, we're not dealing today with the fact that the UK has left the EU. Today, the Welsh Government wants us to vote in a way that will open the door to far-reaching damage to our nation. Today, the Welsh Government wants us to consent to an issue that we have had no opportunity to scrutinise even. A symbolic vote, rubber-stamping what the Tories in Westminster are doing in implementing the Johnson deal, a deal that will have been signed in a few hours’ time with the democratic process being entirely ignored. So, it is right that we should not support this fait accompli today.

It was the desire of a crew of Conservative dinosaurs to retain power—‘Britannia rules the waves’—that led to Brexit. The final wagging of the imperial, capitalist dinosaur's tail, and that meant nothing to the younger generation that was so disappointed by the decision. Thanks to the foolishness of David Cameron, the Brexit campaign gathered steam. It became a false project about power and the loss of power, and, as Adam Price said, people were asking the right questions, namely, ‘What’s wrong with our lives? Why do we feel disempowered and frustrated?’, and some found the wrong answer in Brexit. In addition to that, there was the spin, the lies and the false promises. The people of Wales are still asking the right question, ‘How can we give our children better lives?’, and more and more people are finding an alternative answer this time and are joining Yes Cymru.

It’s not through Johnson’s hard Brexit that we will feel empowered and confident, and certainly it’s not through thinking that Britannia can somehow rule the waves once again. The way forward is independence for Wales—taking back control in the true sense of the words, creating our own future and a better deal for all the people of Wales, turning the disappointment of our young people into joy and creating new hope for communities in all parts of Wales.