Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:02 pm on 16 November 2021.
—Counsel General, a more deliberative democracy does cost money. So, will the Counsel General commit to making sure that the commission is resourced sufficiently to enable the wider conversation that we want to happen to happen?
Lauren McEvatt, the Conservative nominee, is welcome, and, obviously, a constructive Conservative. We still have a few of them left. And she has considerable experience of the Silk commission. Despite the bluster over there of Darren Millar and others, I am pleased—[Interruption.]—I am pleased that the Conservatives are taking part in this commission.
The appointment of Shavanah Taj, Wales TUC general secretary, is particularly welcome as the voice of workers in Wales. And this is apt, isn't it, because the creation of the Welsh TUC in 1974 was an important step on the devolution journey. The Wales TUC were ahead of the curve when it came to devolution, and it took others a while to catch up.
I also welcome the appointments of Albert Owen and Kirsty Williams, but particularly so my South Wales Central predecessor Leanne Wood. Think how far we've come on this journey. When Kirsty Williams and you, Llywydd, and also the Minister for social services, were first elected here, in 1999, this was a corporate body. When Leanne was first elected, in 2003, she was elected to a body that wasn't a primary legislative Parliament, and without any tax-raising powers. Leanne Wood has constantly pushed for improvements within our devolution settlement. From her paper, 'Making Our Communities Safer' in 2008, calling for the devolution of criminal justice, to 'A greenprint for the Valleys', advocating for Wales to have powers over the Crown Estate, and then to 'The change we need', where she put forward a radical agenda for ensuring that decisions affecting Wales are decided here in Wales in the hands of the people of Wales. As she said today, with Scotland likely to determine its own future in the next few years, this is an opportunity for the people of Wales to have the biggest conversation about our future as a nation than we've ever had. And Leanne Wood is right there, and that conversation is vitally important. We live in a social media age that polarises views and stresses mutual animosity. That's why a conversation is so important, that we listen carefully to others, especially those of differing views.