Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:44 pm on 26 January 2022.
Let's take a step back and think about what this Bill could have been about. It could have been about strengthening our democracy by getting behind efforts to build a better politics with a fairer electoral system. It could have sought to expand the franchise, empower voters and communities, increase voter turnout, and rebuild trust in our electoral system. Instead, Conservative Ministers have voted to make it harder for people to vote, to actively disenfranchise people and to make our electoral system less representative.
I am grateful for the work of campaigners like Maddy Dhesi, leading the Hands Off Our Vote campaign. It's a campaign led by young people to keep elections fair and accessible for all voters. And they make the point very clearly: at a time when voter turnout continues to decline and public apathy continues to rise, measures that make it harder for people to participate undermine our democracy and ultimately our society. Voter ID proposals are not only discriminatory but, as we have heard, a blatant undermining of our democratic rights, and these plans are completely disproportionate.
So, I'm going to finish my brief speech with a political point, disappointing Darren Millar again. This is because this is a debate about values, whether it's this Bill, thinly veiled threats to our national broadcaster or a draconian clampdown on protests, Boris Johnson and his Government are hellbent on ducking and diving from accountability at every turn; hardly surprising, given their recent exploits. So, it comes as no surprise that there is a desire from the Conservatives to entrench themselves within a system that breeds the entitlement and self-serving behaviour that we have seen over the past few weeks. This is a shameful and disproportionate measure to undermine democracy by the Conservatives. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.