Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:40 pm on 7 March 2023.
I have to say, I don't want to stand up and absolve Welsh Government of responsibility here, but I do find it quite galling to hear the Conservatives talk about, 'What about the children of Wales?' when, actually, it's Tory austerity enforcing policies on people here in Wales, not giving Wales the fair share it deserves, lying about the Brexit dividend that would come to Wales that never materialised and is letting our communities get poorer. That's the reality, and you have to take responsibility for that as well. You cannot absolve responsibility. But one of the things we've had through our e-mails from many people has been from People's Assembly Wales, asking us, as Labour and Plaid Cymru politicians, not to vote in favour of this budget, because it would be implementing austerity here in Wales. They're asking why we're not out on the streets, united, to ensure that Wales gets what it needs and deserves, because the reality is that we are being let down by consecutive UK Governments, and it's making the situation impossible.
I'm also fed up of hearing people stand up in this Chamber and say, 'We would do this, if we had the money, or if we had the powers here in Wales', but not fighting for greater powers. And actually, we do support independence because we believe that we should be taking those difficult decisions here in Wales, rather than just pointing towards the UK Government.