In Wales we can do things differently
GOBEITHIO’CH bod chi wedi mwynhau ychydig o ddyddiau dros benwythnos y Pasg i dreulio amser yng nghwmni’ch anwyliaid - ac efallai i chi fwynhau wy siocled (neu ddau!) Gyda’r clociau’n newid, gwnaeth yr haul ei ymddangosiad o’r diwedd hefyd, ac mae’r dyddiau hirach yn cadarnhau ein bod o’r diwedd wedi llwyddo i droi cefn ar y gaeaf oer, tywyll – a gwlyb iawn, iawn a fu.
Wrth i ni ddechrau tymor newydd, yn ddiweddar, gwelwyd gyfnod newydd yng ngwleidyddiaeth Cymru hefyd. Cyhoeddodd Mark Drakeford ychydig cyn y Nadolig y llynedd y byddai’n ymddiswyddo o’i rôl fel Prif Weinidog Cymru cyn y Pasg, ac wrth wneud hynny, fe daniodd y gwn ar yr ornest i’w olynu fel arweinydd newydd y blaid Lafur yng Nghymru. Vaughan Gething oedd enillydd yr ornest digon di-ysbryd hwnnw oedd yn brin o’r syniadau a’r uchelgais a geisiwn ar gyfer ein dyfodol, ac fe’i dewiswyd yn swyddogol i fod yn Brif Weinidog newydd Cymru fis diwethaf.
Heb os, mae’n mynd i mewn i’w swydd newydd o dan gwmwl, gydag adroddiadau’n dod i’r amlwg yn ystod yr ornest arweinyddiaeth o rodd sylweddol o £200,000 a wnaed i’w ymgyrch gan gwmni sydd wedi’i gyhuddo o gyflawni troseddau amgylcheddol, ymhlith materion eraill. Er ein bod wedi arfer â chwestiynau am roddion amheus o amgylch y blaid Geidwadol, mae’r datguddiad hwn wedi tanseilio cymaint o’r ffydd sydd gan bobl yn y rhai sy’n cael eu hethol i swydd uchel yng Nghymru. Rwyf wedi bod yn glir fel Arweinydd gwrthblaid bod rhaid i’r Prif Weinidog newydd dalu’r arian hwnnw’n ôl, ond bod ganddo hefyd ddyletswydd i dalu’n ôl yr ymddiriedaeth y mae pobl Cymru wedi’i roi ynddo.
Addawodd y Prif Weinidog newydd ‘newid’ i bobl Cymru yn ystod ei ymgyrch etholiadol fewnol, fodd bynnag, ar ei ddiwrnod llawn cyntaf yn ei swydd newydd, cyhoeddodd Gabinet a oedd yn cynnwys un Gweinidog newydd yn unig. Sut allwn ni ddisgwyl i newid gael ei gyflawni gan y rhai sy’n gyfrifol am ein rhoi yn y sefyllfa hon yn y lle cyntaf? Mae ei Gabinet newydd yn etifeddu heriau sylweddol o ganlyniad i record Llafur mewn llywodraeth yng Nghymru, ynghyd â llymder y Torïaid. Mae economi sy’n pallu, rhestrau aros hirach yn y GIG a safonau addysgol yn gostwng yn etifeddiaeth i’r llywodraeth Lafur y mae Vaughan Gething ei hun wedi chwarae rhan ganolog ynddi ers dros ddegawd.
Yn yr un wythnos ag y cadarnhawyd y Prif Weinidog newydd, roedd egni tra gwahanol yn amlwg yng Nghynhadledd Wanwyn Plaid Cymru yn Galeri, Caernarfon. Un o syniadau newydd, o obaith newydd, ac o weledigaeth newydd i Gymru. Yn ystod beth all fod yn Gynhadledd olaf cyn yr Etholiad Cyffredinol, roedd y neges i’w chlywed a’i theimlo yn glir: yng Nghymru, gallwn wneud pethau’n wahanol. Gallwn gadw’r Torïaid allan, gallwn roi buddiannau Cymru yn gyntaf, ac ar yr un pryd gallwn ddangos i Lafur na fyddwn yn gadael iddynt gymryd Cymru’n ganiataol. Dyna ystyr pleidlais i Blaid Cymru.
Nid yw etholiadau cyffredinol yn eiddo i ddwy blaid ac mae Plaid Cymru yn sefyll ar wahân i wleidyddiaeth sefydliad y DU. Ni yw’r unig rai sydd wedi ymrwymo’n llwyr i frwydro dros gyllid teg i Gymru a setliad datganoli tecach. Asau Plaid Cymru yw’r unig rai i fod yn llais i Gymru yn San Steffan ac nid llais San Steffan yng Nghymru, a Phlaid Cymru yw’r unig blaid fydd wastad yn gwneud yr achos nad dyma’r gorau all pethau fod i ni yng Nghymru.
Dyna’n neges wrth inni fynd allan i siarad â chymaint o bobl ag y gallwn cyn yr etholiad nesaf, a braf oedd bod allan yn curo drysau yn Gaerwen ar fore’r Gynhadledd gyda’n hymgeisydd gwych, Llinos Medi, a’n Harweinydd yn San Steffan, Liz Saville Roberts. Yn Llinos, mae gennym lais cryf, lleol, hyrwyddwr cymunedol sydd o ddifri am sefyll dros gwir fuddiannau Ynys Môn yn San Steffan.
Er i Blaid Cymru achub ar y cyfle cyntaf un a gawsom yn y Senedd i alw ar lywodraeth Vaughan Gething i ymuno â’n galwadau am fodel ariannu tecach i Gymru, ymhen ychydig wythnosau y caf y cyfle cyntaf i’w ddal i gyfri yng Nghwestiynau’r Prif Weinidog. Fe barhawn i ddefnyddio pob dull sydd ar gael i ni wrth sefyll i fyny dros Gymru, a gyda’r dyddiau goleuach ar ein gwarthaf (gobeithio) edrychaf ymlaen at ymgyrchu gyda ymgeiswyr penigamp Plaid Cymru ym mhob rhan o Gymru i sicrhau ein bod yn dychwelyd cymaint o Asau Plaid Cymru â phosibl i Lundain am y tymor seneddol nesaf, i frwydro dros Gymru decach, fwy uchelgeisiol.
IHOPE that you’ve enjoyed a good few days over the Easter weekend to spend time with loved ones - and perhaps you enjoyed a chocolate egg (or two!) if the Easter bunny was kind enough to visit you! With the clocks springing forward, the sun also finally made its appearance and the longer days confirms that we have indeed finally made it through that cold, dark – and very, very wet -winter.
Just as we enter a new season, recently, we also entered a new era in Welsh politics. Mark Drakeford announced just before Christmas last year that he would resign from his role as the First Minister of Wales before Easter, and in so doing, he fired the starting gun on the contest to succeed him as the new leader of the Labour party in Wales. We now know that Vaughan Gething was the winner of that rather uninspiring contest which lacked the ideas and the ambition that we seek for our future, and he was officially chosen to be the new First Minister of Wales last month.
He undoubtedly enters his new position under a cloud, with reports emerging during the leadership contest of a sizeable £200,000 donation made to his campaign by a company that have been accused of committing environmental offences amongst other issues. While we’re used to questions about dodgy donations surrounding the Conservative party, this revelation has undermined so much of the faith that people have in those that are elected to high office in Wales. I’ve been clear as an opposition party leader that the new First Minister must pay that money back, but that he also has a duty to pay back the trust that the people of Wales have put in him, which is the most valuable, and most important of all.
The new First Minister promised the people of Wales ‘change’ during his internal election campaign, however, on his first full day in his new position, he announced a Cabinet that included only one new Minister.
Cue a palpable gasp of ‘same again’. How can we expect change to be delivered by those who are responsible for putting us in this position in the first place?
His new Cabinet inherits significant challenges as a result of Labour’s record in government in Wales, coupled with Tory austerity. A faltering economy, longer NHS waiting lists and falling educational standards is a legacy of collective government – in which Vaughan Gething himself has played a central role for over a decade.
In the same week as the new First Minister was confirmed, a very different energy was evident in Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference at Galeri, Caernarfon. One of new ideas, of new hope, and of a new vision for Wales. In what may be our final Conference before the upcoming General Election, the message that was to be heard and felt was clear: in Wales, we can do things differently. We can keep the Tories out, we can put Wales’ interests first, and at the same time we can show Labour that we won’t let them take Wales for granted. That’s what a vote for Plaid Cymru means.
General elections aren’t the preserve of two parties and Plaid Cymru stands apart from UK establishment politics. We are the only ones fully committed to fighting for fair funding for Wales and a fairer devolution settlement. Plaid Cymru MPS are the only ones to be Wales’ voice in Westminster and not Westminster’s voice in Wales, and Plaid Cymru is the only party that is unapologetic in stating that this is simply not as good as it gets for Wales.
That is our message as we take to the streets to speak with as many people as we can ahead of this next election, and it was great to be out knocking doors in Gaerwen on the morning of Conference with our fantastic Westminster candidate, Llinos Medi, and our Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts. In Llinos, we have a strong, local voice, a community champion that is serious about standing up for Ynys Môn’s best interests in Westminster.
Whilst Plaid Cymru took the very first opportunity we had in the Senedd to call on Vaughan Gething’s government to join our calls for a fairer funding model for Wales, it’ll be in a few weeks that I’ll have the first opportunity to hold the new First Minister’s feet to the fire in First Minister’s Questions. We will keep using every lever at our disposal to stand up for Wales, and with the lighter days upon us (hopefully) I look forward to campaigning with our incredible Plaid Cymru candidates in every part of Wales to ensure that we return as many Plaid Cymru MPS as possible to London for the next parliamentary term to fight for a fairer, more ambitious Wales.