CARWYN PROMISES FREE WI-FI ON TRAINS
FREE wi-fi will be available on every train in the Wales and Borders franchise from September, as well as being rolled out to stations, First Minister Carwyn Jones has announced.
The Welsh Labour leader also told his party’s annual conference in Llandudno that free travel will be available for all passengers on the long-distance TrawsCymru service for a pilot period of 12 months.
Mr Jones also confirmed that burial charges for children’s funerals will be abolished, following a passionate campaign on the issue by Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris.
Contrasting what he described as his administration’s commitment to fair play with an uncaring UK Conservative Government, he said it was right that Welsh Labour should ask itself whether it had become detached from some of the communities it sought to represent.
He said: “We cannot hide from the electorate – they’re why we are here.
“We have to be brave enough to hear uncomfortable truths, bold enough to change our minds.
“Believe in our values, yes of course. But, they should never be either a comfort blanket, or worse, a straitjacket to stop us finding new ways to deliver.
“Will we be happy to tell our children, in 20 years’ time, that we exited the field of play? That things got too tough, that Brexit changed everything and we couldn’t get our act together?
“That we decided to leave the fight for the future to the SNP? To Tim Farron?
“No. I don’t think so. Not on my watch. Not on Jeremy’s watch. And I know that it won’t be on your watch either.”
In what sounded like an oblique criticism of those who had joined Labour simply to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as leader, Mr Jones said a decision to join should not tie members to particular personalities.
He said: “That card isn’t about me, or Jeremy, or anyone else who came before, or who will come after us.
“That decision to join this party is a decision about one simple thing – that we want to make the world a fairer place. That’s what it all comes down to.
“We may explain that idea in different ways – better schools, the NHS, a cleaner environment, an ethical foreign policy, safer streets – but that is what it comes back to, this issue of fairness.
“The thought that we can let the Tories off the hook, now more than ever, would be unforgivable.
“Their record is a disgrace. Broken promise after broken promise. They promised austerity would balance the books.
“But they are failing to provide the basic helping hand to get our economy growing again. Years of pain, for absolutely no gain.
“Theirs is a Government with no ideas. No direction. No mandate.”
He said that this month the Welsh Government had presented a sup- plementary budget that gave the NHS an extra £180m, with £30m for affordable housing and £16m for a New Treatment Fund.
“A budget that Ukip, Plaid and the Tories voted against – but a budget that will put more nurses onto hospital wards, more families into good homes and secure faster treatment for countless patients.
“That is Welsh Labour delivering in Government.”
Mr Jones said a week later, Philip Hammond had presented the UK Government’s Spring Budget, which didn’t go so well.
“Tories Break Tax Vow is not a Telegraph front page Tory Chancellors dream about,” he said.
“And, so a few days later he had another go. The second time was slightly better – he was only humiliated on 90% of the front pages.
“Cameron’s gambles took us out of Europe, Hammond’s fumbles are damaging our economy and now May’s stumbles are pushing Scotland to the exit door.”
Defending the Welsh Government’s record on education in the wake of poor results in the international Pisa test on reading, numeracy and science, Mr Jones said: “Working in partnership, the Welsh Labour Government and Welsh Labour councils are delivering for our children – our schools are now reporting their best ever exam results.
“Over the last five years, pupils getting five good GCSEs have been up by 13% in Rhondda Cynon Taf, up 10% in Torfaen and up 14% in Merthyr Tydfil.
“And the gap between the richest and poorest children is closing at every key stage: pupils in the most deprived areas are performing better than similar pupils in the rest of the UK.
“That is Welsh Labour delivering a fair deal for our children.”