Speeches

November '07 - Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Speech on Draft Budget.
Prior I am grateful for this opportunity to make an oral statement on the Assembly Government's 2007 Draft Budget proposals. The budget marks a crucial stage in the delivery of the One Wales programme. 

November '06 - Creating an X Factor - Devolution, New Powers and Taking the Economy Forward
Prior to 1999, the old Welsh Office, as an executive arm of Whitehall, had a limited role in framing policy for Wales. Today - all that has changed – with the Assembly Government developing policies directly relevant to Wales and delivering real improvements for the people of Wales. However, if we are to build on the remarkable transformation of the Welsh economy since 1999, and if we are to be truly successful at a global level, we must ensure that our public services adapt and innovate and continue to deliver for the people they represent.

October '06 - How Wales can save the planet
They say every crisis is an opportunity. But seldom can the world have faced a crisis as great as that posed by global warming. Even former sceptics now accept the overwhelming evidence of climate change. The increase in temperature has accelerated during the past two decades. Disturbingly, there is new evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities

October '06 - G24i - New High Value Inward Investment
Earlier today, I was delighted to announce the decision by G24 Innovations to invest at Wentloog Park in Cardiff in a multi million pound project to manufacture dye sensitised solar cells, one of the latest, lightest, most efficient and least costly solar technologies in the world. This project will create 300 high quality well paid jobs for chemists, engineers and technicians

October '06 - Launch of the Welsh Research Unit for Governance and Development
First of all may I wish your research unit every success. You’ll have no shortage of work, because these are exciting times for Wales – especially for students of politics and governance. Today, I'd like to talk about the National Assembly's third term - and along the way point up some of the differences between the changes we are making and the position in Westminster and Whitehall.

September '06 - Labour Conference Speech on Economic Opportunity
When Labour was elected in 1997 we promised to bring economic opportunity to every part of the UK. We’ve delivered on that promise in Wales. Thanks to the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, Britain has enjoyed a truly remarkable- and unprecedented- period of economic stability- providing the foundation to personal opportunity. nowhere is this clearer than in Wales. The Labour Assembly Government has delivered in Wales. We’ve delivered jobs- and significantly more than across the UK – with more than 1.3 million people in employment.

June '06 - Launch of the Heads of the Valleys Strategy - Blaenafon Workers Hall
Ladies and Gentlemen, Bore Da, Good Morning to you all. I am delighted to be with you for this most significant event. This morning marks the launch of the Heads of the Valleys strategy, ‘Turning Heads’ – a key event in a 15-year programme of regeneration for the region. This is very much a flagship project – unique in Wales for its breadth of vision and sheer ambition. It’s a strategy that sets out to transform the prospects for valley communities.

February '06 - Where next for the Left?
As a new generation of socialists we have to address the specific challenges of the world that we all live in and the challenge for the Left today is in how to create the ‘Good Society’ by developing an enterprising and innovative sustainable economy and a just society while also reducing the environmental impact of our activities.

Many of the challenges facing communities today are global in their nature: jobs, the environment, culture and public services...

May '05 - A Vision of the Future for the Swansea Bay Region - Address to the West Wales Chamber of Commerce
Wales is benefiting from one the most favourable economic conditions in living history - outperforming the rest of the UK in almost every aspect of economic activity. We are now seeing levels of investment - both public and private - that we have not seen for a generation or more. When for example did we last see in Swansea so much development and so many cranes - or indeed so such much scaffolding? In fact I even saw Oystermouth Castle is covered in scaffolding!

May '05 - Address to TUC Conference in Llandudno
Conference, it is often said that a man measures his own life by his father’s strides - and in 1935 my father’s strides took him out of Wales. It was the usual story then - that you had to ‘get out to get on’. My aim has always been to create a Wales where talented young people don’t have to leave to get on.

November '04 - Launch of Creative Industries Strategy
Good morning. It's a real pleasure to be back at the SAND Conference this year. I know last year's Conference generated a huge amount of interest both in Wales and from much further afield. I very much hope that this year’s Conference will be even more successful...

September '04 - Special conference
The media and opposition want to create an impression of conflict between the interests of ‘Westminster’ and the interests of Wales. I disagree. Labour colleagues who represent Wales in the UK Parliament are just as committed to seeing a successful Wales...

March '04 - Economic development and transport debate
Conference, I know what you're expecting now: one of those speeches made up of lists of statistics - analysing the economy down to the tiniest detail. Well relax. I'm not going to put you through it...

Feb '01 - WhenWasWales Wales is Now!
For a small country Wales has an incredible diversity and richness. We are in Wales after all a country of immigrants - from Roman times until the present day, Wales has seen successive waves of immigration and emigration. It makes us the people we are today. We should celebrate this diversity and take pride in all the cultures of Wales...