Mae teulu, a chymuned, a gwreiddiau yn ein gwneud ni be ydan ni wrth gwrs. Ac ymhlith y gwerthoedd wreiddiwyd ynof i gan mam a dad oedd gwerthoedd creiddiol Plaid Cymru. Mi oedd y gwerthoedd yna o fynnu tegwch – i bobl, i gymuned, i wlad – o ofalu am y llai breintiedig, o estyn llaw allan at ein cyd-ddyn, yn gwbl elfennol i fi. Ac o oed ifanc iawn, Plaid Cymru oedd yr ymgorfforiad i fi o uchelgais dros Gymru.
Family, and community, and roots make us who we are, of course. And among the values instilled in me by my mother and father were the core values of Plaid Cymru. Those values of demanding fairness – for people, for community, for country – of caring for the less privileged, of reaching out to others, are completely integral to me. And from a very young age, Plaid Cymru was, for me, the embodiment of ambition for Wales.
The beacon of hope
I don’t think I’d claim to be particularly up to speed with constitutional matters in those younger, formative years. I’d have been nearly seven at the time of the first devolution referendum, and whilst I do have many memories from that year, I have no recollection of the referendum at all. My parents shielding me, perhaps.
But soon enough – young enough – I did come to see that our nation wasn’t what it could be. That our voice was muffled, our ambitions held back, our aspirations ignored. And I came to see that Plaid Cymru was the beacon of hope in all of this. Plaid was the embodiment to me of our determination to be a nation, to demand our voice. To remove the shackles that stunted our aspirations and ambitions. And a yearning to be an independent Wales grew from that.
So it’s not independence for its own sake, but a means to an end. A means to be a better society, a country where we try to give everyone the same chances in life. Where there’s an absolute determination to make poverty history, where we never turn a blind eye to inequalities. Where communities thrive and where wealth and opportunities are redistributed in every sense, and where we do strive to build a stronger and fairer economy. These are my ambitions for Wales.
I want Plaid Cymru to be a home for everyone who shares that ambition about creating a fairer, greener, more prosperous society. And by that I mean a home for those already curious about independence, those confident about its potential as I am, or those whose curiosity is yet to be sparked. And being that spark is central to what I want to achieve in politics. Sharing my firm belief as positively as I can, to an audience as wide as can be, that this is not as good as it gets for Wales.
And showing through our actions now, at all levels from community to council to Westminster and the Senedd, that we will never miss an opportunity to implement policy, to seek further powers, to seek the best for Wales. Always. It’s why the mature politics of the Cooperation Agreement – delivering tangible benefits for the people of Wales – will continue to be pursued under my leadership, showing a glimpse from opposition of what we could achieve in Government.
But to be the champions that Wales needs, we have to be fit as a party and ready to face the challenges ahead. I’m determined that we will be, and I’ll be uncompromising in making this a welcoming party where everyone feels safe, supported, and empowered to play their part.
Cyfartaledd. Tegwch. Cyfiawnder.
Rhaid i ni sicrhau ein bod ni’n barod i wynebu’r rhwystrau o’n blaenau ni, a rydan ni’n gwybod bod gennym heriau i’w hwynebu fel Plaid. Y peth allweddol i fi ydi ein bod ni wedi dangos ein bod ni’n gwbl benderfynol o wynebu a goresgyn yr heriau hynny. Mae pob Plaid, a chymaint o sefydliadau eraill yn wynebu heriau tebyg, ond drwy adroddiad Prosiect Pawb a gwaith Nerys Evans, mae ganddon ni ffordd ymlaen – ac mi fydda i’n ddigyfaddawd wrth sicrhau ein bod ni’n gweithredu.
We must ensure that we are ready to face the obstacles we face, and we know that we have challenges to be faced as a Party. The key thing for me is that we have shown that we are a completely determined to face and overcome those challenges. All Parties, and so many other organisations, face similar challenges, but through the Prosiect Pawb report and the work of Nerys Evans, we have a way forward – and I will be uncompromising in ensuring that we act on that report.
A dan ni’n dod nol at y gwreiddia fanna yn dydan? Y gwerthoedd na sydd mor bwysig i fi ac i ninnau fel Plaid: Cyfartaledd. Tegwch. Cyfiawnder.
And we come back to the roots there, don’t we? The values that are most important to me and to us as a Party: Equality. Fairness. Justice.
Mi gefais i fy nysgu i fod yn rhyngwladol fy ngolwg o’r byd. Nid Cymru ar ei phen ei hun, ond Cymru o fewn cymdeithas fyd-eang. Ar draws y byd, mi oedd frwydrau am degwch fu’n ysbrydoliaeth i fi. Bum mlynedd ar hugain union yn ôl i heddiw, mi wnaeth Nelson Mandela dderbyn rhyddid dinas Caerdydd, a’i ymweliad o i Gymru yn fy ysbrydoli i fel cymaint o rai eraill.
I was taught to be international in my view of the world. Not Wales on its own, but Wales within a global society. Across the world, I was inspired by battles for fairness. Exactly 25 years ago today, Nelson Mandela received the freedom of the city of Cardiff, and his visit to Wales inspired me, like so many others.
I was working as a journalist during Nelson Mandela’s visit to Wales on 16 June, 1998. Speaking at Cardiff Castle, he said:
“I will be able to tell my people that in the people of Wales we have friends indeed, ready to join hands with us in building a better life for all.”
With those words we remind ourselves why we are here. As internationalists. What we strive for. What I strive for Wales. It is about building a better life, a better future. And in his description of the holding of hands – it’s a reminder that no-one succeeds in bringing about change alone.
I see very much the role of leading Plaid Cymru to be a joint venture. Bringing together the very best of the talent, energy, and ideas we have right across the party, as we build trust in our vision. And trust is key. See how the Conservatives not only trashed the economy but trashed trust in politics through their chaotic, callous, selfish, and self-serving actions, and through Johnsons’s lies. See how trust in the delivery of public services in Wales is undermined by Labour’s NHS crisis.
We have to build trust and we all have a part to play. And as we do we remember that we in Plaid Cymru stand on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before us, and pave the way for generations to come.
Diolch yn fawr
Dwi am gymryd y cyfle yn fan hyn o ddiolch i Adam Price am ei arweiniad o dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae ei waddol o, o’r rôl allweddol mae o wedi’i chwarae a’i gyfraniad i’r Blaid ac i Gymru drwy oes o ymroddiad, heb sôn am ei gyfnod yn rôl yr arweinydd ei hun, wedi ei sicrhau, ac mi fydd yn parhau yn rhan allweddol o’n dyfodol ni hefyd, does gen i ddim amheuaeth am hynny. Diolch i ti, Adam.
I want to take the opportunity here to thank Adam Price for his leadership over the past few years. His legacy, from the key role he has played and his contribution to Plaid Cymru through a lifetime of dedication, not to mention his time in the role of leader himself, has been ensured. And he will continue to be a key part of our future as well, I have no doubt about that. Thank you, Adam.
A dwi eisiau diolch i Llyr Gruffydd am gymryd yr awenau mewn ffordd mor fedrus yn y cyfnod diweddar. Mae ei brofiad o wedi bod yn amhrisiadwy i ni, a’i lywio doeth drwy’r wythnosau aeth heibio wedi ei werthfawrogi gen i yn sicr, ond gan y Blaid yn ehangach hefyd dwi’n gwybod. Diolch o galon, Llyr.
And I want to thank Llyr Gruffydd for taking the reins in such a skilful way in these last weeks. His experience has been invaluable to us, and his wise steering through the past weeks has certainly been appreciated by me, but by the Party more widely as well, I know. Thank you, Llyr.
A dwi’n mynd i bwyso’n drwm arnyn nhw, a’n wir pob un o’r tîm rhagorol sydd ganddyn ni yn y Senedd, a San Steffan a’n timau o gynghorwyr, wrth i fi gymryd yr awenau rŵan.
And I’m going to lean heavily on them, and indeed all of the excellent team we have in the Senedd, and Westminster and our teams of councillors, as I now take the reins.
Today is a day that I find very humbling. There’s no election this time, and it’ll be my job to repay the trust shown in me, and to show that the unity behind my candidacy can be the foundations of a genuinely united party. United in our values, united in our ambition for our country.
And I’m grateful for, and humbled by, the nominations I received from constituencies from Ynys Môn to Monmouth, reflecting my determination to lead for the whole of Wales. From the South Wales valley where I was born, to the island community that’s my home and that I’m so proud to represent. In the words of the well-known song by my father and Dafydd Iwan, sung to Woody Guthrie’s famous tune: “O Fôn i Fynwy, mae’r wlad hon yn eiddo i ti a mi.” This land belongs to all of us. A welcoming land, a caring land, and a country that I just know can be so much more.
For my part. I promise I’ll lead with humility, with passion and energy, and I’ll lead with everyone who shares that goal of building a better Wales.
We have work to do.
Diolch yn fawr.
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