On Friday 21st October, Wales Green Party Leader, Alice Hooker-Stroud addressed Plaid Cymru's Annual Conference on the subject of progressive alliances at Westminster. Her speech is below.
Prynhawn da pawb. Yn gyntaf, diolch i Compass am y gwahoddiad i ddod yma i siarad a chi heddiw.
Its great to have the opportunity to come here and talk to you today. But I have to admit, that even coming here is not without difficulty – it does make me a little nervous if I’m honest! So I thought I would start by acknowledging this because I think it characterises some of the discussion I hope we will have today.
Mae’n rhaid i mi ddweud, rydw i yn teimlo dipyn yn nerfus i fod yma! Mi fydd rhai o’n aelodau ni yn hapus iawn i glywed fy mod i yma, yn ceisio weithio gyda phleidiau blaengar arall i chreu dyfodol well, i greu dyfodol fwy theg i ni gyd. Ond hefyd, yn siŵr, mi fydd rhai o’n aelodau ni ddim yn hapus iawn.
Some of our members will be pleased to hear I am here today to try and work together with other progressive parties for a better future, a fairer future. But others will be much less confortable with it. So, just to be clear: today I am here to discuss with you the opportunities and difficulties inherent in forming a progressive alliance to work towards a proportional system in Westminster.
Felly, i fod yn glir, rydw i yma i siarad am y bosibilrwydd o weithio gyda’n gilydd i ymgyrchu dros cynrychiolaeth gyfrannol yn San Steffan.
I’m not saying I rule out any other ways in which we might work together, and we are a party that advocates cooperation. But we have to admit openly and honestly, that in the current political culture, it can be complicated working with other parties, let alone forming alliances.
Mae’n rhaid ddweud, mae o’n gallu fod yn galed weithio gyda phleidiau arall yn y ddiwylliant wleidyddol sydd gennym ar y foment. A dyma un o broblemau y system fel y mae hi ar y foment. Yn enwedig yn San Steffan, mae o’n ddiwylliant gystadleuol iawn.
The system we have at the moment – especially in Westminster, is highly competitive. Its divisive. It can even be tribal. There are reasons why our members are our members and not yours; and vice versa. There are reasons why people vote for us, or vote for you. And there are many who would perhaps like to vote for either of us, but don’t – or can’t.
Because the system of first-past-the-post means that for a lot of people, “voting for what you believe in” and “wasting your vote” basically means the same thing. In actual fact, only a very small number of votes in a general election count for anything. Parties only pay attention to voters in swing seats. The vast majority of us are silenced. We vote tactically, or we disengage. The Conservative Government elected in 2015 was elected by only 24% of the population eligible to vote – the least representative election in history. How can we call this a democracy?
Ac i lawer o bobl, mae “pleidleisio dros bwy rydw i’n ei chredu ynddo” yr un fath a “gwastraffu pleidlais.” Dydi’r mwyafrif o’r pleidleisiau a fwrir ledled y wlad ddim yn cyfrif. Dim ond y rhai sy’n byw mewn ‘swing seats’ sydd a llais. Mae gennym lywodraeth yn San Steffan chafodd ei hethol gan 24% o bobl hawl i pleidleisio. Mi oedd yr etholiad yn 2015 “yr un mwyaf anghyfartal yn ein hanes etholiadol.” Pa fath o democratiaeth yw hon? Mae’n rhaid i hyn newid.
This must change. And especially after a referendum that promised people they could ‘take back control,’ I believe there is an opportunity in the current political climate. Though as I highlighted at the beginning, it is not without difficulty. Because we will have to work together to achieve change, to build a more representative and inclusive democracy where tactical voting is history, and to achieve a proportional system where every vote counts.
Mae’n rhaid i ni ymgyrchu dros system lle mae pob pleidlais yn cyfrif, lle does ddim rhaid i ni bleidleisio’n tactegol, i gael chreu democratiaeth gynhwysol. Mae’n rhaid i ni ymgyrchu dros cynrychiolaeth gyfrannol.
Ond dydi newid mor enfawr ddim yn mynd i fod yn hawdd. Oherwydd mi fydd yn rhaid i ni weithio gyda’n gilydd – a dydi hyn ddim yn hawdd. Ond rydw i yma heddiw oherwydd rydw i’n meddwl fod o’n pwysig i ni thrafod amdano yn agored. A rydw i’n edrych ymlaen i glywed eich meddylion chi amdano.
I am here today because I think it is important that in this case – on something as game-changing as proportional representation – that we work together. And I look forwards to hearing your views on it, because I believe that it is only through talking to each other openly and honestly that we will have a chance to make progress. Thank you.
Diolch yn fawr.