Yn ystod fy nadl fer heddiw, hoffwn fyfyrio a gofyn, yn y bôn, pa rôl sydd gan y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol a Llywodraeth Cymru a pha fodelau amgen rydym ni’n barod i’w hystyried wrth i ni edrych i amddiffyn Cymru a chenedlaethau’r dyfodol yn erbyn rhai o’r heriau yma.

Mae hanes a hunaniaeth balch y genedl yma yn mynd nôl i’r gorffennol pell ac yn cael eu hadlewyrchu’n glir yn ein hiaith, ein diwylliant, ein celf a’n ffydd. Rwyf yn aml wedi siarad am bwysigrwydd ein hanes ni yn y Siambr yma ac nid ydw i’n mynd i ymddiheuro am wneud hynny unwaith eto. Mae’n hollbwysig bod cenedlaethau’r dyfodol yn dysgu am yr hanes cyfoethog sydd gennym. Mae angen i ni glywed llawer mwy am hanes Aneirin a Taliesin, Gwenllian, Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, Owain Glyndŵr, yr Esgob William Morgan, Williams Pantycelyn, terfysgoedd Merched Beca, brad y llyfrau gleision, y ‘Welsh Not’ a llawer mwy. Mae dysgu am ein gorffennol a chydnabod ein llwyddiannau yn sicr yn arwain at well ddealltwriaeth am ein lle yn y byd, am yr hyn yr ydym wedi’i gyfrannu at y byd, ac yn bwysig, yn darparu cyd-destun i’r hyn y gellir ei gyflawni, a chreu cynsail er mwyn ysbrydoli ein dyfodol.

Mi oedd nifer o’r cenedlaethau cynt yma yng Nghymru yn arloeswyr. Fe wnaethon nhw greu o’r newydd, fe wnaethon nhw ddyfeisio pethau, roedden nhw’n feiddgar ac yn ymateb i sefyllfa Cymru a’r byd fel yr oedd ar y pryd. Rydym yn aml yn sôn am ein balchder am ddatblygiad y gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol yn yr ugeinfed ganrif gan Gymro, ac mae hynny’n briodol—gofal iechyd, am ddim, i bawb—Cymru’n arwain y ffordd. Ond, ymhell cyn Bevan, yn ôl yn y canol oesoedd, mi roedd meddygon Myddfai yn arloeswyr mawr yn y maes, wrth ddatblygu’r byd meddygol yn yr ynysoedd hyn, gannoedd o flynyddoedd yn ôl. Wedyn, tua chanrif a hanner yn ôl, fe welsom Hugh Owen Thomas a’i nai, Robert Jones, yn arloesi ym maes llawdriniaeth asgwrn, gyda Robert Jones yn cael ai gydnabod yn fyd-eang fel arweinydd a sylfaenydd orthopaedeg fel arbenigedd.

Wrth i ni gwrdd yma heddiw, dylem fod yn falch bod gennym bellach ddwy ysgol feddygol—yng Nghaerdydd ac Abertawe—sydd yn cynhyrchu’r genhedlaeth nesaf o feddygon iau, llachar. Ond mae angen i ni gynhyrchu mwy, a dyna pam mae angen i ni weld sefydlu cyfleuster newydd yng ngogledd Cymru yn ogystal. Tra bod y sylfeini yno, mae’n amlwg bod angen i ni wneud mwy i ddatblygu ein harbenigedd meddygol a gwneud mwy i gefnogi arloesi meddygol yn y dyfodol.

Nid iechyd, wrth gwrs, yw’r unig faes lle mae Cymru wedi arwain y ffordd yn hanesyddol. Mae diwydiant yn un arall. Y chwyldro diwydiannol yn cael ei feithrin yma yng Nghymru—dechrau’r daith i ddyfodol mwy llewyrchus. Mae addysg yn un arall, gyda Chymru yn arwain y ffordd gyda gwaith arloesol Griffith Jones, Llanddowror, ar ddechrau’r ddeunawfed ganrif, yn addysgu’r plant yn ystod y dydd ac oedolion yn ystod y nos, gyda’r rhain wedyn yn mynd ymlaen i ddysgu eraill. Fe wnaeth y system yma o ddysgu gyrraedd y pwynt lle roedd mwyafrif o boblogaeth Cymru ar y pryd yn llythrennog—chwarter miliwn o bobl allan o boblogaeth o llai na hanner miliwn. Yn wir, erbyn marwolaeth Griffith Jones yn 1761, Cymru oedd â’r lefel lythrennedd uchaf yn y byd, ac fe wnaeth hyn arwain i ‘Catherine the Great’ o Rwsia anfon comisiynydd yma i Gymru i ddysgu gwersi, ac i weld fel allai’r system gael ei haddasu ar gyfer Rwsia. Cymru’n arwain y ffordd. Dyna lle rydym wedi bod, a dyna lle allwn ni fod unwaith eto.

We need to be able to turn to our history, not to find excuses for poor performance, but as an inspiration to improve our performance. For our present and future, Wales can do better. It seems like yesterday, but 20 years ago, a narrow majority of the people in Wales were bold, and had enough confidence to vote ‘yes’ to the idea that they lived in a nation that was worthy of governing itself. That confidence has grown further since then, of course, with a far stronger endorsement in 2011. As a result, we are partially self-governing now, and our nation, finally, is on a constitutional journey. It is an exciting journey, and a journey full of possibilities. But, the growing confidence of the Welsh people means that there is a duty on all of us here to innovate and to inspire.

So far, devolved Governments haven’t been able to do that on a number of fronts. They either haven’t had the powers, the ambition, or possibly a combination of both. For a country that has led the way in healthcare, education and industry, is this really the best we can do? Ever since I was first elected to the National Assembly in 1999, the regular release of statistics on unemployment, economic inequality and poverty have rarely made for positive reading. Throughout that period of 18 years, parts of Wales have remained, stubbornly, as some of the poorest in Europe. The stats in terms of GVA per head are there for all to see, but what often gets ignored are the very real human stories behind those figures. The most recent Welsh employment figures published this month show that the Swansea East constituency within my region has the highest rate of unemployment in Wales at 9 per cent, with the youth unemployment rate even higher.

Having served as a GP in Swansea for over 30 years and latterly as an Assembly Member intermittently for the last 18 years, I have seen first-hand the impact that lack of opportunity and employment can have on families and communities. Intergenerational unemployment is rife within some of our communities, not just in Swansea, but across Wales, and as a GP, I have seen families being torn apart due to mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, and the feeling of helplessness.

The current system is failing people. Governments are failing people. The challenge facing us in Wales of creating employment, of reducing economic inequality and reducing poverty was difficult enough as it was. The decision to leave the European Union, our major export market, makes that task even more difficult, and will result in unprecedented challenge and risk. It brings with it questions and uncertainty in terms of our economic trading capacity, employment, education, research and innovation and inward investment. This is unparalleled in the history of devolution.

As far as I am concerned, we need to see a concerted effort, a real step change, on the part of the Welsh Government and Welsh political representatives at all levels to try and defend Wales with regard to these threats. Throughout my time in this National Assembly, I have long felt that successive Governments have been far too inward looking—not being prepared to look beyond our borders. That doesn’t just mean copying what’s going on in England, but being truly outward looking and internationalist in our approach to policy and strategic development. There is so much to be gained by looking at other governments, looking at other models, where elected bodies have succeeded in delivering for their populations. We need to innovate and learn from these areas, particularly from other sub-state nations and federal structures. The Basque Country, for example, managed an annual economic growth rate of 3.69 per cent between 1995 and 2008. Whilst the Basque Country was creating employment and lifting people out of poverty, Wales was going nowhere and, in some cases, backwards.

My call to the Welsh Government and other elected representatives is that we simply cannot let another 18 years of devolution pass without making significant economic gains. That would mean that we would have failed those people in our most deprived communities, including those in Swansea East and others throughout Wales. These families, these communities, are looking for someone to truly defend their interests. As a developing institution, this National Assembly, and its Government, need to step up to the plate and really embrace and push for innovative moves that can move Wales forward. It means that we need to look with an open mind on how we can develop a model of government in Wales which can deliver for the next generation, and yes, in some instances, that means looking at our competence as an institution and what we are prepared to do for ourselves. The first opportunity to do that will undoubtedly come during the Brexit negotiations, particularly around devolution of powers currently residing in Brussels, and the potential loss of £680 million a year, which we currently receive from the European Union. Our interests have been ignored at every step of the Brexit negotiations thus far, and the Welsh Government needs to seriously up its game if those powers and moneys are to come to Wales. We should not have to accept a penny less.

Wales is at risk of becoming the forgotten nation within this so-called United Kingdom—no more than a minor English region. Why should we put up with having the most underpowered Parliament in all of the United Kingdom? The people of Wales deserve better, and this National Assembly needs the powers to properly represent the people who elect it. The current Brexit position taken by the UK Conservative Government means that Welsh industry and agriculture are at grave risk. How can we look to develop jobs and reduce poverty in west Wales and the Valleys if these two industries suffer a hammer blow? They need to be defended, not fed to the wolves. When it comes to negotiating trade deals or other economic discussions, Wales should have an equal say, particularly if they impact on devolved functions such as agriculture and health.

With businesses threatening to move away from Wales in fear of higher costs as a result of leaving the EU, we should push for Wales to have the power to set its own rates of tax, including corporation tax, air passenger duty and VAT. We need to attract businesses to Wales, and a greater range of fiscal powers would enable us to do so much more in terms of tackling our economic challenges. How is it fair that other parts of the UK have powers over corporation tax and air Passenger Duty, but Wales does not? In terms of supporting local businesses grow, we know that far too many public procurement contracts for goods and services are given to non-Welsh contractors. We should be doing much more, compared to international comparators, to support local companies to bid for these contracts, and to ensure that as much of the Welsh pound is spent here in Wales supporting local firms and employing local people through social charter clauses. We have heard much talk about this over the years, but the outcomes are still poor.

Infrastructure is clearly a key element in delivering economic growth and development and, given Wales’s lacklustre historical infrastructure spend, it should come as no surprise that parts of the country are so poor. When you look at the infrastructure in certain parts of Wales, it is simply not fit for purpose, and it is clear that we need to significantly increase our spend if we are to make progress, and we need to look at innovative models of finance to do just that. This has a key part to play in our economic recovery, whilst recognising that traditional physical infrastructure alone is not enough and that there’s a new game in town.

It is against this backdrop that I am particularly hopeful with regard to the Swansea bay city deal, with its clear focus on developing industry and jobs around technological advance. Clusters of businesses in areas such as life sciences, energy and manufacturing have the potential to significantly boost the economy in this part of the world. What is particularly pleasing about the Swansea bay deal is the ambition that has been shown, a determination not only to get by, but to aim for something different, to aim to be world leaders, to think outside the box, and this done on a cross-party basis.

It is this type of thinking that we need to see at an all-Wales level—an attitude that says that Wales has had enough of being second best and had enough of being cinderella. We need to see an attitude, particularly from the Welsh Government, that says that, actually, we’re going for something different, we’re going to aim to be world leaders, we’re going to think outside the box.

For too long, what we’ve seen from the UK and Welsh Governments is an outdated, imperial, ‘London knows best’ attitude—it does not. That type of thinking has simply resulted in west Wales and the Valleys becoming, and remaining, one of the poorest regions in Europe.

As well as fighting for greater economic powers to help tackle the inherent poverty, we also need to promote Wales abroad as a global tourist and investment option. The good work that has recently been completed at Cardiff Airport in terms of attracting Qatar Airways, for example, should be seen as the beginning. Historically, Wales would have settled for that as the end game. This cannot be the case now. If Wales is to succeed in an international setting, and attract potential visitors and investors, then it needs to be seen and it needs to be within reach.

To achieve this, we need to do much more to promote Wales abroad, so why haven’t we got any Welsh presence in UK embassies to champion our people and businesses? We need to develop an international policy for Wales, ensuring a presence on the international stage that would help develop and restore our position as a great trading nation.

We have so much untapped resource—just look at the potential tidal energy generation in Swansea bay, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay, and also the potential of managing our resources for the benefit of our own people—untapped resource and untapped wealth. It is more than possible that many of our young people, who currently leave Wales to study or to find work, in future, will find that, in actual fact, they will be able to achieve their goals and ambitions closer to home, just as people do in the rest of the world. By keeping our talented young people within Wales, to start companies, to undertake research, to lead our public bodies, Wales would take off like it has never taken off before.

But to reach that point, we need political leadership—political leadership to implement the types of ideas that I’ve discussed during this debate. Over the next 10 years or so, Wales has two very clear choices: the first will be to continue in its current form, pretty much looking to London for guidance and funding; or it can start to take the lead, start to make its own mark in the world and start to fulfil some of its significant potential.

When I opened this debate, I spoke of the lack of economic progress in the 18 years since devolution. I won’t be a GP or an Assembly Member in another 18 years’ time, but if I’m fortunate enough to be around, I would hope to see that Wales had been bold and decided to do some more of the heavy lifting for herself. Time will tell as to whether the people of Wales and its Government will step up to the mark. Diolch yn fawr.