The First Minister responded, “As the Senedd gets bigger, it’ll be even more important that our parliament and our government look like our country, its men and women, its people that look like me, a whole range of things as well. We can’t simply revert back into what politics looked like a good 20 years ago.
“The danger is it will be harder to persuade people to stay. That’s a real challenge for all of us to confront because politics can be very difficult. You’ve seen in the recent general election, politicians of all sides have all seen a significant amount of abuse. Now that’s not good for politics or the country because most people who stand for office are decent people who just disagree with each other and other parties. Sometimes within your own party too, but it doesn’t mean those aren’t decent people.
“I want an understanding that public service and politics could and should be a really good thing for our communities.”
We asked the First Minister if he agreed that he had been subject to some form of public and political assassination of his position.
The First Minister said “In four months of being first minister, we managed to resolve strikes by doctors and managed to reset the conversation with rural Wales, and we’re still making the fight that we should do in the future of our steel sector. We’ve got a UK Labour government to work with on lots of opportunities as well as the challenges we face in the future.
“I think that when you look at this time generally, there’s been lots of adverse calls. Some of that goes with the territory. But what I want is I want in the future for people to feel they’ve got into a fair fight, when it comes to doing a high profile job like this.
“We talked at various points in the day about the fact that Huw Irranca-Davies has only had 4 months in the job. You can’t expect him to have fixed everything in that time. I hope he gets the opportunity to have a long run to do the job and to deal with it properly.”
We asked the First Minister if he saw a real benefit, a way forward for Wales given that Labour have got into Westminister and that maybe the time of crying wolf over a lack of money from the UK parliament is at an end.
We put Andrew R T Davies’ comments to the First Minister where he said that he foresaw a division between Westminister Labour and the Welsh Labour government in the months and years ahead.
The First Minister said “I wouldn’t say say that Andrew R T Davies is a great commentator on political success or on how you earn the respect of people across your party. When the Prime Minister came to launch the conservative campaign in Wales, he went to the Vale of the Glamorgan, not actually the Vale of the Glamorgan constituency. He had a photograph where Andrew R T Davies was in the background, and the person sat next to him wasn’t even going to vote. So I don’t think Andrew is on great ground with any kind of commentary.
“What really does matter is how we behave as a party, as a party of government across the UK, the partnership with the Welsh government here as well. It’s about how we make sure that we use all the political knowhow to make a difference. The whole country knows that the public finances aren’t in great shape after the Tories left office. That’s not going to suddenly turn around overnight, but there are different opportunities, its about more than money. So not only to constantly refight the battle with an aggressive UK government, that was constantly looking for ways to undermine us and take our powers not to work with us.
“A change in that relationship was fundamental for doing the right thing in Wales and in Europe.”
We asked the First Minister if he was worried about the rise in far-right politics in Europe and if he foresaw the success reform had in the UK elections being replicated in the next Senedd elections.
The First Minister responded: “I applaud the good sense of voters in Wales who, when asked, decided to put a blanket ban on Welsh Tory MPs right across the country. What we need to do for 27/26 is to show that not only do we have differences with other parties, but that we are someone who is worth trusting and worth voting for. The way to deal with populous politics is actually to do what you said you would do, to deliver your manifesto, but not to lose your connection to the communities that you serve. It’s about more than just the policy we’re delivering. It’s about people understanding that you’re making a difference, and you’re living the same life that many people in the offices do as well.
“My son goes to local school. We use the health service. I’m affected by the same experiences that so many people in my constituency are. And, of course, I have an extraordinary job to do as well. I think we can regain the case of politics being a noble profession full of decency, but with hard work, not complacency.”
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