As the conference season draws to an end, there is one more important conference that will take place. No, I’m certainly not talking about the Tory conference; I’m talking about the Welsh Lib Dem Autumn Conference in Wrexham.
The setting for this years’ conference is the newly established Glyndwr University in Wrexham, a Welsh Lib Dem-led Council. We chose the venue given its recent status as a University where young people have the opportunity to learn and develop and enter the Welsh job market to boost the Welsh economy – a commitment that Lib Dems subscribe to all across the UK.
Since our Spring Conference in Cardiff a huge amount has happened. The world of politics has been forced into flux by its electors. Across Wales, we’ve been working hard to listen to frustrated voters and we will take steps at this conference to confirm that our party is listening.
As you may know, this Summer I have been out and about holding a series of traditional town hall meetings across Wales, not to talk at people, but to listen. I have been listening and people told me that they want the certainty that someone is looking out for them, their families, the future of their families, their jobs, their health and their communities.
The main theme of our Autumn Conference this year will be how to develop a new green economy. We’re not doing it because it’s fashionable; we’re doing it because of what I heard when people talked in the series of town hall meetings.
Far too much of the political debate is looking at how we can return to the economic climate of the last few years. But I do not believe that that is what we should be aiming for. The Welsh economy was struggling even before this recession, especially due to high amounts of personal debt and a lack of private sector investment. We also cannot ignore the fact that climate change has the potential to change Wales for the worse.
However, Wales has the potential to establish itself as a world leader in developing cutting edge green technologies. We should make the most of this opportunity now, before it is too late. We also have the chance soon to make sure that all new buildings in Wales are environmentally friendly.
The Welsh government’s Green Jobs Strategy has taken far, far too long. The Welsh Lib Dems first called for a green jobs strategy in 2006 and the Government finally published a strategy in 2009. It is likely to be followed by consultation on delivering the Green Jobs Strategy. This is symptomatic of the Government’s inaction on two crucial issues – the economy and the environment.
The plans that will be debated at our Conference are the beginning of the process that will establish the Welsh Liberal Democrats as the leading thinkers in the debate about how we want our economy to look after the recession, and what we can do to tackle radical climate change. I’m glad that my party has the vision to discuss these important ideas, which are vital for the future of our country.
This conference is focused on gearing Wales up to face economic difficulties in a green way, to tackle climate change and move to a sustainable society. I’m determined that the Welsh Liberal Democrats will lead the way in developing policies that are truly fit for the future.
For those people who think that Conference is there just to talk about constitutional amendments and rules and regulations, it is not. While those issues may be important to the party, Conference is there to show the people of Wales who we are and what we stand for.
The work we’ll be doing at conference Wrexham will underpin our campaigning efforts for the year ahead; it’s a crucial few days in a year of huge opportunity. The current recession has re-ignited the debate about how we want the Welsh economy to look. Now is an opportunity to move Wales to the front of the debate about a new economy that both cherishes economic success and reduces our carbon footprint. We want to make sure that we have an economy that will be productive for our children and an environment that we can pass onto them as well. We want to get the Welsh economy back on track but on a different track to the one which led us to this mess.
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