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00:00Our part of the world needs investment in key infrastructure more than anything, and
00:04by that I mean I think I'd like to see more attention be given to the Barnett formula.
00:12That is fundamental, it is the alpha and omega when it comes to the provision of public services
00:17and investment infrastructure in the UK.
00:19If we don't get the Barnett formula working fairly so that we do get our fair share, then
00:24no matter how much of a case we make for other things, the funding just won't be there to
00:29realise them.
00:30So the resistance is I think born from a reluctance to change something that is so fundamental
00:37to the way that the UK works.
00:40If you think of the Barnett formula almost as the wiring of the country in terms of how
00:46much money does Healthcare in Wales have or how much money is spent on investment in railways,
00:52the Barnett formula is at the heart of it and so changing it would mean that there are
00:57winners and losers.
00:59I think we have to be frank and open about that and acknowledge as well that there will
01:03be certain aspects of the formula, the way it works, that disproportionately benefits
01:08us.
01:09But I'm very much in the interest in the game of fairness and so in ensuring that we have
01:14a fairer system, we have to accept the rough with the smooth.
01:18But at the moment we're having a lot of rough, so addressing this would mean that we do benefit
01:24significantly from a fairer allocation.
01:26We're also looking at other areas, the particular area of course is the Crown Estate.
01:30Crown Estate money turns to the Treasury, that's not the same situation as Scotland.
01:35In Scotland that money is decided by Scottish Government how it can be used that will benefit
01:40local supply chains and local communities.
01:43Again that would strengthen our arm rather than being a begging bowl and asking for extra
01:48funding from here that we manage our own funding from our own natural resources.
01:52Prior to the election our fellow Senedd members, Welsh Labour in Cardiff, many Welsh Labour
01:59MPs here as well, could be heard quoting exactly the same funding figures that were owed to
02:05Wales for HS2.
02:07Exactly the same need for the Crown Estate to be devolved.
02:10Now that they're in power, hey ho, they're not doing it are they?
02:13So our job is to call out primarily the effect of that, what we could do differently, and
02:18to call out frankly the hypocrisy.
02:20If Labour talk about having a partnership at both ends of the M4, why are we still missing out?
02:25I think that very often the answers are there in more smaller community energy projects
02:33than in these gigantic huge infrastructure projects by big multinationals.
02:41So that's something I'm glad you asked because that's something I would like to see promoted
02:44and I've actually written to the Minister about that exact topic.
02:48I'm saying we want to see the funding, we want to see the support, because if we go
02:53back to the election, if you go back to the Green New Deal, Great British Energy, publicly
02:59owned, a publicly owned energy company.
03:02So I'd like to see more work in the spirit of that rather than looking to these huge
03:06multinationals for the answers.
03:09We have a chain of castles and ancient monuments along the line of the Tawiusk, and once those
03:19are desecrated, once you have this line of infrastructure, this steel infrastructure
03:25coming down the whole valley from Kynghordie where you have a viaduct, they obviously hadn't
03:32done any work, any background information on that area at all.
03:38Who else in their right mind would put a pile and structure over Garn Goch?
03:43You know, for goodness sake, look at what you've got and if we don't respect what we
03:50have within our own communities, what hope is there for us?
03:55For goodness sake.
03:56So get it underground and nobody opposes the fact, or nobody is against the fact, and we
04:03all realise that we need more electricity infrastructure, but it's the way to do it.
04:10And if it's good enough for other European countries, such as Denmark, Belgium, Holland,
04:16if they're doing it, why can't we do it?
04:19Especially with regards to boot energy, when most of the money is coming from Denmark anyway.
04:25So if it's good enough for Denmark, and the finance that's coming from Denmark, well it's
04:30good enough for us in Wales.