00:00Cluith, I Lodai or Zeneth, Bonnodigion or Bonnodigessai.
00:07Presiding officer, members of the Seneth, ladies and gentlemen.
00:12It is with the greatest pleasure that I join you for the opening of the 7th Seneth.
00:19This chamber, this institution, now so well named Seneth Cymru, the Welsh Parliament,
00:27is imbued with the spirit of public service.
00:32And there are, of course, rather more members of the Seneth present today than when I last stood here.
00:40And there are many new faces, as well, of course, as the reassuring presence of familiar faces,
00:47who are, we might say, Amar O'Heed.
00:53All of which speaks to the thought of change and continuity, which comes very much to mind today,
01:01as you, together with all those working in public service,
01:06take forward your great responsibilities on behalf of the people of Wales.
01:12A Rosmair Mnoddai Mawr, said the poet Cariogh, the great mountains remain.
01:22He was expressing that sense of the enduring strength and continuity of Cymru.
01:30That endurance, that continuity, to which the great Welsh historian John Davies,
01:38who might well be with us in rather more than spirit in this chamber today,
01:44paid tribute in the closing words of his magisterial history of Wales.
01:54For tenacity is the hallmark of this ancient nation.
02:02That endurance, it seems to me, is what is so vital to preserve.
02:08It is true of language and culture, of course, and we are fortunate to have with us in the chamber
02:15here today,
02:16my harpist, Marid, who has brought the magic of the Welsh musical tradition to the world.
02:26That endurance is true of our land.
02:30No one can have failed to have been struck by the way the very colours of our countryside change during
02:38this summer's heat waves.
02:40Nor could they have failed to be deeply concerned at what this means for our rapidly changing planet.
02:48I am sure we all share that most profound concern for the environment of this country entrusted to our care.
