Politicians From Wales

"We still have a socialist leading Plaid Cymru, we still have independence as one of our priority areas. The question of social justice and inequality are still going to remain important aspects of Plaid Cymru's core message. I think the election of Adam Price means that people want to continue with a large element of what I put forward."

"What we know about the Tories is that they want to reduce the amount of money that government spends. So my fear is that Brexit will be used as an opportunity by them to reduce the amount of investment we get in Wales."

"I believe in equality. I think steps should be taken to reduce the imbalance we have in society, so I favour the redistribution of wealth for example. But what I do say is that the bar is quite low. What's considered to be radical politics today was seen as mainstream 20 years ago. Plaid Cymru is a left party and I would argue that the views that I hold reflect the views of the members of Plaid Cymru."

"Within Plaid Cymru, we have a strong internal democracy which reflects how much we rely on the party membership as a grassroots body. The side effect of this is that measures to promote women are not always at their strongest, but must be balanced out with local party control. Over the years we have also seen that this is true outside of Plaid Cymru as well, as tensions between local party democracy and central party machines have been apparent in other parties."

"First minister, last night you participated in the first major public debate on the future for Wales within the European Union. You went head-to-head with the voice of the far right. Do you think your performance helped or hindered the Welsh campaign on the EU?"

"It is not possible in 2016 to simply pull up the drawbridge and retreat to an idyllic isolation. And even if it were, surely that isn't the kind of country we want Wales to be. [I want a] decentralised, partnership of equals as the basis for the new Europe."

"Leaving the EU would risk our hard-won gains including rights at the workplace, access for businesses to the single market and would diminish our contribution to global challenges such as climate change and conflict resolution."

"I've been quite surprised by how so many people have been able to be persuaded around this question of fear of immigration. We've got a week now to try to persuade as many people as possible that it is in Wales' best interests to Remain as a part of the European Union."

"We know that with the uncertainties arising from the decision to leave the EU, the Welsh Government now needs to look at alternative ways of improving the economies of areas in Wales that have been left behind by successive UK and Welsh Governments. We propose that this work is started in the areas that are set to lose out the most from the changes to the structural funds that will occur as a result of the decision leave the EU."

"I fear we've ended up in this situation because of irresponsible politicians trying to use rhetoric against immigration in order to make political points, for example for Brexit. But we've opened a can of worms now and we are potentially in quite a dangerous situation."

"Questions of immigration and the single market were not on the ballot paper at the EU referendum. I've been speaking to a number of key players in the Welsh economy and they're all telling me that tariffs and being outside the EU's regulatory regime would be damaging to them."

"Wales voted Leave, but it does not mean that the Welsh government should sit back and let Brexit take its course"

"I'm not Natalie, I'm Leanne"

"If, in the worst possible scenario, we leave the European Union without a deal, people must have the opportunity to reject that disastrous outcome, either through a public vote, or through parliamentary democracy."

"There is no such thing as a niche issue in Wales"

"Wales cannot afford to pay the price for a hard Brexit."

"Plaid Cymru believes that decisions about Wales are best made in Wales and the way in which this hard Brexit is being pursued highlights exactly why. If the UK Government's Brexit negotiation also leads to the Welsh national interest being overlooked, support will grow for greater control of our own affairs in Wales."

"It's time to move on from the 2016 referendum and focus on what a good deal for Wales could look like"

"There are countries that are outside of the EU but inside the single market, like Norway."

"While Wales may have voted to leave, no one voted to give the Tories a blank cheque to wreck the Welsh economy by dragging us out of the single market and jeopardising 200,000 jobs,"

"[We have a] positive Brexit plan focused on protecting the 200,000 jobs in Wales that rely on tariff-free access to the EU single market"

"[The] police needed to be given sufficient resources to do that job properly"

"If you live here and you want to be Welsh then as far as we are concerned, you are Welsh and your rights will be defended by the Party of Wales"

"All forms of political violence are the same. USA, Barcelona, everywhere. They are ideology-driven & we have to understand that to stop it."

"[I ask you to] clarify whether you know of, or have access to, any UK government analysis of Brexit's impact on the Welsh economy"

"If the prime minister wants to stay in so many EU institutions, why leave the single market which she admitted will put barriers in place over trade?"

"Labour is pursuing a Brexit that aligns more with the Conservatives than the white paper co-authored with Plaid Cymru"

"A lack of confidence is a barrier. I've lost count of the times I have felt uncomfortable when Welsh speakers turn to English because of me. But more than anything, I feel angry. Angry that I have lost something so valuable - something I deserve to have and something my grandfather had."

"There can be no greater priority for our party right now than upholding the Welsh national interest during the months ahead as the UK government begins the process of leaving the European Union."

"Be it on tourism, farming, higher education or jobs, we are determined to overcome the threats and seek out and seize upon the opportunities which may come with leaving the EU."

"The most important outcome for Wales from any negotiations is to be in the single market. By upping the ante on migration, Mr Corbyn and the Labour party risk giving Theresa May the political cover needed for a hard Brexit. If the speech makes rejecting the principle of freedom of movement a priority, then it will help the Tories make a case for leaving the single market, which would be disastrous for the Welsh economy. Labour, despite being the UK opposition, cannot be trusted to know what is best for the Welsh economy."

"Now, that [the Norwegian model] would enable us to retain an element of freedom of movement"

"The challenge we all face now is ensuring that as we prepare to leave the EU we secure the best possible deal for Wales. Together, we intend to rise to that challenge."

"[Mr Davis was] left in no doubt over the importance of single market participation"

"After much consideration, I'm not standing as MP for the Rhondda. Confident that @Plaid_Cymru will have very strong candidate."

"The National Assembly is an important institution to us a party. It is vital that the leader is in that institution."

"Things have moved on. We've moved on from the referendum. We've moved on from talking about membership of the single market."

"[I have concerns] about the democratic implications of another [EU] vote"

"It is well known that I have not always seen eye to eye with Nigel, but I salute his very significant achievements. UKIP has a massive continuing role to play in British politics and, under a new leader, we will reach out to an even wider constituency. Nigel Farage deserves the thanks of every Brexiteer. There would have been no referendum without him. He is a controversial figure but, like him or loathe him, he is a dynamic force and one of the great figures in British politics today. He clearly has much still to offer in the continuing campaign for an independent Britain. He should be given a peerage."

"In some circles - though not many of them outside Wales, it must be said - Gwynfor (always Gwynfor, never just Evans) is revered in a way that comes to few public figures. To the faithful, he is something of a saint, spoken of as almost a Welsh Gandhi, a Welsh Martin Luther King, a Welsh Mandela, even a Welsh Mother Theresa. In such circles, Gwynfor is (and was) a man who could, literally, no wrong."

"Gwynfor Evans made a distinguished contribution to Welsh public life and will be remembered particularly for his advancement of the Welsh language."

"Although his relationships with Labour MPs were not always positive, there is no gainsaying his massive contribution to Welsh public life, and particularly in raising the profile of Wales and Welsh issues throughout his long career in Welsh and British politics."

"Wales has lost one of its most significant figures of modern times. Gwynfor Evans was a highly respected figure who made a major contribution to Welsh politics. His record on delivering Welsh language broadcasting for Wales is of particular importance."

"Without a doubt, Gwynfor Evans was one of the major figures in Welsh politics in the twentieth century. Indeed, in many respects, it is likely that he can be counted as the most important nationalist politician in Wales in modern times."

"There can be few national movements which have renounced as Plaid Cymru has done, the use of methods of war and violence. It has done this... because it knows that it will never see the kind of Wales it wants to build if its methods rest on hatred and the violation of the personalities of others."

"Without Gwynfor Evans at the helm Plaid Cymru may not have survived to see electoral success in later years. His influence was felt beyond the confines of party politics. Wales would not be the nation it is today — perhaps would not be counted as a nation at all — if not for Gwynfor Evans."

"Britishness...is a political synonym for Englishness which extends English culture over the Scots, the Welsh, and the Irish."

"It is the moral factor which decides the fate of nations: man's spirit can prove greater than the power of leviathan. A nation is swiftly overcome if its spirit is weak; but with unyielding determination it can vanquish powers that appear to be utterly invincible."

"Gwynfor's inspiration and leadership of Wales over the years makes him one of the greatest Welshmen of any period in the history of Wales."

"I have no doubt that he is the biggest political nationalist ever in Wales and the greatest Welshman of the twentieth century."