Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus i bawb!

By Alun Davies

Labour supporters across Wales are celebrating St David’s Day bursting with optimism.

On the back of a hugely successful Welsh Labour Conference in Swansea which took place last weekend, Labour can be proud of the way it has led the battle against the global recession.

Make no mistake – there are still many challenges ahead, but the economic outlook is looking far more positive than at this time last year.

This is in no small part due to the shared proactive attitude of the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government and our Labour UK government, working in partnership with businesses and the trade unions.

Groundbreaking schemes like ProAct and ReAct have helped save jobs and retrain individuals to give them a better chance of finding work.

And despite the tough economic conditions, universal free prescriptions, free school breakfasts for primary school children, free bus passes for older people and free swimming for youngsters have given those living in Wales entitlements that never existed before devolution.

We are a nation proud of our heritage and today we can reflect on that.

This year, the National Eisteddfod of Wales will take place in Blaenau Gwent, where I will be standing as the candidate at the 2011 Assembly elections.

The Eisteddfod, which is attended by people from communities across Wales and further afield, will give us another opportunity to show Wales as the confident, vibrant nation that it is.

Last year proved a fantastic year for sport. Our capital city of Cardiff played host to the first Ashes test match to be held outside England or Australia. This year, the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s largest sporting events, will be staged at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

Today is about celebrating Wales as a nation – a nation with Labour values at its heart.

We look forward to welcoming the world to Wales during 2010.

I wish you all a happy St David’s Day. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi hapus i bawb!