Peredur Owen Griffiths has given a rallying call to party members and supporters to open up Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference.
The Senedd Member for South Wales East and lead candidate for the Casnewydd Islwyn constituency said on the eve of May’s Senedd elections, Wales was at a cross roads with a choice between a positive and inspiring future or one riven with division and hate.
Speaking at the ICC in Newport, he also drew inspiration from the city’s history by recalling the heroic actions of the Chartists, while also looking to the future with the hosting of the Urdd Eisteddfod next year for the first time in Newport’s history.
After praising the grassroots movement within Plaid Cymru for playing a huge part in the party’s recent successes, Peredur said: “This is a city shaped by resilience, renewal and pride - and that makes it a perfect home for a Plaid Cymru conference on the cusp of arguably the most important election in our history.
“But let us remember: this hall has heard many voices. Not long ago, the right-wing populists gathered here to preach division and fear, to tell our communities that the future belongs to the loudest voices, the deepest pockets, and the most cynical opportunists.
"For all their talk, they are simply recycled, reheated, rehashed remnants of the same old rejected Tory party.
"We see them for what they are and we answer them.
“We answer them with hope. We answer them with solidarity. We answer them with a movement rooted in fairness.
“Because Newport has always known which side of history it stands on.
“It was here in 1839 that the Chartists marched - men and women from the Valleys and the coast demanding democracy, dignity, and more importantly a voice.
“They were met with bullets. They were met with hate. They were met with an establishment terrified of change.
“And the establishment is still terrified of change today.
“But they marched anyway - and because they marched, we vote today.
“I learned a lesson early in my life, that listening to people is probably the most important thing you can do.
“But listening without hearing doesn’t get you anywhere.
“The skill comes from hearing the similarities, the things that unites us, the things that everyone wants - hope, opportunity, fairness, and respect.
“But then you have to act – and on May 7th this year we must all act.”
He added: “Across our country we see politics that blames immigrants instead of political failure, that blames communities instead of inequality, that offers anger where people need answers.
“But Wales has never moved forward by turning on one another.
“We move forward when we invest in each other. When we connect our towns with proper transport. When we fund our councils fairly. When we strengthen our NHS and grow an economy that works for everyone.
“That is the Wales Plaid Cymru is building.
“A Wales confident in its communities. Confident in its ambition. Confident in its future.
“And I believe this conference marks a turning point.
“Across Newport, across Islwyn, across these Valleys across Wales, people are listening.
“People are ready. Ready for a politics that respects them. Ready for a party that reflects them. Ready for a government that works for them.
“So let this gathering be more than speeches.
“Let it be a signal - that Wales is ready for change, that progressives across our nation are coming together, and that the future will be shaped not by those who shout the loudest, but by those who care the most.
“Friends, let us honour the Chartists not just with words - but with votes. Let us answer division not just with argument - but with action. Let us leave here not just inspired - but mobilised.
“Because the road ahead is ours to build. The future is ours to win. And together - united, hopeful, determined
“We will make Wales the country we know it can be.”