Transcript of Elfyn Llwyd interview

PLEASE NOTE "THE ANDREW MARR SHOW" MUST BE CREDITED IF ANY PART OF THIS TRANSCRIPT IS USED

On Sunday 1st May Andrew Marr interviewed Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP

ANDREW MARR:

Devolution has propelled the Nationalist parties into government in Scotland and in Wales where for the past four years Plaid Cymru have shared power in coalition with Labour. The party still has three MPs at Westminster, of course, and the group leader there, Elfyn Llwyd, joins me from Bangor. Good morning to you.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW MARR:

Now you are still standing as it were the Nationalist Party in these elections. In the modern world, with all the interconnections of Europe and Westminster and so on, do you think nationalism, independence still means anything?

ELFYN LLWYD:

Interdependence means a lot. We're all interdependent on each other both within Europe and of course the wider world. Of course to some degree the old idea of nationalism has long gone. But ours is a civic form in any event. We want to work jointly with our friends in each constituent part of the United Kingdom and the European mainland. So we're not a threat to anyone. We want to stand up for what is best for Wales in that context.

ANDREW MARR:

And what is best for Wales in your manifesto includes quite a lot of extra spending on infrastructure and housing and indeed health.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Yes.

ANDREW MARR:

And you've said that you know how to pay for this …

ELFYN LLWYD:

Yes.

ANDREW MARR:

… with substantial cuts. But we haven't really heard much about the cuts that you'd make to pay for the extra spending.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Well let me just tell you, Andrew. The initial spending on these promises is about 20.5 million in the first year, rising a similar amount on each and every year in the next five years. Pricewaterhouse, for example, recently reported to the Welsh government to say that they could find at least £150 million savings without affecting any direct services or frontline services. We'd also say we've got £60 million coming from Barnettised money, from consequential Barnett money, but also there are other savings that can be made. It's easily affordable. It's not pie in the sky by any stretch of the imagination. And many of these reforms that we want to see in place will actually regenerate the economy and thereby bring in some tax as well.

ANDREW MARR:

Looking at the polls, for what they're worth, Labour seems to be quite resurgent in Wales at the moment. Do you fear a re-run of the General Election where you actually came third behind the Tories?

ELFYN LLWYD:

No, I don't fear that at all. And I've been knocking on many, many doors, as you might well imagine, over the past few weeks. It's anything but that. We are doing well. I admit that Labour seem to be doing well as well. I think that the Tories will flat line and in Wales the Liberal Democrats might well disappear.

ANDREW MARR:

Now we have a new third in line heir to the throne called the Duke of Cambridge.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Yes.

ANDREW MARR:

Were you slightly disappointed he didn't have a Welsh title given that he's been in Anglesey, North Wales for so long? In fact they both have, of course.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Well I wouldn't say disappointed. I want to say this, Andrew. I wish the couple well. I want them to have a long and happy life together, and I thought it was a splendid occasion. But really that's up to the authorities. They decide on these titles. Far be it from me to comment on them really.

ANDREW MARR:

You are standing also for more powers to the Welsh Assembly. You'd like taxing and borrowing powers as well. And again, as in Scotland, isn't it essential to your sort of project for Wales that you not only want those powers, but then you have to use them? You'd actually have to tax and borrow more to do what you want?

ELFYN LLWYD:

Well what we've said is we want a reform of the Barnett formula. That's number one. The Holten Committee, House of Lords Committee, House of Commons Committee have all said we are being under resourced by about £300 million per annum. Let's sort that one out first. Then we can look towards a Calman style progressive taxation agenda. But also we are thinking of variation corporation tax. And, after all said and done, the current government in Westminster is actually thinking actively about it for Northern Ireland, so we think they should be thinking about it for Wales as well and we do think that's due. But the first thing with regard to any further taxation powers is to reform Barnett and to do that urgently and properly on a needs based formula, which even Lord Barnett himself is very concerned about.

ANDREW MARR:

Alright. A very busy week for you, so thank you very much indeed for joining us this morning.

ELFYN LLWYD:

Thank you.

INTERVIEW ENDS

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