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Welsh Affairs

No, let me continue. I saw the effect of being out of work on those people in the Cynon Valley. It was an effect that lasted for many years afterwards, because they had to borrow money to pay mortgages and to live. There were also soup kitchens, which I and several of my colleagues here in the Chamber were involved in, just to try to feed people who could no longer afford to feed their families. People who have lived through that kind of situation realise that much more compassion is now shown towards people who are unemployed, or who might become unemployed, and that cushions are in place to assist them. It is therefore not surprising that people like me, who have lived through those years, feel that a Labour Government have done much better by my constituents than the previous Tory Government did. I was in opposition for 18 years, as a Euro MP and, later, when I came here, so I know the difference. I am sure that most of my constituents still appreciate that difference as well. Another thing that has happened in the valleys is that the environment has changed, partly because some of the older industries have gone but also because of the greater appreciation of the need for a good environment. The Phurnacite plant was in my constituency when I was first elected, for example. It had seven large chimneys that spewed smoke of different colours into the air. The health of the people living in the area and of those working in the plant was affected by that. Indeed, a test case is going through at the moment involving people who worked at the Phurnacite plant at Abercwmboi. The environment has now changed beyond recognition, making it a much more pleasant place to live. I am grateful to our Government for making that possible and for concentrating a great many resources into improving the environment for the people there. There are many other things that I would like to talk about. The position of women has also changed in Wales. There are far more women in Parliament now, certainly on this side of the House. I hope that there will be more women on both sides after the next election. It has been a long, hard battle for women, as I know full well, and I was pleased when more women came from Wales to join me here. I hope that the number of women MPs from Wales will continue to grow after the election. I should like to pay tribute to my colleagues who are retiring at the election. I thank them for their friendship and for all that they have given to the House while they have been here. I will not name them individually, but they know who I mean. I want to pick up on some of the points raised by the Secretary of State for Wales earlier. I have already mentioned the Robin Hood tax. The people of my constituency feel strongly about a number of issues at the moment. There is still anger about the role of the banks in the financial crisis, and about the unacceptable levels of pay. The recession that we have been through—and that I hope we have now seen the back of—has affected people's jobs and mortgages, and in all sorts of other ways. The recession was caused—or at least made worse—in part by the global financial crisis. I believe that that was caused by the irresponsible practices of global banks and financial institutions, and by economies relying too much on that financial sector. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said, people understand that the collapse of the whole banking sector would have been disastrous for the economy, and that the Government were right to bail out the banks to prevent that from happening. That much they go along with.