AM: First Minister, it’s a pleasure to
say a few words in this statement, as you and I have
jostled over this Chamber for nearly seven of the nine
years that you’ve served as First Minister. Much of that
debate and the elections that I fought you under were a fat
lot of good to me—[
Laughter.]—because you stayed
in that chair and I stayed on this side. But I well
remember the first time you and I met, and that was when I
was chairman of the
National Farmers Union and you came
as our guest speaker at the South Wales Police Social Club
at Waterton. Some 17-odd years on, here we are, standing in
this Chamber in an institution that has transformed itself
into a fully fledged Parliament. And you can take much
credit for that, both from your time as Minister but also
as First Minister. And in your address to us this
afternoon, you did give credit to everyone who’s
participated in that journey on devolution, whilst quite
rightly pointing out the success that you’ve had as First
Minister, and your Governments have had. You, again quite
rightly, pointed out the people who've supported you in
that journey. Because we, as politicians, know that very
often it can be a very lonely journey, and some of the
calls you have to make, especially from a position of
government, are decisions that you as an individual have to
take. And so I pay tribute to your time in Government, and
your time as a Minister, and your time as an Assembly
Member, which, obviously, will continue till 2021...
