English: I appreciate the optimistic tone of the previous speech. We can support the Conservative motion today, but I want to concentrate, actually, upon the Labour amendments, in particular amendment 3, because this is a mantra that we hear in many debates in this place, about this so-called damaging policy of austerity. Well, what is austerity in current circumstances? The dictionary defines the word as 'sternness or severity of manner or attitude', much like the speech we heard from Rhianon Passmore earlier on, perhaps - I'm not commenting on the content of it, but I mean the style of delivery. But all it means, actually, in this context - austerity is living within your means. It's something that we all have to do in private life and yet that is what the current Chancellor of the Exchequer is not doing, because between April and August this year, we've run up a budget deficit of £33.8 billion against a forecast in March for the entire year of £55.5 billion. The Chancellor has missed his target for spending reductions by a very significant margin. In effect, we are overspending by £6.5 billion per month - that's £80 billion a year and that is equivalent to 5 per cent of our national income. It's quite clear that that can't continue indefinitely. There was a time, of course, when Labour Governments were committed to a balanced budget. The Blair administration, between 1997 and 2001, was a model of fiscal prudence, because, of course, they were following the plans of Kenneth Clarke in the previous Government. But after the 2001 general election, of course, the brakes were removed from the train and the foot was placed firmly on the accelerator, and instead of running surpluses on the current account, which is what happened in those years, everything went rapidly into reverse.
Welsh: Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi tôn optimistaidd yr araith flaenorol. Gallwn gefnogi cynnig y Ceidwadwyr heddiw, ond rwyf am ganolbwyntio ar welliannau Llafur mewn gwirionedd, yn arbennig gwelliant 3, gan fod hwn yn fantra a glywn mewn nifer o ddadleuon yn y lle hwn, am y polisi caledi honedig ddifrodus hwn. Wel, beth yw caledi yn yr amgylchiadau presennol? Mae'r geiriadur yn diffinio 'austerity' fel 'sternness or severity of manner or attitude', yn debyg iawn i'r araith a glywsom gan Rhianon Passmore yn gynharach, efallai - nid wyf yn gwneud sylwadau ar ei chynnwys, arddull y cyflwyno rwy'n ei olygu. Ond y cyfan y mae caledi'n ei olygu, mewn gwirionedd, yn y cyd-destun hwn, yw byw o fewn eich gallu. Mae'n rhywbeth y mae'n rhaid i ni i gyd ei wneud mewn bywyd preifat ac eto dyna beth nad yw Canghellor presennol y Trysorlys yn ei wneud, gan ein bod wedi cael diffyg yn y gyllideb rhwng mis Ebrill a mis Awst eleni o £33.8 biliwn yn erbyn rhagolwg ym mis Mawrth ar gyfer y flwyddyn gyfan o £55.5 biliwn. Mae'r Canghellor wedi methu ei darged ar gyfer gostwng gwariant a hynny o gryn dipyn. Mewn gwirionedd, rydym yn gorwario £6.5 biliwn y mis - dyna £80 biliwn y flwyddyn ac mae hynny'n gyfwerth â 5 y cant o'n hincwm cenedlaethol. Mae'n eithaf clir na all hynny barhau am gyfnod amhenodol. Roedd yna adeg, wrth gwrs, pan oedd Llywodraethau Llafur wedi ymrwymo i gyllideb gytbwys. Roedd gweinyddiaeth Blair, rhwng 1997 a 2001, yn fodel o ddoethineb ariannol, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, roeddent yn dilyn cynlluniau Kenneth Clarke yn y Llywodraeth flaenorol. Ond ar ôl etholiad cyffredinol 2001, wrth gwrs, cafodd y breciau eu tynnu oddi ar y trên a glaniodd y droed yn gadarn ar y sbardun, ac yn hytrach na chynnal gwargedion ar y cyfrif cyfredol, sef yr hyn a ddigwyddai yn y blynyddoedd hynny, aeth popeth yn gyflym am yn ôl.