There’s a slight smell of 1978 wafting around the Assembly nowadays.
That was the time when the government headed by the MP for Cardiff South East launched a campaign to convince voters to vote-yes to the formation of a Welsh Assembly.
Except that they didn’t really set up a campaign.
And when the battle began, the government didn’t really fight.
Where was the most influential voice who could have turned out, the Prime Minister ? In his flat in the constituency ? More likely in his farm at Ringmer in East Sussex.
During the campaign, he was not the only Labour heavyweight to be notable by his absence.
Currently, someone else is notable by his absence from a Yes campaign. The former MP for Cardiff West, now our First Minister, Rhodri Morgan. Equally absent, it must be quickly said, is his deputy, Plaid Cymru’s Ieuan Wyn Jones.
For most of his year, Lib Dem leader Mike German has been noisily demanding what was happening about launching a Yes campaign. The answer from the fifth floor at Ty Hywel was – let the All-Wales Convention do its work first.
Very worthy to allow the convention to report its view of what Welsh opinion currently is before launching a campaign.
But the awful danger of sitting on one’s backside while the opposition work to build oppositional foundations was pointed out today by the aforementioned Mr German. He displayed a cheap A4-size sheet boldly headed in red “EXPOSED £9,000m independence black hole”.
This flier had been distributed by the “True Wales” organisation, whose name is ever-associated with right-ring Tory MP (and previously AM) David Davies, of Monmouth and Newport.
Mr German eviscerated the pamphlet paragraph by paragraph. Truth was plainly something totally foreign to the only person named on the pamphlet (no-one, only an address in Blackwood) or on the associated website (secretary, Dianne Banner).
The eventual referendum will be on whether the Assembly should gain greater powers to pass laws for Wales – in place of the present dogs’ breakfast designed by so many of the current Welsh Labour MPs to do little more than to waste money and time, to pile on frustration, and to ridicule the governmental process.
But that was not what the pamphlet talks about. Stage one of any constitutional change is to something like the Scottish system; stage two, is a proper form of federation, as in so many Commonwealth countries; stage three, is a confederation, as in Canada; stage four, is independence.
True Wales show themselves as the very best True Welsh liars.
True Welsh liars don’t argue on the basis of what might happen. They argue not on the basis of stage one; not stage two; nor stage three; but on stage four – full-blooded independence.
No wonder politics has a poor reputation in the eyes of some. Because of the few liars engaged in the profession.
But this is no surprise. The issue of devolution for Wales is by far the hottest in Wales. Politics is an honourable profession… except when True Wales turn up.
As, indeed, happened in 1978.
And what are messrs Morgan and Jones going to do in response ?
Mr German suggests they set up a website in response. Not very costly; doesn’t take much manpower; but ensures un”True” Wales is not allowed to proceed unchallenged.
Oxymoron I believe,
Politics and Truth …….
Been there, got the T shirt.
However I’m a little more upbeat as most of the reactionary generation of 1978/9 have departed to that great ’slippery slope’ in the sky.
The new brood in Cymru, baseball caps aside, are far less enamoured by the devil they know and more enthusistic about the devil they don’t.
I noticed something fishy about this: it’s (practically) the same flyer that Labour was handing out at the last Council elections. Even the EXPOSED headline (reworded)
Being of Welsh descent, I ponder whether inependence will benefit England more than Wales. It would remove Welsh (and Scottish) MPs from Westminster, handing the English a no-cost English parliament, that English Nats have long desired. Minus Westminster subsidies, Wales will have to fund the full cost of the third of adults who are chronically ill (Welsh NHS report, 2002). It will also need to fund the full cost of the highest proportion unwed mothers in W. Europe, plus their children. Wales has one of the highest proportion of pensioners in the EU, caused by the large number of Welsh who move to England. Thus, Wales has significant numbers of financially dependent people but is losing taxpayers. After independence, minus London subsidies, what next? Higher taxes? Reductions in services and benefits? A mass exodus of taxpayers to England? More economic problems for Wales? Remember, Wales pays for the education of those who leave and trains some in trades and professions-England benefits!
I wouldn’t worry about the unmarried mums – they are producing future workers. And it is becoming clear that Welsh workers will be more productive – through better education than obtained in England. You seem to have muddled one fact – the high proportion of OAPs in Wales is due to English retirees managing to get out of their own country. Why are they fleeing ? …………
It will be years before most of the unwed mums’ children become workers-and many will have problems, ie sons having a higher rate of trouble with the law than average-and more than average daughters following their mothers’example; also to be funded by taxpayers in the meantime.
Presumably, post independence (if it happens), English retirees’ pensions will be paid by Westminster, as that is where their tax was paid. That still leaves higher than average numbers of Welsh pensioners-can’t be any other way with many younger Welsh continuing to leave for England.
There was no dispute about the large number of adults with chronic illnesses, requiring ongoing medical treatment.
All the foregoing will still be there post independence. All will still need funding-via taxes then paid to Cardiff. Younger Welsh (taxpayers) will continue to leave for England, as they have for generations. If you are right about Wales providing a better education than England in the future, won’t that offer those who move to England even more opportunities there?
One of our more serious social problems currently is caused by English immigrants who are acting as colonists. You don’t mention this. Why not; perhaps English immigrants never cause problems…
//One of our more serious social problems currently is caused by English immigrants who are acting as colonists//.
How?
BerkshireBill: You talk of economic failings in Wales without refering to the underlying structural causes. Wales is inherrantly dissadvantaged economically because of its big brother next door. The massive investment in infastructure and taxcuts for the south-east and its businessess has served to make it one of the best places in the world to start a business. The best talent of Wales is being drained to the area for higher wages. This leaves Wales with two crippling problems – 1. it’s cheaper, easier and more effective to start and develop a business in the South East of England than it is in Wales 2. the talented manpower is being sucked away from wales giving even less opportunity to develop the economy. More self governance and fiscal control for the Welsh Government gives a possible solution – to make it cheaper and more attractive for businesses to set up and develop in Wales. Couple this with investment in infastructure (recession is a good time for such investment), and Wales can flourish economically – (don’t forget, we’re one of the best areas for developing green energy producing industries). The stiffled and structurally disatvantaged position of the welsh economy is due to the lack of control Wales itself has over its own affairs. More power is the answer to Wales’ problems.
dp,
I apologise for the delay in replying. You are correct in saying that Wales is economically disadvantaged because of its big brother next door-it has been for generations.
I hope you’re right that having more power is the answer to Wales’ problems. There will be the expense of extra government functions now handled by Westminster-and how many embassies and consulates will Wales want overseas?