PETER ROBINSON and the Democratic Unionists of Northern Ireland are set to play a star role in the Welsh referendum campaign on extra powers for the National Assembly, writes Clive Betts from the Assembly press gallery.
The Irishmen will be set against another group who will also play a key role in the campaign.
The other group will be a small cluster of Labour Party members centred on that island of true-Brits in Islwyn and Torfaen – together with their Tory friends in Newport and Monmouth.
The Labour backsliders call themselves True Wales – although with their perversions of Welsh politics and Welsh history they should surely have them more-correctly named Untrue Wales – and their organisation will surely head the disaffected members of what used to be affectionately called the “People’s Party” in the No campaign.
Following in the steps of that miner’s son who regrets he never worked underground – Neil Kinnock, of Islwyn – and of the Catholic Irishman who forgets his own people saw that independence was the only way forward – Don Touhig, of Torfaen – Untrue Wales will assuredly try to make a lot of noise.
Asked during the weekly Cabinet briefing, how he would deal with such doubters within his own ranks, First Minister Carwyn Jones was cautious on how he answered.
Within the Labour group of AMs, there are of course no doubters, he told us. You can be sure that anyone who did step out of line on supporting the move for a referendum for more powers would swiftly find him- or herself without a group to be a member of – in other words, he or she would lose the whip.
We all know that some Labour AMs are keener on additional powers than others. But that is inevitable in any political grouping. Yet Labour’s AMs do not embrace as wide a variety of opinions on this issue as the Tories did when their Assembly membership included the Abominable No man, David Davies, of Monmouth.
Mr Jones told us that the expected Assembly vote next week to pursue a referendum would then be sent to the party for its views. The First Minister was exceedingly vague about the terms which that party consultation would take. Perhaps because the methods would be many and various.
But what about Untrue Wales ? That is when Mr Jones got a bit sarcastic. How significant is that group ? Not very, he insinuated. A very long Western Mail interview with the group named only one individual. Surely the lack of other names is significant, Mr Jones seemed to be saying.
That is when the First Minister decided to turn on the pressure. Untrue Wales is arguing that the referendum is a stage on the slippery slope to independence. Mr Jones then pointed to another political grouping which is in the midst of discussions on an advance of devolution.
The Democratic Unionists are close to agreeing that Ulster devolution should be expanded to include both policing and justice.
Mr Jones invited Untrue Wales to ask the Democratic Unionists whether they saw this forthcoming change as being the next stage in their move to independence.
As Mr Jones’s wife is a Catholic from west Belfast (the nationalist side of the city), he could with ease include a barrow-load of sarcasm in his reply. “Does the DUP want an independent Northern Ireland ?” he asked.
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The situation in Northern Ireland is nothing like the one in Wales. Why is it the yes campaign have to evoke this nonsense.
The electorate would far rather hear the benefits of more devolution. What difference will it make to schools or hospitals.
I also find it a little rich for this site that fully supports independence to say it does not see more devolution as a stepping stone.
The nonsense we are having to endure – and, no doubt,there will be much more coming – is that any increase in devolution puts us automatically on a slippery slope to independence.
We had to endure this years ago from Neil Kinnock, with both his “slippery slope” and “jobs for Welsh-speakers” claims.
I fail to see that Ulster is “nothing like” Wales. Both countries have devolution, and both are experiencing pressures for more powers to be given to their capitals.
Carwyn Jones was ridiculing the Untrue Wales – although the First Minister didn’t add the “un” to the Gwent group’s title – claim that any additional devolution would lead inevitably to independence.
Perhaps one day Untrue Wales will unveil their real demands – ie no devolution at all. They wish to be exactly like the English; if the English get it wrong, they want Wales to get it wrong in precisely the same way.
In this ever-more-complicated world, devolution is the way forward. Find me a unitary state the size of the UK. No wonder the place is badly run.
Yes both have devolution, but even you must see that the recent history of Ulster is very different to that of Wales.
The reason Ulster went down the road of devolution was to find a political solution to 25 years of politically violence.
More powers or not Wales would not see such violence so we can have a discussion on the benefits of more Powers ie better hospitals and schools etc.
It is this discussion the people of Wales will be interested in. I see you like the rest of the Yes campaign would rather throw mud at the other side than have this discussion.
It would be nice also if we could hold an adult debate and not constantly go on about the English.
And on schools, our are considerably better than across the border – ask any teacher. The only row is over how much should go to each head for running costs, and our system is significantly different from the English. The Assembly committee did a major investigation, and saw no need to change. Now the minister is trying again.
As for mud, I think that (Un)true Wales is the source of most.
Yes, it would be nice to ignore the English. But they are much larger, live next door, set the pace, and so many of the anti-devolutionists (as well as the Welsh Tories) just love to pick holes in the Assembly – through reference to England.
If as you say our schools are better they have managed to achieve that without more powers.
Although you provide nothing but anecdotal evidence for this.
What the previous contributor asked was how will more powers make a difference to peoples lives.
A no vote will not get rid of the Assembly.
Your arguments are very weak indeed, considering you have wanted full lawmaking powers for so long.
Have you never asked yourself the question why. (I am looking for a positive answer not the usual why shouldn’t we or blame the English crap)
Education better – no competing for positions in league tables; no split between grammar and secondary moderns (if you can’t remember what those sink schools were, ask some counties across the border); etc.
I am sorry you refer to any reference to England as crap. I am an Englishman, and I get fed up with Welshmen demanding devolution, and then being scared by England-lovers into ensuring that Welsh policies are as close to the English as possible.
And as for what can be done with full powers … had you been within the Assembly, you would have long ago lost count of instances where Wales could not do what it wanted because the powers (or, a critical tiny piece of those powers) was retained in London (which I believe is in England).
One of the latest examples was safety of school transport – the powers currently being enacted by the Assembly are defective in their weakness because of powers retained by London; and those powers are held by London, but only for England-and-Wales, while Scotland and probably Northern Ireland retain their freedom to act.