A discussion on a yes vote
Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 8:55am
32 responses
Apologies for failing to blog for a while but it has been a hectic week, and sets to look the same way this week also.
If any of you have seen the Western Mail today, you will have seen a piece by Martin Shipton on a letter that he has obtained written by me to all backbench AMs, MPs and our MEPs about setting up a cross party discussion on a yes vote on a referendum on a parliament for Wales, in preparation for the culmination of the work of the National Convention.
This letter is not an effort to set up a campaign at this early stage as Lesley Griffiths rightly points out in the article, but to get an idea of what other politicians are thinking, and to encourage like minded representatives to start a debate on a yes vote. We will need to gather much more support from varying organisations and movements before a campaign is launched, but this is a small attempt to try and kick start the discussion.
I hope to see who replies, what they will say, and then look to having a meeting early on in 2009. This can then shape the way for people to gather grassroots support for any yes campaign movement- to encourage the Welsh public to vote in favour of more powers for the National Assembly. I don’t think that we can afford to wait for the culmination of the National Convention to initiate this type of discussion. All those in favour of increased powers for the National Assembly will have to be ready at that point onwards to make the case for a referendum, and for a successful outcome. The no campaign has already started, and I’ll be damned if I let them set the political agenda in Wales.
No, I wasn’t part of the 79 referendum, and I played a small part in the successful 97 referendum for the creation of the Assembly, but I don’t think that this takes away from my determination to be pro-active, and my effort to try and create a consensus around this issue given that it is a key One Wales commitment. I hope that politicians will dignify me with a response- whether it is negative or positive, so that we can move this agenda forward.
Feel free to continue the discussion on the blogosphere….
