Referendum commitment as strong as ever
Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 3:04pm
7 responses
To all you ‘the referendum won’t happen’ commentators out there, I thought I’d show you this question that Helen Mary Jones asked in the Assembly on Tuesday. Rhodri Morgan said that the commitment to a referendum as set out in ‘One Wales’ is ‘as strong as ever’, and when pressed further about whether he expects to be able to hold the referendum before 2011, his response was positive. I won’t dignify quoting the response from Tory AM Paul Davies, who moaned about the current system not working, but at the same time thinks that it is premature to discuss the future of the Assembly at this point in time. This is obvious in that he, alike many other AMs, MPs and MEP’s have failed to reply to my letter concerning organising a meeting about the preparation for a yes vote in said referendum.
The campaign group ‘True Wales’ have mobilised already, and are actively undermining the All Wales Convention and its work. Why should those who believe in further powers for the National Assembly sit back and listen to the way that they choose to mislead the people of Wales? I went on a radio show about the first All Wales Convention meeting with a member of True Wales, and their arguments just don’t stack up. On the one hand they are saying that the Assembly does not communicate our message effectively, yet when I argued back that this was due to the mess of a system that currently stands, they could not defend their stance. I gather that they do not want the Assembly to be abolished, but then why do they want to sustain a system that is clearly unworkable, and which hinders our abilities to work, to communicate effectively with the Welsh public? We need only take the trials and tribulations surrounding the Housing LCO to show that the current system is patchy, taking aside the fact that it is definitely not my system to defend.
I’m hoping to organise a meeting of politicians who are interested in debating this matter in the next few months, while the All Wales Convention, and the future powers of the National Assembly are on the political agenda. In my mind, it is precisely because of the economic situation that we need more powers for this institution, so that we can carry out the work that we were elected to do smoothly and efficiently without going cap in hand to London at every juncture. The people of Wales deserve better.
Helen Mary Jones: Will the First Minister give an update on progress towards a referendum on full law-making powers under Part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006?
The First Minister: The All-Wales Convention will report to the Assembly Government on the referendum issue. It moved into its latest phase last week, with public events at the McArthur Glen out-of-town retail park and the Seaside Social and Labour Club in Port Talbot. It is designed to reach voters whose views can be difficult to attain. The overall commitment, as set out in ‘One Wales’, remains as strong as ever.
Helen Mary Jones: I would like to confirm the last bit of your answer. Subject to a positive outcome to the convention’s work, would you still expect to be able to meet the ‘One Wales’ commitment to hold a referendum before the election in 2011?
The First Minister: I would indeed.
