Barnett, coalitions and ducking the question
Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 12:01am
3 responses
KIRSTY Williams, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, has remained pretty unwavering in her support for Barnett reform. In July last year, after the Holtham Commission was published, she said: “We have long argued that the Barnett formula is not fit for purpose and needs to be replaced with a fairer system”.
Some months after that, she argued that “Wales wants and deserves a needs-based formula”, asking why the then-Secretary of State for Wales couldn’t “see that the current funding formula for Wales is not working”. She went on the attack against Labour in this YouTube video too, claiming that “if we don’t act now, by the end of this decade, Wales will be shortchanged to the tune of £2,900 for every person that lives here.”
Ms Williams had a golden opportunity to address this issue directly to the new Prime Minister when he visited the Senedd and met with her on Monday. Since there was no forthcoming news on whether the annual £300 million funding shortfall had been discussed, I wrote to her on Wednesday to ask about it. Reminding her that she had urged the last Government to “act immediately” on the Holtham findings, I wrote: “Now … your party is in a position to take that step itself, and I would be interested, in particular, to find out the substance of the discussions you had with the new Prime Minister when he visited Wales on Monday.
“…If we are to expect cuts in Wales from the new coalition Westminster government, it is essential that we secure this money so that we may avoid the prospect of a double dip recession in this country.”
She replied to the Western Mail: “After the Labour-Plaid Government in Cardiff Bay have failed for so long to deliver any change for Welsh communities, I am delighted that Bethan Jenkins is looking to the Welsh Liberal Democrats for leadership.
“I have replied to Ms Jenkins with a membership form and an offer to meet me to talk through our solutions to the problems we currently face in Wales.
“I am sure Ms Jenkins will welcome (the new Westminster) Government’s commitment to fair taxes, a restoration of the earnings link for pensions and a commission for Wales that will take us way beyond their style of begging bowl nationalism and settle many yet unanswered questions for a generation.”
Leadership from the Lib dems? No. They conveniently forget that they too were once in coalition government in the Bay, and their time in office provided the very definition of inertia. It couldn’t – and didn’t – last. I’m more than happy to meet with her because I would like to ask why, when she seemed so determined to secure a new funding formula for Wales, did she roll over so easily on the subject? The Coalition Programme states:
“We recognise the concerns expressed by the Holtham Commission on the system of devolution funding. However, at this time, the priority must be to reduce the deficit and therefore any change to the system must await the stabilisation of the public finances.”
I don’t follow this argument, when what it amounts to is making worse an already unacceptable situation. Instead, we are dangled the prospect of a Calman-style commission – after we’ve had the forthcoming referendum, whenever that may be. I’m sorry, but haven’t we had one of these already? It was carried out in 2004 and it was called the Richard Commission. Would it not save time and money (after all, the new Government wants to make savings) to revisit its conclusions when formulating questions on further powers to put to the Welsh people? And secondly, if the new ConDem government is pro-devolution, why not give the Assembly Part 4 powers now and move to a wider debate on devolution? The referendum was Labour’s idea, introduced – many believe – to accommodate those in the party that were uncomfortable over further competence being given to Cardiff Bay.
I look forward to my discussion with Kirsty, and I’ll tell you what was said here. In the meantime, a little less confusion from the Lib Dems over further powers and a little more honesty over what leverage they really have with the Tories wouldn’t go amiss.
They have always been the party of the ‘flip flops’ Bethan.
If I had a quarter for every time I came to http://www.bethanjenkinsblog.org.uk.. Amazing writing!
Things do look frosty here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1tLj65ayI&feature=player_embedded