Busy week so far…
Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 10:13pm
2 responses
I’VE had a really busy week so far, and it’s only Tuesday. Yesterday, I was in Glasgow all day visiting eating disorders services in the city, and talking to the team and staff that run them. It was an informative day, and I found out a lot about the services they offer, and how they implement policies and treatment plans in Glasgow and across some other areas of Scotland. I went there really as part of an information gathering exercise, to see what Wales can learn from services provided in another nation where health is devolved.
I also wanted to share some thoughts with them on the way forward, and how we can share ideas on best practice in the future. I don’t want to say much more yet, as I plan to write a comprehensive article on the subject for the health section of the Western Mail, but it was worth the 10-hour bus journey up and the seven-hour journey back by train. I also enjoyed catching up with some colleagues from the SNP to talk about the election results and the way forward leading up to the Assembly/Scottish Parliament election.
On another note, I’m looking forward to the Experience of Referenda event I’ve helped to arrange, and which I will be speaking at tomorrow night at the Pierhead building. Chaired by Victoria Winckler, Director of the Bevan Foundation, the event’s speakers are:
- Dr Mads Qvortrup, leading European expert on referenda
- Nigel Smith, former Chair of the Yes campaign in Scotland
- Quintin Oliver, public affairs expert from Northern Ireland
- Daran Hill, former National Organiser, Yes for Wales campaign
I hope there will be some lively discussion. I particularly want to find out what their thoughts are on a referendum on more powers for Wales. The Electoral Commission doesn’t seem to think that a referendum in October is advisable, and I suspect that Cheryl Gillan is of that opinion, too. Many people would like to see it happen in October, as would I, but one thing is certain- it must happen before the 2011 election. What I am somewhat confused over however is how the ConDem coalition in the UK government is ready enough to have a General election in 2015, on the same day as the Assembly election in 2015, but that there seems to be an issue with a referendum and an Assembly election on the same day next year. I’m not saying that I agree with having a referendum campaign necessarily on the same day as the election, but why one rule for one, and not for the other?
And on the Lib Dems conference in Birmingham on Sunday. I tried to keep up with those Lib Dems who were tweeting from the conference while I was travelling to Scotland, as the conference wasn’t opened to the media ( so will tweeting Lib Dems be disciplined, I hear you ask?) What I found odd was how the conference took place after they had agreed as a party to the principle of going in to coalition with the Tories. It would be good to know if the changes or policies that they put forward will have to be adhered to by both Lib Dem and Tory Ministers, or whether this conference was just a token gesture to please party activists, or to calm them down a little. We’ll have to wait to see what will happen.
Right, best get back to reading committee papers for tomorrow…
yes bethan all the ‘soundings’ coming from cheryl gillan this week are that while she is definitely committed to the referendum on law making powers for the national assembly going ahead it doesnt look likely it will go ahead in october, as many of us on the Yes side had hoped. One of the main reasons being cited for this apparently being that there is a rather lengthy consultation process to go thru in terms of the wording of the question that will be on the ballot paper and that this process has to be supervised by the electoral commission…..and as any faliure to adhere to this process properly could possibly result in a legal challenge to the entire referendum itself it seems that we have no choice other than to let the process take its course…with the result being the most likely date for the referendum will now be march 1st next year.
But it really is unquestionably frustrating that all this means that the motion in support of law making powers passed unanimously by the democratically elected representatives of the welsh people will have been with the british govt in westminister for over a year before the question on law making powers is actually put to the welsh people themselves…
March 1st would certainly be prefereable to the same day as the welsh assembly elections! As to hold the referendum on such a day would make a united and effective yes campaign all but impossible…indeed nick bourne and peter black are on record as saying this….and on this at least i agree with them!
Of course all this also means that there is still no sign of a ‘official yes campaign’ being launched! I know you have rightly been calling for the establishment of a formal Yes campaign for some time now bethan…but it regretably looks like we will have to wait a little longer before the various pro-devolution parties, organisations and individuals agree the time is right to establish a formal yes campaign. I do wonder what they are waiting for? The anti-devolutionists have been organising for nearly two years now…so the idea that it is still ‘too soon’ to establish a formal yes campaign is frankly nonsensical and there really is no excuse for any further delay!!!
In the meantime exellent campaigning groups such as Tomorrow’s Wales have a vital role to carry out in the coming months in terms of promoting and consolidating support for a Yes vote among people across Wales in the lead up to the formal launching of the referendum campaign itself.
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