As things currently stand under the existing devolution ’settlement’ the assembly is virtually powerless to do anything significant over the devastating losses we are currently seeing at corus plants in wales!

Time and time again over the last 3 decades government’s in westminister have shown that their priorites are ensuring that unemployment stays low and that job opportunities remain high in the south east of england – where so many seats crucial to winning british general elections are to be found! Thus their economic policies are geared towards that end.

Even in the current crisis unemployment in the south east of england stands at just 4 percent while in places like wales and the north east of england it is reaching 7 and 8 percent and is still on the rise!

“while the All Wales Convention, and the future powers of the National Assembly are on the political agenda.”

they are not on the political agenda bethan,not remotely, they are just on your agenda. Everyone else is worrying about jobs and the economy.

In your role as AM for south wales west you might have thought today’s post would be about the threat to jobs at the corus plant in Port Talbot.

Of course not, Plaid dont pick up many votes there so why would you care about that?

But your spot on about the true ‘nature’ of the right wing loony david davies’s so called ‘true wales’ group! These people are not just hostile to the referendum on more powers…..they are in reality opposed to the very existence of the assembly itself!

It is surely most revealing however that they are opposed to a referendum on more powers taking place in 2011, as if they were so confident of their case you would think they would be only to delighted to see a referendum taking place. That these died in the wool anti-devolutionists dont want a referendum shows they know they will lose.

As they know as well as we do that EVERY poll taken in the last decade has shown a majority of voters in wales in favour of ther assembly having greater powers! So the clear aim of ‘true wales’ in the first instance will be to try and prevent a referendum taking place at all costs!

But their ‘mobilisation’ coupled with rhodri morgan’s positive response to the question posed by helen mary are all the more reasons why a yes campign should be launched – to put the case for more powers – as soon as possible!

You’re also right that True Wales are campaigning hard on this: they’re at the Convention roadshows, where are the pro-Devolution people? It’s about time the embargo was lifted, and AMs/MPs were allowed to go for it. (Wales First is mobilising, but without political figures it will only make a dent)