The BBC reports:
Wales has said a resounding Yes in the referendum on direct law-making powers for the assembly.
When the last result was declared, all 22 counties except one – Monmouthshire – backed change. Turnout is provisionally put at 35%.
The final result saw 517,132 vote Yes, and 297,380 say No – a 63.5% to 36.5% winning margin.
The vote will give the assembly direct law-making power in 20 devolved areas, such as health and education.
Kirsty Williams AM, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said:
I am delighted that there has been a ‘yes’ vote. It will make our law-making more efficient, it will save money and it will make it crystal clear where responsibility lies for decision making. The Welsh Liberal Democrats can be proud of the role we played in the cross party campaign up and down Wales. We can be particularly satisfied with the part we played in the areas where the Welsh Liberal Democrats are particularly active in area like Swansea, Ceredigion, Cardiff, Wrexham and Powys.
The result is clear and its legitimacy is not in doubt.
However, it is fair to say that the campaign has exposed widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of the Welsh Government which has presided over Wales becoming the poorest part of the UK, with standards in our schools and hospitals slipping behind England and Scotland.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that Wales can do better. People are demanding radical action to rebuild our economy and create jobs. A new era of devolution must now begin, in which the tendency of the Welsh Government to be the collective chip on the shoulder of Wales must end and in which the culture of blame is replaced by a culture of responsibility. We now want Wales to have the prosperity, the schools and the NHS it deserves.
Responding to the result, Nick Clegg said:
It is a great pleasure to be here in Wales today, the day after the Welsh people voted so decisively for change.
Liberal Democrats have consistently campaigned to strengthen and deepen devolution in Wales. And so I think the first thing for me to say is ‘congratulations’ for a positive cross-party campaign.
This isn’t the end of the devolution process, but it does mark an important turning point. For the first time ever laws that affect only Wales will be made only in Wales. It will do away with the current restrictive and unwieldy arrangements. And it will allow the Welsh Assembly the freedom to get on with the job of delivering for Wales.
This is another positive step towards reforming our broken political system. The achievement of the cross party campaign in favour of change in Wales will hearten political reformers across the UK and puts a new spring in the step of the campaign for fairer votes.
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8 Comments
>the Welsh people voted so decisively for change.
Two-thirds of Welsh voters didn’t vote at all. Around 48%, a poll suggested (and simply talking to people backs it up) simply didn’t know which way TO vote.
Including me. First time I’ve had a chance to vote on something and abstained, because I didn’t have any conviction either way.
Neither side sold the arguments to me. Neither side really bothered to try.
>For the first time ever laws that affect only Wales will be made only in Wales.
That’s a good argument for a yes vote.
However, we have no upper chamber in Wales. No one to scrutinise or rein in any mad ideas this or a future Assembly Government might come up with.
And as we are (realistically) doomed to permanent Labour rule, either alone or as at present with Plaid, little hope of reversing any mad ideas by throwing them out at the next election.
It may be good that the Welsh Assembly can now decide many things for Wales without interference from or influence by English MPs but it would be good .
Maybe the Welsh (and Scots and Northern Irish) MPs would return the favour and accept a ruling that excluded them from Parliamentary decisions that affect only England!
Cassie: In fairness to the Yes campaign, they were severely hampered by being denied access to TV broadcasts and funding – because of the actions of the No campaign. Otherwise I’m quite sure you would have heard from them!
Chris: Trouble is there are very few decisions taken “for England” that don’t have an impact one way or another on the devolved nations, due to the funding formulae used to determine the amount of money given to the Welsh Assembly etc.
Chris – how funny, England brutalised and invaded Wales and scotland for centuries, ran both from London for the same amount of time, badly, and now, because since 1997 each have had a measure of local decision making, you’re feeling hard done to???
@ John
So in essence your point is the English will have to except ‘interference’ as Chris puts it because of the actions of Edward Longshanks over 700 years ago?
Cassie – So your argument is what? How dare the voters vote for Labour/Plaid?
>Cassie – So your argument is what? How dare the voters vote for Labour/Plaid?
No, of course not.
It’s not even about who is dominant. I’d feel exactly the same it was the Tories ruling in perpetuity. Or even if it was the Lib Dems.
Just that Wales is pretty much one large ‘safe seat’. (They only lost their single-rule majority last time cos people were fed-up with the UK Labour government: Plaid benefited from a lot of protest votes).
Permanent rule by the same people isn’t great for democracy if there’s no one to keep them in check.
Of course, a second chamber that blocks everything the other tries to do is no good either.
But that debate’s probably for elsewhere. This was just my view of why 65% of votes in Wales didn’t use that vote on Thursday.