Here’s the official booklet from the Electoral Commission explaining what next month’s Welsh referendum is about and which is being sent to every household in Wales:
Wales Referendum – booklet from the Electoral Commission
The Liberal Democrats are campaigning for a Yes vote, with Kirsty Williams saying,
In March, the people of Wales will have the opportunity to vote in a referendum to ensure for the first time that laws that affect only Wales are made only in Wales.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats are united in our enthusiasm to campaign for a ‘Yes’ vote. As well as working constructively with progressives in all parties in the ‘Yes’ campaign, Welsh Liberal Democrats will also be encouraging and motivating our own supporters to Say Yes for Wales.
As an opposition leader, I am often critical of the record of the Labour-Plaid Government in Wales. The Welsh people will have their say on government policies in this year’s Welsh General election. But this referendum should not be a referendum on the record of the Labour-Plaid administration.
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9 Comments
This has to be the world’s most pointless referendum. What are the reasons for saying no?
“This referendum should not be a referendum on the record of the Labour-Plaid administration.”
Good for her. I hope that senior Labour figures will say similar things about the AV referendum!
chris – spot on. it should never have been neeeded, sadly it was part of labour’s fudge in the last government of wales act as a sop to their anti devolution mps in south east wales
The biggest argument I’ve heard is that the Assembly hasn’t done very well so far. Recent stories on schools, for example, demonstrate that clearly. Perhaps we should allow time for the Assembly to ‘bed in’ and understand its current role and manage Wales effectively before giving it further powers. Devolution is a process, not an event, so there’s no rush.
Reasons for voting ‘no’ probably would include the performance of the assembly to date (dismal, really dismal), the concept that to handle the extra ‘work’ we’d need more assembly members (dire) and the idea of at least 4 years ahead of living in a single party socialist state where the apparatchiks can do to us what they like and use the force of law to back it up.
Much of Wales is already a frightened country, the last thing we need is the local politburo with actual power!
What John said.
Plus the Welsh Assembly only squeaked into existence by the narrowest of margins in the original referendum…
Dom >to their anti devolution mps in south east wales
… so it’s not “just a few MPs” who were anti-devolution. And the south east is where most of Wales lives.
Still reckon determined ‘yes’ voters will make the effort, but otherwise, turn-out will be rubbish.
Still don’t know which way I’ll vote.
But I know a lot of people who are underwhelmed by Cardiff Bay.
Recently heard definition of the Welsh Assembly: “A county council with ideas above its station.”
Can people with no fixed address vote.
I would refer to the experience of Northern Ireland here. The Unionists were against a parliament on the island of Ireland pre-1921, but quickly adapted to their own parliament afterwards. From the Westminster point of view it had the advantage of stopping many purely provincial issues from clogging up Westminster for nearly 50 years and gave Ulster people much more direct access to provincial MPs and key civil servants. It had the disadvantage that the Unionist part dominated it totally and grew careless about the problems of civil divisions, but when it was prorogued by the Heath government an enormous demonstration, representing a range of views, took place.
The last twenty years show how much the people there realised how much they had lost through Direct Rule and politicians previously mortal enemies agreed together and persuaded the people to bring back the Assembly and Executive back to Stormont.
State government may have drawbacks, but its better than Direct Rule.
the assembly definately hasn’t delivered in the dulais valley. my home village used to be a thriving place until thatcher destroyed it. now the only thing leisure activies are two pubs and two rugby fields.
but i can’t entirely blame the assembly because perhaps it hasn’t had the powers to bring propserity to the area.