Thursday, September 09, 2004
Counsel General
The row over the non-appointment of a new Counsel General for the Welsh Assembly has blown up again with the Presiding Officer making clear his view that he will not co-operate with anyone appointed to be the body's top legal adviser. This goes to the heart of the disastrous mess that is the Government of Wales Act, in which the then Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies, created a hybrid body and then forced corporate status onto it. Most of the last four years have been spent trying to unpick this arrangement so as to get a workable Government and Opposition.
The other issue is Labour paternalism and the unconscious echoing of Charles I in their belief that they have a divine right to rule Wales and thus fill important positions with their own placemen and women. First, the Counsel General, then the Welsh Language Board, what is next?
The other issue is Labour paternalism and the unconscious echoing of Charles I in their belief that they have a divine right to rule Wales and thus fill important positions with their own placemen and women. First, the Counsel General, then the Welsh Language Board, what is next?
