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Saturday, February 14, 2009

All-Wales Convention keeps its secrets

The Western Mail reports that opinion poll research for the All Wales Convention shows strong support for giving the National Assembly primary law-making powers. However, details remain a secret because they have to be subjected to a Government Social Research protocol first.

Does this mean that the results cannot yet be trusted? If so why leak them in the first place? Surely, the powers that be are not trying to distract attention from the fact that the Convention is about to collapse when its high profile chair takes up a new job in Bosnia.

So far all we have had for our million pound investment is a few curry evenings and a half-finished unverified poll that somebody leaked to the Western Mail. That is hardly value for money and it is no substitute for a proper all-party campaign that is actually going to go out into Welsh communities and make the case for change.
Comments:
Aren't such polls normally published on March 1st when there is a sufficient focus on Wales as a nation to gain maximum impact?
 
I don't see why you should equate Jones-Parry leaving with a collapse in the work of the convention. It looks to me like he is more interested in the future of Jones-Parry than that of his nation.
 
So are you saying we should just press ahead with a "Yes" campaign? What alternative scenario are you proposing Peter?
 
peter i wouldnt read too much into the fact that the 'official' findings have not been released yet. Probably just down to the protocol of officially informing all the convention members etc

What is surely most important about the apparent findings is that they confirm what all of us on the 'more powers' side already know - that there is strong support among the people of wales for more powers for the assembly.

The conventions findings merely confirm what EVERY poll taken in the last decade has shown - that a significant majority of the welsh electorate are in favour of the assembly gaining greater powers!

There is simply no reason for anyone on the 'Yes' side to believe that the referendum on more powers will not be won. There is simply no reason why the referendum should not go ahead in 2011, as outlined in the one wales agreement!

But what is most encouraging perhaps about these findings is that have taken place without the presence of an official yes campaign!

Pro-devolutionists should of course still look to establish a genuine all party yes campaign as soon as is practical.

Leigh
swansea.
 
Judging by the comments of a few colleagues who attended the Convention in Port Talbot - it might be a good thing for this initiative to collapse.
 
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