Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fighting the 'yes' campaign
Rhodri Glyn Thomas has made a significant intervention this morning in the discussion as to how best to campaign for a 'yes' vote in the Assembly powers referendum in March. He has suggested that campaigners should steer clear of constitutional arguments as much as possible, and he is right.
The danger is that we will spend all our time arguing about technical issues, whilst forgetting to tell people what is in it for them. The fact is that the delay involved in us acquiring powers on a piecemeal basis through the Legislative Competence Order has stopped us dealing with a number of issues as urgently as we should have done. These include housing but also the environment, mental health, the Welsh Language and safety on school buses to name but a few.
It is also the case that we are spending millions of pounds each year and hundreds of hours of Assembly Members, MPs and civil servants time scrutinising orders that produce no measurable output. Once they are passed then we have to draw up the real legislation and go through it all over again.
The referendum is not about independence, it is not about tax varying powers, it is not even about producing a Parliament for Wales comparable to Scotland. None of that is on the table. It is about rationalising a wasteful process so as to enable us to improve people's lives more quickly, at less cost to the taxpayer and without having to ask permission of Ministers in another Government each time.
The danger is that we will spend all our time arguing about technical issues, whilst forgetting to tell people what is in it for them. The fact is that the delay involved in us acquiring powers on a piecemeal basis through the Legislative Competence Order has stopped us dealing with a number of issues as urgently as we should have done. These include housing but also the environment, mental health, the Welsh Language and safety on school buses to name but a few.
It is also the case that we are spending millions of pounds each year and hundreds of hours of Assembly Members, MPs and civil servants time scrutinising orders that produce no measurable output. Once they are passed then we have to draw up the real legislation and go through it all over again.
The referendum is not about independence, it is not about tax varying powers, it is not even about producing a Parliament for Wales comparable to Scotland. None of that is on the table. It is about rationalising a wasteful process so as to enable us to improve people's lives more quickly, at less cost to the taxpayer and without having to ask permission of Ministers in another Government each time.
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Peter how did we get to this state?
If it is as inefficient as you say
who was responsible, why did they do it and why did "you" let them.#
We need to be told.
If it is as inefficient as you say
who was responsible, why did they do it and why did "you" let them.#
We need to be told.
# posted by 
: 9:29 PM
: 9:29 PM
It was the compromise put together by Peter Hain in the Government of Wales Act 2006 to keep the Labour MPs on board.
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