These are momentous times in Wales. The referendum on March 3rd is a do-or-die test upon which Wales’ entire future hangs. This is a golden opportunity to protect Wales from the scary far-right ideologues of Westminster and to begin to rectify Wales’ abject, humiliating and negative relationship with England. Here is a once-in-a-generation chance, given to few countries in history, to peacefully take the only prize worth having in international geopolitics – a legislature – and so establish in Cardiff the first proper, law-making Welsh parliament for 600 years.
The question to be voted on is a no-brainer. Every single party in the Assembly is in favour of a ‘yes’ vote, even the Welsh Conservatives. They have direct experience of the current arrangements and are unable to avoid the glaring truth that the status quo is an unworkable, wasteful, bureaucratic mess. For that we have Tony Blair to thank. Obliged to hold the 1997 referendum by manifesto commitment and pressure from Welsh Labour, Blair permitted Wales only a few crumbs of token devolution. The power-mad control freak could not bring himself to sanction any weakening of the most centralised state in Europe, so set up a complex and farcical system in which the few areas devolved could never be actually tackled by the Assembly. The Welsh Assembly was set up to fail, by people hostile to the very concept of Wales. As a result, even for the most uncontroversial and minor issues Wales is obliged to go cap in hand to London with any proposal and wait for years while the ridiculously cumbersome Legislative Competence Order (LCO) machinery grinds into gear. This means that after thorough research, analysis and debate at the Assembly and the Welsh Office, permission to act is then required from the 600+ English MPs, from the unelected Lords and from nameless Whitehall functionaries – a level of scrutiny not called for at any other level of governance in the UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland, devolved at the same time as Wales, are not subject to such micro-management from London – and neither is the UK government itself, which grants itself licence to wage illegal wars, abolish public services, attack the weak and vulnerable and cook up any amount of badly considered, off-the-cuff policies without let or hindrance. The LCO farrago is profoundly insulting to Wales and the Welsh people, treating us as uniquely untrustworthy, incompetent and incapable.
Such arrangements are found nowhere else on the planet. Throughout the democratic world regional devolution is the unremarkable norm, from the federal states of the US through to the semi-autonomous Länder of Germany. But Wales is compelled to negotiate an impossible obstacle course to implement measures that London has no interest in and that will only affect Wales anyway. Frequently policies unanimously supported in the Assembly disappear into a Whitehall black hole, left to gather dust in some pending tray for years. The completely undemocratic, utterly discredited cabal of expenses-fiddlers, moonlighting millionaires, lobby fodder, agents of big business, class warriors and trumped-up flunkies of Westminster treat Wales with utter contempt, when in fact these crooks should be taking lessons in law-making from us: the codified laws of Hywel Dda (c880-950), a body of wisdom that is one of the splendours of civilisation, were being enacted in Wales centuries before anything equivalent in Europe and when the only law in London was Might is Right.
Should there be a yes vote next week, the Assembly would still have less control over Welsh affairs than Scotland or Northern Ireland have over theirs, and nothing approaching the autonomy enjoyed by other parts of the British Isles like the Isle of Man and the various Channel Islands. And the three great signifiers of a nation state – foreign policy, the exchequer and primary law-making powers – would still be retained by London. But at least the 20 spheres of Welsh government already devolved would at last be placed under the direct democratic control of the Welsh people and the country can begin to express its unique voice, form its unique responses to the challenges of the modern world, replace the mutually debilitating English sneer/Welsh whinge relationship with something more constructive, and put some distance between itself and the failed British state. Looking at the Con-Dem coalition’s plans for education, the NHS and local government, this is now a matter of extreme urgency.
We have already seen the difference Welsh self-government can make in the Assembly’s first 12 years, despite the crippling handicap of having no real power. To see the difference, you only have to compare the Blair/Brown Labour governments in London with the simultaneous Rhodri Morgan/Carwyn Jones Labour-led coalitions in Cardiff (Wales, unlike the UK, has fair proportional representation, so no party has distorted hegemony). Rhodri may have had buffoonish tendencies, but compared to Blair he was a beacon of humanity, intelligence, originality and statesmanship. Carwyn may be a touch bland, but compared to Brown he was a pillar of rectitude, honesty and sanity. Put him up against Cameron/Clegg and he is in a different league. In policies on such as prescription charges, pensioners’ rights, child support, sustainable development, museum charges, quangos, school league tables, NHS organisation, transport infrastructure, cultural support and countryside access the various Assembly governments have shown qualities of sensitivity, maturity, responsiveness, common sense and good judgement that the poor electorate of England can only dream of. And this with one hand tied behind their back and the LCO ball-and-chain hindering their every initiative.
Who, then, could possibly vote no given such a choice? Just check out the no campaign and all is revealed. Essentially it is run by far-right British Nationalists, heavily featuring the disgusting racists of the BNP and the barmy Little Englanders of UKIP. They object to any sliver of Welsh self-determination on two grounds: firstly because Wales has always delivered a left-of-centre majority in elections and thus a bridge-head for – gasp! – socialism might be established on this septic isle, showing the English a perhaps tempting alternative to being always shat on by their rulers; and secondly the only sovereignty these people will accept is ‘British’ (ie English, since they make up 85% of the UK population). So it’s no to the United Nations, no to the European Union, no to strong local government and no to Wales, because to these superannuated, blinkered colonialists only one level of governance is acceptable. Nothing touches their imperialist nerve as profoundly as the prospect of England easing its vice-like grip on its very first colony. What they really want is the abolition of the Assembly altogether, since Wales’ continued existence is a discomfiting reminder that the British state is not some God-given entity but an abnormal, recent and artificial creation, forged by violence, built on theft, enriched by global plunder and now sustained by the organised crime of international money-laundering, tax evasion and corporate greed. Should Welsh voters let these appalling Wales-haters triumph on March 3rd, either because of ignorance, self-loathing, apathy or just too many years of being spoon-fed poisonous misinformation, it would be the most perverse result in the history of referendums, Wales would be a global laughing-stock and we will deserve everything we get.
But should we turn out in numbers and deliver the overwhelming yes vote we owe to past generations, to future generations, to ourselves, to our sorely abused English neighbours and, yes, to the world, then there is a chance, at last, to unleash Welsh potential and clinch Welsh status, prosperityand influence for all time. I do not have the faintest idea what the result will be. The London newspapers and TV channels, the sole source of news for 90% of the Welsh population, have barely mentioned the referendum at all and there is scarcely a campaign worth the mention in Wales itself – I have received a grand total of one leaflet through my door. A miniscule turn-out is inevitable, given that most people are unaware any vote is taking place. When turn-outs are low, every single vote counts. In the few days remaining it is incumbent on all Welsh people of good faith to urge friends, family and neighbours to get out there and vote yes next Thursday.
There is a palpable tension in Cardiff’s dank February air as decision day approaches. Wales is at a crossroads; we must have the heart and the head to take the untravelled road, to assert that things can be other than how they’ve always been, and to tell the world that we are a fine people, a people who have yet to be heard, a people who are now ready to associate in harmony and partnership with the free and equal peoples of the Earth.
Love this post, you’ve nailed it!
As one of those guilty of commenting on your Spoonerisms (even if it was before the Naughtie slip) I felt I should respond to this, slightly more serious blog. Of course Wales needs its own government, and no sane person living in Wales would want to hand any more power to Cameron’s toffia than they already have.
However. I’ve been a headteacher in Wales for over ten years and I can’t agree that the Assembly ‘have shown qualities of sensitivity, maturity, responsiveness, common sense and good judgement’ in matters related to education. Quite the opposite.
A few examples.
1. Testing: WAG scrapped SATs in Wales then proceeded to introduce the most onerous means of ensuring schools’ assessments were valid.
2. The Foundation Phase: (Rhodri was particularly proud of this). This was a philosophy that was well intentioned, but badly introduced. The funding needed never arrived, and the detail of implementation lost in vague statements along the lines of ‘children should be taught to read when they are ready’.
3. International Comparisons: Wales’ scores in international tests (ie the Pisa tests) have dropped significantly compared to the other three home nations. Leighton Andrews has more or less admitted this, but his response is daft. In order to improve pupil performance in the Pisa tests what is his solution? He has instructed schools to coach and prepare pupils for the tests.
4. A culture of blame: Another response from Mr Andrews to Wales’ pitiful showing in the international tables was to blame teachers and heads. In his most recent speech he mentions the word ‘leadership’ no fewer than ten times. Yet any school governor will tell you that when a vacancy for a head is advertised the number of applicants is usually under three. Two of the largest schools in my county attracted exactly one application between them. What are the reasons for so few applications? I’ll tell you – it’s because the job is impossible. It’s impossible because of the overwhelming burden of ‘initiatives’ from WAG – initiatives that are often contradictory, confusing and not in the interests of children, or education, but in the interests of politicians. And it’s impossible because any failure is made public. This already happens in Estyn inspections, but Mr Andrews has recently introduced further accountability – next year tests will be reintroduced, and those test results will lead to schools being graded. (Yes, league tables are coming back!) This will lead to an annual public humiliation for those heads who work in the most challenging schools. Will that encourage teachers to step up to headship? Of course not.
If such poor policy making is repeated across all public services, then I really worry for our future.
But things are better than they were. Five years ago my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, my son needed orthodontic treatment, and my mother in law needed a heart operation. My wife had to drive 160 miles round trip, every other day, for six weeks, to Cheltenham for radiotherapy. My son couldn’t access any treatment for his teeth in Wales, even though a local GP told me that treatment was available if he registered with a dentist in Herefordshire. And my mother in law had to travel to Birmingham for her heart operation.
Not a great advert for the Assembly Government, is it?
Your analysis of some of the many shortcomings in education policy is spot on Andrew, but you make the crucial mistake of confusing the Assembly with the Assembly Government. Labour has been in control for 12 years, and the Welsh Labour Party has yet to break free from the UK Labour Party, so it’s no surprise that we have been on the receiving end of all the the familiar faults of ‘New Labour’ – authoritarianism, bureaucracy and incompetence. That isn’t an argument against the Assembly; it’s an argument against the Labour Party. This is called ‘politics’.
As this infant, and partial, democracy matures and grows I would hope that the three UK parties in the Assembly will gradually sever their connections with their masters in Westminster and become Welsh political parties alongside Plaid Cymru. In Labour’s case this would mean becoming the Socialist party Wales is crying out for. If they cannot provide Wales with the genuine left alternative we need then new parties must be founded to fill the vacancy and arch-Blairites like Leighton Andrews can be kicked out of office. Having said that, if you think Andrews is bad I have two words for you to ponder: Michael Gove.
Finally, your criticism of the provision of hospitals, dentists and elderly care in Powys is fully justified – but shouldn’t you point the finger first at the UK government that ran every aspect of Wales for more than 500 years, rather than at the Cardiff government which has barely had a decade to begin tackling these major structural shortcomings and is entirely constrained anyway by budget allocation from London? Did you really expect shiny new facilities to magically appear in rural mid Wales so quickly? It’s good that your expectations of a Welsh government are so high, but don’t forget all politicians in all countries are loathsome, self-serving and corrupt – just look at Obama’s rapid plunge from grace. The Assembly Government are bastards – but they’re OUR bastards. Two more words reveal the ghastly alternative: Andrew Lansley.
Hang on a minute. I disagreed with your initial blog because you wrote this: ‘various Assembly governments have shown qualities of sensitivity, maturity, responsiveness, common sense and good judgement that the poor electorate of England can only dream of.’ Here you are gushing in your praise of the people you then call ‘bastards’ in your more recent comment. So, are they ‘bastards’ or paragons of noble virtue?
And when you list the Assembly’s successes, aren’t you too, confusing the Assembly with the work of the Labour administration? But it’s no wonder neither of us can tell the difference, because there isn’t one. For as long as it’s been in existence it has been Labour led. And it I am certain that it will continue to be that way. Would you feel as strongly about the Assembly if we’d had fifteen years of Tory led Assembly governments?
I deal with the reality of this administration’s incompetence, and I see it wrecking young people’s life chances. You may think a generation or two is worth wasting in return for the hope of a Welsh Socialist Republic, but I don’t.
And when I criticise the Assembly for not providing my family for health services available to patients in England, I am not asking for shiny new hospitals – of course not. I should have pointed out that the services I sought were in place only a few years before. I knew that they had disappeared since the Assembly was established.
It seems to me that what lies at the heart of our difference of opinion is your hope of a better future, and my complete despair at the present. I know things can’t change for the better overnight, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s unlikely to happen in my lifetime.
Absolutely EVERYTHING you see around you in today’s Powys, down to the most miniscule detail, is the result of being run by England/Britain for the past 750 years. Wales has had no say whatsoever in the affairs of Powys since the late 13th century. We have had three Assembly Governments so far in 12 brief years (1 Lab minority, 1 Lab/LibDem coalition, 1 Lab/Plaid coalition), constrained and defined and working entirely within the tight and narrow parameters set out by the UK, both fiscally and legally. You might just as well blame Powys County Council for the invasion of Iraq. In fact, by picking on Health as a stick to beat Wales with (and thus by default laud the hallowed governance of London) you have made a particularly bad choice of weapon. Health is one area where Assembly Governments have worked wonders with the few iotas of autonomy that you begrudge Wales and made a real, tangible difference. Have you not heard of free prescriptions (I believe they pay around £7.50 a go in our superbly-run next door neighbour)? Here in Cardiff the CRI, closed by the geniuses of Whitehall, is being reopened, and at last there is the Childrens Hospital that those good folks in London quite forgot to provide for Wales during all their years in absolute control. I would wager that the state-of-the-art facilities that you demand in Llandrindod Wells have a slightly better chance of being delivered by the Assembly than by Westminster. Your indecent haste to blame and slag off an infant institution, barely out of the starting gate, is surprising. There must be deeper causes for such irrational rage: too many Pathe Newsreels at a formative age?