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German academic ‘shocked’ by how much power Westminster has taken from Senedd

19 Oct 2021 2 minute read
The Senedd left and Westminster right. Picture by on the left by the Senedd (CC BY 2.0).

A German academic was “shocked” by how much power Westminster has taken away from the Senedd.

Dr Marius Guderjan of Humboldt-University Berlin has argued that the UK Government’s Single Market Act, “undermines in practice” the decisions that are made in Wales.

The lecturer and researcher in British Politics at the Centre for British Studies has said because of it the Welsh Parliament “have to accept” decisions “that are decided somewhere else”.

He made the comments during a discussion organised by the Deutsch-Britischen Gesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg forum about Wales’s place in the UK.

The discussion also included Ruth Marks from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and Dr Ed Poole from Cardiff University.

The Single Market Act took away control over state aid from the Senedd and centralised it with UK Government ministers in Westminster.

It also gave Westminster to force Wales to accept food standards in Wales that the UK Government decides as a result of post-Brexit trade agreements.

‘Undermines’ 

Dr Guderjan said: “When the Single Market Act was passed or was introduced in the UK, the Bill, I was quite shocked when I realised what that would have meant, what that actually means for the UK, how much it actually undermines in practice the decisions that Wales and the Welsh Parliament and the Scottish Parliament can actually take and they have to accept many of the things that are decided somewhere else.

“While this has fuelled clearly independence in Scotland as I said before, that was also the case for Wales, also I think still to a lower extent, and whether they would leave, vote for leaving I think is different there.”


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Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Don’t know about Wales but I personally left the UK a long long time ago…. Loyalty is where the heart is and that sure as hell isn’t London.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

Nor is it Cardiff at this rate…

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

Who in the Welsh government allowed this to happen? Who signed our democratically voted for powers away to the English?

Bronwyn Curnow
Bronwyn Curnow
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

Nobody in Wales voted for it. It was dictated by Westminster. Look to Hansard and the voting record. Simples

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago
Reply to  Bronwyn Curnow

Correct. I can never recall the Conservative party or Brexiteers say leaving the EU meant also taking back control from Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast.

Brexit was facilitated by the ballot box, where the Tory imposition of Welsh, Scottish & NI devolved powers was done with a knife to our throats, and their assault on our Parliaments & Assembly is an affront to our respective democracies.

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
Paul
Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

Wales, like Scotland and Northern Ireland refused a legislative consent motion, But Westminster passed it anyway. Because they are sovereign.

Written Statement: Possible Legal challenge to the UK Internal Market Bill (16 December 2020) | GOV.WALES

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

Former FM Carwyn Jones dropped the devolution ball on this one.

Carwyn stupidly repealed the Wales bill protecting Senedd sovereignty & competency after Theresa May fluttered her eyelashes and promised to respect Welsh devolution. He should have known better. Never trust a Tory. They are at their core corrupt and untrustworthy.

And has he ever apologised? No. Oh, but criticised Whitehall for stealing Wales powers post-Brexit, forgetting he bloody facilitated their actions.

Why on earth didn’t he add a caveat stating any attack on Welsh devolution would make any agreement nul & void.

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

The centrist Tories are an English fascist party that use Trumpian tactics to steal, usurp & undermine both Welsh, Scottish & NI parliaments & Assembly soley because they will never be elected the ruling party of those nations or have legitimacy to rule other than in England. The irony is. This German academic shows us who the real enemy of Wales is. Not the European Union bogeyman Brexiteers demonised, but Whitehall and the Conservative party who flagrantly flout Wales competency in the most undemocratic way possible with threats of imposition, overruling and intimidation. This must be challenged in the highest… Read more »

j humphrys
j humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Maybe it wasn’t that great in the EU, but i’ll bet even quite a few B voters are quietly yearning for those sunshine days, as the now seem?
Prepare for that yearning to become louder.

Last edited 2 years ago by j humphrys
Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Y Cymro I would agree with you on most points except: a). The Tories are not centrist, they are right-wing and always have been. And they are getting more right-wing every year. The closest they ever got to the centre of British politics was under Edward Heath (and they didn’t get all that close) and that was 51 years ago but they reverted to type soon enough with Thatcher. b). They may have a legitimate (in the very narrow sense of legal) right to rule in England but they do not have the democrat right to rule as they never… Read more »

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

Sadly, many in Wales fell for what was primarily English nationalist sentiment regarding the EU and now those same nationalists are taking powers away from us as a result. It’s all about control, to them the Empire still exists and that means no laws in the UK other than issued through Westminster. There really is no point any more in moaning about it – we all know what Westminster is like. Let’s make a brighter future for ourselves, the movement is growing, the time is right,

David Charles Pearn
David Charles Pearn
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

Yes now is the time, enough is enough

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

It may have shocked our German friend, but it came as no surprise to us natives, same old same old. 800 years and counting

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago

The First Minister could ask Mutti Merkel to join his team for a year or two to help sort things out!

Failing that Lidl has a good track record in supplying the needs of Wales…

Sion Cwilt
Sion Cwilt
2 years ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

I agree with that, except I find Aldi to be better!

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