Jury still out on whether devolution has proved itself, says ex-Welsh Government Minister
Martin Shipton
One of Welsh Labour’s leading proponents of devolution at the referendum in 1997 which narrowly endorsed the creation of what is now the Senedd says the jury is still out on whether devolution has proved itself.
Andrew Davies worked closely with then Secretary of State for Wales Ron Davies and his deputy Peter Hain when they made the case for the policy.
At the first National Assembly election in 1999, he designed the candidate selection process for Labour and was elected himself to represent Swansea West. He went on to serve as Business Manager, Chief Whip and Economy Minister.
He stood down from what was the National Assembly in 2011, later serving for six years as Chair of the then Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.
‘Chaotic’
Interviewed by ITV Wales political editor Adrian Masters on the Face to Face programme, Mr Davies described the birth of Welsh devolution as chaotic. He said: “There was very little preparation. Unlike in Scotland where it was effectively a done deal, with people saying they’d been waiting for devolution for years, in Wales it was by the seat of our pants that we got through the referendum. Then the assumption was that Ron Davies would be the leader, and then of course he resigned. That led to the battle between Rhodri Morgan and Alun Michael. In a way, you couldn’t design a worse introduction to devolution, I always said as the Chief Whip and Business Manager that I had an NVQ in ducking and diving.”
Asked whether he had enjoyed his time as an Assembly Member and a Welsh Government minister, Mr Davies said: “It was a huge privilege. As I’ve often said – no one will ever do what we did, which was to establish Wales’s first elected legislature. It was also very demanding, certainly in the first couple of years. I want to pay tribute to the work of Dafydd Elis-Thomas [the Assembly’s first Presiding Officer] and Rhodri Morgan, who really did help calm things down, and establish the credibility and legitimacy of the Assembly.”
‘Bedevilled’
Asked whether he thought devolution had proved itself and lived up to what he had expected, Mr Davies replied: “I have to say I think the jury is pretty much still out on this. I think in a way what Ron Davies said about devolution – that it was a process and not an event – has bedevilled devolution. It’s almost like, it’s better to travel than arrive.
“But if you compare the powers the Assembly has had from the beginning, which have been augmented since, comparing other parts of Europe with regions and provinces, it’s a pretty strong series of powers. In health and education, for example, to a large extent the Welsh Government has autonomy. So blaming the constitutional settlement – which was there right from the beginning, with people saying ‘it’s not enough, it’s not strong enough’, my view was always, we have to make it work. And as a minister I actually put major pieces of legislation on the statute book – the Transport for Wales Act 2006, and also the Railways Act 2005. It was powers for a purpose, for me.”
Disappointed
Asked whether, given what he had said, he was disappointed by devolution, Mr Davies said: “I suppose that’s really why I’ve been thinking and writing so much about the economy and other aspects like the health service … I just feel we need a much more open debate in Wales. In fact, that’s my major critique, I think.
“We have what I call a client state where there’s too much secrecy. There’s not enough openness and transparency. So many organisations and individuals in Wales depend on funding and patronage from the Welsh Government, and I think civil society needs to be stronger and more independent, and I think there needs to be more transparency and accountability.”
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Its Andrew Davies’ own party -Labour – which has been in power in Wales since 1999……and thats been the problem.
He was part of a leadership group that shaped the immediate future … one based on dependency. He mentions organisations dependent on the Bay regime, but it goes further than that. There’s a chain of dependency up to Westminster/Whitehall and in the past out to Brussels. What did successive Labour regimes do with funds especially the “special” EU funds? Blew them on misdirected priorities which contributed to the Brexit decision especially among left behind valley communities.
To say devolution is “the problem” because Labour has won successive elections is to misunderstand democracy itself. Devolution gives Wales the right to choose its own path. If the people of Wales have repeatedly elected Labour, that’s a democratic outcome—not a structural failure. The real question isn’t who governs, but whether Wales has the tools and respect to govern well.
The runaway success of Devolution is obvious.
Devolution isn’t on trial—it’s a democratic response to centuries of centralised control. Since 1999, Wales has gained a distinct voice in shaping its own future, from health and education to cultural policy. While challenges remain, especially under Westminster’s shadow, the question isn’t whether devolution has “proved itself,” but whether it’s been given the respect and resources to thrive. Wales is no longer England’s oldest colony—it’s a nation asserting its place in the union.
I agree with Andrew. So called ‘Welsh Labour’ has now governed Wales uninterrupted for 26 years. But the Welsh Parliament’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public still continues to be in the balance. Voter turnout is consistently low. But why is this? This is essentially because of Welsh’s Labour utter failure, refusal, to take part in the nation building opportunity which devolution afforded. Because of Welsh Labour’s refusenik negativity the project has still not really got off the ground at all. And why is this you might ask? Essentially because Welsh Labour is still shot through with a debilitating,… Read more »
Devolution is not the problem, the problem is Labour. If Labour are failing to deliver then you vote them out (Which looks likely to happen next year). No one country questions their right to autonomy so why do we do so in Wales?
Labour members who question devolution are the worst, because they are the problem.
The Jury is still out on whether UK membership has proven any benefit to Wales.
The Jury has returned a verdict. United Kingdom government of Wales is a total failure.
Devolution hasn’t failed Wales. Both Labour and Conservatives have. Less former minister Andrew Davies forget being part of a government that’s controlled Wales for 26 years. In 1997 Tony Blair and New Labour deliberately designed the then Welsh Assembly to fail. The evidence: Leading up to the 1997 referendum, we had the likes of Neil Knock, Llew Smith and others hostile influence those in government the type of devolution Wales had. And New Labour later even admitted that they had those against devolution in mind what responsibilities to devolve to Cardiff Bay from Westminster. From the beginning Tony Blair and… Read more »
Andrew Davies questions whether devolution in Wales has proved itself. One could equally well question whether the political set-up in Westminster has proved itself. For Wales it certainly hasn’t, considering the vast resources/wealth taken from it over centuries, the repeated discrimination against Wales (compared to Scotland) and its permanent position as bottom of the 4 UK nations in GDP per capita. Moreover, in August 2025 the UK’s debt was £2,900,000,000,000 (£2.9 tr). Does this suggest success for the UK parliament?
Free Wales.