Welsh Labour showing SNP the way with constitutional commission, says indy-supporting newspaper
Welsh Labour are showing the SNP how it should be done in establishing a commission in order to consider options for the constitutional future of the country, according to Scotland’s independence supporting newspaper The National.
Writing in the newspaper, journalist Martin Hannan said that while a debate was ongoing about independence in Scotland the Scottish Government had done little to explore the different options available to the country.
“A possible answer may come from Wales where no poll has ever indicated sizeable support for Welsh independence but where the Welsh Government has just announced the establishment of a constitutional commission that can consider independence as an option,” he said.
“It’s possible that this Welsh move has taken many people in the Yes movement by surprise and it certainly begs the question why a similar body has not been set up by the Scottish Government to examine exactly how Scotland can go forward.
“There is a directorate dealing with constitutional matters but that is not the same as a commission with powers to talk to witnesses, expert or otherwise.
“There are various Yes groups examining constitutional matters but perhaps the movement should be asking the Scottish Government to set up its own commission.”
‘Everything on the table’
Dr Rowan Williams and Professor Laura McAllister will chair the commission set up by the Welsh Government to engage with the public for a national conversation about the future of Wales.
The aim, according to the Welsh Government, will be to develop options for fundamental reform of the constitutional structures of the UK and how it can best improve outcomes for the people of Wales.
But Laura McAllister said that all options would be in the table – including independence.
The establishment of an independent commission to consider the constitutional future of Wales was a commitment in the Wesh Labour manifesto for the Senedd election.
Following the appointment of the co-chairs the remaining members will be confirmed next month and its first meeting is expected to be in November.
Professor Laura McAllister is a Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre. She is an expert on devolution, Welsh politics and elections, public policy and the representation of women in politics.
She is a former Chair of Sport Wales and board member of UK Sport, a current Director of the Football Association of Wales Trust, Deputy Chair of UEFA Women’s Football Committee, and former Wales international football captain with 24 caps.
She said: “Serious contributions to our constitutional debate are greatly needed and I’m looking forward to our work contributing to filling that space.
“We’ll think boldly and radically about all potential options for the future of Wales, in the context of the increasing pressure on the Union.”
Asked whether the commission would also look at independence, she told the BBC it would be “ludicrous to remove any options at this stage”.
“I think everything is supposed to be on the table, quite rightly,” she said. “It’s important to be clear about language. Independence means different things depending on different contexts.”
‘Imaginative’
Dr Rowan Williams, born in Swansea, was the Bishop of Monmouth (1992-2002), and Archbishop of Wales (1999-2002), and then Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012).
Since 2014 he has been Chancellor of the University of South Wales and Chair of the international development charity Christian Aid.
He commented: “This Commission’s job is to ask what structures and constitutional provisions will best release the potential of Welsh communities and Welsh people.
“We want to make sure that the governance of Wales is effective, accountable and imaginative, and look forward to hearing what hopes and visions are animating people around the country.”
Wales’ Senedd manifesto at May’s election said that the UK was a voluntary association of four nations with sovereignty shared among its four democratic legislatures in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“We support the UK-wide Constitutional Commission being established by the Labour Party to drive forward much-needed change to a system of governance of the UK that is irreparably broken and will remain so without a UK Labour Government,” they said.
“Welsh Labour will fight for radical constitutional change based on the principles of federalism and in the next Senedd we will lead Wales in a national civic conversation about our constitutional future.
“We will build on the work of the Senedd Committee on electoral reform, chaired by Welsh Labour’s Dawn Bowden, and develop proposals to improve the representation of the people of Wales in their Parliament.”
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Er difficult to see how labour’s branch office in Wales could ‘show the SNP the way on independence’ – labour vehemently opposed welsh independence during the recent senedd election while in contrast in the elections to holyrood the snp campaigned on a manifesto promise to hold another referendum on independence for scotland. And contrary to the codswallop presented verbatim from the labour manifesto sovereignty isnt shared in the uk – the senedd can be abolished by a simple act of parliament at westminster. While a ‘federal uk’ is a non starter – it would be dominated by England. Independence means… Read more »
federal
adjective
Isn’t that a Confederation?
Either way, see the pressure by the EU, USA, on States that upset them?
The Labour Party in wales 🏴 have got to start fighting for a new wales 🏴 and stop being little Englanders and and be proud to be welsh start fighting for your children and grandchildren future in wales 🏴 it’s time for a new wales 🏴 no more rules from the English government
J. Edwards has been banging on about this for ages, so it’s great it finally got through the concrete, at least in some form. Things going in the right direction. We shall see.
The opinion polls for a free wales are getting greater support since brexit