Two interesting articles in this morning’s Western Mail have put the debate on Welsh devolution into perspective.
On the one hand we have Conservative Assembly Member, David Melding arguing not just that the Tories should accept the Welsh Assembly and campaign for greater powers but that they should do so as part of a vision that includes a Federal Britain.
This is very much mainstream Liberal Democrat policy and judging by the reaction of David ‘Top Cat’ Davies, there is still some way to go before such ideas become accepted within the Conservative Party. However, if we are to make some sense of the asymetric devolution that has implanted itself in our unwritten constitution then proper Federalism is the way forward. Gimmicks such as only allowing English MPs to vote on English laws do not cut it. They are unworkable and ignore political realities.
At the other end of the spectrum Professor Alistair Cole, of Cardiff University argues that those supporting Welsh independence must confront the challenges facing small countries in the economic downturn.
He believes that the economic crises in Ireland and Iceland and the near collapse of the banking system in Scotland demonstrates the vulnerability of such states. He says that the assumption that small nations would enjoy a prosperous future has been challenged by “hard economic reality”.
That is the stark dilemma facing nationalists and makes the Federal State the most achievable way forward from the present constitutional settlement.
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