Category: Wales
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Preserving the Kingdom
OurKingdom points us to a very valuable essay on the future of the UK by Richard Wyn Jones, translated from the Welsh at Ordovicious. So far, only the nationalists have offered a sensible way to ensure cohabitation between the Kingdom’s nations, namely friendship based on independence. Of course, this is hardly a way out that…
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OurKingdom: Labour shifting on fiscal devolution
Here’s a taster from my piece on OurKingdom today: You wouldn’t know it from the debate about the future of North Sea oil, but the Labour Party has moved a long way towards accepting greater powers for the Scottish Parliament recently. In her first press conference as Scottish Labour leader-elect, Wendy Alexander said she was…
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The North/South divide
The Institute for Public Policy Research has released details of a forthcoming study which shows that the North-South divide has grown during 10 years of Labour government: ippr north’s report cites Government figures that measure the gap between regions. These figures show that since 1997, the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside and…
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The British-Irish Council meets
Here’s that picture of the occasion. Apparently, there was a fair bit of controversy over who got to stand where. It is indeed quite telling. I can only spot one English politician there. Naturally, he’s the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. But for Shaun Woodward, it could almost be a photo of Ruairí Ó…
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Devolved finance ministers meet Treasury
Interesting news from the Western Mail: Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham held a meeting earlier this week with Assembly Budget Minister Jane Hutt and their counterparts from Edinburgh and Belfast. The Cardiff meeting, which was not publicised, discussed general funding issues for the devolved administrations. (ICWales)
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The economics of the nationalist tide
Over at OurKingdom, Anthony Barnett pick up on the significance of the Labour-Plaid Cymru deal in Wales. The Anglo-British political class in London should be sounding the alarm, nationalists are now in government in all three of the ‘other countries’ of Britain. More important, they have the initiative. Salmond is getting on fine with the…
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Westminster MPs call for Cardiff chaos
The Welsh Labour Party is today voting on whether to go into coalition with Plaid Cymru. Plaid has opted to negotiate the One Wales deal even though it could have taken the First Minister’s job by going for a rainbow alliance with the Tories and Lib Dems instead. Ieuan Wyn Jones said Plaid’s decision had…
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Wales joining the Celtic consensus?
The Welsh Budget Minister today announced a review of tax and public funding for the Assembly: The funding review announcement came during a debate on a Lib Dem motion calling for an independent commission to investigate issues relating to the funding and financial powers of the assembly government. Ms Hutt responded to the call by…
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Could Cardiff scupper a Brown-Campbell deal?
Could events in Wales upset the rapprochement between Menzies Campbell and Gordon Brown? It was strongly rumoured after the Scottish elections that Campbell was pressuring Scottish Lib Dems not go into Government with the SNP, after talks with Gordon Brown that raised the prospect of a Lib-Lab coalition at Westminster. The Lib Dems decision not…
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Super Thursday election night
Today represents the biggest test of public opinion in Britain since the 2005 General Election. All eyes will be on Scotland where the race between the SNP and Labour to be the largest party is looking increasingly tight. politicalbetting.com has a helpful summary of the final polls of the campaign. The two lastest polls tell…