A WELCOME CHANGE OF PACE

It would appear that Labour in Wales’s elected representatives in Cardiff Bay have finally woken up from their self induced slumber and called for more powers over Policing, road safety, speed and drink driving limits, ports, licensing of alcohol, Water, etc. Interestingly enough the Welsh government also wants a shorter timescale for devolving powers in relation to rail services and infrastructure, and the responsibilities for the appointment of the Welsh member of the BBC Trust as well as the chair and members of the S4C Authority. Labour in Wales have also made it pretty clear that any transfer of further powers would need to be accompanied by full budget transfers from the Treasury, and that no further referendum would be required for any of their proposals to take effect. This does make a welcome change of pace from the self induced inertia that has gone before and the changes may well be a result of the possible consequences of a Scottish independence referendum finally beginning to sink in. Not surprisingly Labour in Westminster’s elected representatives from Wales were pretty quick to leap to their own defence (or at least the defence of their own interests), no doubt much muttering will duly follow behind closed doors (even perhaps from the as yet silent Peter ‘the Pain’ Hain, unless he is too busy representing other people interests).