MR SMITH GOES TO WESTMINSTER

The publication of the Smith Commission adds yet another weighty tone to the growing pile of Westminster produced solutions to the problem of devolution in Scotland. The three London based and Westminster centred political parties have come up with a partial solution to what they perceive as the Scottish problem. 

Perception is key here, if you in Scotland your perception of ‘the problem’ is going to be very different to that of the Westminster based parties. Wales needs as wide an array of job creation-levers as possible to help move forward the Welsh economy. Aside form a parity of powers; this must actually mean a parity of resources.

The Barnett formula (deeply flawed as it is) is now effectively enshrined as Westminster’s formula of choice for the allocation of resources to devolved administrations. An unreformed unfair funding formula leaves the Welsh people out of pocket to the tune of some £1.2b billion pounds – this funding gap between Wales and Scotland is yet to be addressed.

The Conservatives, perhaps as a way of destabilising the party formerly known as New Labour, have embraced the touchy issue of English Votes for English Laws. This issue is going to looms large on the horizon before Christmas. It remains clear that, English votes for English laws aside, there is a real need for a symmetrical constitutional settlement for the devolved Parliaments to avoid the creation of 1^st and 2^nd class MPs.

Historically successive UK Westminster Governments have dealt with constitutional issues on a haphazard basis, largely in the hope that the problem of devolution would go away for a while. The Westminster elite has one chance and one chance only to save the Union following recent events in Scotland.

If the Union is going to work, then there needs to be a comprehensive settlement to fully empowers the devolved Parliaments on an equal basis. The years of waffle, delay and time wasting have been frustrating, but unless a decent devolutionary settlement is delivered and is actually perceived to have been delivered then the Union will remain on a very shaky footing indeed.

Not for the first time the Westminster based political parties are out of touch with what the people of Wales want. A recent YouGov poll reported that 63% of people think Wales should have the same powers as Scotland. Details of Plaid Cymru's vision for the future governance of Wales can be found here: Bringing our Government Home.

LIGHTS ON? NOBODY HOME?

A Shelter Cymru survey states that 21% of respondents were spending less on heating, and 28% had cut back on food to meet rent or mortgage payments (The survey of 1,000 + Welsh adults Shelter Cymru was carried out by YouGov at the beginning of June). The charity said the core problem was a lack of affordable homes. Despite this nominal First Minister Carwyn Jones has blamed the rise in Welsh homelessness in the last year on UK government cuts. It's also worth noting that this Labour Government in Cardiff has actually set no target to build affordable homes, and appears to have abandoned the excellent work carried out by Jocelyn Davies AM (who was previously the Minster for Housing).

This period of phoney (if not inert) governance is actually sadly somewhat ironic, as during the last Welsh General election campaign, Labour made a great deal of it's promise to deliver for Wales. We are now about two months into a new Assembly term and so far there has been no progress, no wonder people are beginning to wonder what this government is actually doing? It's almost like Carwyn's Labour Government is literally trapped between not knowing what they want to do and not knowing how to do it. What a waste of time, space and effort? How long until we get a real government?