Despite the platitudes and back
slapping from the pro Union Westminster based politicians in the wake of the
Scottish independence referendum, in their heart of hearts they must be aware
of a number of important developments that no amount of spin can conceal.
Firstly, they got away with it by the skin of their teeth and despite the wall
of ‘No’ focused negativity and sentimental hogwash in the media (state owned
and non state owned) some 45% of Scottish voters actually dared to chose to vote
for independence.
Secondly it is a great deal
easier to move from 45% to 51% than it is to go from a lower figure. Thirdly
having got away with it this time, it will be much harder to get away with it
next time around. Lastly, when Westminster fails to rapidly deliver the weighty
but hastily promises made to the Scots in the last few weeks of the campaign
(in an effort to firm up the no vote) then that democratic 55% figure of those
who voted no may well begin to crumble away rather rapidly.
The Union that existed before the
18th September is no more, it is history; all of us are now living
in a very different state from the one we were living in before the vote. The
dynamic has changed, and not just for Scotland but for the rest of the
inhabitants of these isles, especially here in Wales. For too long, we have
tolerated a second rate devolutionary settlement, one that has made if
difficult to deliver real change and significant economic and infrastructure improvements
for our people.
The combination of an
increasingly inert Labour in Wales governmental party, who don’t want the tools
to do the job, but merely to occupy the seat of power to prevent anyone else
doing anything with it, was barely acceptable during the age of devolution. The
problem is that we are no longer living in the age of devolution; devolution as
was is old hat, as we are living in the age of transition, an age of
self-government.
I am not unionist, I never have
been, I probably read enough history and seen enough to understand that the
much vaunted Union is not delivering for increasing numbers of people across
these isles. It meant (and means)
different things to different people in different places, for one thing Wales,
is not a region of England, we are one of number of nations and peoples within
these islands.
Wales (and the our people) need
parity with the Scots (and Scotland) otherwise we will continue to be treated
as a second rate nation and lack the tools to do the economic jobs that need
doing. The old cosy status quo is gone; the UK has changed for good. It’s time for
Wales to stop continually having to play catch up.
The Wales Bill needs to be
radically written, to take account of the many promises that have been made to
Scotland. It is important that Wales is not side-lined from the hopefully soon
to start process of transferring power Scotland will be offered
new powers and that a fast-tracked timetable for introducing the necessary
legislation has been unveiled.
Any new Scotland Bill
will pass through the Westminster Parliament pretty much side by side with the
current Wales Bill. It would be entirely unacceptable for MPs to vote through
substantial powers for Scotland while voting through an inadequate second-rate
bill for Wales. The sluggish, piecemeal,
incremental changes that have trickled down to Wales, as and when Westminster
felt something was necessary have produced an unsatisfactory outcome for our
nation and our people.
