The Referendum Question

I was very pleased yesterday to see all parties in the National Assembly unite to support a Referendum on securing law making powers for the Assembly. I was struck by the contributions of the rather unlikely pairing of Carwyn Jones and David Melding. Carwyn's formulation of the issue at stake - Do you want to see laws that apply only in Wales made in Wales - seemed to make an enormous amount of sense. This is what we're dealing with in reality and the benefits of such law making powers need to explained in terms of education, health, jobs etc.

But, David Melding also made an important contribution by emphasising that this referendum would settle the issue of devolution for a generation. I hadn't quite thought of it in those terms previously, but it is clear that this referendum is about the principle of laws that apply to Wales being made in Wales. A positive result in the referendum will therefore deal clearly with the kind of law making devolution the people of Wales want, and the settle the issue, potentially for a generation or more.

Bring on the campaign ...