One-day Conferences

The new National Assembly for Wales: Building on Experience

Monday 13 July, Venue Cymru, Llandudno 
Thursday 16 July, All Nations Centre, Cardiff  

In July 2007, Tomorrow’s Wales published a booklet ‘The New National Assembly for Wales - a guide’. The booklet remains an unique information resource, providing a ‘layman’s guide’ to the workings of the National Assembly for Wales, allowing ordinary people to understand how their Assembly works and how they can engage with it and influence its decisions.  

Two years after the current devolution arrangements came into effect, Tomorrow’s Wales is planning to update the guide, and we have been fortunate to secure support from the Big Lottery Fund to do so. 

The two “Building On Experience Two Years On” conferences will see practitioners who have had first hand experience of how the Assembly has functioned over the past two share their experiences and insights, providing a valuable learning opportunity for those who want to learn more about how the Assembly works and how the Assembly’s powers and procedures have developed over the past two years. 

Contributions to the conferences will feed into the updated edition of the Assembly Guide.  

Who should attend?
Anyone who wants to learn more about the powers and procedures of the National Assembly for Wales and how they have developed over the last two years, particularly those from civil society who are interested in engaging with the National Assembly for Wales or who have done so and want to benefit from the experience of others and share their own experiences.   

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 

The conferences will include contributions from:   

• Michelle Matheron and Jennifer Bradbury, WCVA Voices for Change Project; 
• Marie Navarro, Cardiff Law School and Wales Legislation Online;
• Geraint Talfan Davies, Member of Tomorrow’s Wales Executive and Chair of the Institute of Welsh Affairs;  
• A speaker from the National Assembly for Wales.

Afternoon workshops will provide further opportunities for discussion and sharing of experience.

BOOKING YOUR PLACE

These conferences are free to attend with places allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis. You can book your place by completeing the booking form and returing it to the address provided.

The Convention event in Monmouth saw Mai Davies chairing a ‘Question Time’ style panel event with David TC Davies MP well balanced by Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price MP and with Farmers First Terry Bayliss and Sir Emyr Jones Parry also on the panel.

After a bit of a shaky start – accusations against the Convention from a Labour Party candidate saying he would be putting in a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission for staging an event in the run up to an election and not giving equal treatment to all political parties – it settled into an interesting, up beat and, at times, very good-humoured event.

The questions were lively and David Davies and Adam Price gave strong answers to questions about the LCO process, the effect of more powers on the number of MPs and the calibre of Assembly Members.

Contributions from the audience covered a range of viewpoints, but in general those who had direct experience of working with the Assembly or WAG or who worked in the public services believe the Assembly had led to change for the better.

In response to a statement from one contributor that the Assembly had done a lot to improve the lives of older people, another member of the audience who was opposed to devolution  argued that the Assembly had not lived up to expectations and that even the Independent Commissioner for Older People wasn’t an older person!  Adam Price caused some amusement by observing that the Independent Children’s Commissioner wasn’t actually a child either!

An inspired member of the audience asked all the panel members to give 2 arguments in favour of more powers and 2 arguments against more powers for the Assembly.

David Davies gave 2 remarkably strong arguments in favour of more powers:

1)      Wales needs a settlement closer to that of Scotland which would bring decision making closer to the people of Wales;

2)      Assembly members are closer to their constituencies and, in many cases, can travel back and for easily.  They are therefore more accessible and better able to make decisions about and for their constituencies.

He did, of course give reasons against, as did Adam Price and the other members of the panel, but his arguments in favour of more powers really were most persuasive!

Two questions were voted on at the end of the night.

1)  If there was a referendum now would you vote?              

97% yes

2)  Would you vote yes for more powers or no for the status quo?

60% voted yes and 40% voted No

In Monmouth, with a good turn out from ‘True Wales’ this was a very encouraging result for those of us who strive for a stable constitutional settlement.

Pip Ford

Cymru Yfory Executive