Tomorrow’s Wales has welcomed the Welsh Affairs Select Committee’s ‘Wales and Whitehall’ report, published today.

The report concludes that ‘Ministers and senior civil servants at both ends of the M4 need to be more coordinated, strategic and transparent in their development and delivery of devolution with a much higher priority given to awareness raising of Welsh devolution in Whitehall’ and raises concerns about the time taken for some LCOs to receive Whitehall clearance.

A spokesperson for Tomorrow’s Wales said:

“This report is clear evidence of why we need to move as quickly as possible to a clearer and less complicated devolution settlement.

“We believe that giving the National Assembly primary lawmaking powers would give us simpler, more effective government, and would avoid unneccessary conflict with Westminster.

“Keeping the present system would waste time, and bog the Assembly down in process and disagreement.”

We drew attention to this on our Twitter account last week but if you haven’t seen it, the article ‘Can we win a Referendum? Yes we can’ on WalesHome by Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones is well worth a read. It’s a forceful and convincing argument in favour of a Yes vote in a referendum on the Assembly’s powers, and sets out the actions required to form a successful Yes campaign. Cymru Yfory gets a couple of mentions as well!

The National Assembly last night voted unanimously to introduce a ban on the use of electric shock collars on dogs and cats in Wales.

The ban means that Wales is the first part of the UK to introduce such legislation under the Animal Welfare Act, with the RSPCA press officer Gethin Russell-Jones describing the vote as a ‘great day for devolution’.  

Six weeks, eight meetings, dozens of supporters, hundreds of miles, thousands of leaflets. All resulting in a network of supporters with people in all parts of Wales ready to get to work and spread the word about why we need to secure a Yes vote in the referendum on the Assembly’s powers. Meetings were held in Caernarfon, Cwmbran, Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Aberystwyth, Pontypridd and Carmarthen, and it is obvious that there is a strong desire to get a successful campaign going and to make sure that Wales is better governed.

We must thank everyone who came to the meetings and especially those speakers who shared their experiences of the current system with us, and explained why it needs to be changed.

Amongst the politicians were Dafydd Iwan, Mike German and Peter Black. We also had valuable contributions from All Wales Convention members Nick Bennett, Marc Phillips, Alex Aldridge, Paul O’Shea and Aled Edwards. It was striking to hear every one of this group describe the total unanimity amongst the Convention’s members that it was time to give the National Assembly primary lawmaking powers in the areas in which it has devolved responsibility. Even if there was some doubt at the beginning of the process, by the end it was plainly obvious to everyone that there was a need to change the current system for the benefit of democracy in Wales.

In Cardiff and Cwmbran we had speeches from people who experience the dysfunction of the current system in their professional lives. Mark Hinge from Bay Communications and Lee Waters from Sustrans Cymru were completely convinced that the current system is confusing, complicated, and frustrates exciting developments in Wales. Lee described his frustration in trying to introduce an LCO intending to provide a better walking and cycling network in Wales. With proper lawmaking powers, it would have been easier for Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, to ensure that Welsh councils are obliged to consider the need to maintain such a network in a similar manner to the way in which highways are maintained.

The purpose of these meetings was to prepare the ground for the official Yes campaign when it is established after the General Election. The political parties are very busy at the moment with their election campaigns, but it’s important that networks are created now, in advance of the establishment of the official Yes campaign.

Some of these groups have started to campaign already. The Swansea group, under the chairmanship of Tyrone O’Sullivan, has had considerable attention in the local press. They’ve also set up a street stall to distribute leaflets and collect signatures on the Declaration for Welsh Democracy. Supporters in Arfon are also busy distributing leaflets and the Cardiff group were out leafletting before the final Six Nations match in Cardiff over the weekend. The Swansea, Wrexham and Aberystwyth Student groups have all got their own Facebook groups, which are going from strength to strength.

We will be holding more meetings in the future – after the General Election – in areas such as Pembrokeshire, Powys, Anglesey and the South Wales Valleys. Remember to get in touch if you’d like to see a meeting in your area or if you want to set up a local group.

It’s encouraging to see such enthusiasm and readiness to work on a cross-party basis. Let’s hope that by mid-May, hundreds more will have joined with us to help make sure that there is a positive and decisive vote in favour of primary lawmaking powers when the referendum comes.

Chair of Tomorrow’s Wales, Archbishop Dr Barry Morgan has said that giving the Assembly primary lawmaking powers would be good for business in Wales. Dr Morgan was speaking at a dinner held last night by Cwlwm Busnes Caerdydd.

Dr Morgan said:

‘Tomorrow’s Wales believes that giving our National Assembly proper lawmaking powers is vital for the business community and the economic development of Wales.

‘We believe this for four reasons.

‘Firstly, it is possible to influence government decisions much more effectively when everyone is clear about who decides what. Business always, completely appropriately, emphasises the need for efficiency and the avoidance of waste. I cannot see how the waste of energy, time and resources invlolved in the current arrangements can be justified.

‘Secondly, the debate over what type of economic development we would like to see in Wales needs to take place in Wales, in an open and democratic setting. Within this debate  it is crucial that the views of business are expressed forcefully and government and business in Wales need to develop an effective partnership. Clearly some key aspects of policy affecting business, including taxation and monetary policy will remain at Westminster. What is important is clarity about which level of government has responsibility for what.

‘Thirdly, the process of developing a robust and sustainable economic policy in Wales needs to be further strengthened. Having a system of parliamentary government in Wales would clearly stimulate this process. It would also shift the emphasis of the political debate from constitutional issues to developing the policy agenda, which is urgently needed.

‘Finally, and as important as anything else, Wales’s status as a nation-region within the UK and Europe is tied to the question of lawmaking powers. If Wales’s needs are to be taken seriously, being in a subordinate position compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland is unacceptable. A key example of this is getting a fair share of resources for Wales through the urgent replacement of the notorious Barnett formula.

‘In summary, I believe that the benefits that a Yes vote would give us are critical in developing a healthy and open Welsh democracy, and would secure more effective government. I am convinced that this is as important to business, the foundation of our prosperity after all, as it is to any other aspect of life.

‘On the other hand, rejecting this opportunity through voting No would be a serious blow to these hopes. The good news is that the people of Wales are increasingly aware of the force of the arguments in favour, and that there is every reason to be confident over the result of the referendum’.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Low Carbon Energy Policy Statement was published today, and outlines Wales’ potential to produce twice the amount of electricity it currently uses from renewable sources by 2025 – with about 40% coming from Marine, a third from wind and the rest from sustainable bio-mass power or smaller projects using wind, solar, hydro or indigenous biomass.

From the April 1 2010 onwards, the Infrastructure Planning Commission will decide on planning applications for power stations of more than 50MW onshore, and more than 1MW offshore in England and Wales. These powers are executively devolved to Scotland, but not to Wales. This situation is described in the document as being an ‘anomalous’ one, and the accompanying annexe on devolved legal powers states that requests from Wales to devolve these powers have been ‘consistently refused’ over the past five years.

You can see the full table explaining which bodies are responsible for different types of energy projects here.

Rebecca Williams is a member of the Tomorrow’s Wales Executive. Here’s why she’ll be voting Yes in the forthcoming referendum on primary lawmaking powers for the Assembly.

Devolution is what makes my job worthwhile. I’m the Policy Officer for Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru (UCAC), a trade union which represents 5000 teachers and lecturers across Wales. Almost every aspect of education policy is devolved, from nursery to higher education and lifelong learning. And the Welsh Assembly Government has certainly made the most of its powers in this field.

The Foundation Phase is probably the most notable example of the government’s pioneering approach; it is the phase of education for 3-7 year-olds which is based on Scandinavian-style learning through play. The Welsh model has attracted international attention and plaudits, whilst winning over many fans amongst parents, teachers and children here in Wales. The Welsh Baccalaureate (“Welsh Bac”), which expands the learning experiences of 14-19 year-olds, is another example of successful Welsh education policy that has received the praise of education experts.

It isn’t just the development of new and original Welsh education policy that has gained the admiration of the education establishment in Wales, but also the Assembly Government’s success in steering away from some of the most damaging and unpopular policies from across the border. You only have to mention ‘SATs’ and ‘Academies’ to see a “there but for the grace of god” look flutter over the face of most teachers in Wales.

Some years ago, I worked for a London-based campaigning organisation, attempting to influence Westminster policy. As a result, I can vouch for the fact that trying to influence policy in Westminster and in Cardiff are two very different experiences – the former akin to banging your head against a wall, whilst the latter always allows a fighting chance. I was pleasantly surprised to see how ready Assembly Members, and indeed Ministers, were to discuss policy matters with organisations that have expertise in the field – and crucially, to take note of those expert opinions. For me, the difference is that the Welsh Government and the National Assembly see the policy-making process as a partnership between politicians and the people of Wales; there is a tacit acknowledgement that politicians don’t, and can’t, know everything, and that the expertise necessary for sensible policy-making resides in civil society.

But we haven’t reached the end of the road yet – things could be better still. As I said at the beginning, almost every aspect of education policy is devolved, but there remain some substantial gaps. The most important of these is the power to regulate teachers’ pay and conditions of service. UCAC believes that the only way to ensure that the specific circumstances of Wales’s teachers are taken into account in defining their pay and conditions, is for the power to be devolved to the Welsh Government. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long!

We have a lot of local group meetings coming up - there will be guest speakers present to discuss Tomorrow’s Wales’ work and to answer your questions.

-Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire  - 7.30pm on Wednesday 10th March in the Wrexham Lager Social Club, 1 Union Rd, Wrexham, LL13 7SR.

-Ceredigion -  7.30pm on Monday 15th March in the Merched y Wawr Centre, Vulcan St., Aberystwyth, SY23 1JH.

-Rhondda Cynon Taf  - 7.30pm on Tuesday 16th March in Clwb y Bont, 85a Taff Street, Pontypridd, CF37 4SL. 

-Carmarthenshire  - 7.30pm on Wednesday 17th March in the Boars Head, 120 Lammas St., Carmarthen, SA31 3AE.

Hope to see you at a meeting in your area.

Interesting reading in The Guardian’s editorial piece on 2 March – not only for the results of the annual BBC/ICM St David’s Day Poll, but also for the Guardian’s take on those results.

The well-publicised headline results are that 56% of those polled would vote for an Assembly with full legislative powers in a referendum, with 35% intending to vote against – a staggering 14% increase in the gap between the nos and the yeses over just 2 years.

The Guardian’s take on the results is that people all over Britain, in their own way, are expressing a desire for greater devolved power – with the implication that Westminster power is tainted power, devolved power is good power.

The editorial also points out that the increase in support for devolution in Wales coincides with a decrease in support for independence – neatly giving the lie to the “slippery slope to independence” line of argument. “Greater self-rule within the wider union” is the Guardian’s diagnosis of the Welsh mood.

Two articles in two days about Wales in the London Guardian, one editorial and one by Michael White! What on earth’s going on?

The answer: they’ve heard the news that Welsh  public opinion is now swinging strongly in favour of proper law-making powers for the National Assembly. According to the editorial the swing from opposition to support for devolved government in Wales since 1979, little more than a generation, is ‘pretty spectacular’, and is excellent news. Michael White sees it as a sign that the ‘Miserabilist tendency in the national character is on the wane’. ‘Most Welsh voters think the legislation passed by the assembly in the form of LCOs, a kind of permission slip granted by the 2006 Wales Act, are too slow and clunky. They’re right.’

Thanks for the support, Guardian. But there’s a more important lesson to be learnt from the two-articles-in-two-days story, which is that the way to get London to take Wales seriously is for us to show we’re willing to take real responsibility for steering our own course. Which is exactly what granting primary law-making powers across a wide range of policy areas means.