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.

‘We were over in Carmarthen leafletting [Saturday] and found opinion pretty evenly split between Yes and No people’. Thus Rachel Banner of True Wales responding in the St David’s Day Western Mail to the ICM poll showing that backing for proper law-making powers for the National Assembly is now 56%. You’d think they’d done some serious campaigning and polling on the day.

So what really happened?

Tomorrow’s Wales had asked one of our supporters to observe the True Wales ‘event’ in Carmarthen between 11.00 and 12.00. He found two leafleters outside Marks and Spencer, together with a man with a clipboard. The leafleters were finding it very difficult to get shoppers to accept a leaflet.

After a time our man approached one of them and asked what they were handing out. ‘You’d better speak to my friend’ was the response, referring to the clipboard man, who turned out to be Paul Matthews from Newport Gwent. The sheet on the clipboard was blank.

Ms Banner says that she’s ‘not very convinced by opinion polling generally’. As far as True Wales polling is concerned she can say that again.

John Dixon has also blogged on the weekend’s events, read his view here.

The results of a BBC Wales/ICM opinion poll, published this morning, show increased public support for a Senedd with primary lawmaking powers.

When asked how they would vote in a referendum on whether the National Assembly for Wales should be given primary lawmaking powers, a total of 56% of those questioned said they would vote Yes, with 35% saying they would vote No.

BBC Wales Political Editor Betsan Powys said:  

‘The gap between those who say they would vote yes and no in equivalent BBC/ICM polls over the past three years has grown from 7% in 2008, to 13% last year and this year reaches 21% - a significant margin in favour of a yes vote.’

The result builds upon public support shown in polling by both the All Wales Convention and YouGov, and is the latest evidence of an upward trend in favour of having an Assembly with the right tools to do the job.

Cymru Yfory Executive member Alan Trench, speaking to the Western Mail, said:

‘It’s very encouraging and confirms our view that the public realise how unworkable the current devolution settlement is’.

For more on the poll results, see Betsan Powys’ blog and WalesHome.

ICM research conducted a total of 1,000 interviews with adults in Wales aged over 18 by telephone between February 19 and February 23. Interviews were conducted across Wales and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults in Wales.

The Affordable Housing (now Sustainable Housing) LCO saga continued at the Senedd yesterday, as Conservative AMs voted against approving the Draft Sustainable Homes LCO, despite two weeks ago having voted in favour of a referendum on the devolution of these powers and more to the National Assembly.

Once again we saw evidence of how the LCO process creates conflict, and blurs the boundaries between the principles of which powers should be devolved and the policy intentions of the Measures that would then be drawn up using those powers (in this case, the inclusion of the power to suspend the right to buy in areas of housing shortage was at the root of the opposition to the LCO). 

The LCO however was approved, and now needs to be passed at Westminster.  With a General Election looming the timescale for this is short. For a perspective on whether the LCO will survive the pre-election ‘wash-up’, see this post on the Syniadau blog.

We spotted this quiz on devolution in the UK on twitter this afternoon (thanks to @elinhafthomas).

Have a go and see how you get on!

As Tomos Livingstone tweeted yesterday, Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain has received First Minister Carwyn Jones’ letter informing him of the Assembly’s vote in favour of triggering a referendum last week.

Mr Hain now has up to 120 days (4 months) to consult with, among others, the Electoral Commission, on the proposal to hold a referendum.

The urgent need for the National Assembly to get proper, primary, law-making powers has been dramatically illustrated by the potential collapse of the Housing Legislative Competence Order (LCO) in the face of Conservative opposition at Westminster. After four years’ work by civil servants and legal experts in both Cardiff and London, at goodness knows what cost, the net result could be – nothing. The LCO could give the Assembly power, in areas of acute shortage of social housing, to limit the right to buy, and is supported by housing organisations such as Shelter and Community Housing Cymru.

It is the opposition of Conservative MPs that might sink the attempt in this case. However just blaming the Tories misses the point. It is the system that needs to be changed. Trying to draw down law-making powers bit by bit, with MPs having the means to say No or impose conditions, is bound to lead to outcomes like this. Inevitably MPs will confuse the question of whether we in Wales should have law-making powers in certain matters with the issue of what the Assembly Government intends to do with those powers. Conflict is in-built in the system. And of course with the imminent possibility of governments of different colours in Westminster and Cardiff Bay the situation is sure to get worse.

Fortunately the forthcoming referendum will give us the chance to sort out the mess. The saga of the Affordable Housing LCO shows how important it is that we get it right.