An insightful article in the Swansea Evening Post last week.
In a question and answer session with the paper, Ieuan Wyn Jones that "there was 'no question' of a vote on further Assembly powers being brought forward to this year or next year".
This follows the news that a referendum at the same time as the next Assembly elections has already been ruled out.
Paul Murphy doesn't think that there will be a referendum before the general election, due in 2009 or 2010, but said there was still time after an election, if it was felt it was necessary.
Clearly, if 2009 is already ruled out, it will be a great risk to have the Assembly referendum on the same day as the probable general election date in May 2010 due to the same uncertainties over confusion at the polls that have already ruled out the referendum being held on the date of the Assembly elections in 2011.
Given all this, it is likely that if the convention reports on time and that there is no seismic shift in the coalition government, the favoured date for referendum is September 16th 2010, thirteen years after the last referendum.
Of course, this depends on the political landscape in Wales. In particular, it may be too early after a general election where there is likely to be a change of government which may wish to re-examine the whole devolution settlement in the UK.
This is not to mean that Wales will not get further powers but that there may need to be a realignment over the West Lothian question first in England before support is given at a UK level to any further welsh devolution.
We shall see.
In a question and answer session with the paper, Ieuan Wyn Jones that "there was 'no question' of a vote on further Assembly powers being brought forward to this year or next year".
This follows the news that a referendum at the same time as the next Assembly elections has already been ruled out.
Paul Murphy doesn't think that there will be a referendum before the general election, due in 2009 or 2010, but said there was still time after an election, if it was felt it was necessary.
Clearly, if 2009 is already ruled out, it will be a great risk to have the Assembly referendum on the same day as the probable general election date in May 2010 due to the same uncertainties over confusion at the polls that have already ruled out the referendum being held on the date of the Assembly elections in 2011.
Given all this, it is likely that if the convention reports on time and that there is no seismic shift in the coalition government, the favoured date for referendum is September 16th 2010, thirteen years after the last referendum.
Of course, this depends on the political landscape in Wales. In particular, it may be too early after a general election where there is likely to be a change of government which may wish to re-examine the whole devolution settlement in the UK.
This is not to mean that Wales will not get further powers but that there may need to be a realignment over the West Lothian question first in England before support is given at a UK level to any further welsh devolution.
We shall see.
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