Wales votes in favour of greater law-making powers

Welsh Assembly will no longer need ratification from Westminster -- but what will this mean in pract

The Welsh Assembly will gain greater legislative control, after the country overwhelmingly voted “yes” in a referendum on direct law-making powers.

21 out of 22 Welsh counties voted in favour of the Assembly having power to pass laws without needing the green light from Westminster.
Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said that this would make the process more efficient and effective. He said:

To demand respect, you must first display self respect. Today we have done just that, and the rest of the world can now sit up and take notice of the fact that our small nation, here on the western edge of the continent of Europe, has demonstrated pride in who we are, and what we all stand for.

Some have raised concerns about the low turnout – just 35.4 per cent. However, 63.5 per cent of those votes were in favour, making this a more resounding victory than the 50.3 per cent on which the Assembly was established in 1997.

The “yes” result is being hailed as a positive across the board, with Labour MP Paul Murphy describing it as a “ringing endorsement of devolution”. However, over at Left Foot Forward, Ed Jacobs flags up an ICM/BBC poll which showed that 48 per cent of voters in Wales felt they didn’t have sufficient information to make a proper choice in the referendum. He warns:

Whilst the Assembly will now get the full law making powers enjoyed by Holyrood and Stormont, the low turnout and lack of understanding over the issue should spur those at Cardiff Bay to prove why it was worth giving them the powers to legislate without needing Westminster’s permission.

Taking away the need for ratification from Westminster should streamline the system — it currently costs in the region of £2m each year for laws to be okayed. As Jones said, it will also make it easier for politicians to speak in terms of what they will do, rather than what they will do once they have permission. What remains to be seen whether it is used to make a practical difference to the lives of Welsh citizens, or as Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain suggested it might, to “stand up to the Tory-led Government in Westminster”.