Assembly Members from Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have all criticised the draft Wales Bill, claiming it will weaken Wales’ current devolution settlement.
The UK Government has said the bill would give Wales more devolved powers in energy, transport and the running of the assembly – giving it the right to call itself a parliament.
But First Minister Carwyn Jones has argued the ‘reserved powers’ model proposed, which lists areas still under the control of Westminster, would be a “major step backwards for devolution in Wales”.
He said: “For example, the Bill contains extensive new requirements for Whitehall to consent to Assembly Bills, something which would be both inappropriate in principle, and bureaucratic in practice. They amount to nothing less than an English veto on Welsh laws.”
The Wales Office has dismissed Mr Jones’ concerns of an “English veto” as “nonsense”.
Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, described the draft bill as an “insult” to Wales.
She said: “It only implements a fraction of the issues already agreed by all parties years ago through the Silk Commission report.
“Effectively, the Bill as it stands, enshrines Wales’ status as a second class nation in the UK.”
Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said the proposed law was “unacceptable” in its current form.
Conservative Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb MP has said Cardiff Bay politicians would be scoring a “massive own goal” if they rejected the bill.
He told a meeting of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee: “If they were to say ‘sorry we don’t want that now’ after having spent so long asking for everyone of those powers – then to turn round and say we don’t want it after all, we’d rather have the row with UK Government because it suits the political culture of Wales much better – I just think that’s ridiculous.”
I have no opinion as yet on the draft Bill as I have not read it. What I do wonder is whether the politicians in Cardiff have Wales’ best interests at heart or their own? There is very little appetite for devolution amongst the public, this is always politician driven.
The public see the reality of devolution, a little Welsh parliament with greater powers over the use of funds sent to Wales and a corresponding reduction in Welsh influence over Westminster as the number of Welsh MPs decline. As a Welshman I would prefer we retain strength where it counts, London not Cardiff.
I agree! Frankly, I would rather Tory MPs in England make laws for Wales than Labour MPs in Mid-Wales. Devolution is a terrible thing that must be reversed.
Unfortunately the majority of Welsh voters are small-minded, imbecile, disciples who worship every word spoken by the Gods in Labour and Plaid. Devolution is their wet dream to keep them happy.
Let us remember the funniest part of this, they want more devolution for Wales, yet support Wales being part of the EU.
That glaring irony is lost on most of the electorate. They have trouble seeing further than their noses. They also have a terrible tendency to censor what they don’t want to hear.
Yes, curious that supporters of devolution are almost always very keen that we should be run by the EU. I just can’t get my head around this – extraordinary.
Welsh influence at Westminster is a delusion. Remember what happened at Tryweryn? Remember Westminster government talking money from the Aberfan disaster fund?
I see it as a welcome step towards reversing devolution that has destroyed Wales by infecting every part of governance in Wales with a horrible breed of backwards-looking, left-wing socialism that does not achieve anything.