Thursday 11 September 2014

Federalism works with States not Nations.

Click on Wales have been examining the implications of the Scottish vote on Wales with a series from Welsh party leaders Leanne Wood, Kirsty Williams and Andrew RT Davies.
Yesterday it was the turn of La Pasionaria  (Kirsty Williams to gov us the benefit of the Liberal Democrats idea's of the future  or rather a "what if".

She  writes ..
I regret the fact that it’s taken such a large threat to our Union for many people to stand up and take notice and start discussing improvements to our nation’s constitutional relationship with the rest of the UK. Liberals have been advocating greater home rule for Wales and Scotland for over a century, and the Liberal Democrats have championed a federal solution for decades.  We want to bring a wider range of decisions closer to the people they affect, enabling local solutions to be found that take into account local circumstances.
But has she or any other Liberal Democrat recently told us at how a Federal Solution  will work?

Will it be a Federation of Wales ,Scotland, Northern Ireland  and England or will the English regions be involved ?

In which case Wales and Scotland will cease to be Nations but  Regions of the UK.and then what about Cornwall?

If however its about "the Home Nations" will the make up of the Federal Parliament be weighted so that English Members are not in a majority so that they completely dominate that Parliament and if so can any one even remotely think this  would be acceptable to the people of England?

A Federal solution among States works but a Federal Solution among Nations ?

But then what about the European Union as an example 


La Pasionaria enters into a strange argument at least from where I'm sitting.

While Wales, and the rest of the UK, must gain stronger powers, I have never quite understood the logic used by the SNP and Plaid Cymru to argue for independence. Both parties rightly recognise the vast benefits that come from being part of the family of nations that is the European Union – the economic prosperity, the millions of jobs, the cultural experiences. Yet both parties fail to apply this same reasoning to the United Kingdom – itself a family of nations that musters its economic and cultural strength from all four corners of these isles.

A family of Nations where ultimate power lies with just one ?

Would even the Lib Dems be as enthusiastic over the EU if Germany made all the big decisions ?
Where the UK had no say on the Commission ?
Where they had no veto even if it was weighted?
"itself a family of nations that musters its economic and cultural strength from all four corners of these isles".
What is this "Family of Nations" nonsense .
“West Wales is the poorest region in Britain, France, Germany, Austria, the Nordic states, Belgium or Holland”. 
Wheres the economic Strength  here.
And as for culture our is swamped  and often derided outside Wales often open to derision by English writers like Toby Young
Who accused the Welsh of being “chippy” for getting upset when he dubbed the use of Welsh “ridiculous.”
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Young offered a “note of caution” to Americans who had been urged by US President Barack Obama to visit Wales.
He wrote
: “The Welsh are very, very chippy. If a visitor does or says anything that could be construed as an insult, however unintended, the natives are likely to take offence.”

Some Family whre we ar ebullied by the likes of Toby Young and no one outside wales questions it.

A Family where the Wales is treated as irresponsible teenager who needs the guidance of father figures at Westminster giving us pocket money with instructions on how we should spend it

Maybe La Pasionaria and the Lib Dems  can come up with a Federal solution that works but in her own words they have been promoting this for over a centur,y have they ever given us a real blueprint of a Federal UK.

It will not work.

No comments: