Referendum spending Published.

The Electoral Commission  have published the expenditure of the participants in the referendum on the lawmaking powers of the National Assembly of Wales you get here

But here's the details anyway.You can down load it in XL or PDF ,but if you want it in Open Office contact me and I'll send you a copy.

At first Glance you would be forgiven for believing  that there was a "Democratic Deficit" in that the Yes Campaign by a ratio of 30:1, but don't forget True Wales refused funding as designated a lead campaign organisation either under Electoral Commission rules, that would meant that neither side were be entitled to a £70,000 public subsidy or to a free Royal Mail delivery of a leaflet across Wales.

They will probably use these figures as proof of their claim that they were victims of the Establishment.. But it is clear that the lack of support from the so called silent Majority who were opposed to the Yes vote meant that they could only spend ust under £4000. Indeed the real interest is that  that Wealthy Conservatives clearly did not back True Wales.

If we look at the figures ,Then Ie Dros Cymru, who would have been the lead Yes campaign  in event True Wales  had registered for the Money were by far the biggest spenders with £81,452,11, compared with the latter £3,785.20 so even if we excluded the other participants, the difference between the two major organisations was one of support not one of the Establishment.

Indeed what comes out of these figures of the Referendun Spending is that the NO campaign had very little support from those who were committed to campaigning in the referendum. being in a majority of the committed does not make you the Establishment however.

Even the Total of £145,003.16 spent on the entire referendum campaign by the participants   was in itself a small amount working out at about.£3625 per Welsh Constituency which is small fry compared with what Political Parties spent on Westminster and Assembly Elections.

Indeed this may well have been the cheapest in expenditure (by participants) of any referendum of its type and when you consider the clear lack of committed support for a NO vote and True Wales and then what it cost to run  for what was in fact only a minor change that could have been passed through normal Westminster Legislation then we must ask was a Referendum really necessary.

Of course we can't put a price on Democracy and perhaps it was better than the sniping that would have gone on from the types of True Wales who would have claimed the new powers would have no mandate without the endorsement of a referendum. Some still do so with regards the turnout. But the money spent may have been better use for the good of the Welsh people, It would be interesting to see if that body "The Tax Payers Alliance have any views  as they are usually red hot on unnecessary government expenditure and the vote last May was unnecessary,