The Anniuncement read.....
Welsh Labour united over Assembly voting system
Tory Secretary of State must accept UK Government has “No mandate for change”
Welsh Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones and Shadow Secretary of State Peter Hain today (Saturday November 11) issued a clear message to the Tory-led UK Government – “You have no mandate to change the current electoral system in Wales.”
In a joint statement issued following a meeting of the Welsh Labour Executive Committee they said:
“Welsh Labour is at one on this issue. The Tory-led UK Government has absolutely no mandate to change the voting system here in Wales. Any attempt to do so without a clear mandate from the people of Wales would be deeply disrespectful to both them and the Welsh Government.
“As such, after consultation with Party members across Wales, we are calling on the Tory Secretary of State to rule out any changes to the Assembly voting system without such a mandate.
“However, Welsh Labour also realises the need for a clear position should the Tory-led UK Government press ahead with proposals for change, to properly inform debate and push for an outcome that best serves Wales.
“Therefore if, as expected, proposals for change are made along the 30 new Parliamentary boundaries, Welsh Labour’s preference would be for a 60 member Assembly, comprising 30 two member seats. This position reflects the preference for first past the post expressed by an overwhelming majority of the electorate in the referendum on the alternative vote for Westminster in May 2011.
“The message from Welsh Labour could not be any clearer. The Tory-led Government have absolutely no mandate for change, but should they attempt to bypass the people of Wales, Welsh Labour is united behind a common goal of securing a voting system that best serves the people of Wales.”Of course they qualify thus with IF the Welsh seats are cut, and as the delay in the proposed Boundary changes goes on it could well be that the commission are finding reducing the number of Welsh seats to 30 an impossible task withou having constituencies that have no relevance to the constituents. So it could be that the number of Welsh seats will actually be over 30 when we see the proposals. Which would mean either increasing the number of AMs to 62 or 64 say and would make the other ingestion of 30 seats elected by FPTP and 30 by the current top up system impracticable.
A privious attempt to attempt to rearange the Welsh consituenies to fit the ConLib requirements led to farcical which I commented on with a special regards my own ward. here
But the major problem with West- Briton Labour is the way they are proposing an even more undemocratic solution to the redrawn boundaries by proposing Welsh Assembly seats be redrawn on this basis and should elect 2 members by FPTP and try and twist the facts by stating.
Welsh Labour’s preference would be for a 60 member Assembly, comprising 30 two member seats. This position reflects the preference for first past the post expressed by an overwhelming majority of the electorate in the referendum on the alternative vote for Westminster in May 2011.
This referendum had nothing to do with the way the Welsh Assembly is or could be elected . It was a vote on the Westminster system and I have seen no indication that the Welsh electorate should like to see a change to the way the Assembly would be elected even to my preference of STV.
And as I have already commented on in a previous post basing the Welsh Assembly seats on Westminster ones does not take into account demographic changes that could see Wales loosing or gaining a seat in future Boundary Commission revues.
What West -Briton Labour has shown is whose in charge (Peter Hain) and that idea of A "Welsh Labour" Party is a myth .
There is in fact NO Party registered as "Welsh Labour" possibly because it would have to disclose to what extent it is funded beyond Wales. It is only a nme they use for electoral purposes to disguise the actual control come from their London HQ.
What West Briton Labour has shown is like it ConLib counterparts that they have no interest in having a truely democratic voting system or making the Welsh Assembly a true legislature but are little more than emissaries for their London Masters.
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