Devo/Dipyn Bach is Inadequate and Insulting.

So once again its a case of Devo/Dipyn Bach as Cameron and Clegg turned up in Cardiff  to tell us the wonderful new powers we are going to get.

 

Standing alongside Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who is leader of supposedly Federal Party  at Friday morning’s announcement, Mr Cameron said: 

“The St David’s Day agreement that we have reached today does represent one of the biggest transfers of power in the history of Welsh devolution.
“I said I wanted Wales to be at the heart of the debate about further devolution and today we are showing that it is.
“A funding floor removes the last remaining barrier for a referendum on income tax devolution.
“Today’s agreement paves the way for a referendum that could deliver an Assembly that is not just spending money but is actually responsible for raising some of its revenue too.”

 Powers in the Parliamentary command paper include licensing oil and gas extraction in Wales – allowing Wales in effect to have a full moratorium on fracking.
planning consents for projects up to 350MW and power over sewerage are among the measures in the package. Plans also include devolving Assembly elections, making the body permanent, respecting the Assembly if it wants to change its name to a Welsh Parliament and allowing for more AMs.

Political Pundit Daran Hill apparently seems to think that this settles things . Writing in Click on Wales  he says

... In conclusion, it was an ambitious objective by the Secretary of State for Wales to try and settle the devolution question. What the package does is not so much draw a line in the sand but to define where the debates of the next five years will be. They won’t be over devolving additional powers like policing and criminal justice. The debates of the next five years will be around if and when a tax powers referendum is held, what the Assembly should name itself, and how many toga clad senators might sit there in future

And there was me thinking Daran and his PostIf group had his finger on the pulse of Welsh Politics,

 there is a red line its be crossed already 


Labour probably see a trap in the Tax raising powers ans Welsh Labour Leader  Carwn Jones poured cold water on this


Mr Jones said: 

"We've had no real commitment from the UK government, no date when the underfunding of Wales will be dealt with and no sum of money mentioned; just a vague promise."
He added: “I note what has been said by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister this morning, and there is some welcome progress on certain areas. Credit is due to those, from all parties, who have worked to get something tangible out of this rushed and unsatisfactory process.
“However, Wales is still not being treated with the same respect as that being afforded to Scotland and this continuing imbalanced approach is damaging to the UK.
“The move towards a funding floor is an important step forward and we have been pushing for this for some time. But we cannot be confident that funding for Wales has been put on a fair and sustainable footing until the detail is agreed at the next Spending Review. This is disappointing and should also be seen in the context of an unprecedented £1.5bn cut to the Welsh budget in this term.
“We will now consider the details of the proposals ahead of a full response to the National Assembly for Wales on Tuesday.”

Whils Plaid Leader Leader  said:

 “I thank the Secretary of State for facilitating this process and Plaid Cymru entered into it in the spirit of cooperation. For reasons that have not been satisfactorily explained, however, Westminster has insisted that the people of Wales settle for a powers package that falls far short of the normal going-rate of devolution in the United Kingdom.
“Whilst some inclusions, such as the devolution of powers over fracking, are to be welcomed, this command paper falls well short of the powers that can help us strengthen our communities. And it goes nowhere near getting the funding settlement that Wales is owed after decades of disadvantage.”

And in a very astute move produced a Table that show how Deco/Dipyn Bach has left as behind Scotland but Nirthern Ireland

 

 Far from being settled we hopefully can see Devo/Dipyn Bach   being expose as both Inadequate and Insulting.