I have still not sorted out my ISP problems, so I apologise for not giving hat-tips or links to others who have made pertinent comments about the subject of this post.
I have mentioned before that I am not a supporter of devolution. My personal view about a referendum is bring it on, win or lose the Scottish type stage in the evolution of devolution argument will dead,either way, and nationalists can go on to argue the case for independence.
Despite the fact that I couldn't give a bugger about the result of a referendum, I do appreciate that Peter Hain makes a fair point when he says that those who believe in devolution as a means in itself or as a means to an end won't want to call a referendum that fails. Mr Hain says that a referendum called within the next four years will be lost.
Peter might be a piss poor politician, but Dr Hain is a distinguished academic. As an academic Dr Hain knows that one can't make a premise without proving it. But this is exactly what Dr Hain has done on at least 4 occasions since last May. He has stated, categorically, that a referendum held before 2011 can't be won, but he has offered no reason or proof for his premise, other than his own belief.
The academic response to Dr Hain's unproved premise is that there is no proof available. The political response is that there is proof but that the proof is too embarrassing for the Labour Party - that if a referendum is called within the present Assembly term Peter Hain knows that too many Labour MP's will renege on the All Wales and campaign for a No vote.
So where does that leave Plaid?
HAD
And had by its own left wing who put their own isms before the national cause!
Distinguished academic or not, Peter Hain is a loyal and self-serving member of the British Labour Party and an advocate of Unionist domination of Wales. He may claim to be loyal to Wales and to be serving its best interests too, but very few would believe him. No man can serve two masters and this is what he is attempting to do. He may gain credit for initiating devolution, but has lost control of devolution, and this accounts for his latest outburst.
ReplyDeleteBizzare debate all round !
ReplyDeletePeter Hain suggests that a referendum may fail - a slightly premature call, but allowed for within the One Wales agreement.
Get the homework done (the Commission etc) then we might all know what the next stage of debate is actually about.
Don't shoot the messenger ?
Don't trust the messenger?
ReplyDeleteI support independence, until that happy day arrives I support devolution. It's like toothache, sure you need the tooth taken out but in the meantime some painkillers will help.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you're right about are the isms .... the leftists in Plaid Cymru who put their own moral conceits before the national cause.
The left get away with things don't they ... for example I'm sure you wouldn't dream of linking to a fascist blog but you're quite happy to link to equally hateful and anti-democratic organisations of the Left. A Tory gets hauled over the coals for some mild support of a long-dead democratic politician like Enoch Powell while at the same time fellow-travelling with Leninist groups is OK ... despite the huge quantities of innocent blood that such isms have shed.
Two things to avoid like the plague :
ReplyDeletehypocrisy and bigotry
If you can see them at work in British politics do not get involved.
Focus in the issue of independence.
.....and here is another deluded visionary, sharing in the distorted vision of PM GB :
ReplyDelete"Labour is not just the Party of the Union, but the true 'one nation' party in British politics. It is our values and our vision which will deliver the change that Britain needs and win the trust of the British people."
Ed Balls, another Labour minister propping up a tottering government with visionary spin.
The Government was also hit this week by disclosures that it had seriously underestimated the number of foreign workers coming to the UK.
It came as Mr Cameron reopened the debate on immigration, calling for a cap on overall numbers.
But Mr Balls dismissed his speech as "just scaremongering and playing to people's fears without any solution to speak of".
So speaks British Labour, which take the prize as the indisputable master of scaremongery well accustomed to "playing to people's fears without any solution to speak of." Is this the pot calling the kettle black?
Can we send an engineer round as we miss you?
ReplyDeleteDear Sir
ReplyDeletePlease remove this comment immediately after reading. I apologise for contacting you this way but I couldn't find an email address on your blog. Basically I run a website in Oregon called Americymru and we feature your blog on our News from Wales page. I note that you offer to link to sites that link to yours and I wondered if you would consider linking to us.I can be contacted at americymru@gmail.com.
Diolch
Ceri Shaw