Richard Jones

That was the message that Eleanor Burnham, North Wales Welsh Lib Dem AM, shared with the audience in her keynote speech to Ymgyrch Senedd i Gymru at the National Eisteddfod.

Following in the footsteps of Megan Lloyd George, who headed a Senedd i Gymru campaign back in 1951, fellow female Liberal North Walian Eleanor Burnham used the opportunity to urge a ‘YES’ campaign to win a referendum for greater powers for the National Assembly.

Ms Burnham, who has described the current devolution settlement as ‘swimming is custard’ launched a strongly worded attack on the anti-devolutionist Labour party in Wales and called for the ‘YES’ campaign not to be fronted exclusively by politicians.

Ms Burnham will said: “All polls suggest that the people of Wales are ready, and have been ready for some time, for a full Parliament for Wales.

“Labour is holding Wales back. They have been in government since the outset of the National Assembly of Wales - happy to puff their CV with “architects of devolution”, but refusing to acknowledge that they’ve built an unstable house that is almost impossible to live in.

“Labour has left us with a half-baked devolution process although they seem to have taken all the credit for bringing powers from London to Wales. Whilst it may be true that they were the ones in power when the referendum came in 1997, Labour are the ones keeping the devolution wagon in first gear.

“From Labour AMs blocking LCOs in Cardiff to Labour MPs bemoaning that they have too much work because of the number of LCOs coming from Cardiff, they are the real “conservative” party in Wales. One LCO in one year. Maybe that’s why they call it the One Wales government.

“In order for devolution to go up a gear or three, we have to significantly reduce Labour’s dominance in Wales. Luckily we have an ally in this: Gordon Brown. Nobody is working harder to reduce Labour’s popularity. Keep up the good work Gordon.”

Ms Burnham added:”People are seeing the benefits of devolution but through very muddy lenses. We need to make sure that people see devolution clearly for what it is and what it can bring them.

“But we cannot leave devolution to the politicians – it’s too important for that.

“A YES campaign must be made up of people who the public listen to and respect – famous faces. It is true that politicians aren’t trusted which is a sad fact and that’s is why we need to have a wider range of faces on board, faces the Welsh public respect, faces who the Welsh public trust and faces the Welsh public identify with.

“How do you get the attention of that person who knows nothing about the devolution process? It’s not by putting them in front of a boring politician talking about fields, schedules and LCOs. Far better to hear it from someone who that person respects and will actually listen to, without feeling patronised.

“I’m sure we politicians will have a role in the campaign – don’t you worry about that – I’m just saying it needn’t be front and centre.”

“Welsh devolution is here to stay; as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland too. And devolution is dynamic. It doesn’t stay still. It must advance and the One Wales pledge of a referendum by 2011 on gaining parliamentary powers for Wales will be an opportunity to make this leap to a more effective and clearer system of governing Wales.

“The next step for devolution could be a great leap forward. But as any great long jumper would acknowledge – you have to get the run up right, if you want to travel great distances.

“We all have to work together, to get that run up right.”
Ends