Wales voted for a devolved government 20 years ago this week after the publication of a white paper entitled A Voice for Wales, one of the first actions of Tony Blair’s Labour government. The 1997 referendum saw just over 1.1 million votes cast, a margin of just 6,721 deciding it.
In an interview with the Guardian to mark the anniversary, the first minister, Carwyn Jones, said he believed Wales was now more successful and confident than two decades ago.
Warning that a hard Brexit would challenge devolution as well as the union, Jones said: “As someone who wants the UK to stay together, I don’t want daft decisions such as the current [Brexit] bill to cause the UK to begin to unravel. I’m a devolutionist who believes in the union. I don’t think they get that in Whitehall.”
Also writing in the Guardian BBC news presenter Huw Edwards said that “as the Brexit process rolls on, the degree to which Westminster and Whitehall respect the devolved settlement is more relevant than ever”.
Some readers responded to our coverage by noting issues in Wales are misunderstood by many in central government – and indeed by the media:
If you live in Wales, we’d like to hear from you about the issues that are most important to you.
How to get involved
How has devolution affected you and your family as well as your local community? What are your thoughts on the future, and implications of the Brexit process? Are there any other issues that you face that you think deserve more attention? You can share your views with us using the encrypted for below. We’ll use some of your responses as part of our ongoing reporting.
The biggest challenge facing the Welsh devolution settlement is the hostility of the London-based media and the misinformation broadcast by them. The result is that few people in Wales understand properly which areas are devolved to the Welsh Government. This suits Labour in particular very nicely. In the last Westminster General Election, Corbyn campaigned in Wales on the failings of Tory education and health policy, even though it is a Labour government in Cardiff Bay that has responsibility for those areas. The effective operation of democracy depends on the electorate having access to accurate information.