Today’s vote crucial for future ofWales

TODAY’S Senedd election gives us an opportunity for the first time in five years to pass judgement on the Labour-led government, the policies it has pursued and is proposing, as well as on the programmes set out by the other parties.

All of us should participate in this crucial event that will determine which direction Wales takes.

It’s a particularly important election for several reasons.

Devolution has come into its own over the last year or so in a completely unpredictable way.

The fact that the Welsh Government is responsible for health has meant that it has been able, up to a point, to deviate from Westminster’s handling of the pandemic.

As never before, ministers in Cardiff have had the power to make decisions over how people have been allowed to live their lives.

No one can reasonably argue any more that the Senedd is nothing but a talking shop that it’s safe to ignore.

Mark Drakeford and his colleagues have been able to tell us under what circumstances we may leave our homes, the extent to which we can go shopping, whether we can go to a pub or restaurant and how far we can travel.

Do we believe these powers have been exercised responsibly or irresponsibly?

Which party has the best plan to take us out of lockdown and into a period when economic recovery is pursued successfully?

Do we have confidence that the public services we rely on to underpin our society are being properly managed or should there be changes?

If there are to be new ways of doing things, which party is likely to have the most innovative ideas?

We also need to consider the position of Wales within a UK that itself faces major challenges challenges such as Brexit that have been masked by our preoccupation with Covid-19 but that will return to the centre of politics if, as we all hope, the pandemic recedes.

At a time when there has been conflict between the Welsh Government and the UK Government over devolved powers, what stance do we want our Cardiff-based administration to take?

All these questions have a bearing on our lives and make it crucial that we exercise our right to vote today.