David Owen in call for creation of federal UK
FORMER Foreign Secretary David Owen has called for the creation of a federal UK, in which Wales would hold nearly 10% of the seats in a Federal UK Council.
Writing with two other former Labour MPs – Lord Elystan Morgan and Gwynoro Jones – and charity chief executive Glyndwr Cennydd Jones, Lord Owen argues that such a body could help bring the nations and regions of the UK together.
He suggests a constitutional convention to work out how such a council would operate, saying: “I suggest a Federal UK Council of 68 members that should involve not only Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland [with six seats each] but also London and the new city regions with devolved powers.
“In light of the Brexit vote, Theresa May has convened talks involving the leaders of the devolved administrations.
“The Prime Minister could call together this same forum to start an initial dialogue on a Federal UK Council, involving defining terms of reference, participants, and the timing for reporting back from a convention.
“There are complex questions about what constitutes federal legislation and the nature of the mediation procedures between a Federal UK Council and the House of Commons, all much better agreed under a government-led convention.”
Lord Elystan Morgan argues for a much stronger Welsh Parliament, saying the insistence by Westminster on retaining powers over such “trivial” matters as sharp knives, axes, dogs, prostitution and hovercraft is “an insult to the Welsh nation”.
He states: “After being involved with devolution over many decades I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Wales is being mercilessly shortchanged.
“This assertion rests upon two incontrovertible pieces of evidence. The first was the willingness on the part of Her Majesty’s Government to contemplate nearly 200 reservations, most which were so childish and trivial as to give the lie to any sincerity concerning a reserved constitution.
“The second was the willingness to pretend that a lasting and long-term settlement of the division of authority between Westminster and Cardiff could even be contemplated, while the very substantial proportion of that authority was not in the gift of the Government but was ensconced in Brussels.
“There is, therefore, a ringing challenge to Welsh political representatives, both in Westminster and Cardiff, to demand a more equitable approach on the part of the Government to the fundamental rights of Wales as a land and nation.
Failure to act in this way would be a signal of disloyalty to the people of Wales.”
Gwynoro Jones goes further, suggesting that an independent Wales is feasible.
He states: “With the Brexit result, I am convinced that the future lies, at the very least, in a self-governing Wales within a federal UK, but I also increasingly accept that a strong argument can be made for going even further.
“The reality of today is that 20 years of devolution has made little difference to Wales’ economic standing within the UK.
“Our country is near to bottom of the league on several socio-economic indicators.”