Welsh devolution: Difference between revisions

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In response to the Irish demand for "home rule", Liberal prime minister of the UK, William Gladstone proposed two bills on home rule for Ireland in 1886 and 1893, which both failed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Two home rule Bills |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliamentandireland/overview/two-home-rule-bills/}}</ref> Although the idea of "home rule all round" had been around since the 1830s the idea became more popular in 1910 during the constitutional conference and on the brink of an Irish war during 1913–14.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kendle |first=J. E. |date=Jun 1968 |title=VI. The Round Table Movement and 'Home Rule All Round' |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0018246x00002041 |journal=The Historical Journal |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=332–353 |doi=10.1017/s0018246x00002041 |s2cid=159471230 |issn=0018-246X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[File:Llewelyn Williams.jpg|thumb|179x179px|[[Llywelyn Williams]] set up the first Cymru Fydd branch on Welsh soil in Barry in 1891.<ref>{{Cite web |title='A PROVED AND LOYAL FRIENDSHIP': THE DIARY OF W. LLEWELYN WILLIAMS MP, 1906-15 |url=https://www.library.wales/fileadmin/docs_gwefan/new_structure/catalogues/specialist_catalogues/nlw_journal/cgr_erth_XXXIVrh3_2008_3.pdf}}</ref>]]

Political movements supporting Welsh self-rule began in the late nineteenth century alongside a rise in [[Welsh nationalism]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Pilkington |first=Colin |url=http://archive.org/details/devolutioninbrit0000pilk |title=Devolution in Britain today |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7190-6075-5 |pages=35–38}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History of devolution |url=https://senedd.wales/how-we-work/history-of-devolution/ |access-date=2022-01-31 |website=senedd.wales |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the same year as the first bill for Ireland was proposed, the [[Cymru Fydd]] (Wales To Be/Wales Will Be) movement was founded to further the home rule cause for Wales.<ref name="encyclopaedia">{{citation|title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales|year=2008|place=Cardiff|publisher=University of Wales Press}}</ref> Lloyd George was one of the main leaders of Cymru Fydd which was an organisation created with the aim of establishing a [[Welsh Government]]<ref>{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|1310503225}} |last1=Jones |first1=J G.|title=Alfred Thomas's National Institution (Wales) Bills of 1891-92 |journal=Welsh History Review |volume=15 |issue=1 |date=1 January 1990 |pages=218–239 }}</ref> and a "stronger Welsh identity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/politics_cymru_fydd.shtml|title = BBC Wales - History - Themes - Cymru Fydd - Young Wales}}</ref> As such Lloyd George was seen as a radical figure in British politics and was associated with the reawakening of [[Welsh nationalism]] and identity, saying in 1880, "Is it not high time that Wales should have the powers to manage its own affairs".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=55160&printable=1|title = Unit 8 David Lloyd George and the destiny of Wales: View as single page}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-28 |title=Yes or No? The Welsh Devolution Referendum |url=https://blog.library.wales/the-welsh-devolution-referendum/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=National Library of Wales Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> Historian Emyr Price has referred to him as "the first architect of Welsh devolution and its most famous advocate’" as well as "the pioneering advocate of a powerful parliament for the Welsh people".<ref>{{Cite book |title=David Lloyd George (Celtic Radicals) |publisher=University of Wales Press |year=2005 |pages=208}}</ref> The first Cymru Fydd societies were set up in Liverpool and London in 1887 and in the winter of 1886–7, the North and South Wales liberal federations were founded.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |title=""Home Rule all round": Experiments in Regionalising Great Britain, 1886-1914." Political Reform in Britain, 1886 - 1996: Themes, Ideas, Policies. Eds. Jordan, Ulrike; Kaiser, Wolfram. Bochum: Universitätsverlag Dr. N. Brockmeyer. 169 - 192. Arbeitskreis Deutsche England-Forschung 37. |url=https://thestacks.libaac.de/bitstream/handle/11858/2064/Rembold%20-%201997%20-%20Home%20Rule%20all%20round.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref> Lloyd George was also particularly active in attempting to set up a separate Welsh National Party which was based on [[Charles Stewart Parnell]]'s [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] and also worked to unite the North and South Wales Liberal Federations with Cymru Fydd to form a Welsh National Liberal Federation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Wales - History - Themes - David Lloyd George |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/figures/lloyd_george.shtml |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> The Cymru Fydd movement collapsed in 1896 amid personal rivalries and rifts between Liberal representatives such as [[David Alfred Thomas]].<ref name="encyclopaedia" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Wales {{!}} Vol, V no. 8/9 {{!}} 1945 {{!}} Cylchgronau Cymru – Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru |url=https://cylchgronau.llyfrgell.cymru/view/1214989/1216131/107 |access-date=4 December 2020 |publisher=[[National Library of Wales]] |language=cy-GB}}</ref> In 1898 however, [[David Lloyd George]] managed to form the Welsh National Liberal Council, a loose umbrella organisation covering the two federations.<ref name="alderton">{{cite web |last1=Alderton |first1=Nicholas |title=The formation of the Welsh Liberal Party, 1966-1967 |url=https://www.psa.ac.uk/sites/default/files/conference/papers/2015/The%20Formation%20of%20the%20Welsh%20Liberal%20Party%20(1).pdf |access-date=10 April 2019 |website=Political Studies Association}}</ref>

Support for [[home rule]] for Wales and Scotland amongst most political parties was strongest in 1918 following the independence of other European countries after the First World War, and the [[Easter Rising]] in Ireland, wrote Dr Davies.<ref>Davies (1994) pp. 523</ref> Although Cymru Fydd had collapsed, home rule was still on the agenda, with liberal Joseph Chamberlain proposing "[[Home Rule]] All Round" for all nations of the United Kingdom, in part to meet Irish demands but maintain the superiority of the imperial parliament of Westminster. This idea which eventually fell out of favour after "southern Ireland" left the UK and became a dominion in 1921 and the Irish free state was established in 1922.<ref name=":20" /> Home rule all round became official labour party policy, by hethe 1920s, but the Liberals lost interest because if a Welsh Parliament was formed they would not control it.<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |title=BBC Wales - History - Themes - Chapter 22: A new nation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/guide/ch22_a_new_nation.shtml |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

====Welsh institutions form====

The late 19th century saw the formation of a number of national institutions; a national and annual cultural event, the [[National Eisteddfod of Wales]] in 1861,<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Wales - Eisteddfod - Guide - A brief history of the Eisteddfod|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/eisteddfod2008/sites/guide/history/pages/history_eisteddfod.shtml|access-date=2022-02-04|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> the [[Football Association of Wales]] in 1876,<ref>{{Cite web|title=FAW / Who are FAW?|url=http://www.faw.cymru/en/about-faw/who-are-faw/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=www.faw.cymru|language=en}}</ref> the [[Welsh Rugby Union]] in 1881<ref>{{Cite web|title=140 Years of the Welsh Rugby Union|url=https://www.wru.wales/article/140-years-of-the-welsh-rugby-union/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Welsh Rugby Union {{!}} Wales & Regions|language=en-GB|archive-date=2022-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204004030/https://www.wru.wales/article/140-years-of-the-welsh-rugby-union/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[University of Wales]] in 1893.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of the University of Wales - University of Wales|url=https://www.wales.ac.uk/en/AboutUs/Developments/History.aspx|access-date=2022-02-04|website=www.wales.ac.uk|archive-date=2022-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204004031/https://www.wales.ac.uk/en/AboutUs/Developments/History.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1896, [[Education in Wales]] began to become distinct with the formation of the Central Welsh Board which inspected grammar schools in Wales and The [[Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889]] was brought about to "make further provision for the intermediate and technical education of the inhabitants of Wales and the county of Monmouth.", making the board responsible for inspection of secondary schools.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-12 |title=The Welsh Intermediate Education Act, 1889 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/ee4a5728-7f96-3b9f-93ac-29300c2d6066 |access-date=2022-02-04 |website=BBC |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C815 |title=Records of the Welsh Department and successors |date=1880–1983 |others=Board of Education, Board of Education, Welsh Department, Department of Education and Science, Education Office for Wales, Department of Education and Science, Welsh Education Office, Education Department, Ministry of Education, Welsh Department |language=English}}</ref> In 1907, the Welsh department of the [[Board of education|Board of Education]] was formed and in the same year, a Welsh Inspectorate was established for inspection of primary and secondary schools in Wales.<ref name=":0" />

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==== National Assembly referendums ====

{{See also|Yes for Wales}}

The UK Labour government introduced separate devolution bills for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 1977 following the support for a Scottish parliament by the [[Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)|Kilbrandon Commission]].<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Welsh Referendum |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/devolution/wales/briefing/79referendums.shtml |access-date=2022-02-10 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> On [[Saint David's Day|St David's Day]] (March 1), [[1979 Welsh devolution referendum]] was held on a National[[Welsh Assembly for (Wales Act 1978)|Welsh Assembly]] but came at the end of the [[Winter of Discontent]] in addition to "tribalism" divisions within Wales. According to [[John Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon|John Morris]], people in southern Wales were persuaded that the Assembly would be dominated by "bigoted Welsh-speakers from the north and the west" whilst in the northern Wales, people were persuaded that the Assembly would be dominated by Glamorgan County Council “Taffia”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=WalesOnline |date=2011-10-02 |title=Lord Morris of Aberavon lifts the lid on the disastrous 1979 devolution referendum |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/lord-morris-aberavon-lifts-lid-1803341 |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}</ref> [[Richard Wyn Jones]] also suggests that suspicions of a secret elite of a "Taffia" or "crachach" may have affected the referendum results,“There was a perception amongst anti-devolutionists that devolution was some sort of plot by the establishment, by the crachach. Their [the anti-devolutionists’] idea that they were standing up for ‘the people’ was reinforced by 1979.” <ref>{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=David |date=2009-03-05 |title=Spectre of the Taffia could still threaten hopes of a law-making Assembly |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/spectre-taffia-could-still-threaten-2116134 |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}</ref> Welsh voters voted against forming an Assembly, with 79.7% voting against and 20.3% who voting Yes. Meanwhile, Scotland had narrowly voted in favour of a [[Scottish Parliament|Scottish parliament]] with 51.6% in favour.<ref name=":18" />

The [[Welsh Language Act 1993]] provided a new law for public organisations in Wales to have bilingual schemes, which would be supervised by the [[Welsh Language Board]]. Some private sector companies including British Telecoms (BT) and British Gas had already included Welsh language schemes in company policies before this Act.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-12-07|title=Q&A: New Welsh language legislation|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-11932770|access-date=2022-02-03}}</ref>

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==Political party position on devolution==

[[Welsh Labour]] and the [[Welsh Liberal Democrats]] support further devolution for Wales, as well as reform/[[Federalism in the United Kingdom|federalism of the United Kingdom.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Nation |url=https://movingforward.wales/our-nation.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=movingforward.wales |archive-date=2023-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113190914/https://movingforward.wales/our-nation.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/ldwales/pages/4049/attachments/original/1618503084/Welsh_Liberal_Democrat_2021_Manifesto.pdf?1618503084 |title=2021 manifesto Put Recovery First}}</ref> [[Plaid Cymru]] supports further devolution for Wales as well as independence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plaid Cymru campaign for devolution of broadcasting "step closer" following establishment of new expert panel |url=https://www.partyof.wales/devo_broadcasting1 |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=The Party of Wales |date=20 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-27 |title=Welsh independence to take longer than hoped, admits Adam Price |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-60893892 |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> [[Wales Green Party]] and [[Gwlad]] also both support Welsh independence whilst [[Propel (political party)|Propel]] supports national [[sovereignty]] for Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-27 |title=EXCLUSIVE: "Wales can stand alone" says Green leader as Welsh party backs independence |url=https://leftfootforward.org/2020/10/exclusive-wales-can-stand-alone-says-green-leader-as-welsh-party-backs-independence/ |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gwlad - llais newydd dros annibyniaeth i Gymru |url=https://gwlad.org/ |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Gwlad |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/propel/pages/120/attachments/original/1615217332/Constitution.pdf?1615217332 |title=Propel Constitution |year=2019}}</ref> The [[Welsh Conservatives]] support the devolution system as it currently stands.<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |date=2021-04-22 |title=Welsh election 2021: Who should I vote for? Compare party policies |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-56499726 |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> The [[UK Independence Party]] and [[Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party]] both support reduced or the abolishment of devolution.<ref name=":15" />

==Referendum results and opinion polling==