The Commission on the Constitutional future of Wales . What a waste !

The report on the ‘ consultation ‘ on the future Wales Constitution, is about to be published. 

Two years in the making and a cost of millions

So what do we expect from this latest Welsh government indulgence.

Well, we do know that the independent Commission doesn't have the powers to implement any findings.

It will not be recommending one option over another

That the report will be inconclusive.

The report will be open to interpretation, the worst position of all..

Its attempts to engage with the Welsh public over this subject has failed and therefore its legitimacy. Phase 1 showed this.

So what was the point?

The point of this long and expensive exercise is so that the Welsh government and First Minister in particular, can argue that through an Independent Commission, they have consulted with the Welsh public. Thereby avoiding a real national debate on this important constitutional matter.

A debate that would highlight the flaws, not in the arguments for Independence, but for those of remaining with the Union.

Though the Commission would argue otherwise, the project was always meant to end this way.

Do they really think that Mark Drakeford would authorise a project that would in any way contradict his be  ‘ better off in the Union ‘ mantra.

What a waste.

Two years and close to £3 million spent.

The Commision was working to a brief.  To examine options for the future constitution for Wales within the Union. They were allowed to examine Independence as a possible option as an add on and as an add on it showed.

The Commission was to consult widely, but for its legitimacy, engagement and the views of the Welsh public is central.

In this they failed.

Phase 1, which took place over the first year, yielded just 2000 responses. This from a Welsh electorate of 2.3 million. A response made even worse If the response of organisations is deducted.

Indeed the legitimacy, due to the low participation, was questioned by a Welsh Labour MS,in the Senedd discussion on the Phase 1 interim report.

The low participation should not come as a surprise.

The Welsh public in general were overwhelmingly unaware of the project, much less the Commission's methods

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This Future Constitution of Wales. The most important change for generations, was largely unheralded.

Neither the Welsh government, nor the Commision, apparently felt it needed to be publicised.

At prime time Welsh television, the public could see Welsh government sponsored adverts advising on the use of plastics, advising on the 20 mph speed changes, advising how to claim for austerity help and many more.

All sensible use of government resources.

On how to participate in the way Wales is governed in the future. Nothing. Not a word. 

So a largely ill-informed public was expected to help in the Commission's conclusions

How?

The Commission's public engagement was exclusively online.  Only to be found by those who knew what they were looking for, or happened by chance upon the Commission site.

Selected organisations and individuals were invited to contribute.

The engagement was carried out by means of an online questionnaire, a questionnaire heavily weighted towards options within the Union.

This questionnaire had no opportunity for question or clarification. There was no context to questions such as the one asking  ‘ the importance of an Independent Wales having a good relationship with UKr.’

So at the end of Phase 1, what conclusions.

With almost a year spent and a lot of money, the Commission's findings were that there were four possible options for a future Wales constitution.

The status quo

Embedded devolution

Federalism

Independence.

The Commission then dismissed the Status Quo as an option as being ‘ unsustainable ‘.

For the price of a pint and in ten minutes, any self respecting pub discussion group would have come up with the same options.

Realistically, there aren't any others.

Rather embarrassingly the Independence option proved to be the most popular.

The Commission explained that however, by assuming that this was due to a coordinated effort by Independence supporters.

They provided no evidence supporting this.

On to Phase 2 [ February 2023 ]

This was centred on asking recipients to deal with issues highlighted by the Commission, relative to the options.

Here again these were weighted to the options favoured by support for the Union.

The option closest to that desired by the Welsh Labour government, Embedded Devolution. Two issues.

The next best thing within the Union. Federalism. Four issues.

Independence, the least favoured option by the Welsh Labour government. A veritable shopping list of issues.

These issues are presented to the [ online ] Welsh public as needing to be addressed before being directed to another online survey regarding these constitutional options.

Now here lies a large dose of dishonesty.

This Commission, particularly in the case of Independence, is expecting an overwhelmingly uninformed public to address complex issues such the currency of an Independent Wales, international relations, international trade, relations with the EU, relations with UKr and border issues, among others.

There is no opportunity for clarification or comment.

There is a forum, rather like Facebook or Twitter [ X ] so that doesn't take you further.

This blog contributed with a written submission. It took 25 pages to address the issues regarding all the options. The pros and cons. And was still left with unanswered questions.

What hope then for those coming new to constitutional issues.

But more disappointment to come.

After all the impersonal nature of the project, we were told there was to be a ‘ roadshow ‘. The Commission was to meet the people.

These events taking place in locations across the nation.

Here then is the opportunity to ask those unanswered questions, to get clarification on the issues from the horse's mouth, as they say.  To comment directly.

Except.The Commission members were not in attendance at the ‘roadshow ‘, nor were there Commission staff.

The ‘ roadshow ‘ , although the stand was festooned with the Commission’s logo, was the responsibility of a company, employed by the Commission. An independent company, with no apparent connection to the Commission.

The purpose of this charade.

To conduct a survey. 

A five question survey.

It took about ten seconds.

The responses were collated on the phone

This without the opportunity to question, comment and without context.

The company was unable to answer questions about the Commission's work, or to relay comments to them.

Given this experience, you wonder how much of the report is actually the Commission's work.

Are the submissions from the public vetted by third parties hired by the Commission, who are then given the abbreviated version.

What a waste.

The report is meant to be published in January 2024, so a prediction.

After all political capital has been extracted from it.

After the Senedd bats it around for a few days.

It will then disappear into a deep drawer only to be referred to by future historians.

What a waste.

 

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