Happy Saint David's Day

There should be a public holiday throughout the United Kingdom today, and on Saint George's Day, Saint Andrew's Day and Saint Patrick's Day. Three fall in these Islands' incomparable Spring and early Summer, while the fourth would preclude any Christmas anything until it was out of the way. Away with pointless celebrations of the mere fact that the banks are on holiday. If we had proper holidays, as in other countries, then everyone, even shop workers and distribution drivers, would have those days off, as in other countries.

Wales is a happy and even hallowed land. Seventy-four per cent of those who could have voted for devolution there declined to do so. Ex-Labour Independents and small parties have lately captured many council seats, captured and retained the erstwhile Commons seat of Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot, and captured and retained the corresponding seat at Cardiff, all on programmes as far from the economic sectarian Leftism that New Labour used to profess as from the social and cultural sectarian Leftism that New Labour now professes. Where that Commons seat was concerned, the favourite New Labour device of the all-women shortlist took a hell of a kicking. A recent unanimous resolution by the Welsh Assembly demanding a referendum on further devolution resulted in absolutely no mention at Welsh Question in the only body that can authorise such a thing, where they were rightly too busy discussing Caerphilly cheese. The Spirit of Bevan lives.

For Bevan scorned separatism, telling the House of Commons on its first Welsh Day that it was wasting parliamentary time, since "Welsh coal is the same as English coal and Welsh sheep are the same as English sheep". The increasingly English-separatist base of Tory activists and core voters should take note. Not least because in the coming hung Parliament, their party will have 12 to 14 MPs from Wales. When are we in the North going to assert our interests on the basis of programmes as far from the economic sectarian Leftism that New Labour used to profess as from the social and cultural sectarian Leftism that New Labour now professes? Well, for a start, when the favourite New Labour device of the all-women shortlist takes a hell of a kicking. Wherever could we start?