Saturday, 5 March 2011

The Submerged Third?

Yes, the turnout in Wales was very low. But more than a third of those who did vote, voted No. Yet that was the position of none of the four parties, nor, unless I am very much mistaken, was it publicly articulated by any member of either House of Parliament. That is a significant level of disenfranchisement among politically the most engaged section of the population. If it had not been the case, then who knows what the result might have been? True Wales has solidly Labour roots, and about as many people are likely to vote in the European Elections as voted in this referendum. There is also the People's Peers provision.

Oh, and devolution is not in itself as expression of the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, contrary to what has been claimed in certain quarters in Wales. That principle requires that decisions be taken at the lowest appropriate level, not at the lowest possible. In any case, True Wales has been as enthusiastic for real local government as it has been for a proper Parliament of the United Kingdom. And Catholics in Wales, Scotland or England have as much to fear from attempts to define who is or is not "really" Welsh, Scots or English rather than British as Ulster Protestants have to fear from attempts to define who is or is not "really" Irish rather than British.

1 comment:

  1. Not only in Wales do they have both PR for Europe, and do they have the People's Peer thing. As of course you know, David.

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