tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post972180331100166945..comments2024-03-26T09:38:39.888+00:00Comments on Borthlas: How would it be different?John Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-86857579899398652382013-01-22T10:29:29.897+00:002013-01-22T10:29:29.897+00:00What would need to be devolved in order for the We...What would need to be devolved in order for the Welsh Ministers to put conditions on wind developments stipulating the level of community benefits?<br /><br />I think that's the key to getting community support for wind and also showing that a share of natural resources are benefiting local people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-79150244245585777322013-01-20T09:56:27.910+00:002013-01-20T09:56:27.910+00:00"the most obvious benefit would be Welsh Mini...<i>"the most obvious benefit would be Welsh Ministers elected in Wales making the decisions and being accountable for them"</i><br /><br />Absolutely, completely agree. More local, more accountable decision-making is a key part of the argument for devolution of anything. Do not assume, though, that it necessarily leads to different decisions. That requires another step as well.<br /><br /><i>"ability to vary the ROCS on Scottish lines is essential"</i><br /><br />And I'd entirely agree with devolving that power as well. But that doesn't mean that I have much confidence that the power would be used to actually do something different.<br /><br />Both those points neatly encapsulate the point that I was making in the original post - the argument for devolving powers doesn't depend on an assumption that they will be used to do anything different, and for people to present the argument in those terms when they have no proposals for doing anything different is misleading at the least.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-89315089046187946352013-01-19T12:25:55.435+00:002013-01-19T12:25:55.435+00:00Surely the most obvious benefit would be Welsh Min...Surely the most obvious benefit would be Welsh Ministers elected in Wales making the decisions and being accountable for them? Also, ability to vary the ROCS on Scottish lines is essential.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-8292516421467908372013-01-19T08:04:31.134+00:002013-01-19T08:04:31.134+00:00There's a difference - an important difference...There's a difference - an important difference - between 'could' and 'would'. Of course it 'could' be different; that's the potential of independence. But we also need to take a reality check here; even if Wales could take the decision on Wylfa for example, it would, sadly, still be likely to gain political approval, because none of the four parties is offering an alternative. Three are officially for the development, and the fourth is clearly happy for its elected members to take whatever stance they wish. (In practice, I think it wil be stopped for financial reasons; nothing to do with politics).<br /><br />Turning a 'could' into a 'would' requires not only devolution of the relevant powers; it also requires a political commitment from one or more parties to do something different. My point was not that I'm opposed to the powers being devolved, but that I do not see the commitment to do anything different with them.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-26912435295997327742013-01-18T19:09:46.787+00:002013-01-18T19:09:46.787+00:00The difference could be that rather than people in...The difference could be that rather than people in Wales having no say over these power stations being dumped on us. We could instead vote out the parties that force them upon us.<br /><br />At the moment no matter how we vote we are still lumbered with whoever England wants to vote for.Welsh not Britishhttp://www.welshnotbritish.comnoreply@blogger.com