2177AgendaPagesDJW 5/5/06 5:10 pm Page 1 Editors Rhys David Geraint Talfan Davies John Osmond Administration Helen Sims-Coomber and Clare Johnson spring 2006 Design WOOD&WOOD Design Consultants. wood2.com To advertise Telephone 029 2066 6606 mourning the quangos Institute of Welsh Affairs St Andrew’s House 24 St Andrew’s Crescent rose-tinted glow seems to have settled over the Welsh Development Cardiff CF10 3DD Agency now that it has been absorbed, together with the Wales Tourist Board and Elwa into the Welsh Assembly Government’s new Enterprise, Telephone 029 2066 6606 a Innovation and Networks Department. Often the butt of criticism in the past, E-mail [email protected] friends and detractors alike have queued up to rue a feared loss of flexibility and Web www.iwa.org.uk fleet-footedness, and to express concern at the possibility of a civil service The IWA is a non-aligned mentality prevailing in decision-making. independent think-tank and research institute, based in Cardiff There are, of course, issues involved in the new structure, and, in particular, the with branches in north and danger that industrial policy decisions could now be influenced by political and west Wales, Gwent, Swansea Bay electoral considerations. Such a development would, indeed, be highly damaging and London. Members (annual subscription £30) receive agenda three to Wales and to the reputation of Welsh government and will need to be times a year, the Gregynog Papers, and scrupulously guarded against. On reflection, however, it has to be said that the can purchase reports at half price. WDA’s record over the past decades has been mixed. branches In some areas, notably land reclamation, it had some outstanding achievements. Nonetheless, the Welsh economy still remains very much a work in progress and North Wales Secretariat over the years the WDA made a number of wrong calls. Having successfully c/o Andrew Parry persuaded a number of overseas investors to move to Wales it failed to anticipate North East Wales Institute (NEWI) Plas Goch Mold Wrexham LL11 2AW the ending of this era, as one of its largest and most grandiose projects – the LG Telephone 01792 354243 schemes at Newport – monumentally reminds us. Gwent Secretariat c/o Geoff Edge Nor has the WDA been notably successful in persuading some of our biggest University of Wales Newport Caerleon Campus P O Box 179 investors such as Sony and Panasonic to upgrade plant and staff skills to ensure Newport NP18 3YG newer more sophisticated product lines replace those lost to cheaper competitors. Telephone 01633 432005 Another big idea – Techniums – has also enjoyed only mixed success and West Wales Secretariat arguably was rolled out across too many sectors where there was little chance c/o Robin Lewis they would work before the concept had been properly proved. Sometimes the The MAGSTIM Co. Ltd Spring Gardens Whitland WDA has appeared a highly bureaucratic organisation with far too many people Carmarthenshire SA4 0HR involved in creating and administering an alphabet soup of programmes. Telephone 01792 354243 Swansea Bay Secretariat Some of the same criticism can be levelled at the Wales Tourist Board. Standards c/o Marc Clement have undoubtedly risen enormously over the years, and Wales does have lots of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department visitors, these days, including growing numbers of overseas tourists. But, given its University of Wales Swansea Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP outstanding natural beauty and the public money invested in attractions like the Telephone 01792 295489 National Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Centre, so it should. As for ElWa and its record in improving the key supply side of skills and further education, Wales in London c/o Welsh Development Agency perhaps the least said the better. 1 6th Floor Tower 42 25 Old Broad Street London EC2M 1HY The Quangos are dead. Some will mourn them but at best they represented more Telephone 020 7222 2822 of a silver gilt than a golden age for Wales. 2177AgendaPagesDJW 5/5/06 5:10 pm Page 2 spring 2006 opinion police 4 a pier with too few 17 i) £77m merger supports Y rhobert lewis discusses R john cadogan argues that O the arguments for an all- T S the Assembly Government Wales police force R should base its science policy E V on scientific rather than O 20 ii) nation builder C economic principles richard brunstrom says an all-Wales force should 8 news be part of the devolution process 22 iii) north wales politics and policy voice needed dylan jones-evans 10 poles apart questions the centralisation jonathan adams of power in Cardiff Bay recommends how Cardiff Bay can be connected with the 25 making politics city centre breathe ferdinand mount says everything in Britain has been modernised except its politics economy 28 safe haven gillian bristow asks whether enough is being done to involve the local community in the LNG development in Pembrokeshire economic strategy 38 footing the bill brian morgan says the 31 i) government 34 ii) carbon cutting Assembly Government should business morgan parry argues produce a Welsh model for PFI 13 barnett squeeze james foreman-peck that the Assembly eurfyl ap gwilym estimates argues that economic Government’s new 41 cherished heartland 2 that Wales has been denied policy should address a economic development peter davies relates how the more than £1billion by the worrying private sector strategy needs a radically Prince of Wales’ charities are Treasury over the past five deficit different approach engaging with the problems years of the rural hinterland 2177AgendaPagesDJW 5/5/06 5:10 pm Page 3 newsflash coming up… • Cardiff Lunch: Economic Development After the Merger with guest speaker Gareth Hall, Chief Executive, Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, Welsh Assembly Government Thistle Hotel, Cardiff, 12 noon Monday 8 June social policy 54 crossing borders 68 welsh cinema 2006, £27.50 for IWA david hughes underlines the steve blandford finds that members; £30.00 for 43 a £3 billion opportunity importance of cultural two recent films open up new non members; Table for tamsin stirling looks at the projects in promoting possibilities for identity in ten £275. IWA’s new report on the Future European cohesion 21st Century Wales of Social Housing in Wales • Newport Unleashed Breakfast Meeting, 7.45am environment Hilton Hotel, Newport 9 underclass June 2006. Chris Freegard, 57 shadow boxing Chief Executive, Newport 45 i) below the gordon james argues that City Council; John Burrows, threshold the Assembly needs greater Development Director, james stewart introduces powers over energy policy if Newport Unlimited. £16.50 a major new study on it is to lead the way on for IWA members; £17.50 poverty and social Climate Change for non members; Table exclusion in Wales for ten £165 62 nantgwynant 48 ii) educating for ruth williams, john • Museums in a social justice pritchard, and neil caldwell Broken World david egan declares we advocate investing in the Monday 17 July 2006, cannot go on tolerating environment Reardon Smith Lecture the waste that results from Theatre, National low levels of educational Museums Wales, Cathays achievement at 16 Park, Cardiff, 6.30pm Lecture in the IWA series 50 ii) to those that have on Myths, Memories mark drakeford argues that 70 ystradgynlais and Futures, marking health policy should focus epiphany the centenary of the on equality of outcome nigel jenkins praises a new National Library and assessment of the artist Museum. Speaker: Josef Herman Dr Gaynor Kavanagh, europe Head of Cardiff School culture and last word of Art and Design, UWIC, 52 not just money Cardiff. Followed by andy klom says Wales should communications wine reception. Contact look beyond trade and funding 72 peter stead IWA for free ticket. See in its engagement with the EU 64 governing culture www.iwa.org.uk for details. geraint talfan davies says the arts funding review is a just published… chance to get away from policy-making on the hoof • Future of Social Housing in Wales 66 daffodil meets the Culmination of 18 3 big apple month IWA research peter stead joins in with project, 200 pages, £40 Wales Week in New York more information: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher, Institute of Welsh Affairs. ISSN 1464-7613 www.iwa.org.uk 2177AgendaPagesDJW 5/5/06 5:10 pm Page 4 opinion a pier with too few supports john cadogan argues that the Assembly Government should base its science policy on scientific rather than economic principles he most important • Without a strong Science and Engineering base, real aspect of this consultation economic progress, far from being achieved, will go into t paper is the light it throws reverse. This is because (i) new technologically based on the Welsh Assembly business will not start up; and (ii) established high tech Government’s thinking on what businesses will see no point in being located in a Wales far constitutes a Science Policy for from the scientific and engineering nourishment provide Wales. The outcome is disturbing by universities elsewhere. and ominous for anyone who really understands and cares about the It should be said at the outset that important though social role of Science and Technology in sciences or studies are and are seen to be by members of creating wealth, without the Assembly Cabinet and their advisors, we are here which there can be no referring to the hard sciences, including medical science and social services and engineering. It should also be borne in mind that the concomitant definition of a scientific advance is that it is based on advances in health, experimentation or calculation which is repeatable by any the environment, feeding the world and in energy.