Countering the Brain Drain

Editor John Osmond Associate Editor Rhys David Administration Helen Sims-Coomber and Clare Johnson summer 2004 Design WOOD&WOOD Design Consultants. wood2.com To advertise Telephone 029 2066 6606 countering the brain drain Institute of Welsh Affairs 1–3 Museum Place Cardiff or the last three decades much of the politics of rural Wales have been CF10 3BD preoccupied by the inflow of people from England and elsewhere and their Telephone 029 2066 6606 impact on the housing market, schools, and the Welsh language. High- Facsimile 029 2037 4322 f profile second home and Welsh-language campaigns have been prompted. However, Email [email protected] Web www.iwa.org.uk a number of articles in this issue suggest that an over-emphasis has been given to in- migration. As much if not more of an issue is out-migration. The IWA is a non-aligned independent think-tank and The facts are given by David Blackaby and Stephen Drinkwater in their analysis, research institute, based in Cardiff pages 42–43. What they reveal is that while we have a net inflow of people of with branches in north and west Wales, Gwent, Swansea Bay retirement age, we have a net outflow of young people in their twenties. and London. Members (annual Moreover, the young people leaving are highly educated. About a third of the subscription £30) receive agenda three Welsh-born living in other parts of the UK have degrees, compared to only around times a year, the Gregynog Papers, and a tenth of the Welsh born still living in Wales. In short, migration patterns are can purchase reports at half price. simultaneously producing an ageing population while draining the country of well-educated youngsters. branches Quite separately Cynog Dafis was struck by the same statistics. Overleaf, we print North Wales Secretariat c/o Andrew Parry in full the talk he gave to the IWA’s West Wales Branch in March. That he touched North East Wales Institute (NEWI) a nerve was reflected in the banner headlines given his speech in the press at the Plas Goch Mold Wrexham LL11 2AW Telephone 01792 354243 time. And it was indeed refreshing to hear some fresh thinking from a spokesman for the Welsh heartland that is usually associated with the pathology of in- Gwent Secretariat c/o Jeff Edge migration into Wales. University of Wales Newport Caerleon Campus P O Box 179 Newport NP18 3YG Of course, analysis of the issue is relatively easy. Much more difficult is to come Telephone 01633 432005 up with practical solutions that have some chance of being put into effect by mainstream policy makers. Elsewhere in this issue Peter Midmore provides a lucid West Wales Secretariat c/o Robin Lewis overview of the economic problems of rural Wales, pages 44–46. He concludes by The MAGSTIM Co. Ltd drawing attention to the politics behind the economics: there is no agency with a Spring Gardens Whitland Carmarthenshire SA4 0HR specific responsibility for rural Wales while, given the constituencies its members Telephone 01792 354243 represent, the Welsh Cabinet inevitably has an urban focus. Swansea Bay Secretariat c/o Marc Clement An opportunity should be presented by the forthcoming finalisation of the Wales Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department Spatial Plan, analysed by Kevin Bishop on pages 74–76. In his article Cynog Dafis University of Wales Swansea Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP throws down a challenge. Will the spatial planners take note of the visionary idea Telephone 01792 295489 he outlines for identifying development domains in rural Wales? These are locations which have a chance of producing a critical mass of jobs, facilities, and Wales in London c/o Welsh Development Agency other attractions sufficient to keep our talented young people in rural Wales. This 1 6th Floor Tower 42 is a big idea, one that should provide an opportunity for the administration to 25 Old Broad Street London EC2M 1HY demonstrate that it means what it says when it insists that it is governing for the Telephone 020 7222 2822 whole of Wales. summer 2004 upfront 14 cymuned versus economy cymdeithas 4 migration, Identity carwyn fowler argues that it 42 brain drain and development is time for factions within david blackaby and stephen arguing that we need to the language movement to drinkwater unpick the move from a protectionist to collaborate statistics of migration to and a dynamic approach to from Wales Welsh identity, cynog dafis 16 books’r us says the biggest threat peter finch charts how being 44 hinterland hopes comes from people moving Welsh in English has peter midmore reflects on the out of Wales, rather than progressed from being a the richard factors that should underpin those coming in parochial joke to a policy making in rural Wales mainstream preoccupation commission communications special 19 roland mathias 27 richard’s radical sam adams profiles a man recipe 47 i) e-commerce whose literary achievement richard rawlings finds the potential is being marked by a writing richard commission went for beverley evans and prize in his name the radical option on all the tony davies explore the key choices it faced business benefits that can 21 word power accrue from broadband gillian clarke explains why 32 size matters 50 ii) broadband wales writers and poets need more john osmond addresses the andrew davies explains than just a sense of place commission’s most how internet access is being politically sensitive expanded across Wales recommendation 24 spaces between 52 iii) learn direct wiard sterk says that public 8 news jeff greenidge describes art can promote 34 electoral indigestion how e-learning is improving regeneration in neglected denis balsom examines culture and the Welsh skills base urban environments richard’s recommendation communications that STV be used for assembly elections 54 right tracks Y 10 when icons meet french levels of funding are OR bryn terfel explains his 37 cross-border needed to give Wales a passion for the millennium obfuscation modern railway argues VER ST centre, opening in cardiff this lord elis-thomas assesses stuart cole CO november the difficulties of disentangling Welsh from politics and policy 12 linking past English primary legislation and future 57 by thy deeds 2 paul flynn traces the revival 40 rhodri’s retreat jon owen jones argues that of the Welsh language in alan trench objects to rhodri performance indicators gwent to the 1988 newport morgan’s latest devolution should be made to count in eisteddfod compromise local elections Cover photograph of Bryn Terfel used on his recent tour in Australia newsflash coming up… • IWA National Eisteddfod Lecture 2004 The Failure of Welsh Universities, Professor Richard Wyn Jones. National Eisteddfod, Newport, Tuesday 3rd August 2004. Lecture to be delivered in Welsh, with simultaneous translation. • Cardiff Conference and Lunch: Policing South Wales, with guest speaker Chief Constable Barbara Wilding. Thistle Hotel, Cardiff, Friday 24th September 2004. • IWA / Academi Event The Welsh World Heritage Experience: Blaenafon and Big Pit. Workmen's Hall, Blaenafon, Saturday 25th September 2004. • Caerphilly Conference 60 must plaid lose? europe and Lunch: The Future of Broadband richard wyn jones and roger Communications in scully ask whether plaid 80 roadmap Wales. cymru will be an eternal party peter sain ley berry offers a Llancaiach Fawr Manor, of opposition in the assembly guide to the new european constitution Nelson, near Caerphilly, 63 slippery slope Tuesday 23rd November 2004. duncan tanner and 72 self help 84 small battalions andrew edwards revisit the huw lewis reports on his christopher harvie revisits just published… dire predictions of the No review of the communities the theory of european campaigners in 1979 first initiative regionalism he promulgated • Quarterly Monitoring in the early 1990s Reports: 67 sennedd 04 environment Richard Commission dafydd glyn jones proposes endpiece Sets Agenda: a second chamber for the 74 linking space with Monitoring the national assembly people and politics 88 peter stead National Assembly kevin bishop puts the Wales March – June 2004 social policy spatial plan under the • Quarterly Monitoring microscope Reports: 69 urge to merge End of the Corporate Body: geraint talfan davies 77 a two-legged stool Monitoring the unravels why, despite the gordon james questions the National Assembly 3 evidence, Welsh higher assembly government’s December 2003 – education is drawing back commitment to sustainable March 2004 from change development 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 upfront migration, identity and development ome people get nervous as soon as the subject of the national identity of Wales is raised, fearing or s making accusations about exclusiveness, discrimination, even racism. I heard one member of the National Assembly spit out the phrase “the politics of identity” with loathing. Such an attitude would close down discussion of a fundamental human need – to belong to, identify with, a group broader than the family and smaller than the human race at large. Apart from the sense of warmth and security it brings, group identity is necessary in order to generate enthusiasm, commitment and collective endeavour, without which the individual will achieve little. The flip side of this of course is suspicion, even hostility, towards those not in the group, with sometimes hideous consequences, which is why we have to be constantly on our guard in dealing with the issue. Why is national identity important? Because, notwithstanding increasing mobility and rootlessness, globalisation and the European Union, the concept of nation still carries unique significance for democratic political action.

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