Editor John Osmond Assistant Editor Nick Morris Associate Editors Geraint Talfan Davies Rhys David summer 2008 Administration Helen Sims-Coomber and Clare Johnson Design WOOD&WOOD Design Consultants. wood2.com To advertise Telephone 029 2066 6606 the case for the european union Institute of Welsh Affairs 1–3 Museum Place Cardiff hy do we so rarely, if ever, hear the case for the European Union? A healthy CF10 3BD distrust of politicians may be no bad thing, and it is noteworthy that the Telephone 029 2066 6606 w more local they are the more politicians are held in some regard. Polling E-mail [email protected] evidence shows that people believe the National Assembly works in the interests of Web www.iwa.org.uk Wales more than the Westminster Parliament. Being even further away we can expect The IWA is a non-aligned the Brussels bureaucracy and the Strasbourg Parliament to be low down in people’s independent think-tank and affections. If a referendum were held in Wales on the Lisbon Treaty it is likely it would research institute, based in go the same way as the one held in Ireland in June when, for a plethora of reasons (many Cardiff with branches in north and west Wales, Gwent, of them nothing to do with the Treaty), the Irish gave a thumbs down to the structural Swansea Bay and London. changes that are needed to cope with the expansion of the European Union to 26 Members (annual subscription £40) receive agenda three times member states. a year, can purchase reports at a 25 per cent reduction, and Yet we in Wales have benefited from the EU almost to the same extent as the Irish. The receive invitations to IWA events. Common Agricultural Policy has supported our farmers for decades. West Wales and the Valleys have been targeted with Objective 1 investment, followed by Convergence Funding branches for the next six years. It is unlikely that the UK government would have acknowledged the North Wales Secretariat needs of this large territory to this extent if the EU had not stepped in. c/o Huw Lewis 6 Maes yr Haul Mold Flintshire CH7 1NS More fundamentally, European institutions have been a major guarantee of peace and the Telephone 01352 758311 rule of law since World War II. In short they have ensured we have a ‘European roof over Gwent Secretariat Germany, rather than a German roof over Europe’. The European Union has brought free c/o Chris O’Malley University of Wales Newport movement of goods, services and people to nearly 500 million citizens. It has brought Caerleon Campus P O Box 179 Newport NP18 3YG democracy and an independent judiciary to former dictatorships, without loss of life. The Telephone 01633 432005 European Union is the largest source of third world development finance and the world’s West Wales Secretariat foremost humanitarian aid donor. c/o Margaret Davies Principal’s Office Trinity College And yet it has failed to win the affection of probably most Europeans. Some of the reasons Carmarthen SA31 3EP Telephone 01267 237971 are explored in the article by the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, that we republish from Der Spiegel on pages 23 –25. In particular, we commend his proposal that a Swansea Bay Secretariat c/o Beti Williams Europe-wide referendum be held on the same day as the European Parliament elections Department of Computer Science next year. He argues this should be framed to allow us to decide in principle whether we University of Wales Swansea Swansea SA2 8PP wish Europe’s institutions to operate in a democratic way over matters that can only be 1 Telephone 01792 295625 effectively managed at the European level. It should be made clear that a yes vote would Wales in London include democratic reform of the institutions. One proposal would be to empower the c/o Robert Ll. John First Base European Parliament to elect the President of the Council of Ministers. “When I want to talk 22 Ganton Street to Europe,” Henry Kissinger famously asked, “Who do I call?” If the European Union is to London W1F 7BY Telephone 020 7851 5521 function effectively in the 21st Century there needs to be an answer to that question. summer 2008 opinion 4 icarus balance elystan morgan charts a route through the maze of the 2006 Wales Act towards Wales’s next constitutional advance 18 countryside democracy kirsty williams says members of the national parks should be elected 19 blogosphere peter black probes the future relationship between Welsh politics and the internet 8 news politics 10 ‘guard our inheritance’ gwilym prys davies 30 dial M for 37 blanket bog says promoting the management jared wilson explains welsh language is a key christopher ward how an innovative challenge facing the europe on leading the way conservation scheme National Assembly out of our can bring benefits to 23 europe’s future ‘dependency culture’ upland Wales 12 referendum rules jürgen habermas says glyn mathias pre-empts that now Ireland has environment the debate on how the rejected the Lisbon Treaty, forthcoming it is time for the politicians 32 eco dream home referendum on more to turn the EU’s future nigel and susannah powers for the assembly over to the people hollett outline plans for should be organised rebuilding their home economy on the gower coast 2 15 making votes count 26 business backbone 34 tree power annabelle harle on rhys david argues we Y jon owen jones R a new effort to ensure should focus on O on how our T the Welsh political promoting medium- S R woodlands can be E cake is sliced up sized companies to V used to tackle global O more fairly build our economic base C warming summer 2008 newsflash Cover Picture: coming up… A Douglas Fir, seen in Artists Wood at Betws y Coed, • Treftadaeth Yfory / Heritage north Wales, in the Tomorrow IWA Eisteddfod Lecture Forestry Commission’s Speaker: Alun Ffred Jones AM , Coed y Mynydd Forest District. Minister for Heritage Tuesday 5th August, 12.30pm The Pagoda, Eisteddfod Showground, Cardiff • Tranformation Nation: 47 healthy cities culture Responding to Climate Change dyfed wyn huws argues Friday-Saturday 19-20th September that improving public 63 warrior’s tale Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth health is distorted by daniel williams Keynote Speakers: George Monbiot , the dominance of introduces a new Sir John Houghton , Patrick Holden , secondary care NHS biography of raymond Mark Lynas , Morgan Parry Trusts in Wales williams, revealing how central he remains to • Wales in the World conference social policy twenty first century Monday 20th October, Holiday Inn Wales Cardiff. Keynote Speakers: Rhodri 49 vacant properties Morgan, First Minister ; Professor steve jones provides Richard Wyn Jones , Director, Institute an insider’s response to of Welsh Politics; Professor Dylan a new report on the Jones-Evans , Director of Research and Welsh rural housing Innovation, University of Wales crisis • IWA Gwent Branch dinner 53 invisible minority Friday 25th October, 7:30pm for dewi owen speaks up 8:00pm, Newport University, Caerleon for refugees in Wales Speaker: Rt Hon Paul Murphy, Secretary of State for Wales communications 66 wenglish robert lewis unpicks • Innovation in Health and Social Care 55 democratic deficit the dialect of the south Delivery – IWA-Academy Health simon roberts casts an Wales Valleys Wales Conference eye over the IWA’s Monday 10th November, 9:00am, Parc report on Wales’s press 68 straight line Thistle Hotel, Cardiff and broadcasting thinking Keynote Speakers: Sir Leszek education euros lewis provides a Borysiewicz , Chief Executive, Medical Research Council; Dr Tony Jewell , 40 school effectiveness Welsh perspective on commonly used English Chief Medical Officer for Wales david egan reports on a terms new programme aimed at transforming Welsh education last word just published… 58 speaking unto 43 community schools nation 70 i was there • Futures for the peter stead Heads of the Valleys pam boyd advocates nick morris unpacks the IWA-Regeneration Institute, a holistic approach to contradictions in the BBC’s Cardiff. £15 learning approach to reporting a devolved Britain • Ending Sovereignty’s Denial health by John Osmond. £5 61 internet liberation • Media in Wales – Serving Public Values 3 45 seductive option dylan iorwerth explains Geraint Talfan Davies & Nick Morris. £10 marcus longley asks how the news magazine whether the latest NHS Golwg will be using Wales re-structuring Assembly Government proposal will fare better support to expand its than all the others presence on the web 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 opinion icarus balance he 2006 Government of Wales Act points the way to a elystan morgan charts a new future forWales. It contains many problems but its route through the maze of t potential for the people of Wales is very considerable indeed. For some, it is a deeply frustrating, mediaeval maze. To others, it represents a clear, albeit tortuous, path to a superior the 2006 Wales Act towards status for Wales as a nation. Whether this legislation succeeds or is allowed to drift into irrelevance depends entirely on what Wales’s next constitutional we, the people of Wales, are determined to make of it. advance A small part of the 2006 Act is no more than a re-publication of the contents of the Government of Wales Act 1998. However, Parts II, III, and IV are, in each case, of considerable significance.