Wales

• 1979 referendum: only 20% of eligible voters were in favour of devolution from westmister
• 1997 Referendum: only around a quarter of the Welsh electorate were in favour of devolution
• Government of Wales Act 1998: an elected Welsh National Assembly was set up, with a Welsh Executive taken from the largest party in the Assembly to become a first minister. Devolution in Wales 1998 was administrative, therefore the Assembly could not pass any laws. It did have the right to allocate funds from Westminster between services (Health, Education etc). The Welsh government relied on an annual grant from the UK government
• Government of Wales Act 2014: gave the Welsh government powers over some taxes and a referendum on incoming tax-raising abilities.
• Government of Wales Act 2017: devolved greater political, administrative and fiscal powers to the Welsh Assembly. In May 2020, the Assembly was renamed the Welsh Parliament.
• Why didn’t Wales want a devolved Government?

  • Turnout in an election to the Welsh Parliament has never exceeded 60%.
  • The British Journal of Political Science (2004) suggests three reasons:
  • Antipathy to (dislike for) the Welsh institutions
  • Apathy (lack of interest) to the Welsh institutions
  • Apathy to politics more generally