The relationship between the British and Welsh governments is based on servility, not cooperation.

Martin Shipton

Reading a press release this week on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Welsh Office, I was reminded of a quote from Through the Looking Glass by my favorite children's writer, Lewis Carroll.

When I use a word, said Humpty Dumpty in a rather contemptuous tone, it means exactly what I choose to mean, nothing more and nothing less.

As an Oxford don and cleric writing more than 90 years before the creation of the Welsh Office – and almost 120 years before the creation of the National Assembly – it would be foolish to imagine that Carroll had thought about the future governance of the Wales.

But the words of Humpty Dumpty certainly resonated with me when I read what Jo Stevens, the current Secretary of State for Wales, had to say about the current relationship between the UK and National governments. of Wales.

Champion

She said: The Wales Office exists as a dedicated advocate for our nation and I believe it is essential that Wales has its voice heard at the Cabinet table, resolutely defending our country's interests. It is a legacy that I will continue to uphold and strengthen.

But I want to go further and faster by strengthening the voice and impact of the Wales Office within government and in the experiences of the citizens of Wales.

When I took up my role in July, I outlined my plans to reinvigorate the Wales Office and set out a clear vision for its future.

The last decade has been characterized by strained relations between the Welsh and UK Governments and, as a first step, we have fundamentally reset the relationship between the Welsh and UK Governments.

The Prime Minister and I are forging a new partnership, based on trust, respect for decentralization, cooperation and delivery. It is the foundation on which everything else is built.

Maximalist

Ms. Stevens certainly paints a positive and maximalist portrait of the relationship that is developing between the two governments. But does it stack up?

I would say that what we have seen so far in no way matches the warm words in his press release.

When the Conservative government was still in power at Westminster, it was clear that the two administrations were often at odds. The agenda of respect promoted by David Cameron when he was Prime Minister gave way to the muscular unionism associated with Brexit which took on its full meaning after the Leave victory in the 2016 referendum.

Relations deteriorated further when Boris Johnson took over from Theresa May, with open attempts to roll back devolution on important issues such as regional aid and post-Brexit trade deals.

Welsh Labor figures like Mark Drakeford and Mick Antoniw were giving speeches inside and outside the Senedd, railing against the anti-Welsh conduct of the British Conservative government. In most cases, so to speak, they were urinating into the wind, but the fact that they were publicly taking a stand in favor of Wales was a source of applause.

Equality

In the run-up to the general election in July, Labor spoke to us extensively about how the presence of a Labor government at Westminster would significantly improve Wales' situation, leaving the clear impression that the two administrations would work in harmony on the basis of equality.

It is true that there have been some hints that the wish list of additional powers put forward by the Welsh Government will not be met, but the negative vibes have tended to be drowned out by the positive rhetoric. Either way, for many the priority was to sack the Tories and start fresh.

But these pre-election hints proved to be an entirely accurate indication of how events would unfold when Labor became the ruling party at Westminster.

Unless you subscribe to the Humpty Dumpty school of linguistics, it should by now be abundantly clear that the relationship between the two governments is not based on trust, respect for decentralization, cooperation and execution. Instead, it is based on the subordination of one administration (the Welsh Government) to the other (the British Government).

This, I fear, is the basis to which Ms. Stevens alludes in her press release.

Waiting time

There have been examples of how this works in practice in recent days. A few weeks ago, the two governments announced a supposedly groundbreaking deal between NHS England and NHS Wales to collaborate on patient improvement. The impact of the announcement was, however, dampened somewhat by the fact that no details were disclosed on how the cooperation would work in practice, given that waiting times for both countries' NHS were worrying.

There was an embarrassing moment on a BBC political show the other day, where Jo Stevens and Eluned Morgan seemed to disagree over whether the aim of cooperation was to share best practice or to reduce waiting times.

It is undeniable that the initiative is not led by the Welsh Government, but by Wes Streeting, the British Health Secretary (for the United Kingdom, see England).

Few people were watching from Wales, but those who followed a House of Lords debate on the Crown Estate will have seen pro-Welsh peers like Lord Dafydd Wigley, Baroness Carmen Smith, Lord Peter Hain and Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd argues in favor of his project. revenue will be devolved to Wales.

This is an issue which, like the injustice of the lack of post-HS2 funding for Wales, angers thousands of people who care about Welsh politics, but which deserves to be addressed. be more addressed to the general public.

Official Welsh Labor Policy

Devolution of Crown Estate revenue is an official policy position of the Welsh Labor Party, but you wouldn't know it if you listened to Lord Livermore, the little-known British Labor apparatchik who is Economic Secretary to the Treasury, give a long, scolding speech in which he made it clear that the idea was doomed to failure.

There have been other setbacks too, Welsh Labor's attempts to devolve policing and criminal justice have also been rejected, despite powerful investigative reports which set out compelling reasons why reform would deliver better results .

But it seems the merits of the change are irrelevant. Reform may mean something else in Wales, but for people like Wes Streeting it means the expansion of private sector participation in the public sector.

Of course, it also has another meaning: it is the name of the political party that could win many seats in the Senedd at the next election in 2026 if the Labor Party fails to get its act together and step up its policies.

The language of Humpty Dumpty may be enough for a press release (although it is quite easy to take apart). What he won't do is convince voters of his authenticity.