Three Welsh Leaders in Search of a Constitutional Future for their Country. Issue 4 (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Osmond, John
• Is Part Of: Scottish affairs. Volume 24:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 463
• Page End: 475
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Devolution -- independence -- confederalism -- federalism -- Leanne Wood -- Carwyn Jones -- Stephen Crabb; Scotland -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 320.941105
• DOI: 10.3366/scot.2015.0097
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0966-0356

Abstract

Abstract : In the immediate wake of the 2015 general election Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, Stephen Crabb, the Conservative Secretary of State for Wales, and Carwyn Jones, Labour's First Minister in the Welsh Government, all made interventions in the constitutional debate about the future of the United Kingdom. Leanne Wood recalibrated her party's position on independence to advocate a UK confederation. Carwyn Jones pressed the case for a federation. And Stephen Crabb said the present devolution arrangements should be extended and given greater coherence. In making their arguments all three underlined how strongly they were influenced by developments in Scotland. But all three will have to confront the realities of English governance if the changes they are supporting are to have any chance of being implemented.