Wales@Westminster newslog

It's Wales@Westminster Newslog, BBC Wales' Parliamentary correspondent David Cornock's diary on political life. It's a two-way process though, so add your comments too.

Monday 22 September

Opening salvo
posted by David | 1031 BST | Add comment
Have the Welsh Liberal Democrats run out of ideas?

The party's opening salvo at their conference in Brighton - a shop window for their policies - is to call yet again for a constitutional convention.

The latest demand, from assembly group leader Mike German, looks destined to fall on deaf ears. As did previous identical calls from Alex, now Lord, Carlile, Richard, now Lord, Livsey, and Lembit, still Lembit Opik.

The Lib Dems point to the success of the cross-party Scottish constitutional convention, but critics will question the need to set up a talking shop to talk about what to do with the existing talking shop.

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'Nostalgia time'
posted by David | 1031 BST | Add comment
Everyone at Westminster will miss Lord Williams of Mostyn, the leader of the Lords who died on Saturday.

His acerbic wit enlivened debates in the Lords and must have been a treat to juries during his time as a barrister.

One of his jobs in government was to take through the Bill that set up the devolution referendum in 1997. His comments then give a flavour of the approach he brought to his job and a reminder of his Welsh roots.

"It is nostalgia time at the OK Corral tonight and I think it is now my turn.

"I was born in a taxi travelling between Mostyn and Prestatyn--Point of Ayr, as the noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Gresford, says. The taxi therefore turned left at the bottom of School Lane (Tyr Ysgol), Mostyn. If he had turned right and gone to Chester I suppose I would have been entitled to vote in an English referendum."

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