Wales@Westminster

by BBC Wales's Parliamentary Correspondent David Cornock

What's in a name? Quite a lot where the National Assembly for Wales is concerned.

I'm sorry, make that the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)/Government of Wales/Assembly coalition administration* (please delete as appropriate).

It has become the tale that dogs the Wag.

Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Insistent

The assembly administration has spent £7,000 of our money asking focus groups what it should call itself.

Curiously, several of the phrases most commonly used for the assembly in local hostelries weren't included in the conclusions, perhaps for reasons of politeness.

Fortunately, most voters are too enthralled with the assembly's performance in delivering public services to worry that it might be wasting time on such trivia.

For simple hacks like myself, it is all very confusing.

There is a Government of Wales Act, but there is no such thing legally as the Government of Wales.

Unless you're a member of Plaid Cymru or indeed the Welsh Conservatives, that is.

They subscribe to the idea that the assembly does form "the Government of Wales", even though few "governments" cannot raise taxes or pass their own laws.

Perhaps the Assembly could take a leaf out of the book of those companies (like the Post Office, now "Consignia") who've rebranded themselves with names that are as far away as possible from the public's perception of them

The Scottish Executive contemplated becoming the Government of Scotland earlier this year.

The outcry from Labour MPs who feared a slippery slope to independence (sorry, "full national status") combined with Downing Street to sit on the notion.

Yet it can only be a matter of time before the idea spreads.

Council taxpayers in the Vale of Glamorgan should thus prepares themselves for "the Government of Sully" (at least the community council has tax-raising powers).

Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas, who prefers to be known as Dafydd Elis-Thomas (I told you names were important), insists that AMs should use the legal title of National Assembly for Wales.

Yet legally, the Ministers are Assembly Secretaries and the Cabinet is an Executive Committee.

According to the law - specifically, the Government of Wales Act 1998 - Rhodri Morgan's role is First Secretary.

Consignia is the completely different name for the Post Office

He decided to call himself First Minister (or "Prif Weinidog" in Welsh) to simplify matters and to avoid confusion.

Hopefully, the voters will take to this terminology sufficiently to avoid a trawl through Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas for grander titles.

In the search for clarity, I'm greatly indebted to Bryan Mitchell of the "Cabinet Executive", who has circulated a memo to all assembly staff.

He helpfully states, "The Presiding Office will not use the term "Welsh Assembly" other than in the phrase "Welsh Assembly Government"."

Are you with me so far? Do try to keep up.

Mr Mitchell adds: "It will continue to use the expressions "assembly", "National Assembly" and "National Assembly for Wales" to describe the assembly as a whole, or, in appropriate cirucmstances, activities in which the Presiding Office participates."

So that's cleared that one up then.

Lest the message not be clear, he says, "The acronym WAG should not be used". Perish the thought.

Perhaps the assembly could take a leaf out of the book of those companies (like the Post Office, now "Consignia") who've rebranded themselves with names that are as far away as possible from the public's perception of them.

We've had New Labour, how about New Assembly?

All suggestions for appropriate - and inappropriate - names, to the address below.

E-mail: [e-mail]