Should we be worried about the dumping of Constitutional Reform Bill?

As the Parliamentary horse trading between the Parties known the wash-up comes to an end, we know more or less which bills will make it on to the statues and which ones won’t.

There is some good news the telephone line tax thought up as a way for the Government to raise money to roll out broadband across the whole Country has been dropped, but another casualty is the Constitutional Reform Bill, which could have wider implications for Wales and the upcoming referendum of further powers, not because of what was in it but what it represent.

The fact that the parties couldn’t agree over reforming the Houses of Parliament after the expenses crisis shows a lack of understanding of the levels of anger in the Country and a lack of appetite for real reform, not something that is likely to help sell further powers to a skeptical Welsh public about the National Assembly.

And that lack of interest applies to the parties in Wales, we know Labour only moves on Welsh Devolution when it sees political advantage or when its dragged kicking and screaming to do so, which is why the Richard Commission recommendations were turned into the Dog’s Breakfast of the 2006 Government of Wales Bill along with others changes have been grudging and minimal over the past decade.

As for the Conservatives you only had to listen to the Q&A in Cardiff last night to see where their Welsh supporters stand on the Devolution, a questioner invited by the Party to the event asked after David Cameron talked of abolishing Quangos when he was likely to abolish the biggest one in Wales the National Assembly for Wales. No doubt the ‘he doesn’t represent our views’ comment from the Tory spokesman tomorrow will appear, but for all the rhetoric from David Cameron and Cheryl Gillan there remain question marks over how the referendum will proceed under a Tory Government?

Which leaves Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems who do believe in more powers and delivering a Yes Vote in any Campaign, but neither is ever in a position to make the sort of changes that the Opinion polls tells the politicians we want, all they can do is try to persuade the other two parties into making changes which isn’t very satisfactory for them or the public.

I hope that i’m wrong and the Constitutional Bill may yet be revived in the new Parliament and politicians will find their reforming zeal which in turn will help us here in Wales, but the fact that it was dumped at all after such a turbulent period for MP’s doesn’t bode well for other Constitutional Reform across the UK in the years ahead.Any source