Welsh Devolution

Part 1. 1979 and all that
A comparison of the 1979 and 1997 proposals and campaigns

On March 1st 1979, the Welsh electorate recorded a crushing verdict on the Callaghan government�s devolution plans. In all parts of the country and in all sectors of society that verdict was "No".

Yes		243,048		(20.3%)
No		956,330		(79.7%)
Rejected ballot papers		3,309
Electorate		2,038,049
Turnout		58.8%

How the counties voted

COUNTY		YES		NO		TURNOUT
Clwyd		11.0		40.1		51.1
Gwynedd		21.8		41.6		63.4
Dyfed		18.1		46.5		64.6
Powys		12.2		53.8		66.0
West Glamorgan		10.8		46.7		57.5
Mid Glamorgan		11.8		46.7		58.5
South Glamorgan		7.7		51.0		58.7
Gwent		6.7		48.7		55.3
TOTAL		11.8		46.5		58.3

The size of the defeat came as a shock. Just six months before, the opinion polls had indicated a close result. In fact the delaying of the referendum in the autumn of 1978 had unleashed a deadly set of forces as far as the "Yes" campaign was concerned.

The winter of discontent was followed by a brilliant �No� campaign, concentrating on the weaknesses of the Wales Act and distrust between various areas and social groups. As disaster loomed, the "Yes" side were forced to admit that the plans were deficient and were reduced to asking for "A vote with your heart not your head."

As the results were announced the then Welsh Secretary John Morris commented that when "you see an elephant on the doorstep you can�t ignore it" and Welsh devoloution was pronounced "dead for a generation."

In fact it took only a few years for the issue to resurface owing to a combination of factors.

• The growing strength of a pro-devolution faction within the Labour Party
• The ability of Plaid Cymru to maintain their parliamentary presence
• Growing frustration with the Conservative Welsh Office and perceived excesses of the quangos (semi-official administrative bodies).

Welsh Secretary Ron Davies on the Devolution campaign trail

Labour eventually re-embraced devolution but, unlike in Scotland, the task facing them was to build a consensus within the party rather than in the community at large. Within its "broad church" Labour contained an anti-devolution faction; a larger group who were fervent devolutionists and a membership that was largely agnostic on the issue but who had voted "No" in 1979.

• Introduction
• 1. 1979 and all that
  A comparison of the 1979 and 1997 proposals and campaigns
• 2. Wales and Westminster
  The relationship of the Assembly to Westminster and possible future conflicts
• 3. At what cost?
  The cost of an Assembly
• 4. You decide
  The Referendum
• 5. Yeah or Nay
  The two campaigns
• 6. What if?
  Post-referendum scenarios