More power for Wales.

I haven't mentioned that this week I took part in a Monmouth Young Rotary Interviewee competition which was held at Newport Civic Centre on Monday evening. I had to give a short speech on Independence for Wales, and was subsequently grilled by 6 young people about Independence. There was a mixed reaction to my stance, but some of the people who attended did tell me that they managed to learn more about Nationalism in one session than they had in 20 years!

I really enjoyed the night, but found it quite odd that before the young people interviewed me they almost all laid their stall against Independence, so I was ready for a negative questioning session. Nick Partridge from ITV Wales, one of the judges also noted this, and advised that Journalists ( at least publicly anyway!) should remain neutral on their own personal political opinion. I hope that other AMs will take part in such opportunities in the future, as it inevitably gives young people experience in their chosen future profession.

On the same night I was harangued on Independence, Ieuan Wyn Jones launched the local Government election campaign in Pontypridd. The main focus of the evening was Ieuan's reference in his speech on a Referendum, and his challenge to the cynics in Labour and the Tories who are trying their very best to undermine the viability of the referendum, and the Convention. I have read Glyn Davies's blog on this issue, and I would like to say that while he is entitled to question whether or not a referendum will happen before or at 2011, I believe that this is a commitment within One Wales that must be to be kept to.

As far as I know, the establishing committee for the Convention has run smoothly, and does not reflect the negative remarks made by Paul Murphy, Don Touhig and others. We take these discussions seriously as a Party, naturally, and I believe that Sir Emyr will not want to waste time in his involvement in the Convention if there is an assumption against success in this area.