Government of Wales Bill

I join the noble Lord, Lord Elystan-Morgan, in a wariness regarding the amendment from the Conservative Party. I remember in 1979 the referendum in Wales, when Mr Hamilton’s amendment said that we needed 40 per cent of the Welsh electorate to vote yes. I do not recall at all an amendment from the Conservative Party to make that any different. It did not want any movement, because it did not in its heart of hearts believe in devolution. It is a matter of the heart: you are either a devolutionist or a restrictionist. Are you a unionist or somebody willing to allow devolution to strengthen and develop? The opportunity was here this afternoon. We had a vote on the Liberal Democrat amendment that would have given the Welsh Assembly the same powers as the Scottish Parliament. I went to check with those who had been counting, looking at the list of those who voted in favour of that amendment. There was not a single Conservative there, so we suspect any crocodile tears shed in this direction very much indeed. The new support from the Conservatives for a referendum is very different from their track record. When we had the referendum on our place in Europe, the first referendum in 1979 for Welsh devolution and the referendum in 1997, they were not from Conservative Governments. What is really in the mind of the Conservative Party? What is its intention? Is it not in the end, as the noble Lord, Lord Elystan-Morgan, stated, to put a brake on devolution in Wales? In the debate earlier this afternoon, the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, wanted to delay things when the noble Lord, Lord Rowlands, posed his amendment, saying, ““Six months, 60 days, don’t rush into it””. Here is something totally contradictory. With the noble Lord, Lord Elystan-Morgan, I have my suspicions. I do not think that we will be voting tonight but, if this is ever put to the vote, I will still think that 51 per cent is not well intentioned.