Told you so...

I quote, er, me ... on the subject of any proposed referendum in Wales on further constitutional developments in that province, dated 30.10.09.

"One final note and then I’ll end. In my ignorance, I’d not heard of the All Wales Convention, chaired by Emyr Jones Parry. This Convention is exploring new law-making powers for the Assembly – and will produce a report on the subject on the 18^th of November, just a few weeks away. Although he did not comment on whether he would support such powers and changes in the constitutional phizog of Wales – Morgan did have this to say.

Bend your ear and strive to detect a Scottish echo. Assume that the aforementioned Convention produces some suggestion of legislative powers. These would, argued Morgan, have to be put to the public in a referendum. But, paused he, what of the economic circumstances? Eyes on the penny’s lads, some might cry, decrying constitutional speculations. Sound familiar? A counterargument, suggested Morgan, would be that constitutional changes and realignments of authority in Welsh public life may assist rather than hamper responses to the recession and scheming for the upturn. Wait, now, I’m sure I’ve heard something similar to this somewhere before…

Although Morgan is on his way out – and I don’t have the local knowledge to tell whether Welsh Labour and London Labour would be up for such further devolution of legislative energies – it does look like the makings of yet another embarrassing tale to waggle provocatively before the benches of their Scottish cronies in Holyrood."

And, as if by magic, an article under the headline "Double standards row as Cameron says 'yes' to Welsh referendum - but 'no' to Scots one" appears in the Scotsman this morning. Admittedly, I was more focussed on the Labour dimension of any such Welsh poll - precisely because Gray has been forced to rely on the selfsame economic justifications for avoiding a Scots plebiscite on independence. He's still lashed and knotted by the siren on the rocks who once whispered to the wind "bring it on" and his own, very public, very recorded defence of her position.

I'm sure Welsh devolutionists must be a bit anxious about this - concerned that the "North Britain problem" might turn the heads of politicians from whom they might typically expect support. Although Cameron is the first to get a light gubbing on this issue, I imagine the cudgels have not been pacifically hung over the fire or rhetorical swords folded benignly into ploughshares just yet.