Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACT. This paper traces the evolution of Plaid Cymru's attitude towards Europe. It does so by focusing in turn on: the place of Europe in the ideas of Saunders Lewis, the dominant figure in the party between its foundation in 1924/25 and 1945; the more 'northern' or Nordic vision of Europe that gripped the party in the post‐World War II era; and the waxing and waning of the party's most EU‐enthusiastic phase between the mid‐1980s and the present day. By adopting a longer timeframe than is normally the case, the paper argues that Europe has played a wider role in the thinking of the party than is often conceded; a role that was not at all or only tangentially related to actually existing institutions. The paper goes on to argue that it was in part the chastening impact of Plaid Cymru's eventual exposure to actually existing European institutions that led the party in 2003 to abandon its utopian commitment to a post‐sovereign Europe in favour of an explicit commitment to 'independence' as its long‐term aim.

Wales Says Yesprovides the definitive account and analysis of the March 2011 Welsh referendum. Drawing on extensive historical research, the book explains the background to the referendum, why it was held, and what was at stake. The book also explains how the rival Yes and No campaigns emerged, and the varying degree of success with which they functioned. Finally, it considers what the results may mean for the future of both Wales and the United Kingdom

This article explores intergovernmental relations between the devolved Welsh Assembly Government and the central UK government through the prism of two case studies focusing on examples of Welsh sub-state diplomacy, the first being international activity aimed at promoting trade and investment and the second the 'Wales for Africa' programme. The article focuses in particular on the implications for Wales–UK relations of partial party incongruence brought about by the formation of the Labour–Plaid Cymru coalition government in Cardiff in the summer of 2007. The authors also examine the early indications of the impact of full party incongruence following the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government in London in June 2010.

The inaugural election to the devolved National Assembly for Wales in May 1999 produced a sensational result, often described since as a 'quiet earthquake' in Welsh politics. Four years on, the second election saw a less dramatic, but still important outcome. In this article we review the background to the May 2003 election, analyze the results & examine detailed survey evidence about how 2003 differed from 1999 in terms of the factors shaping voting patterns & the overall outcome in Wales' second devolved election. 9 Tables, 9 References. Adapted from the source document.