Government And Politics Of Wales

A new analysis of mind/body unity, based on the philosophy of Spinoza.

This book examines the development of Welsh devolution in the context of great economic and political uncertainty. Drawing on research carried out over more than a decade, it explores whether Welsh devolution has developed the capacity to resist internal and external pressures and to continue to pursue a distinctive political and policy agenda.

The creation of the National Assembly for Wales and Scottish Parliament has altered the democratic landscape of the UK. In assuming many policy and adminstraitve responsiblities previously held by the central government, the Welsh assembly promises innovation in governance and there are high expectations that devolution will bring about significant changes in Welsh life. New Governance - New Democracy? questions whether these expectations are likely to be fulfiled. Drawing on interviews with many of the people who have influenced the devolution experiment, from poltitions to ordinary citizens, this book offers interdisciplinary discussion and analysis of issues ranging from electorial turnout, participation and legitimacy to the involvement of marginalized groups in the process of government. It also examines the developing relationship between the new Welsh legislature and the voluntary sector, the governance of economic development and the regulation and political control of public agencies in Wales.

The author illustrates the nature and the limitations of political nationalism that arose in Wales in the last century, and investigates its impact upon Welsh politics and society. He outlines and explains the growing awareness of opinion outside Wales of the distinctive needs of the Principality, as the indifference, if not contempt, of mid-Victorian Britain gradually gave way to a more intelligent, if sometimes still patronizing, understanding. An Epilogue takes the account down to 1970, and this revised edition incorporates a number of minor amendments and additions.

For nine years, Carwyn Jones was at the helm of Welsh politics. As First Minister from 2009 to 2018, he led the governance of an increasingly devolving Wales through turmoil and success. Not Just Politics follows Carwyn from his roots in a small corner of Wales and childhood brought up as a Welsh speaker in Bridgend, to the 1980s miners' strike which inspired a career in politics. After graduating with a degree in law from Aberyswyth, Carwyn juggled being a barrister and local councillor while also caring for his wife Lisa, who was diagnosed with leukaemia shortly after their marriage. As part of the first cohort of Welsh Government Ministers, Carwyn has been at the heart of the growing shift from Westminster to Cardiff, and as First Minister he oversaw landmark moments that put Wales firmly on the world stage.

Devolution, or home rule, is the transfer of power from a more centralized form of government to one that is of a local or regional nature. This book-length study examines the impact of the devolution from British rule on Welsh civil society during the Welsh Assembly's first term, from 1999 to 2003. Comprehensive theoretical examination is paired with case-based research in order to discuss the relationship between civil society, democracy, and national identity, and to question whether civil society contributes to promoting a stronger sense of Welsh national identity--essential reading for all those interested in contemporary Welsh politics.

Female activists around the globe have long used the political opportunities afforded by constitutional reform to further gender equality and women s participation in politics. This timely and accessible volume addresses the way in which changes introduced by devolved governance in Wales have transformed the role of women in contemporary Welsh politics and presented a new phase in the history of Welsh women s activism. Based on original interviews with participants as well as a range of secondary sources, "Women, Politics, and Constitutional Change" examines the innovations, background, and effects that have led the new Welsh legislature to the second-highest proportion of women representatives in all of Europe, and the pro-devolution rhetoric of inclusiveness that opened the way."