Let Battle Commence!

A few days ago, an important news item quietly popped up onto the All Wales Convention's rather underused website. After a considerable period of silence, the Convention have finally set a detailed timetable of events for the coming year.

Set up in July, and chaired by former diplomat Sir Emyr Jones Parry, part of the aim of the Convention is to gauge the public mood for full law-making powers. It's due to report back at the end of next year.

And this is where Cymru Gyntaf comes in.

Starting in January, the convention will be holding a whole series of public events and evidence gathering sessions in every Local Authority area in Wales. The timetable is shown in full down below. If you are one of the 1400 members of Cymru Gyntaf, here is a golden opportunity to influence the course of events over the next year. Our members live in every corner of Wales (and beyond!), and the odds are on that Emyr is coming your way.

A "No" campaign is out on the streets making the case against further powers. They will strive to sway the minds of the public by every means at their disposal. The Convention will measure the extent of their success. While our politicians dither, the only thing that stands in their way is us.

If the Convention assesses the public mood to be negative, in all probability the referendum will be delayed, perhaps indefinitely.

The aim of a "Yes" campaign is to persuade the public that full lawmaking powers are the next logical step. As of January 1st 2009, we need to ALREADY have a structure in place that can hit the ground running and start making that case. We need to galvanise the general public and make our case to the convention, by showing that there is an overwhelming public mood for change, and that we want a referendum sooner rather than later.

For those who have argued that it's "too early" to start a Yes campaign, here is our opportunity to prove them wrong. A timetable has now been set, a "Yes" and "No" campaign are in existence, and 2009 is shaping up to be one hell of a year.

Are we ready for it?

Timetable of public events held by the All Wales Convention;

14 January - Neath Port Talbot
15 January - Bridgend
5 February - Caerphilly
25 February - Conwy
26 February - Isle of Anglesey
4 March - Ceredigion
5 March - Carmarthenshire
24 March - Powys
1 April - Torfaen
2 April - Rhondda Cynon Taff
22 April - Denbighshire
23 April - Flintshire
13 May - Merthyr Tydfil
14 May - Monmouthshire
4 June - Newport
10 June - Vale of Glamorgan
11 June - Blaenau Gwent
25 June - Cardiff

Evidence gathering sessions - draft list.

15 January - Swansea
5 February - Cardiff
26 February - Gwynedd
5 March - Pembrokeshire
25 March - Powys
2 April - Newport
23 April - Wrexham
14 May - Cardiff
4 June - Newport
11 June - Cardiff
25 June - Cardiff