The Welsh Fabian

working for the cause of socialism in Wales

Last updated 1 January 2003
 

New Fabian Review now published for Winter 2003 - Welsh Fabian progresses the issues raised - join in the debate - write to the Editor, for online publication

  
     
New Year
Editorial 2003  

The Welsh Fabian has replaced the old "Home Page" of the FabianWales website.  And the hardcopy newsletter is simply printed off the screen, with precisely the same content at the Web edition, without the need for any intervening "editing".  This has the potential to bring both communicating communities much closer together, overcoming some of the drawbacks of the E-Divide.

Roger Warren Evans    Swansea 

Votes at 16

  • Winter Fabian Review pp 8,9 carries an excellent For/Against review of the arguments

I favour votes at 16.  But my reason is not the pragmatic one, that "turnouts" will be increased - Ihave no sympathy with such self-serving manipulative concerns.  I say that at 16 our teenagers are ready to address the issues confronting their society, and should be empowered to elect their legislative representatives.  Besides, it will make these more challenging for our emerging political salariat, whose power otherwise threatens to overwhelm us all.   Our teenagers have much to teach us about the workings of our society - about recycling and the centrality of environmental concerns, about drugs, race relations, gender equality - and about inter-generational relations.  We should welcome them to the electorate.

       Ellie Levenson

Ellie became Fabian Review Editor in mid-2002, and has quickly established herself at Dartmouth Street.  The Winter Review carries her major interview with Nicky Gavron, Labour's candidate for the London mayoral election in May, at pp 6,7.  Nicky Gavron is upbeat and optimistic, as befits a candidate - but she cannot conceal her disappointment with the impoverished constitutional machinery created by Labour for the governance of London.

  • "I think the Greater London Authority should have both more powers and more resources.  I think it should be able to raise funds... If we are to deliver on transport and housing, we need some way of getting the finance for it, and the powers to make it happen..."

These are words of despair, if only we would read them aright.  Labour has given London far fewer powers than Wales, with a mere fraction of the Welsh Budget.  And London is bigger than Scotland, more than twice the size of Wales.  Why should Londoners be content with fewer devolved powers than the Welsh?

Labour will have to revisit the unprincipled mess that has been made of devolution, now including the puny package of powers on offer to the English Provinces. 

NB The cafe at 11, Dartmouth Street is now re-let, as a New Left cafe, both generating income for the Society and creating a new meeting place for us all, when in London - make sure you visit, next time...

Click through to Page 2

  
 

This is a pioneering Web-to-print intitiative from the Fabians of Wales