When Cheryl met Assembly

The Secretary of State deftly avoided the big pothole this week

EVERY YEAR the Secretary of State for Wales visits the Assembly to present the contents of the Queen’s Speech as they apply to Wales. This year was no different in terms of format but it was different in terms of the feel of the occasion because there were a number of key differences. For a start, this was the first time that the Secretary of State was a woman, and several others pointed to this fact during the course of the debate. Secondly, she was the first Conservative Secretary of State to do so, and a few people mentioned that too. And finally – and this is a separate point – she is the first Secretary of State to have done so and come from a different political party to the government in the Assembly: and that was the most significant difference.

Maybe it was the shock of the situation that persuaded Labour to respond to the occasion by reaching for the dressing up box normally reserved for the Lib Dems at election time. They certainly needed to think very carefully about their response to the occasion. The easiest thing in the world is to fall into the trap of simply pressing the point that the Secretary of State for Wales does not represent a Welsh constituency. I did so myself when she was first appointed, but the point of making just that point has now passed.

To continue to repeat this fact without going further is of course a political tactic to emphasise this point continuously in the hope that is all the populace will associate with Mrs Gillan. It’s John Redwood without the gurning.

It is a legitimate tactic to take – but not if it is the only tactic taken. If the Chesham and Amersham mantra is repeated without examining what she had to say, as some of her opponents seemed to do, it does rather a disservice to the concept of scrutiny that sits at the heart of the Assembly. It also gave the Secretary of State the edge when she chose to address the institution in a consensual and unprovocative way.

A key matter which Cheryl Gillan addressed was the timing of the Assembly referendum following her announcement by letter the previous day that it would not be practicable to hold the referendum in Autumn 2011. Her words to the Assembly illustrate why:

The referendum was the first thing on my desk when I came into the office. As you know, earlier this week, I made a written statement as I was not able to lay the Order before the 120 days laid down in the legislation. I have set out the reasons there, which I think everyone has accepted… I think that the referendum should be held as rapidly as possible, in accordance with the wishes and requests of this Chamber. I am working with the First Minister and Assembly officials to agree on a question that can be put to the Electoral Commission to test over a 10-week period. I did not set the timetable for this referendum; it was laid down in legislation, and it is a complex process, but working through it will be the challenge for us as a team, if you like, so that the people of Wales can decide on their future. So, that date is not one that I have in mind. I would like to deliver it earlier, in accordance with the ‘One Wales’ agreement, which I think is the fair thing to do.

This was a critically important statement to make. Since her appointment, Cheryl Gillan has been on the back foot. She has needed to take a risk and take on her critics head on in order to stamp her authority. Be being both direct and reasonable this week, she did just that. Through an elegant performance in the Assembly on Wednesday, at which she proved herself a good listener, she has done much to calm the horses: at least those horses which are prepared to be calmed.