Sir,
It saddened me to read such emotive language in your Letters column last week re. the further powers referendum. This is a serious issue and deserves to be treated seriously.
There is more than a suggestion that with extra powers for the Welsh Assembly, Wales will lose credibility on the world stage. What is the evidence for this assertion?
Anyone who cares about Welsh history should vote No? Why?
Where is the evidence that extra powers will cause the loss of Welsh jobs?
What is undeniable is that the lack of primary law making powers for the Welsh Assembly does delay the passing of often vital legislation by many years. The cost of this delay has been estimated at approximately two-million pounds per year.
And on the question of patriotic duty, many would argue that a Yes vote would in fact help to bind the United Kingdom closer together in a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation.
It sometimes seems that the No campaigners have not yet got over losing the 1997 referendum. They wish to turn back the clock to the time when all power was vested in Westminster despite the revelations in recent years of its imperfections.
The immortal lines of Hilaire Belloc come to mind: 'And always keep a hold of nurse, For fear of finding something worse'.
A sadly negative viewpoint.
Janet Roberts,