The Welsh Revolution

"But there’s no question that, as Llwyd claims, devolution and electoral reform have been decisive factors in the Welsh revolution. They have created a culture of political responsiveness that’s mostly lacking in England. Politics in Wales is closer to the people; politicians are forced to listen. Perhaps in England too there is a peaceful revolution waiting to be unleashed, but with a parliament in which Welsh, Scottish and Irish MPs can be drilled through the lobbies to vote on purely English matters, where grass-roots politics are continually thwarted by dodgy voting systems, ruthless party machines and antediluvian powers, the box in which it lurks remains firmly nailed down.

The English like to think of themselves as a modern and sophisticated nation, and sometimes ignorantly view the Welsh as backward and uncouth. But as far as democracy is concerned, the English are lightyears behind. Westminster has far more to learn from Cardiff than Cardiff has from Westminster.."


http://www.monbiot.com/2010/04/21/the-welsh-revolution/