Referendum rules: Murphy's law
Some former Ministers struggle to adjust to life in opposition. Not Paul Murphy; the former secretary of state for Wales and Northern Ireland is currently re-inventing himself as a non-partisan elder statesman fighting the Welsh corner at Westminster.
Last week he joined forces with Plaid Cymru to try to save the annual St David's Day debate here. This week he has intervened in the referendum on the Welsh assembly's powers.
I usually hesitate to write about the referendum - not through any "quasi-judicial" role, but because it is so well - and extensively - covered elsewhere.
But Mr Murphy's comments in today's set out what he thinks should be the rules of engagement and will be seen as a warning shot across the bows of both the "yes" and "no" campaigns.
"I hope that the debate takes a civil, respectful and rational tone," he writes. "People outside of the "bubble" are genuinely confused about the vote and are eager to hear more about the decision that faces them.
"What they want is to be informed of the arguments, not harangued and shouted at by either side. After all, referendums are about convincing those who are unsure, not insulting those who do not instinctively and immediately agree with you.
"I hope both sides will accept that it is possible to conduct a debate without calling each other "anti-Welsh", indulging in personal attacks or unwisely adopting the language of the right. Remember, this is not civil rights or apartheid.
"There are decent people who care deeply about the future of Wales on both sides of the debate - they just happen to disagree on this occasion."
Given that both sides have been advancing their arguments for some time, we can assume Mr Murphy's comments are not entirely influenced by hypothetical arguments.
There is advice on how to get the message across to voters: "Talking about the detail of LCOs persuades no-one. Remember, people don't want to know how the result will affect civil servants, lobbyists and politicians.
"They want to know how it will affect their lives, their family, their job, their community and their public services. And quite right too."
Mr Murphy, who voted "no" in the 1979 referendum and, as secretary of state, defended the 1999 version of devolution as a "settlement", says he'll be voting "yes" on March 3 as a way of protecting Wales from a Conservative-led government.
Hello. I'm David Cornock and I'm parliamentary correspondent for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales. This is the blog for the latest news and gossip from the Westminster village - with a Welsh accent.
Comments
or to comment.