A Sit Down: Lily-irl, Devolution, and the Stand Against the Senedd

The Independent sits down with the Leader of Abolish the Welsh Assembly Lily-irl, to discuss their burst onto the Cymru political scene and what it means for Wales.

Good afternoon. I'm Jayson Ball with the Independent and today I'm speaking with the Leader of the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.

Abolish burst onto the Welsh political scene just before the election with their firebrand anti-devolution manifesto which seeks to put an end to what they see as the continuous needless devolution of more and more services and legislative ability to the Senedd Cymru.

So Lily, thanks for sitting down to talk with us. I firstly want to ask you, what drove you to form Abolish? It obviously has been a hit with voters, but is there anything you would say has particularly driven you to form and lead the Party?

Afternoon, Jayson, always a pleasure. I think Abolish was born out of a frustration with the British political establishment's willingness to commit to ever-increasing amounts of devolution. I don't think it's sustainable and I don't think it's helpful. Too often I'd see the debate framed in terms of "why is x not devolved?" as opposed to "would x be better devolved?". It was frustrating for me, as a veteran politician, to see this mindset take root - it strikes me as an abdication of responsibility that leaves everyone in the UK worse off. I was delighted that my colleagues PoliticoBailey and thechattyshow agreed with me, and I was even more delighted that Welsh voters seemed to agree. It's early days, but I think we're off to a very promising start.

With the recent controversies surrounding Llafur walking back on their promise not to raise taxes, just so they can fund basic functions of the Welsh Government, and the possibility that areas like income tax and welfare could be devolved to Wales. Do you feel vindicated in your stance, considering the huge budget hole that now needs to be filled by increased taxes?

I think it's really a classic case of biting off more than you can chew. And to be fair, I do struggle to blame Llafur specifically for this - this is an issue that's been brewing for years. We haven't committed to backing a clean slate budget, but to the Finance Minister's credit fixing this mess does seem to be her top priority. But it is definitely something that Abolish has been clear about in our manifesto: we need to apply the UK's resources to the UK's problems. Frankly, the inclusion of a deprivation coefficient in the Barnett formula for block grants should be a siren telling us that Wales doesn't have the resources to tackle structural underinvestment by itself.

Welfare devolution to Wales would be nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. Make no mistake - it will kill people. We're already seeing worse outcomes with a devolved health service, and I shudder to think of the consequences of having the Welsh Government, already struggling to raise sufficient revenue, trying to take the provision of welfare into its own hands, particularly given that they'd be trying to match or replace an already generous UBI.

With regards to biting off more than they can chew, we have seen Llafur bend to Volt's will on the devolution of the Crown Estate, and it seems very possible that we could see further devolution in more areas even though the Welsh Government is struggling.

If Llafur seeks to devolve welfare at the behest of Volt, what do you think that would symbolise for them, and is that tenable for them continue to be in Government?

It would be a betrayal, really, of the people that put them in office. Volt does hold the balance of power, but Llafur can't sell out their own voters just to be kept in power by nationalists. Llafur ran on a unionist manifesto. They did not commit to any further devolution, and that was an intentional choice.

I know it seems difficult for Llafur, trying to keep Volt onside against Plaid Cymru, a party perhaps more naturally suited for a coalition. But on the campaign trail, I spoke to Llafur members switching to Abolish. If Llafur can't hold the line and commit to their own manifesto, Abolish will continue to eat into their support base. I'd really emphasise the point that running the risk of alienating nationalists is far preferable to Llafur than the alternative, which is bleeding voters.

Obviously bleeding unionist voters has been a benefit to you, which leads me on to my next question- If you were in the balance of power in a future Senedd, what would you want in exchange for support, what is the key policy agenda that you want implemented?

We will not, under any circumstances, support a government which would devolve additional powers to the Senedd. Beyond that, our priorities are ensuring the reservation of the Crown Estate - I think all parties involved know that its time as a devolved institution is limited - and matters of justice back to the UK Government.

At present, you have two motions and a Bill on the Senedd business paper,  one motion about re-integrating the Welsh NHS, and another which would from my understanding see Westminster legislation automatically apply to Wales, this is more legislation than both Llafur and Plaid Cymru have put up so far.

So I ask, what other legislative plans do you have for the remainder of the term?

I think we have an exciting agenda that we’re going to be putting before the Senedd. Despite nationalist demagoguery making our legislation unlikely to pass, it’s still important we have these issues at the forefront of people’s minds.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be looking into legislation abolishing the Welsh qualifications inspectorate, ensuring parity with our counterparts in England. I’m also excited about bringing in a Bill to abolish right to buy, following its successful elimination in England.

Sounds like you have busy few months ahead of you! I look forward to seeing this Bill comes to be read, and of course your continued presence on the Welsh political scheme.

Thank you for your time, it has been a pleasure to hear about your vision.

Thank you very much! It’s been a busy but rewarding few weeks and I’m excited to continue building this movement.

That's all we have time for, as momentum continues to build for Abolish in anticipation of opinion polling which will seek to offer a judgement on the tumultuous first few weeks of the Llafur-Loony Government.

Next Time on "A Sit Down With", we discuss the future of the Conservative Party and their plan to get back into Government.

Stay tuned for our next instalment from Jayson Ball as he goes on a mission to speak with every Leader who is willing to talk.