SIR,
I was puzzled that in his recent letter to the Beacon 'Is secretary not in charge?', the UKIP MEP for Wales seemed to be arguing that next year's referendum on rationalising the National Assembly's powers should be held on the same day as the Assembly elections in May, rather than the preferred date of 3rd March.
I think we need to bear in mind that this referendum is not about some individual aspect of Welsh government policy, but will determine the very way that the Assembly gains law-making power in the future – either in one go or, as happens at the moment, piece by laborious piece.
How can political parties of all colours go into those Assembly elections not knowing the decision of the electorate regarding the way they want their Assembly to work?
UKIP's approach would make a mockery of the democratic process and would raise questions about the validity of manifesto commitments made in advance of the elections.
Surely it must be right to settle the question of powers before the elections in May and early March seems to me a sensible time to do this.
I do appreciate UKIP's concerns about waste in these challenging financial times. Perhaps they should turn their attention to the enormous waste of money in the European Union budget rather than the legitimate cost of allowing people in Wales to express their democratic wishes.
Nick Ramsay AM
(Monmouth Constituency)