“No taxation without Representation”

Sir,

Readers may recall that at the last general election the Conservative Party promised the people of Wales a referendum before giving any tax raising powers to the Welsh Assembly.

The Wales Bill going currently through parliament gives these powers to The Assembly WITHOUT the promised referendum. As a co-founder of The Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party, the largest party in Wales without a seat in the assembly, I have been trying to gain an appointment with The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP in his capacity as Secretary of State for Wales. I have made several attempts but after several months I have now been informed that he refuses to see me to discuss the subject.

Perhaps we ought to be used to politicians not keeping their promises but as Mr Cairns simply refuses to discuss this matter with me is it not time that we protest this change of policy with utmost vigour ? Living in a democracy as we do is it too much to expect that such a simple assurance given freely to the electorate should be honoured ? Apparently it is.

I therefore invite your readers to exercise their democratic rights by writing to their MPs protesting this change in policy without the consultation they were promised.

I thought we had ‘No taxation without Representation’. Apparently not in Wales.

Yours sincerely, Jonathon Harrington

Name and address supplied.