The second of a series of videos considering the implications of the Silk Commission report
With three weeks to go before Scotland makes its momentous decision on whether to stay within the union, the IWA and the UK’s Changing Union Project has been exploring the implications for Wales.
In March the Silk Commission concluded its three year inquiry into the Welsh devolution settlement, and at a special conference on September the 11th, the IWA will be bringing together some of the key figures in that debate to revisit the Silk Commission’s recommendations in the light of the Scottish vote.
Ahead of that conference we are running a series of videos looking in turn at some of the key elements of the Commission’s findings.
In this second video Adam Evans, co editor of a UK’s Changing Union Project report on ‘Young People, Employment and Devolution’ outlines the findings of a report commissioned to explore the attitudes of students and young professionals on what impact could enhancing devolution would have on their university and career choices.
The report highlighted several areas of concern in relation to young people’s concerns with devolution of the media. The report says:
- In order to achieve better plurality and more accurate coverage of devolution in Wales and the UK, journalism students need to be taught to cover devolution and devolved politics accurately.
- The asymmetrical nature of UK devolution makes covering devolution accurately very challenging for young journalists.
In addition, the report also highlights areas of concern in relation to young people’s concerns with further devolution in the field of law. The report says:
- Concerns were expressed that there is not enough emphasis presently placed on understanding Welsh devolution, and these concerns shouldn’t be dismissed lightly
- Worries were raised that the lack of emphasis on Welsh devolution may be affecting the quality of legal services in Wales
- That in the event of any further devolution, Welsh legal education needs to balance the need to provide further Welsh-specific training with the advantages of the current law degree that enables graduates to practice in both Wales and England
