Does the YES campaign mean business?

From our perspective, yesterday’s official YES campaign certainly captured the understated ambience that the organisers were said to be seeking. In some ways, the event’s discreet nature came perilously close to validating accusations that the additional powers agenda belongs exclusively to the good and the ingratiated whose haunt is Cardiff Bay’s environs. That said the messages were the right ones, delivered with quiet and measured sincerity to reassure the faithful.

It is understandable that not everyone is going to be onboard or even on-message in some sectors and in questioning a few of the usual suspects, the Western Mail came up with a non-representative yet interesting cross section of views. Nothing especially new here; although it is the lukewarm, qualified endorsements from the pro-change voices that will probably frustrate Roger Lewis more than the non-committal stuff by FSB and Institute of Directors sources.

Third party marketing gurus & academics are unlikely to persuade private-sector service providers with head offices in south-east England that additional powers are exactly what’s needed to boost economic recovery. Enough of them are already troubled at the effect of Welsh language legislation on margins and not everyone has the cosy monopoly relationship enjoyed by BT and a few others.

With just a few months to bring about the right result, the YES campaign might be better employed spending less effort on persuading the unconvinced as mobilising the projected majority to actually vote.