Back in 2009, I wrote the following on this blog
"In my opinion, it is completely inappropriate that a television channel whose primary purpose is to provide Welsh language programmes for the population of this nation remains under the control of Whitehall mandarins within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport".
Yesterday, Ieuan Wyn Jones said something similar namely
“If safeguarding the future of our national television channel is a burden to ministers in London then devolve the responsibility, devolve the money and put it in the hands of the people of Wales. We deserve better than to see a London government gambling with the future of our Welsh language channel behind closed doors.”
Given this, you have to wonder why it has taken someone within the One Wales Government so long to make such a statement?
Perhaps it is because the culture minister remains adamant that he is not in favour of "devolving S4C on its own", a point he repeated in an interview with the excellent Felicity Evans on Dragon's Eye on Thursday night.
"if the Assembly is to have powers over the Welsh language, then it must also have responsibility for the one organisation that has possibly done more than any other to preserve the language over the last twenty five years".
St David once said, 'gwnewch y pethau bychain' (do the little things).
Rather than holding out for devolving the whole of broadcasting, shouldn't the One Wales Government start with S4C, given its importance to the nation?
More relevantly, can we now expect for Carwyn Jones, as the First Minister of this nation, to make such a request tomorrow morning?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
