UK: WALES: YES VOTE FOR PARTIAL AUTONOMY UPDATE

(19 Sep 1997) English/Nat Voters in Wales have narrowly endorsed plans for constitutional changes to create a separate assembly. But the referendum was won with a margin of fewer than 7-thousand votes. An historic vote for Wales - for the first time in six hundred years it will have a separate assembly. For the 'yes' campaigners there was joy. They'd won the argument - but only just. Many who gathered outside the seat of the future legislature at Cardiff City Hall had waited into the early hours of the morning - bracing themselves for defeat as results from the 22 districts came in. It was not until the results from the last of the districts, Carmarthenshire, that the Yes campaign was tipped to victory, winning by fewer than 7-thousand votes. Much was riding on the vote for the British government. When the Labour party and their leader Tony Blair swept to power in May - they pledged to devolve power to different parts of the United Kingdom. Last week, Scotland voted to have its own parliament. Blair acknowledged the Welsh people hadn't been so convinced by the arguments. Half of Wales' 2-point-2 (m) million voters stayed away from the polls in Thursday's ballot. SOUNDBITE (English): "I'm delighted at the result. It was the right thing to do to give the people of Wales the say in how they should be governed in the future. Though the narrowness of the margin places a special responsibility on us to make sure that we make the assembly work, work well, and carry on persuading people that the scares about it are wrong. And this is nothing to do with taking Wales out of the United Kingdom. On the contrary, it is to allow local services that are distinctly Welsh to be run by a body directly elected by the people of Wales." SUPER CAPTION: Tony Blair, Britain's Prime Minister The new Cardiff assembly will have far fewer powers than the Scottish Parliament which will be able to raise taxes and pass laws. The 60-member Welsh Assembly, due to begin in the year 2,000 will be limited to handling annual grants from the Treasury in London for health, education, transport and the arts. Many of those who voted against the assembly fear it will become simply an expensive talking shop. SOUNDBITE (English): "Well a majority of about six-thousand isn't a great majority, but what can we do? You just have to get on with it. Hopefully it will do some good, but can't see it unfortunately." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop (man not in favour of separate assembly SOUNDBITE (English): "I think it will be very good for Wales at the end of the day. We are our own country, always have been so it's about time we'd be able to do what we want to do" SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop (woman in favour of separate assembly With only one-quarter of the electorate actually voting in favour of the assembly, those opposing constitutional change are unlikely to remain quiet. But those supporting the move believe the vote heralds a new dawn of nationalism in a country proud of its heritage. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...