The latest True Wales foray

True Wales have made one of their first major statements since they found themselves on the wrong side in last year's referendum.

There are two sides of the coin when it comes to True Wales. In one sense, it is refreshing that they are an alternative voice to the consensus that loosely supports devolution. With the referendum and the tactics involved in that out of the way, there is a chance for them to make public statements and contribute to democracy in Wales without having the discussion centred around wild claims or inflatable pigs. On Twitter, they offer a non-establishment commentary about politics and are usually respectful and engaging with other people from the political community. The claims they make range from the fanciful to the crude, but they have a right to have their say.

But the other side of the coin is that no amount of good will towards their participation in the debate can disguise the fact that they don't obviously represent anyone. They don't have a grassroots or a rank-and-file, and it is difficult to imagine that they have a membership base anywhere near the likes of the Communists, the Greens or the minor political parties in Wales.

Insofar as the extensive research by Richard Wyn Jones and Roger Scully shows that there isn't some kind of non-voting "silent majority" lurking out there that wants a return to flat out London rule, True Wales doesn't have a discernible way of achieving its complicated programme of enhanced grassroots devolution in Wales. There isn't a political party in existence that advocates their unwieldy platform of "better devolution through having less powers", and they wouldn't ever put up candidates in elections. Initially there was an understanding that they emerged from the virulently British Labour tradition in the south-east of Wales. But these days it appears that their leading activists identify increasingly with UKIP, because they have argued that a nationalist conspiracy exists in the Labour party in Wales, and they have taken up libertarian stances on issues like taxation, the size of the state and also a Eurosceptic position.

But who could argue with Rachel Banner's "I told you so" proposition that days after the referendum was over, we had more Assembly Members, Welsh taxes, and an abolition of the Welsh Office being discussed by mainstream Welsh politicians? True Wales are keen to point out that Carwyn Jones spent alot of time saying that fiscal powers weren't on the menu.

In truth, the First Minister also linked a "Yes" vote to the possibility of Wales being fairly funded, very early on in the campaign. So when Rachel Banner claims that "the Holtham Report was treated as some dirty little secret to be kept under the Assembly mattress till the referendum campaign was over", that isn't strictly true. The stronger voices that played down the referendum could be found on the Westminster benches, where Labour's MPs portrayed it as a purely anti-Tory vote. True Wales spent their campaign calling for those same MPs to have power over Wales-only legislation.

Further, an elephant in the room for True Wales is that the Silk Commission which True Wales is now complaining about was instigated at Westminster, rather than by the Assembly Members that they regard with suspicion.

On the economy, Rachel Banner's point that "the more sluggish the Welsh economy, the more politicians will call for macro-economic powers...Our economic debilitation is a golden opportunity to make a nationalist strategy seem credible", reads like a statement of the obvious. There's an inaccuracy when it comes to "macro-economic powers", however. True Wales has made this glaring error before because macro-economic policy refers to powers over currency, interest rates and monetary policy. At a time when even the SNP will leave these powers with Westminster, it's implausible to claim that Welsh politicians have been calling for them, and it's actually impossible for the Silk Commission to advocate them.

In closing, True Wales is always worth looking at because they're the only voice openly opposing the principle of self-government for Wales, and they will always get some coverage by default. But it would be a mistake to suggest that they have a point or that they represent a significant part of the Welsh people. It's ironic that an organisation which exists to criticise the "Welsh bubble" has literally only ever been heard of by people that inhabit it. What is more interesting is that the anti-devolution tendency in the Labour party appears to be asleep at the moment. Even with drastic cuts to Wales' representation at Westminster looming, there is no sign of the Kim Howells-style current. Have they now been finished off for good?