islands. it represents a determination that we should decide for ourselves. we should neither be on the sidelines or in the shadow of deliberations elsewhere. instead, the commission gives us the opportunity of putting wales at the forefront of our own debate. i m confident that our nominated member of the commission, leanne wood, will be a powerful voice in ensuring just that. the agreement is also about providing the people of wales with practical improvements in their everyday lives, from the tangible and immediate, to the far reaching and immediate, to the far reaching and transformational. one of our greatest thinkers raymond williams told us that culture is ordinary. it s in the food on the table, the care of the elderly and vibrancy of the democracy. that is the stuff of life and the stuff of this
confirmed wales s status as an independence curious nation, which will give birth, sooner than many think, to an independent wales. the cross party constitutional commission will take our national constitutionaljourney commission will take our national constitutional journey to the commission will take our national constitutionaljourney to the next stage. it is significant that as is co chair professor laura mcallister put it, the commission will look at the fullest range of potential constitutional futures for wales. indeed and notwithstanding the excellent work of our own independence commission it will be the first time an official body established by the welsh government will undertake substantive research on welsh independence. the commission signifies a shared understanding that we shouldn t wait for our constitutional future to be chosen for us by default by decisions in westminster or indeed by developments elsewhere in these