Abstract

On 1 July 1999, following a referendum and elections to a new National Assembly, the UK government devolved full powers and responsibilities in the areas of health, social policy, economic development and education to Wales. Of the many new policies, strategies and initiatives pursued by the Welsh Assembly Government, one of the most innovative is Cymru Ar-lein (or Wales On-line in English). Cymru Ar-lein is an ambitious attempt to devise and implement a national strategy to empower the citizens of Wales with the e-literacy skills for a 21st century economy and society. Cymru Ar-lein is being used to address such economic matters as market failures in ICT infrastructure, and is the cornerstone of initiatives to transform public services and the ‘encounters’ between government, public bodies and citizens. Through major e-communities initiatives, it is seen as a means for overcoming some of the unique physical, social and linguistic barriers that exist to accessing online services and information in Wales. In the context of providing an overview of the Cymru Ar-lein strategy, and within a general analytical framework that considers questions about the relationship between technology and nation-building, this paper evaluates the nature and purpose of national initiatives of this kind.

Introduction

In 1997 the UK Government outlined proposals for devolution in Wales, the most radical change in terms of the governmental and administrative relationship between Wales and the rest of the UK since the Acts of Parliament of 1536 and 1543, that completed the process of assimilation which began with the conquest of Wales by Edward I in the 13th century (Richard Commission, 2004, 5). The proposals were subsequently endorsed in a national referendum, and the first elections for the Assembly took place in May 1999. The transfer of devolved powers and responsibilities from the UK Government to the Assembly subsequently took place on 1 July 1999.

Of the many new policies, strategies and initiatives pursued by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), one of the most interesting is Cymru Ar-lein: Online for Wales. Cymru Ar-lein is nothing short of an attempt to devise a national strategy for every aspect of a society's encounter with modern information and communications technology. In many ways, it is unique. Although, like many other comparable national strategies, it puts a great deal of emphasis on technical infrastructure, it is also a very human strategy.