The Welsh devolution referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held throughout Wales on 18 September 1997 to determine whether there was support for the creation of a assembly for Wales with devolved powers. Unlike the referendum in Scotland, there was no proposal for the assembly to have tax-varying powers. The referendum was a Labour manifesto commitment and was held in their first term after the 1997 election.

One of the factors that made the referendum controversial was that Wales has a much greater immigrant and transient population than Scotland. A previous referendum on devolution held in 1979 had resulted in a majority against, whereas in Scotland the vote had been in favour. In this referendum, the majority of votes cast were for the yes option which resulted in the formation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

The 1979 referendum had been such a resounding defeat that it killed off any prospects of devolution for Wales for a generation. Although the Welsh Liberal Party and Plaid Cymru became committed to a Welsh parliament (with full law making and tax raising powers) by 1983 it was not until 1992 that a Welsh Assembly with executive powers was put into the Labour Party's manifesto. The Conservative Party in Wales remained almost wholly pro-unionist and anti-devolution. As the Conservative government in Wales became more unpopular the Labour party in Wales shaped its policy of a Welsh Assembly under the guidance of Shadow Welsh Secretary Ron Davies and Welsh Office spokesmen Win Griffith and Rhodri Morgan.

In the United Kingdom, devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

The issue of Irish home rule was the dominant political question of British politics at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Earlier in the 19th century, Irish politicians like Daniel O'Connell had demanded a Repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 and a return to two separate kingdoms and parliaments, united only in the personal union of the king of Great Britain and Ireland. In contrast to this, demands for home rule called for autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, with a subsidiary Irish parliament subject to the authority of the parliament at Westminster. This issue was first introduced by the Irish Parliamentary Party led by Isaac Butt, William Shaw and Charles Stewart Parnell.

David Bevan (born June 24, 1989 in Cork, Republic of Ireland), is a professional footballer currently playing for Sutton Coldfield Town, on loan from Conference North side Hinckley United as a goalkeeper. He began his career with Aston Villa in the Premier League, but left for League One side Walsall without making a first-team appearance at Villa Park. After a single season at Walsall, he dropped to non-league football. Bevan has also represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels.

He joined English football at the start of the 2004–2005 season when he joined Aston Villa's academy from the Irish club College Corinthians. He joined up with Hull City on loan for part of the 2006–07 season, making a few youth team appearances for the club. After returning to Villa, Bevan found first and reserve team chances limited and was sent out on a initial month's loan to Conference North side Tamworth, on 23 September 2008 to gain some experience.

Bevan made his debut for the Lambs on 27 September 2008 in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round tie away at Worcester City, which ended in a 1–0 away win at St. George's Lane. The loan was eventually extended for an extra month. He made twelve first team appearances in all competitions during his loan spell, this included getting a red card in the FA Cup tie with Barrow. His final appearance for Tamworth came in the league in the 1–2 defeat to Alfreton Town at The Lamb Ground on 9 December.

Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is the British Liberal Democrat Leader since 2007 and currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council (with special responsibility for political and constitutional reform) in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister. Clegg has been the Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2007, and a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Sheffield Hallam since 2005. He was previously a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and an award winning journalist for the Financial Times.

Clegg was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election and became the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs spokesperson in 2006. Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister following the 2010 general election, when the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party. As well as his parliamentary roles, Clegg has contributed to many pamphlets and books on political issues. He has also had a large number of jobs, including being a skiing instructor and working in the office of a bank in Helsinki.

Victoria Kirsty Williams AM (born 19 March 1971) is a Welsh politician. She is the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Brecon and Radnorshire.

Williams was born in Taunton, Somerset to Welsh parents. She spent a few years living in Somerset and Liverpool before the family moved to Bynea, Carmarthenshire when Williams was three. After being educated at the village primary school, Kirsty had a private secondary education and attended St. Michael's School in Llanelli. St. Michaels School named a section of the school after her called the "Kirsty Williams Centre" due to her success as a politician. She attended the University of Manchester where she received a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. The course included studying for a year at the University of Missouri.

After graduation she worked in the learning resources department of Carmarthenshire College in her home town Llanelli, before taking up a post as a marketing and public relations executive. She went to the same school as former Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews.