Fall in support for Welsh independence a ‘wake up call’ says YesCymru
The CEO of YesCymru has described new polling which reveals a decline in support for Welsh Independence as a “wake up call”.
Gwern Gwynfil, who heads up the pro-independence group, made the comments in response to figures from a Wales Online YouGov poll on Welsh Independence Voting intentions, published today.
These figures show support for Welsh independence falling to 18%, with 55% against.
20% of those polled responded don’t know/wouldn’t vote.
This decline has seen the Yes vote fall back to the levels recorded in 2019.
Despite the fall in support for independence, the percentage of people saying they would vote to stay in the UK has remained static.
Work to be done
“These poll figures must be a wakeup call for the independence movement,” Gwern Gwynfil said.
“There is much more work to be done if we are to persuade our fellow citizens to buy into our vision for a free and independent Wales. We are facing a cost-of-living crisis that has been engineered in the crumbling halls of Westminster.
As a movement, we at YesCymru need to show there is a real alternative and demonstrate how independence would give us the tools we need to improve living standards in Wales and lift our people out of poverty.
“For Welsh independence to be taken seriously, we need to offer a compelling vision of this brighter future for Wales. Indy supporters must unite with one voice, we must speak clearly, we must convince all of our communities that Independence is the only way that Wales will break free of the cycle of poverty and underachievement to which we have been consigned to by centuries of Westminster rule and domination.
“There is no insurance policy, Westminster does not care for Wales or the people who live here, there is no comfort in the blanket thrown over Wales by London – it merely stifles us and stops us growing, investing and innovating.”
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“Indy supporters must unite with one voice” by putting Wales first. And not fall out about wider issues. I happen to believe that pretending some men are actually women, and that outsourcing our pollution so other countries produce our electricity are dead-end policies. But I agree with anyone who says that Wales must raise its own taxes and get the Welsh economy going, which we’re not doing. If we can all agree to be honest with all those who doubt Indy, and don’t want to be told what to think about wider issues, YesCymru and Wales will deserve to succeed.
….and there you go, with one particular piece of nastiness, you have demonstrated that there is no place for certain people in your own vision for Cymru and therefore, at least in your case, no possibility of uniting the independence movement. You also refer to “belief” and then make a statement about a bunch of non-existent people*, you can’t run a successful life or country or campaign on “beliefs” and “beliefs”. You seem to think you can “unite with one voice” whilst excluding the humanity of some of those voices. …and you keep referring to this country as “Wales”. That’s… Read more »
Perhaps Jonathan Edwards words were clumsy, but the (sort of?) point he makes is valid. Worryingly, you have dived for your keyboard to continue the negative debate, exactly what needs to be avoided!. As the yes Cymru movement exploded in 2019, it almost collapsed with the entry of one issue groups intent on following their own (irrelevant) agenda. The Scottish fiasco hasn’t helped; making a big issue over a marginal matter that is of no interest to most of the population must, have in the public’s eyes, questioned the ability of those governing Scotland, and by implication independence. Perhaps the… Read more »
The scottish parliament’s gender id bill isnt mentioned anywhere in the poll john, theres no evidence to show it’s had any impact on levels of support for welsh indy. Furthermore the poll does show support for welsh indy continues to grow among the most important demographic group of all – young people (tomorrow’s electorate)
C’mon, don’t be so obtuse Leigh! The proposed bill has clearly caused a dip in support for the SNP, and thus the indy movement there. It is feasible that, amongst many other things, that because we have tied our causes together with theirs, an overall lack in confidence has filtered down to the public yma yng Nghymru. Tons of indy-sceptical and fence sitters have expressed concerns to me about this issue – it’s starting to be more common than the usual “what about the army” or “what if we can;t keep the £” midwittery that keeps getting asked and answered.… Read more »
Hounded out? Diar annwyl, lies are a hell of a drug. On the “massive justice issue”, our movement towards independence should be about demanding freedom, not implementing policy before our freedom has been gained. The Scottish debacle is proof of this. I’m always suspicious when these sorts of tactics are posited – I don’t think you want a free Cymru, you want your free Wales. If you don’t get what you want, then independence be damned. I’ll ask the question – if a party that advocated for all your preferred policies and principles gained power in Westminster, passed all the… Read more »
Projection, projection, projection. You continue to demonstrate that Independence for Cymru is so far down your list of priorities that it may not even be something you truly want, Cathy. Nobody you criticise states any policy preferences regarding a free Cymru, you do though. Nobody you respond to is dehumanising anyone else, you do regularly with English people, Tories, those who disagree with you. Nobody you respond to regularly dodges the one question required to gauge support for indy, but you do every single time – so I’ll ask again: If a political Party that held your views and principles… Read more »
Independence movements must distance themselves from other sensitive matters which create internal division. I would go further and suggest that it should be completely impartial when it comes to left/right matters. There appears to be an assumption by some that because Wales votes for left leaning parties then it is a left-leaning nation. This is not necessarily the case. Wales only appears to be left leaning because we continue to compare ourselves to England, which UK parties primarily target. But if England became the 51st state it would always vote Democrat. Yes Cymru needs to be a broad church if… Read more »
This should be of no surprise because people are waking up to seeing that the independence movement has been hijacked by those who don’t really care about independence but using it for their own ideological purposes. Their ‘nationalism’ is based on hatred of the English rather than a love of Wales. Their constant attacks on anyone who doesn’t agree with them is divisive and alienates those who are needed to gain independence. We can read their spiteful attacks and vitreole daily on this website. To gain independence people need to have pride in themselves and that is achieved by learning… Read more »
There are massive risks in staying within the UK and massive risks of leaving. Sadly, it’s likely that our nation will be poorer regardless of what step we take. But communities want a plan which doesn’t set them back financially, at least not in medium to long term, and first step in that is getting to Scotland level of having our own courts, sufficient transport network and sufficient working population.
After we reach Scotland level we can continue to progress. But someone needs to be thinking about details as well as overall picture of independence being the better option.
Gwern, it may be a wake up call for you but for many the alarm went off in 2021 when Yes Cymru, hitherto seen as a “good movement” was hijacked by a bunch of people who only cared about their individual single issues and didn’t give a damn about the broader front towards independence. The hatred that spewed from a small group of anarchic hijackers had no place in the minds of most adults here in Wales. It triggered suspicion and led to many who had until then had been drawn to the proposition to back away as the narrow… Read more »
Support for welsh indy being at the level it was in 2019 (according to this poll at least) is hardly indicative of the roof falling in on hopes for welsh indy. I recall the 2019 polling figures being warmly greeted by indy supporters, given that polls just a few years earlier had shown support for welsh indy in single figures. But if you want independence for Wales then vote for plaid cymru – there is no other way it will happen.
Just like it did with a single party push in Scotland… Oh. Putting all our eggs in one skimpy plastic bag is certainly not the only way, Leigh. In fact, this may very well prove to be the worst possible statergy. Plus, given your estimation that a massive backslide in polling data is not to be taken as alarming, I’m not sure how much weight we should put in your analysis.
Sorry i do not believe it is falling the figures are manipulated
LOL. You are Donald Trump I claim my £5.
The visits by the English Royals appear to be having some effect. Project Brit is alive and in full swing.
Project England more like. British doesn’t mean English! Learn your own nations History. The English are Anglos who are Germanic. The Britons are the people those Anglo English call Welsh.
The incompetence and lack of talented individuals amongst all parties down The Bay is not helping.
Health, education and the economy all performing so poorly under useless Labour and their Plaid poodles is hardly a good advert for independence.
The latest polling figures are maybe a legacy of that period when the indy movement was, as pointed out by several on here “hijacked” by certain self interested groups at that time. I’m all for inclusion for all but it was the absolute wrong time for those factions to come to the fore & seemingly try to gain prominence over all else, even myself as a staunch believer in Indy for Cymru questioned if I had backed the wrong horse for a while only renewing my membership of Yes Cymru last month. The movement now is a different animal compared… Read more »
Yes I agree with the article, not necessarily that the percentage has fallen, it is only one poll, but that the benefits of Welsh Independence needs to be shown to the Welsh public. And there are benefits, just look at Ireland, Iceland and Norway, all with populations similar or smaller than Cymru’s. Being a small nation is no longer a barrier to becoming prosperous. Forget attacking Westminster, even if it is easy to do, and focus on getting that positivity about being a proud independent, successful country out there.
Successful nationalism as a movement – in every historical case except Haiti, which was a slave revolt – is a romantic conservative movement rooted in glory like Greece, faith like Israel, language like Estonia, liberal individualism like Romania, or patriotic duty like Ukraine. I don’t see that truth has been accepted in Welsh Nationalism.
As long as the vast majority of voters in Wales continue to vote for English unionist parties and read right wing English media, nothing will change
First of all it is still very positive that support for independence is much higher than it was 8-10 years ago, however we could be jumping the gun. It is still a minority view, and many could turn against devolution if they felt that there was a ‘threat’ of independence. A Welsh independence referendum will not be winnable until after Scotland has achieved it. Following recent events surrounding the SNP I don’t think its going to happen anytime soon. Even if the Supreme Court had ruled in their favour then they will not hold a second referendum until they are… Read more »
What did you expect when you put things that don’t matter before independence, the first and only reason your organisation should exist. You’ve done serious damage to our nations future on the alter of the woke, just like the WRU have done. All I have to say is…well done, and I hope you’re happy about it. The subjects you bemoan could’ve been changed via independence.
This is no surprise given the decline in the number of people identifying as Welsh and the enormous demographic changes taking place.
Furthermore, people are beginning to clock that independence for Wales is just a ploy to get EU membership and/or a vehicle for minority interest and environmental groups to further their own agendas.
I’m totally fine with the people of Wales identifying as British, after all, there is no lie being told in that. We are thee native British in which the island gets named after. The problem with Wales’ future is the fact that how easy it seems for The people of Wales to abandon over 2000 years worth of history all because the English have convinced not only themselves and the world, but us aswell, that they are British and we are Welsh (Foreigners). If anything, it’s they who are Welsh, Foreigners, and is who are British. It’s seriously sad to… Read more »
It’s disappointing to find that momentum is not as popular.But this should not discourage us from our struggle. I see independence as a goal that must not be rushed as it wouldn’t be helpful to lose a early referendum.ln the interim we should be seeking our own powers for taxes , courts,the issue of the monarchy(we should have a referendum to decide whether we need the royals etc lwould like to see independence ,and even if we c**k up it’s of our own doing. We should in trying to achieve that goal,and the detail of how we govern is not… Read more »