‘Inevitable’ Tory Gov will reject your Home Rule plan, Drakeford told
Mark Drakeford has been told that it’s “inevitable” that the Tory Government will reject his Home Rule plan.
Plaid Cymru MS, Rhys ab Owen, asked the First Minister to “consider” what he is going to do when that “happens”, and Westminster ignores his requests.
The Plaid Senedd member was referring to Drakeford’s recently published plan to save UK from breaking up called Reforming Our Union.
On the floor of the Senedd, he suggested that “throughout the centuries” Westminster has “ignored the cries of Home Rule until it’s too late and the inevitable happens – independence”.
Rhys ab Owen said: “I don’t doubt at all your sincerity, and the Counsel General’s sincerity, yet your pleas for home rule will be rejected by the Westminster Government, a Government obsessed by centralising powers.
“Throughout the centuries and throughout the continent, Westminster has ignored the cries of Home Rule until it’s too late and the inevitable happens – independence -the de facto position of nations in the world now independent.
“And I echo the words of my colleague Jane Dodds that independence was not rejected on the ballot paper. First Minister, you’ll be aware of candidates within your own party who are in favour of independence.
“The First Minister will be aware, walking around Cardiff West, of houses with a YesCymru poster and a Labour poster up on their window, and Jane Dodds’s comment about a lot of young people being interested.
“This plan doesn’t go far enough, First Minister. It should consider welfare and it should also consider what happens when the inevitable happens and the Conservative Government refuses your plan. Could you please consider that?”
‘Further developed’
The First Minister said: “Look, he makes an important point about how this plan can be further developed, what more could be added to it, and I look forward to hearing from him further on those things.
“I don’t think he will further his own cause, however, if he’s not prepared to face up to the very direct choice that was put to the people of Wales back in May, and in my view, it was the most clearly-put choice in the whole history of devolution.
“As I said, I stood in tv studios, and on one side of me was a man who wanted to argue for the abolition of devolution altogether, to abolish the whole Assembly, and he made his case to Welsh people.
“On the other side of me was somebody who wanted to persuade people that Wales should be taken out of the United Kingdom altogether, and he put that case front and centre in his campaign.
“And Plaid Cymru lost ground – it didn’t gain ground, it lost ground in this election, and I don’t think I could have been clearer, time after time after time, in broadcasts, in leaflets, in every chance I had, to say that the Labour Party stood for powerful devolution in a successful United Kingdom.
“And in the end, that is where people in Wales made their choice, and I think people in Plaid Cymru too need to be willing to – ‘Blinkers off’, said Rhun ap Iorwerth. Well, in a blinkers-off world, then I think some thought has to be given to that as well.”
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The FM knows in his heart of hearts that independence is inevitable. He can join Johnson on the brake lever but it is inevitable nonetheless.
MD didn’t answer the question. If UK had a half decent PM who was willing to consider MD’s approach there might be some mileage in the 20 point plan. But everyone knows Johnson is a bombastic British bully who had only contempt for the celtic nations
Might he be playing WM here? He also knows they will dismiss it out of hand, or make empty promises and not deliver. PM will have to scuttle out of his hiding fridge to make a bluff ersatz-Churchillian dismissal and all of Cymru will see that we are perceived as “less than”. Cue steep rise in calls for Indy. Maybe he’s not looking to save the union, but to save Cymru FROM the union
The most important thing is that MD presented a well reasoned and entirely rational position. Would I expect BJ to do anything other than bluster and scoff. No it’s the thing he does best. Will BJ listen, of course not and once he has made that clear we can get on with Welsh Independance. MD felt obliged to try and he did it well. Very soon, when it is clear St Steffan will pay no attention he will have to reconsider his position.
I really do not mind if the FM needs to go through the motions with the WM government first. But I really hope he has a plan of action ready for when the inevitable happens and his proposals are rebuffed. It would be unbelievably cavalier and negligent if he did not.
He is a capable bloke, but all his previous statements make one wary. Hope I am wrong.
Should be clear to everyone by now Cai that Mark Drakeford’s ‘plan of action’ is to defend the union and oppose welsh independence. He makes it clear in his contribution to this senedd debate that for him that is what the recent senedd election was about ie. a vote for labour was a vote against welsh independence. We can be sure therefore that if a referendum on Welsh independence is held Drakeford and his party would campaign for a no vote.
Drakeford makes it clear in his contribution to this senedd debate that for him the recent senedd election result represented a rejection of independence ie. a vote for labour was a vote against welsh independence. We can be sure therefore that if a referendum on Welsh independence is held Drakeford and his party would campaign for a no vote. Hope everyone in the Welsh indy movement takes note of this
I’m not sure people voted for Labour in order to show they rejected independence.
Sometimes I wish I was in a position to give our senior politicians a clip round the earhole, just to remind them that they should be working together. Gorau chwarae and all that.
To be honest mind even if Welsh Labour had no view on devolution/independence people probably would have voted them back in, to vote Labour is second nature in Wales. However, if the party wants to stay in power in the future it must embrace independence before the Tories in London make them obsolete.
Y’reckon? Brits only understand one language.
Mark Drakeford is following a diplomatic route so that when inevitably the wheel comes off, he can say honestly that he has tried to save the Union but because of Westminster’s stance, he has no option but to take the route to Independence for the well being of the inhabitants of Wales.
So MD asks the Welsh electorate to vote for Labour so he can finish the job he”d started on dealing with covid, then when he wins he claims it”s a vote against independence. UNBELIEVABLE!!