Labour Senedd member has ‘no issue’ with 100ft Union Jack on Cardiff tax office
A Labour Senedd member has said he has “no issue” with plastering a 100ft Union Jack on a Cardiff tax office.
Hefin David, the MS Caerphilly, said he does not “care about whether there’s a flag here or there”, following the decision by Cardiff Council to green light the “advertisement” on the side of the UK Government building.
He was asked what his “position” was on the matter by former Abolish the Welsh Assembly candidate Richard Taylor on the Rich Politics YouTube channel.
The ad, which is set to be wrapped around the outside of the landmark city-centre building, Tŷ William Morgan, has prompted a fierce backlash, as well as a 20,000-strong petition from pro-independence group YesCymru.
According to YesCymru, the flag “does not represent the people of Wales”, and it branded the move a “blatant political act designed to act as a provocation”.
In response to a question from Richard Taylor on the subject, Hefin David said: “I think when politics starts becoming about flags, I think politics is in the wrong place.
“I really don’t care about whether there’s a flag here or there. I quite like the design of the Welsh flag. It’s a very good looking flag, and we’re a very proud nation as well you know and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“But I’ve got no particular issue with flags being flown in certain places as long as they’re respectful. You know, whatever. Why’s it an issue?
“Politics is about much more fundamental issues than that.”
‘Of course it is’
Richard Taylor agreed, saying “Of course it is. I think it’s an issue to those who make it an issue, and especially media here in Wales sometimes they want to make it an issue because it gets stories and clicks and all that kind of stuff.”
David said: “I think they fly the Union flag outside Caerphilly council. In fact I’m not sure if they fly it outside the Senedd, so you know.”
Taylor replied: “I’m a little bit like you on that but… for me it does mean something. I’m not one, I don’t walk around draping the flag you know.
“But it does, I recall what we’ve been through historically through previous wars and that kind of stuff. We fought together as a nation, so it means a lot to someone like myself. I am a patriot in that sense.”
The Tŷ William Morgan building was recently constructed in the city’s Central Square development and is one of 16 new UK Government ‘hubs’.
Wales Secretary Simon Hart said Tŷ William Morgan, which provides offices for 4,000 civil servants but could also be used to host cabinet meetings, “shows the UK Government’s commitment to Wales and to strengthening the Union” when he officially opened the £100m building last January.
But the building sparked a constitutional backlash earlier this year when a large UK Government sign was applied to its façade. Nation.Cymru recently revealed that the branding cost almost £15,000.
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Hefin David is a true blue British Nationalist.
Unionist, when challenged by Unionist has “no problem” with Unionist emblem on Welsh building”
The building is a government hub that will provide 4,000 good jobs.
The UK put it there. Wales is in the UK.
30,000 mainly non Welsh people signing a petition won’t do anything.
Power to the Union.
How do you know they are non-Welsh? And by the way there is no Welsh element in the so-called ‘Union’ flag so it is an insult to have this stuffed down our throats. Re-design the flag to include the cross of St. David and you might have a case but it doesn’t so you don’t. Yes.Cymru describe it as a “blatant political act designed to act as a provocation”. Well if the Tory Tw@ts want a blatant political act designed to act as a provocation then we should start burning the butcher’s apron on Trooping the Colour day. Perhaps we… Read more »
What a sleepy looking character. “Quick, the Chinese army is two blocks away!”
………”Yeah, no prob.. ……more fundamental issues here, like maan………..price of
lentils and all……….”
Of course there are more important things than flags, but shoving a huge emblem of unionism on the gateway into Wales’ capital city is an important issue for me.
….. and for anyone with a pinch of self respect SiarlB. The only two places this “branding” has appeared is in Scotland and Wales. Johnson’s deliberate provocations infuriate most people…. he’ll be recruiting fife bands next.
Try putting y Ddraig goch on our. ?? English Parliament at Westminster.
And the flag shows where the taxes end up.
It’s not an obsession with flags. The flag is just the most superficial aspect of a much larger issue.
I’d question why a Welsh MS is appearing on a fake news site alongside this vile waste of oxygen, people make a big enough fuss when MP’s etc appear on Russia Today, can’t see much difference with this pile of sh*t
As Abolish are pretty much on the fascist spectrum, shouldn’t we have more issues with this Labour MS having any kind of truck with even an ex member of that vile organisation?
He needs to give his head a wobble, at the very least.
Yep, at the last count Abolish had one member.
Really, where? They certainly haven’t got any members in the Senedd after they were wiped out at the last election.
If symbols do not matter, why are so many in Welsh Labour so committed to the Windsor monarchy?
There are clearly two Labour parties in Wales…. “Welsh Labour” and “Gis us an OBE Labour”. The second type can be recognized by their ermine cloaks and smug self satisfied smiles.
Ah Hefin Dafad shows his true Brit colours !
Simply reminds me why I could never vote Labour whilst they have hardline Unionist clowns like Hefin David and Chris Bryant among their ranks.
He likes the “design of the welsh dragon” says it all about the man and his mentality… too many like him in the Labour Party
Very happy to hear his view. Labour imperialism is never far from the surface.
Just one more reason not to vote Labour.
It is a government building so it does not belong to wales but just put two flags one each end of the building