Super Furry Animal delivers 20k petition against 100ft Union Jack on Cardiff tax office
A musician from the Super Furry Animals has delivered a 20,000-strong petition against plastering a 100ft Union Jack on a Cardiff tax office.
Keyboard player Cian Ciaran took the signatures to the city council on behalf of pro-independence group YesCymru.
The decision by Cardiff Council to green light the “advertisement” on the side of the UK Government building has faced a fierce backlash, and Ciaran has called on it to “reconsider”.
The petition calls on the Chair of Cardiff Council Planning Committee, Cllr Keith Jones, to reverse the decision to give the huge British flag graphic the go-ahead.
The ad is set to be wrapped around the outside of the landmark city-centre building, Tŷ William Morgan, but according to YesCymru it “does not represent the people of Wales”.
It has also branded the move a “blatant political act designed to act as a provocation”.
In a video message Cian Ciaran said: “Here we are on our way to county hall. We’re going to take this 20,000-strong petition to the planning department where hopefully they’ll reconsider the decision to hang an 8 storey tall Union Jack on the tax office in the capital city of Wales.”
YesCymru said: “This morning @cianciaran presented a 20,000 signature petition on behalf of @yescymru to Cardiff Council Planning department to stop the Union Jack being hung on the HMRC offices. Watch this space for developments.
“@cianciaran does his best to present the petition in person to councillior Keith Jones, Head of Planning @cardiffcouncil”.
‘Capital city of Wales’
The petition states: “We believe that as the capital city of Wales, visitors, commuters and residents should not be faced with a gigantic Union Jack flag on arrival at Cardiff Central railway station.
“This decision by Cardiff Council Planning Committee to grant permission to drape the HMRC building on Central Square is an act of political symbolism designed to promote ‘muscular unionism’ a reminder to the people of Wales of their subservient status in the United Kingdom.
“This flag does not represent the people of Wales and is a blatant political act designed to act as a provocation to the people of Wales.
“We the undersigned call on the Cardiff Council Planning Committee, and its chair Councillor Keith Jones, to withdraw their permission for this advertisement.”
The prominent branding comes amid a move towards “muscular unionism” by Boris Johnson’s government, which has also recently ruled the Union Jack must be flown above the Welsh flag and ordered civil servants to stop referring to “the four nations of the UK.”
‘Doesn’t represent Wales’
Alun Rees, who has signed the petition, said: The Union Jack doesn’t represent Wales… we are not represented on it at all.”
Judy Fear said: “The government are totally wrong if they think that a massive representation of the Union flag will help bring the nations together. It’s like a tomcat marking its territory. It’s really annoyed me and I’m English!”
Warren Cooper said: “I don’t think we should have the Union Jack flying in Wales. We are not represented on the flag we are Wales we have our own flag a beautiful red dragon. Put that up and be proud of Wales and our nation.”
Ryan Harper said: “Wales has struggled to maintain its identity after years of Westminster tomfoolery, this is just another example of English Parliament trying to force Wales to keep in line.”
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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Has no one noticed that, historically, tax officers and tax offices of occupying nations have been the target of frustration on the part of the colonized? I would have thought it might be prudent to keep the presence of such an office discreet and not call attention to it. I don’t buy this nonsense about the English paying for Welsh development. If they stopped robbing us blind of our precious natural resources and deviating all the money to English vanity projects, they wouldn’t need to “support” us.
How about a Cardiff Tea Party?
And what are these natural resources being robbed you speak of?
Water for one. For energy it used to be coal but now it is renewables. Land in Wales is cheap compared to the overpopulated southeast of England. So the cheap property prices, and the fact that Wales is an excellent location for renewable energy, mean that we get exploited for our wind energy (both land and offshore), hydroelectric and solar PV (the cheap land makes it possible to build large solar PV parks at a lower price than in the southeast). No doubt tidal and wave power will get exploited when it suits the tories to start exploiting it. The… Read more »
Can you tell me how many English villagers have been forced out of their homes in order to supply resources to an occupying power ?
Coal that built England and raped the Welsh Nation , Water the Welsh village that was submerged to satisfy the English boom that the Welsh coal provided , ARE YOU ENGLISH I WONDER
See the Wikipedia entry for ‘Principality of Wales’ for an explanation of why Cymru is no longer a principality.
When you say “Welsh Assembly”, I presume you’re referring to the Senedd Cymru.
I assume you’re right in assuming this. He just sounds like a very ignorant man who has a poor grasp of current facts.
Hart is in error if he thinks bully boy tactics will work anymore. The union is a dead state walking.
I suspect it will join the 30k+ petition regarding the Severn Bridge in being ignored.The voice of the Welsh people will always be ignored when it suits Westminster. By gaining independence we will gain a strong voice.
Regarding the bridge, why don’t we get all The Cymry to call it Glyndwr Bridge, or Pont Glyndwr. I mean he’s the last actual Prince of Wales. Just pretenders since then.
Correct me but Owain Glyndwr was not the last true “Prince of Wales”, that honour befalls Barry John who has often been referred to as the George Best of rugby considered by many to be the greatest rugby player of his generation, he possessed the pop-star image: tall, dark and handsome. An idol to millions of sports lovers throughout the world, Barry John was mobbed wherever he went. …
Certainly one of the greatest. Never actually the last Prince of Wales, though.
Oh really!!?? Give me one good reason why Wales couldn’t replicate the economic success of the Republic of Ireland.
Who actually owns the Second Severn Crossing now that it has been paid for by the UK motoring public, who now actually pays for its continued maintenance. Calling it the “Prince of Wales” bridge is not a reference to the numpty who currently holds the title, but to the regal head of state in Wales whoever he may be. The voice of the Welsh people is never ignored for it is seldom heard elsewhere outside the Principality apart from the Voice of Sir Tom Jones, so perhaps a petition to rename the bridge the “SIR TOM JONES BRIDGE” would be… Read more »
We could go for reparations for the 700 years or more of hostile occupation ?
Previously those buildings which were administation centres of the Whitehall government would either have been labelled as Welsh Office or whichever department they served. There was, sensibly, no attempt to enforce this notion of the UK and its implied superiority over the people of Wales. It is a foolish policy that can only have the opposite effect of that they hope to achieve and will only add to the growing call for independence. If Boris Johnson, Simon Hart etc., truly wish to retain the union, they should heed the words of the First Minister Mark Drakeford and the devolved Wales… Read more »
You hit the nail on the head fella, Yes we fought and died together but still not good enough to be on the flag of GB.Typical English Nationalist anyone who has the Interests of Cymru at heart hates the English.
Imagine the outcry if The Confederate flag was to be flown in Harlem.
Ok Timothy if you can do any better then organise a petition in support of the flag.
Timothy doesn’t have to the 55 million population of English tax payers which fund Wales against 3.5million of Welsh tax payers is enough to keep the United Kingdom flag on the building.
Yeah? When did you fight and die? There is no “pathetic hate” towards the English. There is utter revulsion to your government’s interference. Although your English spelling is hurting my eyes. The contempt with which Wales is held by many in England HAS been taught to your children for 500 years. UKBIN is NOT better than that. It is a centuries old abusive relationship with us being the ones abused. And we are done with it. We want out. And we don’t want that tricoloured sphincter of a flag hanging from anywhere here. Nothing to do with us. Doesn’t represent… Read more »
Which nation is that then? The Union Jack is not a British flag but a naval standard signed into official existence by an “English” king who so hated the English he only spoke French, signing his name as “Jacques”. The flag later represented the union of the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland but Ireland left in 1921 and the English were too bone idle to alter it. Only in Canada has it any official legal status and is in reality a meaningless rag. It is not the official flag of anywhere though it has become the de facto flag… Read more »
What a complete and utter numpty you are to write such drivel, you need to get a life, “smell the coffee”…….P.S. The Union Flag is not a “naval standard”, the Naval Flag you refer to is the “Royal Ensign” that flies from the jack staff on any Royal Navy ship it is a small vertical spar (pole) on the bow of the ship. The jack staff was introduced in the 18th century.
Am surprised there has been no reference to the fact that it is the William Morgan building. He’ll be turning in his grave won’t he?
Not just an insult – it’s incitement!
I think it’s ironic that majority of the UK voted leave when people mostly remain ignorant. Wales has its own flag, people, boarders, law’s and language. I think part of growing up is understanding and being proud of our heritage. Why can the UK leave the EU but Wales can’t have the same intended independence?
Growing up ?
Because A you part of the United Kingdom
B Wales voted massively to leave the EU.
C. Welsh independence is a joke only nationalist dream of and the reality is something more realistic
Because Wales cannot fund itself. There is not enough money or industry to function as an independent. A fact conveniently ignored is the vast number of apprenticeships and jobs that were EU funded, the huge influx to our universities from outside Wales bringing money and skills.Good luck to them delivering their petition, given the Welsh Ministers standard responses to any enquiries seeking help or action are a “ It’s not my job” I doubt they will get far but rather than hold them to account it is easier to blame Westminster.
if the tax office want to “show(s) the UK Government’s commitment to Wales and to strengthening the Union” maybe they should paint a massive Welsh dragon on the side of the HMRC building in London?
I think it does go both ways and maybe the petition should be about supporting Welsh identity across the wider UK.
How are we going to fund ourselves? What’s going to be are biggest GDP? Wool? Or the coal which nobody wants …. Oow how about the minute amount of gold and slate we have ……… Get real people …… We’ve got a good deal being part of the UK and we’d be stuffed without them …… Do we want to be the new Greece begging the EU for scraps. Get real, stop moaning, you have one life ….. Live it instead of hating everyone around you
A great deal!!! I don’t think so. We will be paying a fortune towards HS2 in spite of not a single inch of track going through Wales and we’ll also be contributing (and wasting) billions of pounds towards replacing Trident. The Republic of Ireland isn’t blessed with much in the way of natural resources but does very nicely economically. There is no reason why Wales couldn’t do the same as them.
Were is there any support for wale on the union Jack this argument has been going on for years yet nothing is done to be part of the UK surerly there should be an indication of Wales on the UNION flag
Seems like there’s the usual ridiculous, harp back a few hundred years, small man syndrome comments that usually come out when some rag decides to stir things up.
It’s all quite pathetic really…who gives a rats ar*e what they put up…& 20,000 signatures is a poultry amount given there’s 3.3 M people living in Wales.
can we all please note? ! that these government buildings (UK) could be potential terrorist targets from other (third party) countries! displacing due to cuckoo syndrome!?