Union flag will continue to fly outside Welsh Government buildings, says First Minister
Eleanor Storey, Press Association
The Union flag will continue to fly outside Welsh Government buildings despite the First Minister’s ambitions for independence.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said there are “no plans to change” the flags being flown outside Government offices.
This includes the Welsh Government HQ at Cathays Park, Cardiff, where the Union flag and Welsh flag are currently both displayed.
Mr ap Iorwerth has previously said he would use time in government to make the case for an independent Wales and raised these ambitions in his first call with Sir Keir Starmer after being appointed First Minister.
He became the first from his party to hold the position after a historic election in May made Plaid Cymru the largest party in the Welsh Parliament, ousting Welsh Labour from government.
In a written question to the First Minister, Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, asked Mr ap Iorwerth to confirm whether he would fly the flag of the United Kingdom on Government buildings.
The flying of flags on Welsh Government buildings is a matter for the First Minister, informed by advice from Welsh Government officials. It is not subject to a vote in the Senedd.
Mr ap Iorwerth responded: “There are no plans to change flags protocol.”
The First Minister has previously said he does not plan to pursue an independence referendum in the first term of a Plaid Cymru government, and says he hopes to have a “constructive relationship” with the UK Government.
However, Plaid Cymru’s manifesto, published prior to the election, set out steps the party plans to take on the “journey to (Welsh) independence”.
It reads: “We fundamentally believe that the decision on Wales’s political and constitutional future belongs to the people of Wales.
“We will therefore formally request that the right to decide on the timeline, question and process for an independence referendum be devolved.”
The party also committed to “laying the foundations for a future White Paper on Welsh independence”.
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Very disappointng fro Rhun. The butchers apron obscenity must go
Fine. Ok. May it remind us that we are an English colony. May it open our eyes to the ongoing colonization of our lands. May it shake us out of our slumbering eight century paralysis.
I am extremely disappointed that a flag that purports to represent the whole of the UK with no representation of Wales on will still be displayed outside Government Offices in Wales. I very much doubt whether the government of any other country in the world is so self-demeaning. At least Carmarthenshire County Council is sufficiently principled not to fly the Union Jack.
For goodness sake Rhun do the right thing. The majority voted for Plaid in the hope you would pave the way to independence. That flag is an insult to us and the UK government has never attempted to change it to include us. How much more of a hint do you need to realise that they think we are not worthy of being represented. So far Rhun you are a bit of a disappointment. Grow some balls man.
People voted Plaid for many reasons, there isn’t yet a majority for independence in Wales.
Plaid are right not to repeat the mistakes that many progressive movements have made recent years when we’ve focused too much on symbolic wins, rather than material ones. Prioritizing material changes that improve people’s lives can bring people on side. Focussing on symbolic changes feels good in the short term, but provokes backlashes and it’s particularly dangerous to do when you don’t yet have a majority.
Ma’r diffyg synnwyr pragmatieth yn y sylwade ma’n synnu fi gweud y gwir…
Rhaid i Blaid Cymru canolbwynto ar neud gwahanieth a chreu polisïe newyddtra bo nhw yn y Senedd, wedi 20+ mlynedd o lywodrethu gwael gan y Blaid Llafur, yn hytrach na ffocysu ar bwy fanners sy’ tu fas i’r adeilad.
As an avid supporter of Plaid Cymru, I am a little disappointed by this news from our First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth. I am not sure whether this flag issue is an olive branch to UK Labour regarding negotiations over more powers. Time will tell. Not happy though.
Makes sense. They need to pick their battles and be politically savvy, especially with Reform being so successful.
Better to focus limited time, money and energy on fighting for changes that will have material benefits for Wales and bring people together over building a better future for the country.
Removing union flags would be a gift to Reform, and no doubt provoke protests, which will inevitably turn very ugly. It wouldn’t win people over or do much for the movement in the long run, even if it’s justified.
Well said.
I don’t like the Union Jack, and I’m sure Rhun doesn’t either. But he has much bigger fish to fry than upset a few lingering Unionists by spending time taki g down flags. If this is the worst worry Darren Millar has, his alternative, Unionist, vision is totally bamkrupt.
Given the majority of the Welsh public at the moment are unlikely to vote for independence and are therefore supportive of staying in the union (that doesn’t include myself by the way) I think for now at least, this is the right move. As much as I dislike the union jack, I think taking it down would cause more trouble than it’s worth and would play into the hands of Reform. Imagine the media uproar. It would turn into the no.1 issue in Cymru, when there are far more important and meaningful things that Plaid could and should influence during… Read more »
The flag needs to go.
Not in my name.
Rhun is simply being pragmatic here. Like many other commentators I’m no fan of the Union flag, but if it were to be removed, Reform and the right-wing press would make that the main issue, whip up a public outcry, and distract the government’s – and the people’s – attention from the things that really matter. Is obsessing over what colour cloth is hanging from a pole outside the Senedd really a major issue, compared to NHS waiting times, education and, yes, making the case for independence? In the long run, of course it isn’t. If Wales eventually becomes an… Read more »
So many are still in favour of displaying the union jack in case it upsets or shows disrespect to Westminster but it is okay, after centuries, to carry on upsetting and disrespecting Cymru and the Cymry.
It really does lower the tone wherever it is. Why would one want something representing theft, genocide and abuse on or near their official building.
I wonder what the opinion would be if a Senedd petition were created.
Disgusting rag, the ultimate insult to Cymru.
I can see why those flying the butchers apron are despised in their areas.
Those that are urging it’s removal are stoking division. Whatever your own personal feelings, that is the very last thing to be doing in the current situation.