Unionists want to ‘strengthen the Union’ because they know support is ‘waning’, say Plaid Cymru
Westminster chose “strengthening the Union” as a debate topic because they know support for it is waning, according to Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams.
During a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee – the first since 2018 – Welsh MPs debated a motion, ‘To consider the matter of Strengthening the Union as it relates to Wales’.
Williams said that it was “no wonder” that ‘strengthening the Union’ was chosen as a matter for debate, as unionist parties know that “support for independence is growing and getting younger, while unionism is shrinking and ageing.”
Winding up the debate on behalf of Plaid Cymru, Hywel Williams MP said: “We’ve heard arguments today that the Mother Union provides generously, providing unique benefits to our small country which we could never otherwise earn, invent or afford.
“And on the other hand we’ve heard that without the Union, Wales would be in dire straits – as the Member for Clwyd West mentioned – overwhelmed by debt, without an adequate health service, without decent education.
“It is no wonder then that some young people – just some – think in the same transactional terms about the Union, and to perhaps paraphrase John F. Kennedy think in terms of: Ask not what I can do the union, but ask what the union can do for me.
‘Transactional’
He added: “Thankfully, many other young people have more vision and hope for future of our nation. Whether transactional or hopeful, there is a clear trend. Support for the Union is much higher among older people, with support falling significantly as the age bracket decreases.
“It is therefore no wonder that there is a steady growth in the cohort that is asking, ‘if the Union is so good – why are we in such a miserable state?’
“Plaid Cymru and the Green Party support independence. But also – if opinion polls are to be believed – around half of Labour supporters are also supportive, or willing to support Welsh independence, regardless of what their leaders say.
“It is no wonder then that strengthening the union was chosen as a matter of concern today. Because the truth is – support for independence is growing and getting younger, while unionism is shrinking and ageing. It is only a matter of time.”
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The union is dying before our very eyes – like Hywel says “it’s only a matter of time”
Things are not improving as part of the Union, in fact they are getting worse. Rather than shoving how good the Union is down our throats perhaps it’s time to actually show it! Better still don’t bother it’s too late, we’ll now be far far better off independent.
Imagine choosing this as a topic for debate rather than why 1 in 3 Welsh kids live in poverty or why life expectancy is lower than Haiti than in areas of Wales like Merthyr…unionism fxcks Wales.
Perhaps if westminster hadn’t stolen the money for a Welsh HST2 contribution that benefitted us zero we would be better equipped to use our own money to benefit our own people.
Polls going back a long time now show that the Welsh people support Welsh political autonomy albeit stopping short of full statehood. It was entirely forseeable that the Tories full throated nationalism and headlong drive for a highly centralised Westminster government, their blinkered vision for a Tory Britain, would be the undoing of the UK. Everything is proceeding as expected. As the UK descends into chaos, its government has lost all credibility and supporters of devolution within the UK are increasingly seeing the end of the UK as part of the solution. This Tory government is repulsive. People are waking… Read more »
Fact remains that it’s the young who are mainly supportive of independence, and they are the future. Nobody’s expecting independence tomorrow morning.
When I was young, I started at a disadvantage compared with today’s young, believing implicitly that my country was called the United Kingdom.
Now I have matured and grown up.
WoL comments are a bubble.
Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be out making excuses for the liar in Downing Street?
Quornby, you targeted the wrong person there, I think. Or has everybody misjudged WoL?
The idea of strengthening the Union to Unionists is forcing Conservative ideology onto Wales, NI & Scotland. We constantly hear like a drone British Unionists continually whine about democracy and rule of law, but the same don’t even respect Wales, NI & Scotland’s right to home rule let alone the pillars of any society opting to “take back control” like tinpot dictators do when they cannot get their own way. Unionist will only create further resentment and hostility by their undemocratic actions. And no more can those who blamed the EU or immigrants use this fear of foreigners to aid… Read more »
It’s time for a New Wales 🏴 A Free Wales 🏴 kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴
The UK is finished Wales 🏴 Scotland 🏴 and Ireland 🇮🇪 have got to be independent stop being little Englanders and and be proud to be welsh in wales 🏴