Welsh Secretary rejects calls for Wales and Scotland be given the ‘right to self-determination’ in proposed Bill of Rights
Welsh Secretary David TC Davies has dismissed calls for Wales and Scotland be given the “right to self-determination” in the UK Government’s proposed Bill of Rights.
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts sought a commitment from Mr Davies in the House of Commons this morning, after the UK Supreme Court had unanimously decided that the Scottish Government does not have the power to call an independence referendum.
She said: “Today of all days we must look forward to how democracy of these isles will best serve our people, and the people of Wales particularly.
“In June, I asked the Deputy Prime Minister whether his so-called Bill of Rights would include the right to self-determination. He didn’t give me a direct answer, so I will ask the Secretary of State.
“Will he support the inclusion of the right to self-determination for the peoples of the devolved nations within the Bill of Rights? Or doesn’t he believe that Wales should have the right to decide our own destiny?”
Destiny
Mr Davies replied: “Wales has decided its own destiny in several referenda recently, it has decided it would like a devolved administration, which is something that this Conservative administration will fully support.
“Wales, of course, also voted to leave the European Union, something that I fully supported, but I am not fully sure she or her party did. I fully respect the self-determination of the Welsh people to leave the EU and I look forward to her support on that one in future.”
Accusing the Welsh Secretary of failing to answer the question, SNP MP Deidre Brock asked: “The right to self-determination is set out in Article 1 of the international covenant on civil and political rights.
“Will the proposed British Bill of Rights uphold this by enshrining the right of self-determination for the peoples of Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland?”
Mr Davies said: “The Bill of Rights is a reserved matter. A matter clearly reserved for the UK Government. The UK Government will always respect the right of devolved administrations to legislate in areas for which they are responsible.
“We would assume that the devolved administrations will respect the right of the UK Government to legislate in areas in which it is responsible. That is what respect and self-determination is all about.”
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Condescending toss pot.
How about Scotland and Wales decide to get together and remove England as part of UK! They make decisions about us, why can we not make decisions about them if we are all ‘equals’?
The man is a disgrace.
So, DTC Davies agrees with Russia in attacking Ukraine.
Can you believe that a few individuals can dictate what nations can or cannot do? The majority rules not the minority. Time some of these government men were put in their place and told to do one.
It’s just typical of Davies to bow to his lords and masters and give his fellow Welsh citizens a good kicking. Scumbag.
Meanwhile supporting Ukraine’s Bid for Self Determination! Why doesn’t the International community come to our defence? This is highly suspicious. They want to pretend to be British and can only do so while Wales is trapped in the UK and the Welsh aren’t aware of their history. The Welsh are British, always have been and Always will be. It’s the English who aren’t.
The English did what refugees are doing now by coming across the channel in small boats, the difference is 1,500 years
Oh the Irony Stephen! Hahaha.
They are immigrants of the past. Won’t be long now before modern day immigrants take over.
Can’t be any worse than England
Wales are Welsh, Ireland are Irish, Scotland are Scottish, England are English.
Together we are all part of the European family.
The British Isles and Scandinavia describe areas of Europe – they are not real countries.
There are areas that are common to other areas in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
You are what you choose to be, also should have the freedom of where you choose to live.
Every country has the right to self determination as stated by UN charter.
So Wales recently had a referendum on staying as a devolved nation? When??? We’ve had a referendum on creating an Assembly, at the time, and giving that government more powers in 2011 – but no referendum on whether we’d like to stay in this arrangement or not. So let us have one – why are you so scared? Surely with the UK gov’s arrogance it would believe it to be a foregone result in its favour so what’s the problem?
We are now, for all intents and purposes, finally publicly acknowledged as being the entrapped colonies of England that the Westminster lickspittles have kept patronisingly insisting we were not, with an almost straight face, for years.
At least they have had to finally stop lying about what this “union” is.
Oh, and this man in particular is an insufferably obnoxious little toad who deserves no peace in this life or the next.
Funny how most Welsh Secretaries are always anti-anything to benefit Cymru. Especially selected just to subdue the Cymry.
He clearly does not have an understanding as to what national self-determination entails. TC Davies is an old-style Brit Nat operator who perceives the peripheries as being attached to Westminster by umbilical cord. Sadly, for us, this imperialist stance comes at a time when our global image is at its most conspicuous, and when people around the world are seeing us as a joyous, enthusiastic, but ultimately subjugated, nation.
This is why I call it the bill of NO rights. Forget waiting for referenda. After the news today that Scotland is banned from being itself followed by an internal anti Welsh bigot stating that we are banned too, the next course of action must be FULL Welsh/Scottish and yes English nationality until everyone is so used to it that ‘British’ as a nationality will fade away. We are going through the inevitable dying throes of the British Empire and it is a very painful experience but if we ALL stand firm and demand our proper nationality, we will all… Read more »
Scottish and Welsh people were not allowed to feature in the decision to form their (enforced) Unions with England centuries ago. Likewise, they are not now allowed to ascertain (and act upon) whether they wish to leave the Union. Via its huge majority of MPs in the House of Commons, England decides. Wales’ Secretary of State, David T C Davies, is clearly delighted with this “Union by Compulsion” situation – it’s his idea of a healthy Democracy in Practice!
So the local Jailer of the Empire of England in GB & NI denies us the rights to choose our own destiny?
Turncoat Lackey. The shameful Lord Haw Haw of our generation
Lol, this is farcical.
If the “right to self-determination” is reserved to the “parent” nation rather than to the nation that wishes to exercise that right, then the right does not exist!
Mr Davies said: “The Bill of Rights is a reserved matter. A matter clearly reserved for the UK Government. The UK Government will always respect the right of devolved administrations to legislate in areas for which they are responsible. “We would assume that the devolved administrations will respect the right of the UK Government to legislate in areas in which it is responsible. That is what respect and self-determination is all about.” President Putin totally agrees with you Secretary of State of UK ! The rest of the world believes that Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Ukraine, along with every other country… Read more »