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Welsh Tories slam Plaid ‘game changing’ case for Wales independence

30 Sep 2022 3 minute read
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price.

New research published today by Plaid Cymru, heralded as a “game changer” in the Welsh independence debate by Plaid Cymru, has been slammed as “voodoo economics” by Welsh Conservatives.

The research conducted by Professor John Doyle of Dublin’s City University concluded that the fiscal gap in the early days of an independent Wales would be approximately £2.6bn – significantly lower than the frequently quoted figure of £13.5bn.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS had said the finding “further debunks the argument that Wales is too small and too poor to thrive as an independent nation”.

“Not only does Professor Doyle’s work further build the body of evidence that supports the case for an independent Wales, it is also a game-changer in the debate surrounding its viability.

“Time and again, we have heard wild estimates about the likely fiscal gap that would exist if we were to become independent that bear no relation to reality. This shows once and for all that ‘fantasy economics’ are peddled by those against not for independence.”

‘Wild predictions’

Welsh Conservative Leader Andrew RT Davies MS said: “The report makes some wild predictions on what a future Welsh Government would do if Wales became independent.

“In this scenario the Welsh Government would forgo any responsibility in keeping us safe – abandoning defence spending and ending the current style of UK aid to developing nations. Not to mention having no ambition for a Wales foreign policy with embassies closing around the world.

“And apparently the Welsh state would be able to negotiate a deal with the UK Government to avoid debt coming our way.

“This report is nothing but back of the envelope fantasy figures to justify Plaid’s obsession. Adam Price needs to be honest with the people of Wales and explain what he would cut from our military, diplomatic service and aid budget.

“Instead of tackling the Labour Government on Wales being the only nation in the UK to see increasing child poverty or the endless cost of pain crisis with every growing NHS waiting lists, Plaid have joined Labour cap in hand for more politicians and wasting time of voodoo economics.”

‘Accounting exercise’

Professor Doyle, whose work contributed towards Plaid Cymru’s submission to the Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, has said: “It is not for me as an Irish academic to advise the people of Wales on their future constitutional choices, but the figure of £13.5bn, frequently quoted as representing the UK government annual subvention to Wales, is a UK accounting exercise, and not a calculation of the fiscal gap that would exist in the early days of an independent Wales.


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Cathy Jones
Cathy Jones
1 year ago

Can you imagine having the nerve to say all of that after the English Tory party has just trashed the economy?…..

Vyvyan
Vyvyan
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Jones

They/he certainly have a brass neck considering Liz Truss’ omnishambles.

Stephen Mason
Stephen Mason
1 year ago

I’d like to see which magnetic poetry set RT threw at the fridge to get this latest ‘speech’.
I’m guessing it’s the Tory Drivel Version 8. It’s a classic.

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
1 year ago

ARTD can generally be relied upon to get everything wrong and his latest statements continue that ignoble tradition.

David Zenati-Parsons
David Zenati-Parsons
1 year ago

RT says that Wales is the only country in the UK to see an “increase in child Poverty” well numb nuts that is the point, Wales can do better without the Westminster foot on our head. #IndyWales #Labour4IndyWales

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
1 year ago

It takes cognitive dissonance to unprecedented levels to say; “We have created the greatest post-war increase in child poverty in Western Europe so you had best stick with us.”
Can someone please stop this fool continually shooting his own foot?

David Zenati-Parsons
David Zenati-Parsons
1 year ago
Reply to  Kerry Davies

yep, RT is a thicky and is so dumb that he doesn’t realise it #indywales

Aled Rees
Aled Rees
1 year ago

methink’s R2D2 is running scared,but the little darling seems to get scared about anything other than tory dogma spouted from westminster.
Every time he opens his mouth he makes a bigger and bigger fool of himself.Thank god he seems to be the best they have got.

Gareth Cemlyn Jones
Gareth Cemlyn Jones
1 year ago

I guess our colonial masters said very much the same about Ireland in 1919!

Geraint
Geraint
1 year ago

Not just Ireland. The Indians were told in the 1940s that they were getting a great deal from empire. The front pages of the Tory broadsheets told Singapore they would not survive as an independent country. Today it is one of the power houses of Asia. No one in Canada, Australia or New Zealand would want to give up their indenpendce.

The original mark
The original mark
1 year ago

Oh there he is! Where’s old RT been hiding recently, his usual idiot comments have truly been missed🤮

Andrew
Andrew
1 year ago

The voodoo people, the who do people, the people who really don’t care what you do R2D2 people. March tomorrow and show Westminster that we had had enough.

Arwyn
Arwyn
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew

Nice reference!

Andrew
Andrew
1 year ago
Reply to  Arwyn

From the Prodigy… Music For the Gilted Generation. From the time when the Tories first introduced laws against illegal gatherings. Big gathering tomorrow on the streets of Cardiff tomorrow will be loud, proud and still legal for the time being. Heddwch Pawb.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

We might need a national defence force to keep the riff raff out especially when they see that the independent Wales would be a “going concern” We’ll do well without all the vanity symbols that UK Defence seems to obsess about – aircraft carriers without planes, tanks that give their crew a bad time by overheating etc etc. Just a few thousand well trained servicemen and women with maybe a few more thousand reservists.

ben madigan
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Ireland manages perfectly well on the world stage without an enormous Army, Navy or Air Force and without over-the -top militaristic “pagentry”. What’s so great about it anyway?

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  ben madigan

Some men just love seeing other men dressed up in eccentric parade uniforms. That’s why those Pride events are so successful !!!!

David Smith
David Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Jingoistic onanisms I call them. This rubbish state is all fur coat and no knickers. Look at MournFest ’22 as an example, a ‘nationwide’ orgy of grieving and next week it’s “Tighten our belts and shrink the state!”. Utterly pathetic.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

The lie that Wales is too poor, has no resources, and is too thick & stupid to ever become an Independent nation has been blown right out of the water with this report Professor John Doyle of Dublin’s City University. And I’d like to remind that little Englander Andrew RT Davies that his calamitous shambolic English Conservative party in London are using quantitative easing like there’s no tomorrow because the coffers are empty. And anybody using voodoo economics is Liz Truss & Kwasi Kwarteng who are running about the English Treasury like headless chickens to the point the Bank of… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Y Cymro
Llefain
Llefain
1 year ago

He needs to take several seats.
The ridiculousness of him to even open his mouth.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago

Hypocritical man has spoken.While he presumes Cymru would not have a foreign aid policy, his Tory party cut £4.5 billion in May 2021 from foreign aid budget, while other Tory’s are calling for an end to foreign aid. Back to the farm Davies, please, just go back to the farm.

David Smith
David Smith
1 year ago

Fat Face Andy is quisling scum who only serves his own interests. The Conservatives are a cancer that needs cutting out of Welsh public life.

Mr Ian M Williams
Mr Ian M Williams
1 year ago

And the government organisation’s who will run for the border taking thousands of jobs with them! Statistics Office, DVLA,The Mint and many others, a fool’s paradise.

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