Aren’t we cute? How Westminster trivialises Wales

James Downs, Mental Health Campaigner

This week, Number 10 Downing Street and the Labour Party released statements and a video celebrating Wales and Welshness, featuring well-known figures, including cast members from Gavin and Stacey at an event in Westminster.

These videos were presumably meant as a warm nod to Welsh culture, but instead, they presented a shallow, caricatured version of Welsh identity – one that reduces our language and culture to a series of tired jokes and stereotypes.

Among the predictable references were the usual suspects: popty ping for microwave, wibbly wobbly for jellyfish (neither of which are correct), and, of course, Llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­gogery­chwyrn­drob­wll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch, a name concocted in the 19th century to attract tourists.

Here’s what happened when we asked some famous faces to say the longest word in Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/iRK84Opt9m

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 4, 2025

While there were some sincere reflections from Welsh people in the video, they were overshadowed by this portrayal of the language as something quaint and amusing, rather than a living, complex, and deeply significant part of our national identity.

How the world sees us (or doesn’t)

This trivialisation of Wales is not just something that happens in Westminster; it’s reflected in how Wales is perceived – or more often, ignored – on the international stage.

Beyond our borders, Wales is frequently overlooked, misunderstood, or dismissed as a quirky regional backwater rather than a nation in its own right.

This isn’t just an issue of cultural recognition – it has real consequences for how Wales is treated politically and economically.

I saw this first-hand when I moved away from Wales for the best part of a decade, spending much of that time in Cambridge in a very international community.

What struck me was that most people either knew nothing about Wales or, if they did, treated it as a kind of curiosity – something cute and charming, a little corner of Britain where people speak a funny little language and have a dragon on their flag.

That dragon, by the way, is not cute. It is fierce. And yet, the perception of Wales as a sort of folkloric oddity, rather than a modern nation with a rich culture and real political and economic struggles, is deeply ingrained.

It was also clear that, while international students and academics would often prioritise a visit to Scotland, Wales rarely featured on their radar.

This absence wasn’t just about tourism – it reflected a deeper issue of visibility and recognition. Even in intellectual and political circles, Wales was barely mentioned.

And when I did talk about it, the response was often well-meaning but patronising – “Oh, how lovely that you have your own language!” The attitude that sees Wales as a charming curiosity rather than a serious political entity is exactly what was reinforced in these Downing Street videos.

Full glasses, empty words

The glass may be full of champagne in Downing Street, but for all the nods to Welshness in Labour’s video, what was missing? Well – everything.

Where was any recognition of the challenges Wales faces? Where was the discussion of our democratic institutions, of the Welsh Government and the Senedd? Where was the celebration of our tenacity against the odds, including the adversities imposed by Westminster? Where was any serious engagement with the future of the Welsh language – not just its existence as a novelty, but as a language that people live, work, and raise their children in?

This is not an isolated case of Westminster’s patronising attitude towards Wales – it happens time and again. The UK Government may be happy to use Wales when they need to conjure a manufactured sense of unified British identity, but when it comes to delivering meaningful change, the enthusiasm somehow disappears.

Take, for example, the ongoing disputes over missing HS2 funding or the revenue from the Crown Estate which continues to flow into Westminster’s coffers rather than being controlled by the Welsh Government.

It’s easy to get caught up in these specific injustices – Plaid Cymru, for instance, has rightly pushed hard on HS2 and the Crown Estate.

But it would be a mistake to get hung up on any of these examples of Wales being treated unfairly as the problem. It is the unfairness itself that is the problem. The result is Wales being underfunded and denied the financial resources it needs to meet the basic needs of its people.

More than outrage, we need a vision for Wales

Westminster’s structural neglect of Wales won’t be resolved by simply winning one-off battles. The more pressing question is: what do we want Wales to become? What’s the long-term vision, and how do we get there?

If Wales is to be taken seriously, those fighting for change must offer a clear, concrete vision, not just a litany of grievances. This means developing a plan for a properly funded, economically sustainable Wales, where decisions reflect the needs of its people. If we fail to show that a better alternative exists, we remain trapped in a cycle of frustration and neglect, where Wales continues to be underfunded, its economy stagnates, and its people are given nothing more than token recognition.

Becoming Agents, Not Subjects

The call for change in Wales cannot rest solely on outrage over funding disputes. It’s not just about pushing back against the latest injustice – it’s about framing a vision for a Wales that can thrive on its own terms, with a future built on the needs and aspirations of its people.

If Wales is to emerge as a strong and independent force in the UK, we need to ensure that the conversations we’re having are not just reactions, but also forward-thinking plans.

For me, moving beyond the novelty of Welshness requires a shift in power.

Instead of being seen as interesting subjects by those who hold the reins, the Welsh deserve the right to decide for ourselves who we are, how to tell our story, and what kind of future we want to create.

This means the agency to make our own decisions, here in Wales.

James Downs is a mental health campaigner, researcher, psychological therapist and expert by experience in eating disorders.

James lives in Cardiff and can be contacted at @jamesldowns on X, Bluesky and Instagram, or via his website: jamesdowns.co.uk