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Opinion

YesCymru challenges Daily Telegraph’s anti-devolution rant

12 Feb 2023 4 minute read
Inset: New YesCymru Chief Executive Gwern Gwynfil. Background, YesCymru

Gwern Gwynfil, CEO YesCymru

Strident comment pieces by the editor of the Sunday Telegraph will always make for interesting reading when the Conservatives are in government.

It is often the case that where the Telegraph goes the Tories soon follow.

In this case, despite the obvious muddled thinking in Allister Heath’s recent rant, what is very clear is that the concept of ‘muscular unionism’ is very much alive and kicking. Heath even suggests ‘going to war’ with devolution as a road to political gain for the Tories.

Heath is however not entirely unjustified in some of his analysis. He simply comes to entirely the wrong conclusion. His position rests on the misplaced and patronising belief that England alone knows best, that it has the right to dictate and control Scotland and Wales. This is an understandable legacy of his education and upbringing in an Anglocentric world view where Britain still rules the waves.

But there is consensus here too. Heath, the Scottish government, and the Constitutional Commission for Wales are unanimous in their belief that the current devolution settlement is not fit for purpose.

Ultimately there can be only one solution to this and that must be independence. There is no going back to centralised power without undermining our democratic rights.

Scotland and Wales have made it abundantly clear at the ballot box that Westminster control is not for them. We must move boldly forward.

Localism

Ironically enough, Heath agrees. He states very clearly that he is ‘all for genuine localism and true people power’. Apparently he backed Brexit to ‘bring power downwards’.

The logical end point of his own beliefs, then, is the nations of the United Kingdom forging their own futures.

Unfortunately for Heath, he can’t let go of his conviction that power should only localise as far as those he believes are the right people to hold it – for him those people are definitely not the people of Wales and Scotland.

Us Welsh, he refers to as a ‘lower calibre of power crazed bureaucrats’, the Scots get to be the ‘destroyers of the nation of Adam Smith, infected by wokery, no longer proud of their history’.

Whisper the word if you will, but this smacks of an out-of-date imperialist worldview, where the benevolent British masters know what’s best.

Heath is welcome to this belief. But he should conclude that the right answer is to follow his ‘genuine localism and true people power’ convictions and to argue in favour of cutting Wales and Scotland loose from this ever more stagnant, tired and crumbling union. A union without equality, a union clearly without mutual understanding and respect, a union without unity.

Separate amicably

Time for all of our nations to separate amicably and create new working relationships based on respect and cooperation.

In doing so we will all become better versions of ourselves and be able to generate greater wealth, health and wellbeing for all the people who live on these fabulous British Isles.

A geographic designation which can survive and thrive even as we become a diverse and vibrant group of nations.

So, Mr Heath, consider yourself invited to join the campaign for Independence – for Wales, for Scotland, and yes, for England too. As independent nations we will all be able to pursue our own visions, based on the democratic choices of our own populations, to fashion our own societies which work for us all.

While Mr Heath continues to build towards his post-Brexit dreams in an independent England, Scotland and Wales can be free.

Free to create their own futures and take their place alongside the other nations of the world. Free from a union designed to suppress, subjugate and exploit.


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Another Richard
Another Richard
1 year ago

Anyone with any doubts about the calibre of Welsh politicians should watch Hannah Blythyn in action against Laura Anne Jones in the Senedd last week.

Dai Rob
Dai Rob
1 year ago

Where can we watch it?

Another Richard
Another Richard
1 year ago
Reply to  Dai Rob

Not sure if I can post a link here – try googling “sparks fly Senedd self-ID spectator”, which should provide a clip of the exchange which lasts just over two minutes

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

The ’ Union ‘ only has one aim and purpose – a little like the Established Church of England……T0 CONTINUE at ALL COSTS 🇬🇧……

……we need to up our game… spats in the Senedd between members of the two Unionist Party MS’s is just not of any interest to the electorate…………..

……we want Welsh Gvt action on Education, Health, River Polution, JOBS , decent public transport etc etc

The lack of action just plays to the Torygraff song sheet !?

Riki
Riki
1 year ago

One discussion we need to have before/during independence is who will get to use and identify as British, as you can’t have three sovereign nations all claiming to be one identity. Do the Welsh, who are Thee British and natives of this island get to use it, or do the Converted English who have convinced the Cymro Briton he/she is Welsh and indeed, have convinced the entire world they are British.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Britain should only be used to describe an area of land and is not a single race.

We can all call ourselves Europeans as we reside to Europe.

George Bodley
George Bodley
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Correction chap Britons not British or to give us our original name PRYDAIN hope i didn’t misspell that

Last edited 1 year ago by George Bodley
Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
1 year ago

Nicely done Gwern. Grayson Perrys’ ‘Full English’ series on a Thursday night must have the Empire heads spitting their teeth out. He travels around England asking people what it means to them to be English and attempts to discover English identity. The quirky map he uses to chart his progress is a map of England ONLY which recognises its’ borders ending at Berwick on Tweed in the north and Hay on Wye in the west. It is this recognition which will end the search for their identity when England stands clearly defined and its’ enemy, the Empire, is consigned to… Read more »

Steve A Duggan
Steve A Duggan
1 year ago

It is obvious many in the ‘British’ establishment and its right wing rags don’t want Cymru and Scotland to go their own way. But it’s not because they value us, it’s down to what they percieve as a loss of respect abroad. A British Isles of independent countries, they believe, will not have as much clout as one nation under the control of Westminster. How wrong they are. The EU is strong and getting stronger – independent nations can stick closely together and have one voice.

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve A Duggan

English establishment! When will the Cymro Britons stop legitimising the English use of the term…British?

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

Muscular Unionism ? You gotta be kidding? It’s more like fat flabby nouveau colonialism supremacists acting like school yard bullies then bleating like big babies when they can’t impose their nonsense whenever it suits them.

George Bodley
George Bodley
1 year ago

Little englander tabloid full of unionist nonsense

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