Support for Welsh Independence is undoubtedly growing. Anyone who attended the first Welsh Independence march in Cardiff in May and the huge march in Caernarfon on Saturday will tell you that the mood in Wales has shifted dramatically. It’s no surprise given the political shambles unfolding across the border and the crumbling of the Westminster system, of course people are beginning to see the obvious, that we can do a better job of governing ourselves. Having Boris Johnson as the new UK PM only serves as yet another reminder that the time has come to chart a different course.
I attended both Independence marches and am looking forward to this movement coming to Wrexham soon, which it inevitably will. Scotland is currently gearing up for a second Independence referendum and the reunification of Ireland is also on the cards, it is vital that Wales is also heard. We cannot afford to be left behind and although we have our own road to travel, the conversation about an Independent Wales has well and truly started.
I want to see an Independent Wales because I know that it is the only way to build the Wales we all want. Generations of being ruled by another country has left our economy weak, our resources exploited and our communities fragmenting. It’s time that changed. With Brexit on the horizon and the UK political system in meltdown, the truth is that we can’t afford not to be Independent.
For those who argue we’re too small, tell that to Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the list goes on. Studies tell us that small countries are often the most economically successful in the world. There is nothing intrinsic about Wales that means we can’t be equally as prosperous.
For those who tell us we’re to poor, it is only Independence that will deliver the economic tools we need to make Wales wealthier. We need control over all the economic levers in order to develop an economic strategy based around our needs and aspirations. It only makes sense that economic policy developed by people who live in Wales, who work Wales, who are focused on Wales, will create the wealthier nation we all want. Let’s face it, we’ve had London rule for hundreds of years and their track record speaks for itself.
We also urgently need control over our own resources. Wales is a text book example of an extractive economy. Our resources have been systematically exploited for generations, going forward it is vital that key resources such as energy and water are used to benefit our communities here.
I not only want to see an Independent Wales in order to build our economy, I want to see it because we need to go in a different direction socially too. The type of society I want to see in Wales will be centred around fairness, equality and respect. I never again want to see an age of austerity cripple public services thanks to bailing out reckless bankers. I never again want to see the most vulnerable in our communities slip through the net thanks to vile Tory welfare reform policies, designed to dismantle the welfare state. I never again want to see billions of public money spent on nuclear weapons like Trident, whilst people go hungry and sleep on our streets.
As England increasingly moves to the right, Wales needs to be free to set our own political priorities, we need to be guided by our own moral values, we need to be in control of our own future.
Welsh Independence is now becoming a talking point across the country, something genuinely positive and full of potential on which to focus our attention. The uplifting realisation that we do not have to be ruled by mediocrities in either London or Cardiff Bay is a genuine relief. The idea that we ourselves can create the Wales we want opens the door to a new world of possibilities. Understanding that our current set of circumstances might well be the catalyst we’ve long needed to empower ourselves reveals a whole new perspective.
As an internationalist, as someone who believes in progressive politics and in community as the foundation for building our nation, it is clear to me that Welsh Independence is not only desirable, it’s an absolute necessity.
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