On Wednesday, David Lynch, of the Independent, reported on a debate in the Commons which focused on a proposed floating wind farm off the Welsh coast. The article highlighted input from the Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, Welsh Affairs Committee Chair, Stephen Crabb and Stephen Kinnock.

Kinnock posited that “the manufacturing, the supply chain, the jobs, the skills, [stay] (sic) in Wales”. In response, Crabb wanted to ensure “alignment between the Crown Estate’s leasing auctions and the UK Government, the Treasury’s contracts for difference process, and the commitments that developers are making.”

While this list may seem quite exhaustive, it misses one key group of people: anyone who represents Wales and Welsh interests.

The Crown Estate in Wales is owned by the Crown and administered by the Westminster Government. This is not the case in Scotland, where Crown Estate administration is devolved to the Scottish Government.

The UK Government is the Conservative and Unionist Party, for now. Wales has not voted majority Tory since “new” Welsh towns were given the ability to vote in 1885. The Treasury is part of the UK Government and as fiscal powers are not devolved, Wales is not represented there either.

Therefore, we are left with hope that the proposed private-sector developers, whoever they turn out to be, will represent Welsh industry and Welsh interests.

How can we ensure that Welsh people are represented and that all the required processes happen for the benefit of Wales? There are two options: transfer the Crown Estate, energy and all treasury responsibilities for Wales to the Welsh Government; or Wales could become an independent state and make decisions about its own resources.

With the current arrangement, Wales is like Oliver Twist. Its pay, opportunities and livelihood are decided by the self-righteous Mr Bumble (the Crown Estate), the hypocritical Mrs Corney (the UK Government), and the neglectful Mrs Mann (the UK Treasury). If Wales is going to grow up, it needs to rid itself of the so-called “voluntary” authorities within the so-called “equal” union of the United Kingdom.

The final input in the article was so left-field, it went all the way round to being far-right. Jonathan Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, felt the need to pipe up about the “waste of money” that is the proposed enlargement of the Senedd and the Secretary of State agreed. Gullis quoted the figure of £100 million for the proposed Senedd increase of 36 MS, but the figure is closer to £13 million according to the Senedd Commission, who obviously know more about this than Mr Gullis does.

Byline Times reported that Boris Johnson’s first year as PM incurred a “waste” of over £57 billion, a premiership that Gullis lauded. Liz Truss’ horrific experiment cost the country £30 billion and Bloomberg estimates it wiped out £300 billion of investment in her first month a budget Gullis was responsible for as a Minister of State. Furthermore, Brexit costs the UK £100 billion per year in lost output, a project that Gullis advocates.

On these figures alone, Gullis and his colleagues’ wasted more than £600 billion. By my calculations, that’s enough to expand the Senedd from 60 members to more than 1,600,000, or roughly half the population of Wales! It’s also enough money to build an offshore wind farm 300 times the size of Gwynt y Môr (which would be bigger than Wales).

My suggestion to Jonathan Gullis, and those who share his view, is that they should sit down and keep quiet on matters relating to Wales and wasted money. In the meantime, they should educate themselves on the facts, and speak to Welsh people in the communities that have been forgotten by successive UK governments and investors for far too long.

It is deeply unfortunate that, until we regain our Independence, we will not be able to truly reflect our cultural heritage outwardly in the way that we would wish as a nation. It is hard to build our history and heritage into a new national identity when we don't have the levers and authority to do so. When we are not free to do so.

We have a very stark demonstration of this right now in the repressive and inhumane ‘Stop the Boats’ and Rwanda deportation policies and laws proposed by the current Westminster government whilst the Senedd has designated Wales as a country of sanctuary. It may already be the case that this proposal will break international law - apparently the Westminster government is happy to be testing the limits of UK law and international law in its quest to demonise and expel refugees and asylum seekers. We have seen imagery of the current Home Secretary posing in the newly built 'internment' camps in Rwanda - chillingly reminiscent of 20th century concentration camps. Her apparent delight at the prospect of deporting refugees and, potentially, even the victims of human trafficking and modern slavery practices, is an extreme contrast to Wales' openness and tolerance as a nation of sanctuary. 

However, as part of the Union, Wales remains involuntarily complicit in the actions of Westminster and the implementation of these policies - something the data shows is entirely against the natural inclinations of the vast majority of Wales. It is in direct contravention of the position taken by our democratically elected representatives.

Let us stand up as a nation, united, to reject this abhorrent mistreatment of those in suffering and need. To stand silent is to condone the actions of Westminster - we must voice our discontent loudly, with vigour, confidence and bravery. Ultimately we must break our ties to a system which allows, which believes, that such intolerance and lack of humanity is acceptable in the 21st century.

Here in Wales let us remember that our cultural heritage does not match that of the dominant culture of the past centuries. When the Welsh King Hywel Dda codified the oral laws and traditions of Wales in the 11th Century, women’s rights were enshrined in those laws. Our cultural understanding here in Wales is historically rooted in a belief in equality. We should be proud of this and draw upon it ourselves as we fashion our new Wales, fit for a modern era of tolerance, diversity and equality. We should not settle for being part of the change but should lead the change by drawing on the strength of our own history.

There is a solid image emerging of Wales looking to reflect its own, broadly socially democratic, principles but constantly being thwarted by membership of an Union where the dominant player does not reflect the same worldview. 

Such is the dominance of England within that Union that this will never change. Westminster will always bring down its heel on Wales and on Scotland when we diverge from their chosen path. Either by simply ignoring us or overruling us roughshod and without qualm.

This is perceived as a strength by Westminster and by Unionists. A legacy of the need for unity of purpose in a different world, initially as we collectively led the world through the industrial revolution and latterly as we stood united against the twin toxic ideologies of the 20th century, fascism and soviet communism.

All this is in the past. It will not return. The Industrial revolution is over and this is the century of the digital revolution. That process itself has changed the dynamic of international relationships, politically and economically.

Wales needs to break away and forge its own path and only Independence will allow us to do so. 

Perhaps the difference in worldview has always been plain to see in the name we call ourselves and that we have been given. Wales - land of the foreigners. Cymru - land of my fellow citizens. 

We should all be proud to call everyone who lives in Cymru, whatever their background, origin and current belief, a fellow citizen. Together we can build a new Wales, a new Cymru, where there is a culture of civic responsibility, of contribution, of co-operation and community support. Such things are deep in our psyche in Wales and can be teased out and restored to the forefront of our lived lives. First we must regain our confidence and belief in ourselves collectively. In our strength as individuals and, together, as a nation.

We are strong, we can be Independent, we should be Independent - let’s unite and make it happen.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

YESCYMRU’S INAUGURAL ST DAVID’S DAY LECTURE MARKS TRICENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF ONE OF WALES’ GREATEST POLITICAL THINKERS, DR RICHARD PRICE.

On Saturday, 4th March, YesCymru will host a lecture in honour of a local and national hero, mathematician and political revolutionary, Dr Richard Price.

The lecture will be given by Dr Huw L Williams, Reader in Political Philosophy at Cardiff University and will take place at Bridgend College STEAM Academy, Pencoed Campus, CF35 5LG and starts at 6pm.

Richard Price was born in 1723 in Tynton Farm, Llangeinor, Bridgend and became both one of the most admired and vilified thinkers of his time. Moving to London, he trained as a nonconformist minister, revolutionised the insurance industry and became one of that era’s foremost political thinkers. His radical ideas about society and democracy influenced those involved in the French and American Revolutions and he was a supporter of both.

Christine Moore, Director of Yes Cymru and one of the organisers of the lecture said: 

“Dr Richard Price, like YesCymru, believed in the right of people to govern themselves.  Price spoke out against the crown, slavery and chauvinistic nationalism, advocating equality, democratic principles and civic nationalism. It is high time that we resurrect his memory and spirit and acknowledge one of Wales’ greatest thinkers.”

This event, supported by the Garw Valley History Society, will feature their Richard Price Exhibition which includes a wealth of material and copies of his original work.

The evening will kick off in the company of local fiddle player Marc Weinzweig who will play a selection of traditional Welsh tunes.

Tickets £5/£3 concessions + request a free carer ticket.

The lecture will be in English.

Gwern Gwynfil, CEO of YesCymru, responds to Daily Telegraph’s Allister Heath

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. 

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. 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. 

There is no doubt that St David’s Day should have long since become a National holiday in Wales. For those who doubt this assertion, let’s recap:

2000 - the Welsh Senedd (the Assembly at that time) voted unanimously to have this as a Welsh National holiday. The then Labour government said no - on economic grounds, shaky as these are (some studies suggest that economies with a similar make up to that of Wales actually gain marginally from bank holidays).

2006 - an ICM poll for the BBC finds 87% support in Wales for St David’s Day as a bank holiday. Only one in ten in Wales opposed the idea.

2007 - a petition calling for St David’s Day to be a bank holiday in Wales was rejected by Westminster and Tony Blair, the labour Prime Minister at the time.

2018 - a YouGov poll puts support for St David’s Day as a bank holiday for Wales at 58% with a further 17% in favour of it being a holiday for all four nations. Only 20% were opposed.

So unanimous is support for March 1st as a national day of celebration in Wales that even Andrew R T Davies, current leader of the Welsh Conservatives, in defiance of the UK government line, said last year:

‘I would like to see St David's Day made a bank holiday in Wales. It would be a wonderful opportunity for us to unite and celebrate our rich heritage and culture’

Simon Hart, the then Secretary of State for Wales, gave this short shrift, as ever.

But the point here is not whether we are all supporters of designating St David’s Day / Dydd Gwyl Dewi as a national holiday, it is that we have no power or authority to do so.

It seems a small and inconsequential matter but it symbolises all that is wrong with the Union and with our relationships as nations within it. This is our patron saint, it is our day, uniquely ours, in a packed calendar of global celebrations. Our democratically elected representatives have made it clear that they believe it should be celebrated and defined as a special annual holiday. Polling has been consistently in favour of it being a dedicated festival day. Requests have been frequent and consistent. Always dismissed. What better example do we need of our lack of agency as a nation, as a people.

Whatever your feelings on designating this day as a national holiday or not, that we should be free to do so for ourselves as a nation is evident. 

With such high levels of support, in an independent Wales, you can be absolutely assured that we would be celebrating our heritage and culture on March 1st as a national holiday, and would have been doing so for decades.

What better symbol do we need of a dominant power suppressing the democratic will of its associated subjects. If the relationship between London and Cardiff was a balanced one, based on mutual respect and the recognition that this was a voluntary Union of nations working together in cooperation, then how could there be an objection to allowing us to celebrate our own holiday? 

Now it may be that there is a feeling in the Westminster corridors of power that the Welsh are like children who should not be allowed the authority or power to determine their own holiday calendar. 

The answer for us in Wales is clear and absolute - Independence. Let’s take back control of our own fate, let’s seize our own destiny, let’s stand on our own feet. Let’s make all of our own decisions, let’s plan and invest for our own future and the future of our children, let’s stand tall on the international stage, politically as well as in the sporting arena.

Let’s show our strength as people, let’s grow and succeed as an independent nation, let’s solve the challenges we face today and in the future with solutions designed for Wales. With the understanding that we can do better because we know and care about the people who live here in Wales, we recognise that we all have shared goals of prosperity, fairness and lives lived with joy, happiness and fulfilment.

Independence / Annibyniaeth - let’s make it happen.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

In Wales we have a language unique to us.

Whilst there is a scattering of Welsh across the globe, from Argentina to New Zealand to the USA, it is a defining feature of Wales that we have ownership of one of the oldest living languages in Europe, if not globally. 

It is a mark of an oppressive environment that the oppressed limit their ambition, lack confidence and pride in what they have. This is certainly true in Wales although we hide it well. We hide it particularly in our passion for our sporting achievements and in the way we identify with our teams and sporting heroes. We hide it in our deep conviction that Wales is not England, that we are different, that we have a distinct identity. We hide it by telling ourselves that we have been part of something greater than ourselves across centuries of history, playing our part, small but crucial, in all of the successes of the Greater, broader British enterprise.

But we do not hide it well enough. It manifests itself in many ways but nowhere more so than in our conflicted relationship with the Welsh language. There are deeply Welsh people who harbour a fear of the Welsh language because it has been lost to them, often generations ago. There are still Welsh speakers who mistakenly believe that only by speaking the language can one be truly Welsh, a defensive stance arising from centuries of cultural and language suppression.

There are new arrivals into Wales who are allowed to scorn the language because we, as Welsh communities, whether we speak it or not, are not bold and confident enough to put them in their place and make them understand that this is a national treasure which belongs to all of the people of Wales. Even to these new arrivals who have come to make Wales their home.

Our language is one thing which is utterly, uniquely ours and a treasure to be owned and shared by every single person in this country. When you lose your language, your identity, your pride and your confidence will surely follow. A confident nation would be unutterably proud of the language and its survival in the face of blatant and aggressive suppression - the infamous Welsh Not - and of the insidious oppression of exclusion. Welsh was not allowed as a language of the law, a language of commerce, of business, of trade, of politics, of science, of education, of anything bar the home and the chapel. Its survival in spite of centuries of constant attack should be celebrated as a great victory for the whole of Wales. Like the song says, the language, like us, is ‘Yma o Hyd’ - still here.

So much has our confidence been drained, our faith in ourselves, in our own culture, in the unique offer we have for the world, so much has this been undermined, that our language, our own unique language, our own exclusive national treasure, has not been raised up as an unifying force to bind us together in celebration and recognition of our wondrous Welshness, rather it has been used to divide us, to create internal conflict, to make us afraid of each other.

In the global marketplace the absurdity of our lack of confidence is often demonstrated by those outside Wales, who tell us how amazing we are, how wonderful our language is and its survival. We’ve seen this recently with Netflix buying the Welsh language and even that bastion of Britishness, the Guardian praising the unquantifiable wealth that our language adds to Wales culturally. This is not new. Confident commentators from non-British nations have always been able to see this, but for us it has been muddied and obscured by our immediate neighbour’s jealous dismissal of the relevance and strength of our unique language. Perhaps we should not judge them as they have lost their language to the world, we have it too, a natural national advantage over our generically monoglot English cousins. We are blessed with a culture and a system which can capitalise on the growing academic and scientific consensus that fully bilingual people and education confer a significant benefit to all when assessed in terms of lifelong outcomes.

But here we must seize our opportunity together, united. Ensure that everyone in Wales understands that this is their language, whether they are masters of it or not. The untranslatable concepts, the cwtch, hiraeth and more - concepts that are recognised here in Wales by Welsh speakers and non-Welsh speakers alike. They are recognised because they too are cultural treasures uniquely ours. Entwined with language and memory, with song and legend, with who we are and where we’re from. Concepts that we can share with open arms with those who move to Wales and who embrace us in return. Concepts that define us. Concepts that should underpin our self confidence and pride in our nation.

This is a self confidence and pride which we must nurture to give us the drive, the passion and the power to seize our own destiny, to campaign for and achieve independence, to seize that opportunity when it comes, to make Wales the nation, the country it can and should be, standing tall on the international stage.

Be proud of your language, whether you speak it or not. Applaud those who do, revel in its lyrical sounds, bask in its uniqueness, identify yourself and who you are with this ageless cultural treasure that has survived in spite of everything thrown at it.

If you have a few words, use them, if you are fluent, speak it loudly and often, if you want to learn, go for it - and do it all with confidence and pride in yourself and in your ownership of this piece of Wales, of our land, of our heritage, of our culture. 

A rich culture which we can, and should, happily share with the world, with joy, with vigour and with passion.

Cofleidiwch eich iaith! Embrace your language! 

Bendigeidfran's Blog

This week the Secretary of State for Wales, David T C Davies, made much of the ‘positive news’ that 400,000 households in Wales would soon be in receipt of their first cost of living payment this Spring.

In his words ‘it is good to see that over 400,000 of those most in need in Wales are getting financial support from the UK Government with direct payments’. 

The Secretary of State’s figures are wrong! He is focused on ‘households’ but as we all know, it is the people of Wales who live in those homes and, it is they who are suffering from the cost-of-living crisis. 

In fact, the 400,000 households equate to 1.4 Million individuals. That is close to half the population of Wales. These are people living in poverty as a direct result of Westminster’s mismanagement of energy policy and the UK economy. Does the Secretary of State think it good that Westminster has driven so many into a situation where they must claim financial help to go about their lives? The situation is a disgrace. The words of the Welsh Secretary are insulting to the people he is supposed to be representing. 

We should all be angry that so many in Wales are in poverty; angry that as far as Wales is concerned the United Kingdom is effectively a failed state, with almost half of its population categorised as struggling to make ends meet; angry that the Secretary of State for Wales believes that this is a good thing; angry that a nation endowed with so much natural and human resource has been reduced to receiving scraps from Westminster.

Wales must become an independent nation. But can the country afford to untether itself from Westminster? 

The real question is “can Wales afford not to be an Independent nation?” “Can the people of Wales afford to stay in this toxic relationship so that we can prop up the delusions of Westminster. The Westminster myth that the U.K. is still a ‘World Power’?” 

We should be looking to fashion a brighter future through Independence based on International cooperation and better suited to the new realities of the global economy.  

That brighter future exists for Wales. 

An independent Wales can take its place alongside its European partners, deciding its own destiny. Earning respect across the globe as an inclusive and progressive society.

If we truly want to improve the lives of the people who live in Wales – our lives – then we must have Independence. It is time for us to ‘take back control’. Time for us to plan our own futures, to make our own decisions, to invest our time, assets and resources in our own future.

Poverty is not acceptable. We deserve better. Wales is worth more than being the grateful recipient of the occasional handout from Westminster.  We must reject the proposition that persistent poverty is acceptable. We must realise that the Union has served its purpose, that its time is done and that the future needs to be different. 

The United Kingdom is in decline, its economy is shrinking relative to other nations, its wealth in freefall. The gap between the rich and poor is second only to the USA. Wales languishes at the bottom of the UK wealth table. 

As the size of the pie shrinks it will be evermore in Westminster’s interest to focus what wealth remains on the ‘regions’ which support its regime. The lives of the citizens of Wales will never be important to those who dominate the London Parliament. 

Wales is being bled by Westminster. Giving more of its natural, human and financial resources to the union and receiving less-and-less. HS2 - the high speed rail project between London and Birmingham - will cost the people of Wales at least £5 Billion, possibly as much as £8 Billion. The economic benefit to Wales is zero. Our country will, in fact, be £150 million worse off!  (Yes, you did read that correctly - we in Wales are contributing £5 Billion so that our economy can shrink by £150 Million). 

Wales is tied into an abusive relationship it would be wise to leave. The union is not working for Wales and despite consistent political appeals to Westminster for more under the current system, nothing has been forthcoming. As a free and independent nation, our country will step into the future as a culturally diverse and open economy. Necessarily internationalist. A home for innovation and opportunity. Fresh and exciting.  

In the last 50 years the list of small nations across Europe who have seized their own destiny and are now thriving is long: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Czechia and more. Most of these have leapfrogged Wales in terms of the wealth and prosperity of their people in the few short decades since they achieved their independence.

It is time for Wales to do the same. It is time for us, all of us, to seize our own future; to campaign for and gain our independence; to create our own, new Welsh nation, rich in history and resources, yet forward thinking and outward looking. A confident nation, a prosperous nation, a nation imbued with hope and passion, a Welsh nation.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

At first glance this may seem preposterous. For many, the notion that England and Westminster should approve of divesting itself of the most loyal and longstanding servants of the Great British project is absurd.

It is time to question this belief? Just because something is longstanding or ‘has always been that way’, is no reason at all to assume that it is still the best way forward, more so given that the foundations upon which the union was built no longer hold sway.

It is certainly the case that Great Britain is far from being the powerful international force and wealthy nation it once was. 

This decline is apparent to all, as the UK plummets down the international wealth rankings and increasingly finds its voice side-lined, reduced to a squeak in the halls of global influence. 

Its decline and transformation underlined and defined for history by the death of its longest serving monarch, Elizabeth II, whose reign encompassed the slow post-war unravelling of Empire to the fast-moving Digital Age.

It is a decline evident in our daily lives as more and more hardworking professionals struggle to make ends meet in a country where per capita disposable income has hardly increased for 15 years. A fact which itself breaks the implicit understanding within a voluntary Union that cooperation is intended to improve the lot of all. The union is failing England, Scotland and Wales and its end will benefit us all.

Clearly, now is the time for reinvention. Now is the time to ask ourselves why we remain in this Union and how it serves our best interests?

Proponents of creative destruction must surely already be on board, what better way to revitalise the fortunes of a crumbling, decaying, vestige of Empire by breaking it apart? Tired assumptions can be broken to make room for innovations and to build anew with existing resources and energy.

For England to thrive it should cut Wales and Scotland loose, with a generous leg up to send them on their way, so that all three nations can grow and flourish together in partnership. A thriving island on the edge of Europe, culturally vibrant, innovative and creative - generating wealth for all of its inhabitants whilst also adding to the rich, cultural, diversity and wealth of Britain. 

Make no mistake, in this scenario Britain will still exist, just as it existed as ‘Prydain’ long before it became a single political entity. Let history come full circle and adapt the island of Britain to suit the era of instant global communication and connectivity born of the Digital Age.

The Union was forged to exploit and now should be consigned to history. Let England be a positive and proactive part of this change. In partnership rather than in union, Wales, Scotland and England can forge a new path for a modern, innovative, international Britain. Punching above its collective weight globally by being distinct and separate whilst geographically entwined and bound by centuries of shared history and culture.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

‘Whatever your opinion on this law itself, this is an attack on democracy in Scotland that makes a mockery of Devolution. Only Independence can protect our rights to make our own laws’

The CEO of  the Welsh pro-independence movement, YesCymru, says Westminsters’ veto of the Scottish Gender Bill is fundamentally an “attack on democracy”.  

Gwern Gwynfil, made the comments after Westminster government ministers confirmed that they are vetoing the Scottish legislation, in defiance of the support it received in Holyrood (including the votes of two Conservative MSPs). 

He argues that independence is the only way to enshrine democracy in Scotland and Wales. 

"This move by the Conservative government in Westminster sets a dangerous precedent. Whatever your opinion on this law itself, this is an attack on democracy in Scotland that makes a mockery of devolution. Only Independence can protect our right to make our own laws here in Wales. 

“We must make it clear to all that until we secure our goal of Independence, Westminster will always have the power to ride roughshod over any decisions taken here in Wales. 

“Whether they do so for political point scoring, for cultural reasons or to prevent Wales from expanding its economic reach is no matter, the very fact that they can, means that they will do so when Wales displeases them. Independence is our only route out of this patriarchal, exploitative, authoritarian and anti-democratic relationship.’’ 

“Whatever your personal opinion on any given law, it is the essence of democracy to abide by the decisions of duly elected representatives in a majority. We can, and should, protest loudly and actively where we disagree, but veto by imperial diktat is simply unacceptable and an affront to voters. In this case in Scotland but it can happen to us in Wales at any time, over any matter,’’ Gwern added.

It is extremely unlikely that, as a nation, we would wish to follow our English neighbours and parrot their foreign policy. We have no interest in the legacy of the Empire, the Commonwealth or in projecting military power across the globe. As a small nation, Wales could opt out of the big global policy scene.

No one would criticise us for doing so but let us consider what we could achieve with ambition, determination, planning and intent.

As with domestic policy, Welsh priorities do not align with those pursued at a wider UK level today, and they certainly won’t align when the Union ends. Wales will be seeking its own path and pursuing its goals on the international stage.

No doubt England will work incredibly hard to keep the permanent seat on the UN Security Council exclusively to itself as the Union breaks up. It’s hard to imagine any separation agreement which would allow Wales to keep some influence here after Independence, as this would amount to an effective Welsh veto on any votes or proposals made at the highest level. We would join the UN but merely as ordinary members. This alone would be a satisfying outcome for Wales. 

Unbeknownst to many is that one of the original progenitors of the ideas and efforts that led to the League of Nations and, subsequently, the United Nations was the Welshman Henry Richard, MP for Merthyr Tydfil ( aka the ‘Apostle of Peace’). Henry tirelessly crisscrossed Europe in the 19th century sowing the seeds of international cooperation.

So, what can an independent Wales offer on the international stage?

Soft power.

We have a great hand to play, following in the footsteps of Henry Richard. We neither pose a threat to any nation nor are we in a location where others would threaten us. Neutrality and mediation have often been the real power brokers, and this type of power beckons for an Independent Wales.

With a highly-skilled, small, consistent, and cohesive team of diplomats to mediate and negotiate selflessly and objectively, Wales could assert itself as a safe space for sensitive discussions and negotiations. Under the radar, yet working with all sides to resolve conflicts and disagreements even when the main players, for political reasons, are intransigent with each other.

An Independent Wales will not be a new and volatile nation but an old and venerable one, newly minted and released from bondage, with global connections and a history spanning centuries.

Did you know that many of the early American Presidents were Welsh and that there was

considerable Welsh American input into the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776?

As you can see, we are already a nation with a deep historical connection with one global superpower – the USA. And then there is China, with whom we have a shared national symbol, the Dragon. This might seem trivial, and little upon which to build a diplomatic relationship of trust and integrity. Still, symbols are hugely important in the far east, and China is no exception.

Realpolitik would certainly recognise the merit of a third-party forum with no vested interests.

Simply put, Wales could act as a safety valve and conduit for communication when official direct channels have broken down or when domestic sentiments for the relevant players demand political posturing that may not necessarily align with long-term interests. 

Bendigeidfran's Blog

YesCymru CEO accuses Sunak of "trampling" on Welsh workers' rights with "immoral" anti-strike legislation

The CEO of YesCymru has accused Rishi Sunak of "trampling" on the rights of Welsh workers with the "immoral" anti-strike legislation. 

Gwern Gwynfil, who heads up the pro-independence group, made the comments after Tory ministers announced the planned crackdown on unions. He argued that independence is the only way to secure "a better future for Wales and all of her people"..

Under the legislation, which would be imposed on Wales from Westminster, employers will be able to sue unions and sack staff who take strike action.  

The legislation will enforce “minimum service levels” in six sectors, including the health service, rail, education, fire and border security. 

They will force a proportion of union members to continue working to maintain those “minimum service levels”, which would mean that strikes would be deemed illegal if unions refused to provide them.

Gwern Gwynfil YesCymru CEO said "The Sunak government’s attack on workers rights undermines the freedoms and values enjoyed by the Welsh population today. This Tory government has no democratic mandate in Wales and their action is deeply immoral and simply cannot be justified. 

"We value our people properly here in Wales, we don’t just clap for them when it suits us, these are our brothers and sisters, our neighbours and friends, mothers and fathers - all of whom deserve a reasonable quality of life and should not be expected to struggle constantly both at home and in the workplace. We must insist on Independence so that we can build a better future for Wales and all of her people. No more of Westminster trampling our rights and exploiting us for their own ends".

It has been an honour to Chair the National Governing Board of Yes Cymru since March and to have worked with a dedicated group of Directors, our new Chief Executive and the team.  It has been hard work, but one of the greatest achievements of last year was to steady the YesCymru ship that had sailed perilously close to the rocks at the end of 2021.  

It is not exciting work sitting in meeting after meeting making sure the finance, governance and internal structures are fit for purpose, but the end result is a satisfying one. We can be confident entering 2023 that YesCymru has strong, deep and firm foundations upon which to grow and expand its membership, its activities and its effectiveness. This is what we have achieved this past year and I believe the working NGB can be justly proud of all their efforts. YesCymru is powerfully poised to have an even more significant impact on the Independence debate and movement over the coming years.

This year we have also worked with AUOB, with YesCymru providing most of the finance as well as significant organisational support from our Directors and volunteers, in delivering two very successful marches - in Wrexham and in Cardiff. Between these two events it has been estimated that close to 18,000 attended.

This  year will be an exciting year, with further marches already in the pipeline but also our first ever conference to be held over a weekend in Aberystwyth in mid June. An opportunity to strengthen personal links within the organisation across Wales, to learn from each other and to improve our fundamental skills as a grassroots campaign organisation. Our biggest challenge remains in moving support for independence up from its present level, at around 30%, to the next stage of over 50% - the best way to achieve this will be by converting the support we already have both within Wales and across the Welsh diaspora, into active membership. This will not only help to finance the campaigning, research and visible marketing we need to ensure prominence for the debate at all times but the weight of membership itself can be a tool to create more political pressure in favour of Independence. 

Elfed Williams

The Article image is of Elfed Williams, the existing Chair of the National Governing Body on the left, with Sion Jobbins, a previous YesCymru chair on the right.

Although there has been a great deal to do, a great deal to learn and a great deal of groundwork for a successful 2023, the first 19 weeks in post have been rewarding. Getting to know the current NGB and discovering that they are bright, productive and astonishingly capable has been wonderful. Having the opportunity to address the vast crowd at the Cardiff march was a very special (if incredibly nerve wracking) moment. Working with the Board, firstly to create a vision for the future of the organisation, then to begin the process of implementing that vision, has been productive, challenging and successful. 

Fundamental to that vision is the knowledge that we may soon find ourselves in a situation where the United Kingdom has already ceased to exist. Northern Ireland is shaping to reunite with the Republic of Ireland, an inevitable outcome of the Good Friday Agreement but one which has certainly been accelerated by Brexit and Westminster’s creation of the NI protocol. Meanwhile, Scotland is now consistently polling a majority in favour of Independence, with an overwhelming majority amongst those under the age of 50 - it is only a matter of time. Wales may soon find itself staring at a future as nothing more than an adjunct to England, no longer part of an union of nations but just one small nation forcibly tied to an overwhelmingly larger and dominant neighbour. A neighbour who consistently demonstrates little or no regard for its very junior partner. There is no bright future for Wales in this relationship, it provides no ‘insurance’.

Right now, as an organisation, YesCymru is not ready. We do not have robust campaigning structures in place at any level. We do not have effective and resilient internal communication channels. We do not have enough reach or impact in our external communications. This is not surprising as we remain a relatively young and fresh organisation. Nonetheless, it is disappointing. As an organisation we have had to evolve rapidly, have suffered growing pains and have now undergone a period of rapid transformation to reassert our focus on our core goal. Over the next 6-18 months that transformation and growth must continue at pace. We have to become a lean, effective, coordinated campaigning body with active members and groups on the ground in every corner of Wales. We have to become the platform which unites the entire Indy movement and gives it a much more powerful collective voice. Mean Undod mae Nerth.

This is how we win the Independence debate, this is how we persuade the population of Wales, this is how we achieve our goal. At the community level we must engage as often as we can with individuals to discuss the future of our country. Everyone will have a reason to support Independence and we, as individuals and as an organisation, must help people on their journey to discover that reason. 

Over the next six months we will be working hard to establish new groups, to reestablish dormant groups, to get existing groups to be increasingly active in as many ways as possible - from participating in local events, to holding their own community activities, to communicating with existing members and supporters across the area that their group covers. National campaigns will build on these local foundations and we will have an effective campaigning machine.

Achieving Independence is possible when those of us who believe passionately that this is the best way to create a brighter future, for Wales today and the generations to follow, contribute consistently in our hundreds, our thousands, in a myriad of small ways, to make it happen.

The conference in June will be our opportunity as groups, as volunteers and as a movement to come together. Here we will share information, learn from each other and establish new, personal connections to strengthen our network of active support across Wales. 

Before the conference we will also have our Swansea march for Independence, we will be urging as many members as possible to come to this from across Wales but, more importantly, we will be asking everyone who comes to try and bring one, two, a handful, of family, friends and acquaintances, who may only be mildly Indy curious, with them. The measure of the success of that march will not be in the numbers who attend, the affirmation of support and shared goals for those of us who are already passionate about Indy, or even in the media spotlight that it brings. Its success must be measured through how many people it brings that step closer to full throated support for an Independent Wales, in how many individuals it pushes to take that ultimate step in declaring their support and joining YesCymru, in how many leave with a new fire in their bellies, ready to proactively campaign for Independence.

On the digital front we will continue the work of improving our platform for members and supporters. More content (read Bendigeidfran’s Blog if you haven’t already done so!), more tools for groups and members as campaign aids, more extensive use of social media across more platforms. In short, in 2023, we will be doing more of everything - focussed exclusively on our core goal of Independence.

Ymlaen gyfeillion, to Independence!

Gwern Gwynfil

If you have some knowledge of rural affairs I expect you think this article will be about the iniquities of the Australian trade deal, agreed in foolhardy haste by a Westminster government desperately trying to validate Brexit economically. Or perhaps you’ll be expecting a diatribe about the incompatibility between Welsh rural life relative to that of England. Or even something examining the cultural differences in Wales when compared with other parts of the UK.

Sorry to disappoint. These and many other issues are certainly valid. There’s plenty to discuss in terms of the future of rural Wales and the potential offered by Independence but that is not the fundamental reason why every single farmer in Wales should desire Independence instinctively and wholeheartedly.

Let’s paint a picture.

Farmers love their land, they always have a deep affinity for it. Whether they have a multi generation family farm or have somehow managed to build a farm business and acquire land from nothing. It is the very nature of farming to care, to cherish and to improve that which you have. This needs long term planning, an often innate conservatism and an understanding of their own holdings which only comes with time and legacy.

So here we are, with our small but beautiful farm. Full of potential but needing a lot of work.

Unfortunately, there’s a farm 20 times larger right next door. Worse yet, the farmer next door effectively controls around 80% of everything we can do on our farm.

They also collect around 90% of the proceeds of everything we produce on our farm,

They don’t give us an accurate tally of how much this generates for them. 

They spend this according to the priorities of their huge farm next door.

Then, ‘generously’, give us money to run our agricultural operations. This they do whimsically, with rules they write themselves. 

They stop us investing in improving our farm, its infrastructure and our future.

They probably do love and cherish their own farm, in their own way, but they definitely don’t care for ours.

No farmer would, or should, ever allow the farm next door to set their priorities for their holdings, their livestock, their crops. 

This is why every Welsh farmer should stand tall for an Independent Wales.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

Why Membership is so important for YesCymru

Whilst we are a political campaigning group we are not, and never will be, a political party with elected representatives. We must find other ways to make our voice heard in the political sphere.

In the simplest terms membership gives us weight and influence.

We need to be the largest political grouping in Wales to decisively shift the scales in favour of Independence.

In practical terms this means being larger than the Welsh Labour Party.

This will be a challenge. We need to triple our current membership and we will need to have around ten thousand more members than we had at the very peak of membership.

BUT getting there throws the door wide open on a multitude of opportunities.

In media terms we become the most important game in town and have to be given a voice on everything. No more Question Time in Wales without Independence squarely on the agenda!

It will force the Labour movement in Wales to address the question of Independence head on - no more papering over differences between Labour Unionists and Independence supporters with Home Rule fudge.

It will give us more resources to campaign, to organise, to contribute to the realities and possibilities of our future Independent nation.

It will be an unassailable statement of the depth of support for Independence in Wales today.

The prominence the lead spot gives us will enable us to communicate more effectively and clearly.

More members will mean more active volunteers, more enthusiasm, more nationwide conversations about Independence.

The dissemination of information will be broader and faster.

It is hard to overestimate the impact reaching these member levels could have. The single most important thing that any supporter of Welsh Independence can do is to add their voice to that of YesCymru by joining and pushing the ticker one click higher. 

Rulers can only rule with the consent of the people and we must gather together as one to make it clear that we no longer consent to Westminster rule.

We cannot just wait for the world to shape our future for us, we must make change happen. We have history and form in Wales - when communities coalesce we’ve done great things. From the establishment of our first University by subscriptions from across the length and breadth of Wales, to the working men’s institutes and their role in nurturing aspiration, to the birth of the NHS and, indeed, the Labour party itself. Together we can do this again.

Membership Matters. Independence. Annibyniaeth.

Bendigeidfran's Blog

Why Membership is so important for YesCymru

Whilst we are a political campaigning group we are not, and never will be, a political party with elected representatives. We must find other ways to make our voice heard in the political sphere.

In the simplest terms membership gives us weight and influence.

We need to be the largest political grouping in Wales to decisively shift the scales in favour of Independence.

In practical terms this means being larger than the Welsh Labour Party.

This will be a challenge. We need to triple our current membership and we will need to have around ten thousand more members than we had at the very peak of membership.

BUT getting there throws the door wide open on a multitude of opportunities.

In media terms we become the most important game in town and have to be given a voice on everything. No more Question Time in Wales without Independence squarely on the agenda!

It will force the Labour movement in Wales to address the question of Independence head on - no more papering over differences between Labour Unionists and Independence supporters with Home Rule fudge.

It will give us more resources to campaign, to organise, to contribute to the realities and possibilities of our future Independent nation.

It will be an unassailable statement of the depth of support for Independence in Wales today.

The prominence the lead spot gives us will enable us to communicate more effectively and clearly.

More members will mean more active volunteers, more enthusiasm, more nationwide conversations about Independence.

The dissemination of information will be broader and faster.

It is hard to overestimate the impact reaching these member levels could have. The single most important thing that any supporter of Welsh Independence can do is to add their voice to that of YesCymru by joining and pushing the ticker one click higher. 

Rulers can only rule with the consent of the people and we must gather together as one to make it clear that we no longer consent to Westminster rule.

We cannot just wait for the world to shape our future for us, we must make change happen. We have history and form in Wales - when communities coalesce we’ve done great things. From the establishment of our first University by subscriptions from across the length and breadth of Wales, to the working men’s institutes and their role in nurturing aspiration, to the birth of the NHS and, indeed, the Labour party itself. Together we can do this again.

Membership Matters. Independence. Annibyniaeth.