Wed, 29th July Cardiff 24°
Nation.Cymru wordmark
Advertisement

News

Plaid would use time in government to make case for independence, leader says

By Stephen Price
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth - Image: Rob Norman/ HayMan Media

The leader of Plaid Cymru has said his party would use time in government to make the case for Welsh independence.

The party has positioned itself as a government-in-waiting ahead of the Senedd election in May, emboldened by its victory in the Caerphilly by-election in October.

Speaking at a press conference, leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said he hoped to move Wales on to the “road to independence”.

He said: “Everybody in Wales knows that I support Wales being an independent nation.

“The manifesto will spell out how we will want to use our time in government to make the case for how we could do things differently in Wales, how we can set a different trajectory for us by taking more levers of power into our hands.

“You can call that independence now, you can call it the road to independence, whatever, but we have business to do right now, on health, education, on families, on jobs, on the environment, on farming.”

The party leader has already ruled out a referendum in the first term of a Plaid government.

“It is in the hands of the people of Wales,” Mr ap Iorwerth added.

“My job is to try to show leadership and bring people with us… But we do that at the same time as getting to grips with those other issues.”

A Welsh Labour spokesman said: “This morning, Rhun ap Iorwerth said their plans are ‘the route to independence’ when calling for further devolved powers, even though he knows it does not add up.

“While they are shouting from the sidelines and making promises without power, Welsh Labour is building a fair future for Wales.”

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “Plaid Cymru want to tear Britain apart.

“The people of Wales won’t let them.

“Plaid pretends to put Wales first, but in reality they would bankrupt us to pay for their independence pipe dream.

“We won’t let them hide their ultimate aim from voters.

“The Welsh Conservatives are clear: we will stand up for our United Kingdom and reject Plaid’s divisive, damaging separatism.”

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “Plaid Cymru’s plans for independence would do catastrophic damage to the Welsh economy and be thousands of times more damaging than Brexit, risking jobs, investment and public services across Wales.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear: we will not support any government, formally or informally, that spends a single pound on independence.”

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News

14 comments

Jeff

This is where you have to be very careful. I am indi curious but not convinced yet. This can put people off.

Reply
Steve Thomas

It’s just discussing it and encouraging people to consider it. It won’t be enforced or even taken that far at this stage. But I, for one, can’t wait fir the day to come

Reply
And

What can put people off?

Reply
David Hughes

Hi Jeff, I,m 76 going 77,have had reasonable life,worked as A Nurse in our NHS 1967 to 2014.plus a life long Labour supporter and member ,till Starmer,now it,s Plaid and Yes for eventual indy for Wales. This Country of Wales our Wales a d Peoples would be far better off on our own and in control we really really would,wait till Plaid completes it's first term and then.decide,be positive,please.

Reply
Agnes Nutter

SOLD! You got my votes. Independence is best for Wales, as England is veering so far right it going to crash into Scandinavia. Let's bale out whilst we are still a Socialish (sic) nation

Reply
James Edwards

The Unionist parties spread only fear and lies because they have nothing positive to offer. The UK is bankrupt thanks to them and the few crumbs that are left won’t come to Wales anyway as we are always at the back of the queue. Look at how Ireland and other similar size nations within the EU. I don’t hear of any nation that got away from England’s clutches begging to come back.

Reply
Adam

As much as we need to break away from the international embarrassment that the UK has become, this needs to be approached cautiously. The empires' propaganda machine has programmed so many with the myths of "too small", "not rich enough" and numerous whataboutisms that it's going to take effort, even for those who want rid of our occupation. I think the saying "the truth will set you free, but first it will p@@s you off" will be incredibly apt. Also we should prepare for the now normal KGB interference.

Reply
Fi yn unig

Millar and Dodds put their names up to spit their anti Welsh venom. What’s up with the Labour ‘spokesman’ coward? Who was that?

Reply
Jonathan Edwards

Plaid's leader is very wise not to call for a Referendum on Indy in the next Senedd. For one thing, it may not be legal as things stand. Plaid need to use time in Government to sort a number of things, so Wales understands the nuts and bolts of how Indy will work. Here's a Welsh Wish-list Draft Act of Westminster Parliament which gives Wales Dominion Status and changes the law to allow us to hold a Referendum on Indy, and adopt a Wales Constitution after a Convention + Referendum. Fund a Constitutional Convention to draft a Welsh Constitution, including a Welsh Bill of Rights (protecting free speech, Trial by Jury)State that Wales will continue to use the £ and keep the Monarchy, so we don't waste energy and argue about issues which can and will be sorted in the futureThis will get us miles ahead of where we are now. And is based on the same path that most other colonies of England took.

Reply
And

Everything that comes next; Plaids success, more powers, changing Wales status or a referendum is wholly dependent on leverage Plaid has against Westminster. They're just as likely to give us a law to hold a referendum as they are the referendum itself as things stand. Don't understand this need to invent barriers for our own freedom to keep the state that holds us down happy. The campaign for Indy is far more than Rhuns "We'll show we can lead" or whether we keep the £ and creating constitutional conventions... its a process that will take years. Lets take a step at a time and make sure we don't get ahead of ourselves in this process. A lot will be determined in negotiations post-vote (whether a majority vote in the Senedd or a referendum).

Reply
Rhysiart Siencin-Griffith

Look forward to this and hope that Rhun is able to show clearly that services like NHS Cymru will be able to work independently without patients needing to cross the Clawdd, because I don't think that would be a viable option.

Reply
David Hughes

Plaid Cymru in Welsh gov from May 26,is our best hope for future generations .

Reply
Jn jones

All very well. But one suspects this’ll all generate more paper than anything else. To be fair not much else they concretely can do after the supreme court squashed the attempt at a second Scottish referendum. The Scottish government have been churning out independence discussion papers periodically for years now, as substitute for any actual progress. Like a series that’s run on too long each one generates less interest than the last.

Reply
Garycymru

Independence is normal. Referring to this as a "union" is like an abuser locking a woman and her children in a basement and calling it a "family".

Reply

Leave a reply

Replying to Jeff Cancel

This is where you have to be very careful. I am indi curious but not convinced yet. This can put people off.

Comments are reviewed before they appear.