Wales would be worse off with Crown Estate devolution

What can I say!!! Such nonsense

Perhaps the article's figures are correct, however, and as Scotland would very much agree - the land belongs to Cymru and the people of Cymru should benefit from any profit generated from it, regardless of the cost. I'm pretty sure that if you asked Scotland whether it regrets it's decision the answer would be an emphatic no. Yes, it could well be expensive but it's our land - not the monarchy's.

Rubbish, utter rubbish. Of course an imperialist would say this sort of junk. "Everything will cost more" - that's what they all say. Wales will get nowhere if these spanners keep prioritising their profit.

Why would we want England to manage our land when we are perfectly able to do it ourselves?

Nic is of course entitled to his opinion, and none of us should be afraid of someone taking a counter position on this issue. But just a couple of points: 1) Just like every other natural resource in Wales these estates belong to the Welsh people, and we should enjoy any financial benefits which accrue from their ownership and yes, if needs be, deal with any losses that might come from their ownership as well (however unlikely any such losses would seem to be) 2) Im also sure the billions Wales is owed from HS2 - which Wales' former first minister said was 'stolen' from us this week- would more than compensate us for any consequent cuts to the block grant Nic says would happen if the crown estates were devolved to Wales.

Sounds like a desperate argument from a Tory was my first thought. A quick search has proved that it is.

Please explain exactly what The UK-wide Crown Estate model benefits Wales through revenue stability, specialist asset management, and access to global investment for large-scale projects.

At its most basic, devolution is about where decisions are made and where the money flows. The crown estate could be devolved to Wales without the current organisation changing at all, but acting as a shared service centre on behalf of both governments rather than just one. The fact that Scotland didn’t do this doesn’t stop Wales from doing it. We need to stop finding excuses and start finding better ways of working The electricity system in Northern Ireland is operated entirely by EireGrid in the republic, not NESO in GB, because that’s the most efficient and effective way of doing it, but there is no question it doesn’t serve the interests of the people of NI

I had to check the calendar on this one, we are approaching April 1st. We had similar drivel from England about the benefits of beating school children for speaking their native language and stealing the funds raised for the Aberfan families. Another not so Nice Conner from England, trying to insult our intelligence.

I assume, from the nonsense he wrote, that this guy is either a Tory or a right wing Liberal. Scotland hasn’t offered to return the control of the crown estate any time soon, so it is probably safe to assume, it is beneficial to them!

Nic, Wales would only be worse off if our Royal and Westminster masters structured the devolution of our own land and property in such a way as to continue to shaft us. I’m also unsure ‘the bastards will just shaft us in a different way’ is a good argument for maintaining the status quo… I did write about the danger of this being the outcome some time ago: https://nation.cymru/opinion/the-crown-estate-trap/ But I’ll take greater devolution and autonomy every day and will keep pressing for more and more of it, on better terms, and with better structures, until we actually have the power to improve our own national outcomes

Welsh Councils having to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds, so that Welsh people can access our own beaches and coast land, is not justifiable. The so-called 'Crown Estate' is Welsh land, seabed and coast, and should be returned to the rightful owners: the Welsh people. It's a moral argument, not just an economic one.

Plastic Welshman. You love the limited freedom we get don't you? Blaming the whole of Wales for a London-registered party's neglect and incompetence. Quisling.

"However, the reality is that such a move would leave Welsh taxpayers worse off while putting our beaches and natural resources at financial risk" How exactly? "This is misleading. The real issue is whether a devolved system would be financially viable without UK-wide investment and risk-sharing" What 'investments' does the crown estate make? Does it (for example) pay for the tide to come in? Does it pay for coastal defences? (No) What are the 'risks'? "Conwy Councillor Nia Owen claims the Crown Estate “benefits from council taxpayers.”(1) However, the Crown Estate generated £1.1 billion in net revenue profit in 2023/24(2), with Welsh assets valued at £853 million—just 5.3% of the total £16 billion portfolio(3)." 1 It does, they have to pay for beach access if nothing else 2 and? 3 and? He would appear to be suggesting that a company with 853 million in assets is too small to be viable, just looked it up, its actually 5% MORE than Shell (which is obviously far too small to survive) he also seems to argue that administrative costs would be levied on councils, why? they aren't now are they? Also, who pays them now? I'd suggest that administrative costs are being paid out of profits. "This revenue is pooled centrally, ensuring Wales enjoys stable financial returns.", This revenue is pooled centrally thus ensuring that Wales's longer relative coastline & territorial waters will subsidise the relatively shorter English ones. This article is so riddled with holes I'd have been embarrassed to let anyone read it, let alone publish...

None of that is relevant, it’s the simple principles of self determination and fairness. If we choose to elect politicians incapable to managing finances, as you allege, that is our democratic right. You could make similar claims about any government anywhere

Vote out Labour then

I live in hope that the negativity you show follows you out of the door when you leave the Welsh republic

https://www.nicconner.com/bio

Wales is the only country in the UK that does not have control their Crown Estate assets:. Shocking. ✅ Northern Ireland – Some control since 2016, but limited activity ✅ Jersey & Guernsey (Channel Islands) – Local control, not managed by the UK Crown Estate ✅ Isle of Man – Manx Government controls Crown lands independently ✅ Duchy of Cornwall (Prince of Wales) – Separate from the UK Crown Estate, directly controlled ✅ Duchy of Lancaster (Monarch’s private estate) – Separate from the Crown Estate, controlled by the King ✅ Scotland - Full control of their Crown Estate. Revenue remains in Scotland. ✅ England , Full control - Revenue paid directly to the Government.

The lesson from the HS2 consequentials scandal is that Wales will be short-changed by a cash-strapped Westminster Government. If the crown estates were devolved, it’s a fair bet the Barnett block grant that Wales gets back from Welsh revenue streams paid into the UK treasury would be cut disproportionately. Whether you support dissolution of the UK or not, surely the best way to achieve anything like a fair deal for Wales under the current devolution settlement, where Westminster holds Wales’ purse strings, is to scare unionists with the prospect of independence for Wales!

They say to do your research around the article. The writer of this article, Nic Conner, is (or at least was) a member of the Conservative Party. He aided Boris Johnson in his mayoral campaign and advocated for the Leave Campaign. This is a completely biased approach grounded upon personal belief and nationalist reproach rather than truth. This very article, surprising from the usually reliable reporting journalism from Nation.Cymru has taught me that one must check before believing. Do your research, folks!