Why the narrative of Wales being too poor for independence is false

Yeah that's what the abusive husband says - "you'll never survive without me" - whilst simultaneously controlling the finances. Walk away, Cymru Fach. Walk away

Referring to this as a Union is like locking a woman and her children in a basement and calling it a family. The worst part of the myth being peddled, is that the actual people who should know better, blindly regurgitate the lies like good little Robots.

Depends on who will and how will they be leading. At the moment I want to see more engagement from the politicos across the board or we end up with a one trick pony in charge. You need to carry the people with you, not dragged.

It’d be nice to get a clear definition of what will be considered ‘fairer’ taxes, and who gets to decide. Also, which pensions are we talking about negotiating here, and does it include public sector pensions?

You here it from English people all the Time WE KEEP YOU and English people believing that if there was a vote for them to ditch Wales out of the Disunited Kingdom they would vote because the English media tell them a pack of lies and they believe it and my answer to it is IF ENGLAND KEPT WALES THEY WOULD HAVE GOT RID OF US ALONG WITH SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND fact is the 3 Celtic nations keep england we have never been treated in this God foresaken union we must get out with a sense of URGANCY

'It has long been assumed, largely without challenge, that Wales is simply too small, too weak and too poor to make its own way in the world.' An oft-repeated imputation, for sure, but one which as a lazy generalization can be readily dismissed; you only have to look at that small surviving relic of the 'Holy Roman Empire' Luxembourg, which is one of the most prosperous countries in Europe. Denmark's pretty small too, but seems to do well enough. And, closer to home and with something of a similar history to our own here in Wales. there's the Republic of Ireland, whose citizens now have a better average standard of living than folk in the UK do - or so I read just a year or so back. But on the other hand it took Ireland fifty pretty lean years to achieve that fortunate status. I wonder whether folk living in Wales would be willing to endure quite a few years of difficulty in order to achieve - hopefully - what Ireland now enjoys?

For some time now I have been working on a book that demolishes the myths. I very much hope to see it published later this year or early 2025. In the meantime I am happy to continue my talks to any Yes Cymru group - or any else!

Totally agree with this article. Wales needs to free itself of Westminster and it's narrative. I look forward to the day when Wales is free to make it's own way in the world, when the money made in Wales stays in Wales and when we start charging England realistic prices for all the electricity and water we supply them with.

I'm inclined to agree with your general drift, on the current evidence. But I just recall that at the end of the 19th and the very beginning of the 20th centuries pretty much the same arguments were adduced against Irish independence, but, eventually, it still happened.

Yes, of course, Cymru could and should be independent. But it really depends on how independent the people of Cymru want to be. Do we want to retain the wholly discredited new-liberal capitalist model and the poverty it engenders, membership of NATO and the EU, nuclear power stations, armaments factories, the Anglo-Graeco-German monarchy, foreign-owned banks, absentee ownership of our land and other assets, the appalling mismanagement of our society and the economy etc? Not to forget the sacrifice of our environment. If so, what's the point? The first priority is for our citizens to better understand how the economy works (which Reeves and co do not) and how we can make it work for us and our country. That would require us doing things very differently. We would realise that we do not have a tax and spend economy, but a spend and tax economy (the direction is important). That we depend on a healthy public sector to ensure that the private sector can flourish. That there is no such thing as taxpayers' money. That the national debt is a good thing (for stability, liquidity etc) and we shouldn't obsess about it as they do in England. In fact, Cymru will need to create its own national debt on independence - which will help the reconstruction of our schools and hospitals for a start. We will need to focus less on the meanderings of the Distraction Broadcasting Corporation, and create our own independent media. The 'fiscal gap' matters little, whatever size it is. While we should reduce our reliance on exports and imports (even the UK - that 'great' trading nation - is moving towards self-sufficiency, albeit slowly), the emphasis must shift towards Gross National Wellness. GDP growth is not sustainable and probably not achievable either. In a presentation to the YesCymru conference in 2023, I outlined what independence could offer... •       enhanced pensions, benefits and wages – the generous state  •       human rights, democratic reform, referenda •       joining the UN, ECHR, ECJ, customs union, single market •       a social and educational environment conducive to healthy personal development •       a major retrofit and upgrade programme for housing •       degrowth policies for energy, food production, housing, transportation •       upgraded hospitals, schools, care homes •       free childcare and lifelong education •       reversing the privatisation of key public services •       strengthen employment rights, trade unions •       provide debt relief, eliminate student debt •       reform the justice and penal systems •       3 x 7h + 5h community work for 44 weeks a year for 30y >> full pension + supplements  •       permit home cultivation of cannabis pending legalisation, regulation and taxation of all drugs •       adopt a pro-active policy towards peace, nuclear disarmament, internationalism, climate change, justice, equity •       introduce a supplementary internal currency •       ‘Welsh land in Welsh hands’/nationalisation •       guarantee minimum incomes Can we afford it? Of course we can. As Keynes, the greatest economist of the 20th century, said anything we can apparently do we can afford (BBC 1942). Better ask, can we afford not to to leave this dysfunctional union?

The Welsh Labour mafia are just as guilty in holding Wales back as the Westminster establishment. Now that Labour are in power on both sides of the M4 there is no excuse for them not to push for the full devolution of wealth creating powers, and economic development. Wales needs capital growth, white collar jobs and not just manual labour and call centre jobs. But then its not in their interests to do that, because they want voters to keep on blaming all their woes on the Tories.

Of course pensions would continue to be paid by the government who collected the contributions. No-one suggests the liability for UK citizens who retire to Spain should transfer to the Spanish government.

Can we afford not to be independent? Since I first voted in 1979 successive British governments (especially Tory ones) have underfunded our public services, dramatically increased the numbers of children living in poverty, and damaged communities across Cymru. In Cymru we lack the knowledge (and interest) in what has been done to us over many years. We are complicit in our own demise (the Welsh Labour party are most guilty of this complicity). It is only a matter of time before the Tories and their entrenched marketisation beliefs are re-elected in Westminster. We need to leave the union NOW before more damage is done to our country!

It's hypocritical to mention a debt of an Independent Cymru when the current UK National Debt is £2,720.8 Billion. Churchill and others were vehemently opposed to Home rule in Ireland but it happened, plus since then has The ROI ever wanted to rejoin its former Union!

Time to be at the trade table and cut out the middle man

Yes, but when we look at the decades that Wales was subsidising the rest of Britain when it had flourishing coal and slate industries, before they killed the industry here, they actually owe Wales billions.. they took that money and reinvested it in shoddy old England, and not here in Wales where it belonged...