Welsh independence is the only way out

ALTHOUGH welcoming the new Act of Union proposed by the House of Lords Constitutional Reform Group (Western Mail, November 19), it is clear to me that the views expressed by Peter Hain and Paul Silk are largely based on the premise that the existence of some form of union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is sacrosanct.

It is not. Paul Silk states the Bill “describes a UK where the nations come together because they want to”.

To date there have been four versions of the United Kingdom, in which the other countries have in large measure been treated as colonies of and by England. The first was England and Wales (1284), although it was not called the United Kingdom – it was called England. The second was England and Scotland (1707) and the third England, Scotland and Ireland (1801). In the latter two cases the existence of Wales was not even acknowledged – the pretence that it was just part of England was maintained. The fourth and current version is the one that Theresa May calls “precious”! It is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – with Wales at last acknowledged thanks to the repeal of the Acts of Union of England & Wales (1536/1543) in 1993. The formation of this union involved a monumental measure of border “gerrymandering”. It divided not only Ireland but also one its provinces – Ulster (three of its nine counties were allocated to the Irish Republic). This division was as ridiculous as a frontier between north Wales and the rest of Wales.

The establishing of these four United Kingdoms have certain features in common. All were enforced by England without the consent of the people of the countries essentially being taken over – indeed, very much against their will. All were imposed by violent means or by the threat of violence. All resulted in England being the overwhelmingly dominant nation within the union and in virtually total control. It is hard to believe that any civilised person would advocate rewarding (with colonies) any aggressive nation for committing the barbarity, oppression and violence involved in conquering and dominating smaller/weaker nations and then use it to justify their continuing domination – even if the union occurred centuries ago.

I suggest the appropriate time to ask the nations if they want to come together to form a union is before it is seriously considered, not several centuries after it has been imposed. By that time the controlling nation has had ample opportunity to relentlessly, and successfully, indoctrinate the subjugated people into believing that their pseudocolonial status is best for them – indeed the only desirable – or even possible – option for them.

Of course, England has a huge majority of the population of the UK and of the MPs within the UK. Thus the consequence of the existence of any kind of United Kingdom is – and will be – a pecking order in which England is way ahead of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. In other words, Wales will play second fiddle to England forevermore. Independence for Wales is, of course, the only way to escape from this undesirable situation.

Gwyn Hopkins Llangennech, Llanelli