Free Wales a disaster? Just look elsewhere

CLIFFORD Roger in his letter “Welsh independence would be a disaster” (Western Mail letters, August 12) is repeating what Welsh people have been told ever since the acts of union with England in the 16th century.

Having been brainwashed for centuries it is not surprising that similar views are probably held by the majority of Welsh people.

It is a well-known fact that a nation subservient to or incorporated into a much larger state lacks self-confidence.

However, the Brexit debacle, which may well lead to a no-deal departure from the EU, is forcing people in Wales to consider the possibility of the break-up of the UK.

More and more people in Wales, including leading politicians, are now taking the issue of Welsh independence very seriously.

That independence would be a disaster was a view once held by many in the over 50 now independent countries that were once colonies of Britain.

They ranged in size from India to Malta, which incidentally is only slightly larger than Gower, yet it is now an independent republic with a seat in the United Nations.

More to the point, not one of those countries has asked to be brought back under the control of this country.

Residents of the very successful countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were constantly told by Russia that they could not afford independence.

And a similar scenario was played out before the now thriving small countries of Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia gained their independence from a larger neighbour.

Mr Rogers’ views are familiar ones and will one day be added to the “colonial dustbin of history”.

His economic “facts” have already been demolished by the excellent response from Mr Gwyn Hopkins (Western Mail letters, August 13) but for a non-political view of Welsh independence I suggest he refers to the “Yes Wales” pages on the internet. Gerwyn Morgan Beulah, Newcastle Emlyn