Wales’ second-class status goes back many centuries
OF THE DAY
I HAVE no time for the man he blames, nevertheless, as a retired lawyer, less distinguished than him, I must disagree with Sir Keir Stammer’s assertion that the upsurge in support for Welsh independence is an effect caused solely by Boris Johnson. In laying the blame at the blusterer’s door, Sir Keir is either ignorant, or dismissive, of England’s historical mistreatment of Wales, both symbolically and practically.
The symbolism is portrayed by a Union flag which honours the patron saints of Ireland and Scotland, but not of Wales, which, as an adjunct of England, must be content with sharing St George, to the exclusion of St David.
Of course, the historical mistreatment of Cymru began when those who had violently removed the Romans from Britannia imposed a version of the German word “welsche” meaning “strangers” on the area that is now known as Wales: the land of strangers. Later, the reign of the Tudurs (aka the Tudors) witnessed a further attack. This time it was by a man of welsche descent: crowned as Henry VIII, he turned his attention to the language that distinguished the majority of the people west of the Severn and Dee from the people to their east. He did so by requiring that the language be discarded by people who wished to advance societally and materially. Moving on to the 19th century there was something similar that is recorded in the book “Brad -y- Llyfrau Gleision” aka “Treachery of the Blue Books”. Lest I be taken to task for omitting it, the late 20th / early 21st centuries have seen a reversal of the policy. This means parents can now opt for their children being taught all subjects through the medium of “yr iaith”.
A visit to the Institute for Government website earlier today revealed that in 2019 Wales was at the bottom of the League of Devolved Powers without it being bottom of the population league. The latter is occupied by Northern Ireland with a population of 1.89 million, compared with Wales’ 3.19 million and Scotland’s 5.46 million. Yet Ulster’s voice over Brexit was more powerful than the other two and it has since been heard to blast Johnson over a faux pas in the Brexit arrangements that seem to have triggered the violence witnessed in Ulster.
As a consequence of Brexit, Wales’ existing devolved powers stand to be further reduced by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (“UKIM 2020”). According to the previously cited website, this action has received strong opposition from the Scottish and Welsh Governments, but, perhaps for obvious reasons, not from Ulster. You might say this Act is the first step towards London’s rebuilding of the British Empire, but, as the Romans who first built Britannia would testify, empires are seldom, if ever, rebuilt.
In the face of UKIM 2020 I would call on those of any nationality, who qualify as voting constituents here, to support Wales as a state equivalent to those of the USA. My reason for advocating this approach is
In 2019 Wales was at the bottom of the League of Devolved Powers without it being bottom of the population league
Derek Griffiths
based on the defence of our presence, along with the UK’s other inhabitants, in a world that remains sadly violent.