WALES AND SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE
LEANNE WOOD, PRESIDENT OF PLAID CYMRU
Last year,
in the run-up to the second RIC Conference, the Edinburgh branch put forward a proposal to organise a
session on ‘Internationalism from below and the break-up of the UK, with
speakers from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, This was agreed agreed and Mary
MacGregor ( Dundee RIC), Bernadette McAliskey, Steve Freeman (Republican
Socialist Alliance in England) and
Leanne Wood (President, Plaid Cymru) were all invited to speak. Unfortunately,
Leanne had another engagement and sent her apologies.
In
June, some Plaid Cymru activists met with Pat Smith and Allan Armstrong of the
Edinburgh RIC branch, and with Glasgow RIC members. The net result of this was
decision to reinvite Leanne to speak in Scotland.
In
the event, the venue chosen was Glasgow. And, as you will to read from Leanne’s
talk below, this was a particularly appropriate decision. However, this meant
that most Edinburgh RIC members did not hear Leanne’s talk. It is not on the national RIC blog. This is why we
have reposted it below on the Edinburgh RIC blog.
_________
I want
to thank you for the invitation to speak to you this evening.
It is a
particular pleasure to address you at this venue.
The
last Welsh political leader to visit this building, as I understand, was David
Lloyd George back in 1917 as Prime Minister, when this building was known as St
Andrew’s Hall.
I’ve
had a better reception tonight than he did almost a century ago when an angry
protest awaited him outside.
The night is still young but I’m hopeful I won’t
need to be escorted out of here under military guard as Lloyd George was that
day.
Lloyd
George was here to attend a ceremony where he received the freedom of the city
of Glasgow.
The protest was assembled to register anger at the imprisonment of
socialist leader John Maclean.
It
was a tumultuous time and regardless of people’s views of Maclean’s politics,
no one can doubt the lasting impression he has made on left-wing politics in
Scotland and indeed further afield.
And
the protest that day in 1917 certainly left an impression on my compatriot –
Maclean was released from jail the following day!
The people have power.
It's
good to be in Glasgow.
This
city has a proud tradition of amplifying the radicalism of your nation.
In
that sense there are parallels, commonalities between my home - the Rhondda
valley and this great city.
In the respective histories of both our nations,
particularly in our industrial and social history, the Rhondda and Glasgow have
taken leading roles.
Maclean
himself visited the Rhondda in 1911 during a dispute between miners and
managers.
There was a lockout of 800 men by the owners of the Cambrian
Combine - where my grandfather went on to work - because some of them who were
working in particularly dangerous conditions had the temerity to demand a fair
wage.
The lockout
prompted a downing of tools by 12,000 Rhondda miners and Maclean came down to
Tonypandy and saw first hand the dispute and the impact it was having.
He
issued an appeal to miners in Scotland to stand side by side with the miners of
Wales in demanding a minimum wage and by supporting a general strike, if
necessary.
Maclean's
letter was typically eloquent and it stands as an example of the strong bond
between our two nations, and particularly the working people of our two
countries.
It was a letter written at a time of industrial excitement.
An
historic and formative period for both Wales and Scotland.
And we’re living
through an historic, formative period once again.
It is an historic period
for all the nations of these islands.
But
of course especially for Scotland.
From outside Scotland we are watching with
great interest.
I have been very conscious throughout the course of your
national conversation not to come here and lecture you.
You’ve had too many
people coming over Hadrian’s Wall to talk down to you.
To suggest that they
are better placed to determine the destiny of Scotland than you - the people IN
Scotland.
You won’t get that from me tonight or ever.
Yes -
I believe that a ‘yes’ vote in September would be the best outcome for people
here in Scotland.
Yes - I believe that a ‘yes’ vote in September would be best
for Wales.
Yes - I believe that a ‘yes’ vote in September will be best for all
the peoples and nations of these islands.
But it is your referendum.
Your
choice.
This
evening I wanted to share with you my thoughts on a number of issues.
First,
I want to tackle this claim that's perpetuated by the No Camp that a ‘yes’ vote
in Scotland would be a betrayal, a letting down or an abandonment of people in
the rest of Britain.
Secondly,
I will address the social and political opportunities that independence would
provide, to you here, but to those of us outside Scotland too.
Finally,
while all eyes will understandably be focused on Scotland over the coming fifty-eight
days, there are, too, developments in Wales.
I
thought you might be interested to hear a little about Plaid Cymru’s vision for
Wales to firstly develop our self-government, then moving on to emerge as the
fourth independent state of these islands.
It’s
worth noting, I think, that the United Kingdom and, more generally, the
political arrangements on islands, have been subject to constant change.
The
current UK constitution can be traced back to the advent of devolution in
1999.
Prior to that, the United Kingdom’s constitutional composition was
amended in 1948 with the Ireland Act and again before then 1922 with the
creation of the Irish Free State.
And so on and so on.
You
get the picture.
To claim that we live in a centuries old, static, union is
incorrect.
The union remains and always has been, fluid.
The question
people in Scotland are now asking, and a question that people in my nation will
ask too - is whether or not our relationship with one another on these islands
is best served through partnership and through a social union...
or whether we
should remain part of a more rigid and unequal union.
A
union that will centre on the sovereignty of Westminster.
And let's make sure
we always remember - the sovereignty of Westminster always trumps the demands,
hopes and aspirations of the people.
A
political elite in London will prevail over the will of our peoples for as long
as the political union is upheld.
They choose not to hear the people.
There
are numerous examples that can be cited to illustrate this point.
One
that sticks in my mind is that day in February 2003 when millions of us marched
to stop the illegal and bloody invasion of Iraq.
There are no circumstances I
can see whereby an independent Scotland or an independent Wales would have
collaborated and joined in that illegal war.
But by virtue of our membership
of the union, that war was fought in our collective name.
In September you have
your chance to ensure that never ever again will your country be dragged into
an illegal war against the will of its people.
That
in itself would seem to me to be a good reason for starting afresh with
independence.
But of course the opportunities are greater than in just one
policy area, even one as big as war.
You
may have heard the phrase - from Wales, that devolution is a process not an
event.
That statement appears to have been accepted.
But although even
those who want to preserve this political union accept that devolution is a
process and not an event, they have never spelt out the destination, the
end-point to their process.
Where do they want to go?
It's
quite peculiar, from a pro-union point of view, to accept that your nation is
involved in a process to which you are unwilling or unable to describe the
destination.
Could
it be that there is no destination in their minds?
Is their vision of a
process one that is knee-jerk in nature? One that gives as little as possible
and only when the political circumstances demand.
It
was Tony Blair who said "power devolved, is power retained. "
Not
only is independence an articulation of self-empowerment, the purest form of
democratic expression, it is also the logical progression of the devolution
journey.
There
is no predetermined destination, of course.
The most exciting aspect of your
national conversation for me, as an outsider looking in, has been the
excitement and the engagement the conversation itself has created.
Town
halls full.
People in shopping centres, in pubs and on social media wanting to
engage.
This process and the conversation it has generated has reinvigorated
democracy in Scotland.
That's what it looks like from outside anyway.
Scottish
people will themselves decide on the 18th of September, the outcome of this
national conversation.
That outcome is in the hands of the people.
It's
been argued by some that Scotland’s decision to become independent would in
some way be an abandonment of the peoples in the rest of these islands.
The
inference is that a yes vote would be a selfish act, contrary to a spirit of
solidarity.
That it would confine the rest of us – especially working people
to decades of unabated Tory rule.
I
have to tackle this point head on. It is simply wrong to say that Scottish
votes will save us from Tory rule.
Wales and Scotland both voted Labour at the
last UK general election, but that made no difference.
Both our countries are
enduring a government in London that has no mandate from our people.
I'm
as keen as anyone to be freed of the shackles of Tory rule, but to argue that
we should all endure it together, whether we voted for it or not...
that for
some reason, solidarity has to equate to collective suffering is to argue for a
position that is both perverse and illogical.
To
those who argue that solidarity can only be expressed through the collective
suffering of all of the peoples of these islands, then surely the logical
conclusion is that they should be arguing for an end to the devolution of
education and health.
Should not Scots and Welsh students have to endure
£9,000 a year tuition fees as an act of solidarity with the people of
England?
Should not Scots and Welsh patients have to accept the privatisation
and the break up of their health services as an act of solidarity?
Of
course not.
Collective suffering, disguised as solidarity, is a cynical ploy
on the part of the No Campaign.
Solidarity through uniformity of policy is no
solidarity at all.
And the ‘no’ camp know that.
An attempt at guilting Scots
that I’m sure will back fire.
For those of us on the left, solidarity with
others, of course is a central part of our political paradigm.
And I
believe the best way for Scots to show solidarity with the rest of us is
through voting ‘yes’.
Because a yes vote here will usher in a new period of
solidarity through divergence.
On
the face of it that might appear as a contradiction.
But let me outline how
solidarity through divergence can work and how it has, in some respects,
already begun.
The
United Kingdom is an unbalanced state.
We know that from every single
economic indicator.
Average wages.
House prices.
GVA per head.
Unemployment levels.
On every indicator, the London city-state bears almost
no resemblance to the rest of the UK.
Never
mind Scotland declaring independence – London was effectively granted it three
decades ago with no referendum.
When the Westminster political elite all
agreed on a policy to intentionally deindustrialise places like Wales and
Scotland and instead to prioritise the wholesale deregulation of the City, they
placed all economic eggs in the one financial services basket.
London was
granted effective independence and it was granted at the expense of the rest of
us.
Devolution
has started to address the political imbalance of the UK, but without the
economic levers that come with being independent, there will always be a limit
to our ability to deliver equality, prosperity and social justice.
As I
have mentioned, we can already point to Scotland as an example in terms of the
different way they have prioritised public health and free education.
Scotland
gives us in Wales and our progressive friends in England opportunities to point
to demonstrable examples of an alternative to neo-liberalism and the politics
of austerity.
Just
imagine what we could point to if Scotland emerges as an independent country.
Having a new state on our doorstep
approaching public services in a different, more progressive way compared to
what will be left of the UK.
Pursuing collaboration not competition.
A
Scottish state with control over its social protection policy.
This
ability to create a different social security regime - one that will refuse to
penalise and punish the unemployed, the sick and the disabled.
Friends,
the greatest act of solidarity you can show us in Wales is to create in your
nation a society that rejects the poison of spiteful right-wing rule and build
instead a socially just country that will show the way for us all as a beacon
in these islands.
I
call it solidarity through divergence.
By building for yourselves a new
future, an alternative future, that will provide us with the context and the
opportunity to tangibly point to alternatives as we confront the forces of
neo-liberalism in the UK.
Scots
are known throughout the world for your oil, your food and your whisky.
But
your greatest export to us after September will be social justice, Scotia
style.
Solidarity through divergence, isn’t introverted, inward-looking or
selfish.
Solidarity through divergence is internally selfless, within
Scotland, because its basis is standing by those in need.
Externally,
solidarity through divergence is selfless because you’ll be setting an example
to all your neighbours of what is possible when the social tools are used for
the good of society as a whole.
And
there will be some who argue, ‘there are already examples of different
approaches to social and economic policies elsewhere throughout Europe, yet
what good has that done in building an alternative to austerity on the island
of Britain?’
There’s
merit in that observation.
But I would respond by saying that the
geography, culture and political position of the island of Britain has created
several barriers in attempts to import alternatives.
Britain is a largely
English-speaking island, on the political and geographic periphery of Europe.
Free
market-ism & neo-liberalism has meant that looking to the Unites States has
been favoured in some powerful quarters, over looking towards Europe.
We
can see that from the difference given in media coverage to elections in the
United States compared to say Germany, even though both have arguably as much
of an impact upon our lives.
Imagine,
a nation on this island, a new state on our doorstep pursuing a different set
of political priorities, building a society based on a different set of
values.
It would be inescapable.
We already see that when Scottish health
and education policies are pointed to by English and Welsh politicians.
We
saw it in practice when the other administrations of the UK followed your lead
in public health policies such as the banning of smoking in public places.
And
we’ll see it again when you abolish the bedroom tax and provide for your people
a wage upon which they can live.
The
naysayers tell us that a "yes" vote will create a border, a barrier
between Scotland and the rest of us.
To me, that says a lot about how they
look at the world.
I see borders as gateways not barriers.
And you have an
opportunity for your border to become a new gateway for Scotland to the
world.
That
border has the potential to open up new opportunities for people England too.
It
could help people in England to find their own national voice and their own new
place in the world. If that is what they want.
And what about Wales?
How
does the Scottish referendum itself impact upon our political debates?
What
will the impact on Wales be of either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote in Scotland in
September?
These are valid questions of course, but are they are questions
that up until very recently were limited to a few anoraks and specialist
commentators.
Increasingly, people in Wales are beginning to consider their
own national future.
More
and more people are closely watching events here and pondering the
possibilities for Wales.
Wales and Scotland are two nations.
Of that there
is no debate.
Wales and Scotland, to coin a phrase, were offered national
legislatures because they are nations.
The powers of our respective
legislatures have been limited in case we act like nations.
I
again turn to Blair’s assertion that power devolved is power retained to qualify
that view (and I promise you I don't make a habit of quoting the former prime
minister).
Our two countries are on national journeys.
Wales is at a
different stage in our national journey to where you are in Scotland.
That
doesn’t mean in any way that I don’t aspire to Wales having the same national
conversation you are having now...
And for the people of Wales to one day
having our own referendum so that we too can decide whether or not to emerge
from the shadows as an independent nation.
But
the very basis of self-determination is that the peoples of nations themselves
decide the pace and nature of their national progression.
There is no one
size fits all route map to statehood.
Indeed, we can see that in these
islands.
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State and the creation
of a Parliament at Stormont following partition in 1922, a number of home rule
groups emerged in Scotland, anticipating home rule here.
There
was an air of inevitability at that time.
As history has shown there is
nothing inevitable about the course of history.
Scotland had to wait, like
Wales, until 1999 for the first taste of home rule.
A lesson for Wales and
for Scotland, is that our own fate is in our own hands – if we want it to be.
Essentially,
that’s the very essence of the question you and your fellow citizens will be
answering in September.
Do you want control over decisions like war and
peace?
About a public or private health service?
A non-judgemental social
security system that meets the needs of those unable to fully meet their own?
About
child care?
About the ability to properly protect yourselves with similar
trades union rights to the ones that were taken away from you by Thatcher and
kept from you by a Labour Westminster government?
Having decent trades union
laws in place may well have protected some of the downgrading in workers terms
and conditions we have seen in recent years.
They
have kept telling us that there is no alternative.
Well the people of
Scotland are showing us that there absolutely is an alternative.
And it is
within your grasp.
You are being given the chance to decide whether your next
steps and your political direction lies in your hands or in the hands of
others.
The
same applies to Wales.
Plaid Cymru advocates that at the very least, Wales
must move from a model of devolution now to a model of self-government.
That’s
more than a matter of semantics.
Yes, we believe in a powers reserved model
of government, but unlike the London-based parties, the Party of Wales wants
powers reserved to Wales – not London.
It
should be up to the people of Wales to decide what decisions are made at home
and what powers we choose to share with others.
There shouldn’t simply be a
division of responsibility where powers are transferred to Wales but for those
powers kept at London, Wales has no say at all.
I’ll give you what I consider
to be a powerful example of why powers should be shared on certain matters in
the meantime, rather than powers being wholly reserved to London on behalf of
Wales.
Following
a ‘yes’ vote in September among your country’s priorities will be the removal
of nuclear weapons from Scottish territorial waters.
That process will
involve their relocation, probably to another part of what is left of the UK.
I
say, under no circumstances at all, should those weapons be relocated to Wales
against the wishes of the people of Wales.
And I can tell you tonight, that
the Plaid Cymru government I will lead from 2016, will not, under any
circumstances, allow our nation to be the dumping ground for unwanted, immoral,
weapons of mass destruction.
It is
my view, that moving to a model of self-government, where the sovereignty of
the people of Wales is enshrined and respected, will give us in Wales the
opportunities to begin the process of building the national infrastructure we
need to deliver for our communities and our people.
But
of course, Plaid Cymru’s aim is to secure independence for Wales.
That is the
normal status enjoyed by the vast majority of nations and there is no reason
why Wales should continue forever as an international anomaly.
Becoming
independent is essential if the full potential of a nation and its people is to
be unleashed.
For too long in Wales we’ve expected others to deliver for
us.
But
there is a growing realisation now, that we have to do things for ourselves.
Our
recent experiences should act as a reminder to us that a culture of dependency
will only deliver the same old disappointments.
I
became politically conscious during the dark days of the miners’ strike of
1984/85.
I know that time was equally significant for communities here
too.
In the eighties, the collective hope of so many Welsh communities was to
see the Tories defeated. To see an end to Thatcherite policies.
For most in
such communities that hope of a better future was staked on Labour being
returned to government.
Of
course our countries had to endure two more terms of Tory rule against the
democratic wishes of our two peoples.
And then, when eventually a Labour
government was returned to office, it was a New Labour government led by Tony
Blair (that's three times he's been mentioned now)
Even
when we voted Labour and Labour won, we didn’t get what we wanted!
PAUSE
1984
and 1997.
Both equally significant years in Wales’ history.
The first a
year where for a majority, a clear alternative was yearned for.
1997 the year
that should have provided a new dawn.
It
did not, because as we know, whatever the colour of the rosette or the ties of
the party winning a UK election, their priorities will not be our priorities.
I
began this evening by discussing the shared industrial experiences of our two
nations and specifically of the city of Glasgow and my home valley of the
Rhondda.
Both places led their respective nations in political and social
change.
Radical change.
I
very much look forward to this great city again leading a new beginning for the
people of Scotland in September.
And I’ll ask you, in a few years from now,
to take time out of your efforts of building a new country from an old nation,
to keep an eye on the Rhondda playing its part in the building of a new, fair
and free Wales.
Diolch
yn fawr.
Leanne’s talk was first posted at:-
also see:-
http://radicalindependence.org/2014/07/03/ric-lecture-with-leanne-wood-am/
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