"The Nineteenth century saw a great Springtime of Nations as the revolutions of 1848 saw new countries created the length and breadth of Europe. In our world today we are now seeing our own Spring Awakening with people and cultures that have long been dormant and subdued asserting their right to exist, their right to dream." Adam Price MP
Saturday 28 July 2007
Dependence, Independence and Interdependence
We live in a complex world and in a complex society. In order to make sense of this complexity it is necessary to stand back and see the full picture, as it is and as it could be. There are so many anomalies within the structure of Britain and its political and economic organisation, and some of these need to be revised or dismantled. We have already mentioned the flag, which is unrepresentative of its constituent members, Wales being left out. We have spoken about the government, which is split between Wales and Westminster, the anomaly of A.Ms and MPs, some of whom have been working at cross purposes, and not for the good of the Welsh people. Then we have the anomaly of Wales being a nation, and Britain referred to as a nation, which is a contradiction in terms. As we have said it is now the function of the National Assembly to administer government in Wales. Yet after the passing of laws by the Assembly with its "increased powers", these laws have to be approved in Westminster and this takes several months, resulting in a long delay in enacting these laws. It is still possible that these laws cound be amended or overturned. We question why Wales has to be dependendent on Westminster government for the administration of its affairs. With regard to services England is dependent on Wales for its water supplies, and now a pipeline is being built across south and west Wales to carry fuel to supply England. Leaving aside the fact that these services are practical and necessary, is it not taken for granted that these are in the interest of and for the benefit of "Britain", rather than "England" or "Wales"? To clarify the point I am making, there is a need for countries to be interdependent without infringing on one another's national sovereignty, and we must change people's attitude from Britain being a constitutional institution which overrides national differences, to the realisation that there are four distinct and sovereign nations within British hegemony. Each of these nations has its rights and responsibilities. They are, in fact if not in law, nations within Europe. We need to address these constitutional issues and not assume that Britain will continue in its present form for evermore.
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2 comments:
You said, "We question why Wales has to be dependendent on England for the administration of its affairs."
Is it England? Or, is it United Kingdom that is still controlling Wales?
In other words, I see Westminster as a larger unit which is controlling, to a more or lesser extent, each of the four: Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Would you agree that Parliament/Westminster is not England?
Thanks for the comment. I agree that it is Westminster which includes Welsh and Scots who are unsymathetic to Welsh self-determination. I will change my blog to reflect this.
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