More Support for Independence

It is heartening to hear that more voices are being heard concerning the possibility of Wales becoming independent. I am not talking about those who already favour independence, or those who already have nationalistic views. I am speaking of the signed-up members of other political parties, those parties with their head office in Westminster, the Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. It now appears that Glyn Davies, one of the more enlightened members of the Conservative Party, has now come out in favour, by saying on one of the blogs that "Wales would survive and flourish as an independent country". He does qualify his remark by saying that it does not mean that it is the best policy. The embryonic and rapidly aborted All Wales Accord proved that there were sympathetic views voiced by Conservative and Liberal A.M.s on the question of Welsh independence. The successes of the SNP in Scotland has strengthened the debate and although the Scottish scions of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal parties have rejected the possibilities of a referendum on independence for Scotland their cousins in Wales have not taken a similar stance.
The fact that they have not gives encouragement that these parties in Wales are more open to the possibility of the holding of a referendum leading to the establishment of a Welsh Parliament which then is a prelude to independence. In fact the referendum is already incorporated in the One Wales Agreement signed by Labour and Plaid Cymru, and forms an integral part of the policies proposed by the National Assembly government. Given the trend towards greater and greater devolution for Wales and the other nations that make up Britain the support of all parties which sit in the Assembly is of paramount importance. Despite the "summer offensive" led by Peter Hain, and the negative attitudes of the British MPs at Westminster who oppose this trend and to whom further steps towards independence are an anathema, as well as the comments by Gordon Brown on the necessity to promote "Britishness", enlightened members of all parties are coming around to the view of Glyn Davies and others that independence may be a good thing after all.