[This article may also be viewed on our Facebook page]

YET another pro-independence grouping has emerged in Wales this weekend.

Conservatives for an Independent Wales say they have been formed to argue the case that conservative thinking has a key role to play in an independent Wales.

They say they are totally separate from the official Conservative and Unionist Party, and claim to have both councillors and a member of parliament lined up in their ranks.

It’s all cloak and dagger stuff to an extent as the group say they were forced to launch earlier than planned, due to another entity, Cons 4 Indy set up as a spoiler group.

Conservatives for an Independent Wales will not be a political party as such, and it appears that their main aim is to make sure that conservative thinking gets a toehold within the independence movement.

Recently, fears have been expressed that YES Cymru is increasingly being dominated by a socialist mindset.

With this mode of thinking no doubt boosted by that recent poll showing that 51% of Labour voters would now vote for independence.

Some are now starting to have nightmares that an Independent Wales could turn out to be no more than a Labour trojan horse.

Leaving Wales still beset by all the endemic cronyism, corruption and mismanagement that goes along with Labour rule.

It seems that the new group is a belated recognition of that possibility. And an attempt to redefine what conservatism can mean in the context of an independent Wales.

‘It’s an interesting development in the independence debate that’s for sure’ said a spokesperson for GWLAD.

‘It’s certainly a positive thing to have a wide range of views within the independence movement’.

He added that GWLAD, as a ‘small c’ conservative nationalist party would welcome their input, if they were genuine about their intentions.

‘If they are for enterprise, personal initiative, self-responsibility, allied to a love for Wales, its culture and its traditions – they are very welcome to vote for us at next year’ s Senedd Election’ he said.

But with the centralizing ethos of the ruling Conservative Party now in the ascendancy, the group certainly has its work cut out to persuade the people here that it has a genuine Welsh identity, which can resist the Westminster drift.