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ONE of the most important votes in 20 years of devolution will be held tonight (Tuesday).

Politicians at Y Senedd will be voting on Mark Drakeford’s plan to extend Covid passports to cinemas and theatres.

This only a few weeks after this measure was introduced at large scale events and nightclubs.

A rally to argue the case against the new measures featuring a number of speakers will take place at 4.00 this afternoon ahead of the vote.

Gwlad – who have opposed the introduction of Covid passports from the outset – will also be represented at the rally.

A spokesman on behalf of Gwlad said that at a rally involving so many speakers from over the border, it was crucial that a home-grown Welsh party was involved.

‘We would argue that such state heavy handedness is alien to our very nature as Welsh people’ he said.

‘We’ve always treasured the individual conscience in Wales, but this Covid extension would essentially trample that hard won tradition underfoot.’

‘Since it tells people if you don’t comply with this medical diktat, you will be excluded from civil society and treated as undesirables or even lepers to all intents and purposes’.

He added that many would perhaps not be bothered by not being able to watch big rugby or soccer games or go to a nightclub.

‘But when you start to add cinemas, and theatres, that really starts to impinge on individuals’ lives at a smaller, community level’ he said.

‘We know what politicians are like once they get power: they will then want to extend it further to bars, restaurants and shops as we’ve seen elsewhere in the world.’

The whole idea of Covid Passports to control the virus is surely redundant in view of the latest scientific studies that shows that both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated spread the virus equally.

So, even in the ‘passported’ venues, there’s no guarantee at all that people who attend those places are completely Covid free.

In view of all this, many are starting to ask whether the real purpose of the vax passports is just control full stop.

With people being shoehorned into a digitized existence where all their movements, expenditure and even their opinions can be monitored and tracked permanently.

This is a development which should alarm everyone, and perhaps is an issue which could unite both vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

‘Welsh politicians will be under scrutiny like never before today’ added the Gwlad spokesperson.

‘They will be looking carefully at who wants to extend state control over our individual lives, and who want to protect civil liberties’.

The outcome of the vote will probably depend on Plaid, who surprisingly voted against Labour last time.

With some heavy lobbying going on behind the scenes, there is some suspicion that they will revert to type and support their mates again.

But, who knows, perhaps the arguments made this afternoon outside Y Senedd can directly affect the decisions taken inside for once.