THE stark reality of Wales’s political impotence has been laid bare for all to see these past few days.
With the imposition of another “Prince of Wales” on the nation without any form of consultation with the people of Wales, its elected representatives or even its First Minister.
With his mother barely cold in her coffin, the new King Charles III came on television to announce that Wales would have another Prince of Wales.
Like a feudal baron telling his serfs that another master was now to oversee their enslavement. And that they should be grateful for their baron’s beneficence.
A spokesman for Gwlad said the announcement was a shocking wake-up call for everyone in Wales.
“The British Establishment obviously think that Wales is a complete soft touch and they can therefore act with utter impunity” he said.
“It’s as if they are saying: ‘Plaid? Pfff! YES Cymru? Pffff… they’re weak and complete pushovers’”
“Even worse, it’s as if 20 years of devolution hadn’t happened at all, and Wales is not any further down the road of being considered a real nation.”
As a party, Gwlad has taken a position of neutrality concerning the monarchy, decoupling that issue from Independence itself.
Our members have a range of opinions about the institution, but we agree that its ultimate future here in Wales should be decided in a referendum after independence.
But, unlike the other parties, we will not be silent about this appallingly crass decision to impose another Prince of Wales here.
With no consultation. No democracy. And no respect.
Silence is not an option in the face of such colonial entitlement, taken to a whole new level with a related royal decision to visit Wales this Friday, September 16th, Owain Glyndwr day.
“People may say that is completely coincidental, but anyone who has read the “London Bridge has Fallen” document, will know how this whole operation has been planned with military-style precision” added the spokesperson.
“It’s as clear as day that the establishment want to bludgeon us all into submission, and what better way of symbolizing that in Wales than trashing our national day to remember Owain Glyndwr”.
He said that apart from unreservedly opposing a new Prince of Wales title, Gwlad also want to come up with some creative options to channel people’s frustrations. Hopefully making use of the power of social media to turbocharge this process.
He added that in 2022, people were entitled to be treated as adults, and allowed a mature and meaningful discussion about any changes impacting Wales. To be acknowledged as citizens who should have a say about the constitutional arrangements in their own nation.
“If the British Establishment won’t allow us that kind of discussion, we will have to facilitate it ourselves at a grass-roots level” he said.
“With our own political leaders also neutered, Gwlad have no qualms about calling for an honest and no-holds barred national conversation about what Wales’s real needs are in 2022.”
“We all know there a host of things that need to change here to improve people’s lives in Wales – over and above a patronising and meaningless royal title – and so we need to start talking right now!”
Gwlad’s main focus at present is to prepare for its autumn Conference, taking place in Llanelli on 29th October, where it plans to add new detail to its “middle column” Manifesto policies – the practical concrete things that can be done now, using the Welsh Government’s existing devolved powers, to make Wales a better country to live in. This Prince of Wales nonsense is an unwelcome distraction from that.
Even so, the level of state and media propaganda concerning the whole royal issue right now could make one feel that any opposition is doomed to failure.
Perhaps in years gone by – when the mass media enjoyed more trust – this would be true.
But we are now living in an era of social media with its potential to quickly bring issues to public attention and empower and galvanise people to work together.
In ways which can often wrongfoot the legacy media and make them appear leaden and woefully out of touch.
Already, an on-line petition to “End the Prince of Wales title to respect Wales” has gained 20,000 signatures.
There are also social media plans to co-ordinate some protests to coincide with the royal visit on Friday. And no doubt some further creative ideas are also being hatched as you read this article.
The British Establishment obviously think they have been clever in checkmating the main two nationalist organisations – Plaid and YES Cymru – with their Prince of Wales chess move.
What they have failed to recognise though is that the sense of outrage and injustice in Wales about all this far outstrips the reach of those two organisations, well established as they are.
Which will undoubtedly find a new way to express itself over this coming period.
Owain Glyndwr apparently was a great advocate of the old Welsh adage:
“Os na fydd gryf, bydd gyfrwys” in his own campaign against the odds in our past.
Wise Welsh words which can still serve us well in our own age.
Two clangers dropped mere days into his reign. Old Chopped Liver Chops Chuck will undoubtedly continue to be the gift that keeps on giving to republicans and filthy separatists throughout this island.
My initial reaction was anger but then I thought about it and recognised that this role is totally symbolic, just another china mug or piss pot with Ch 111 R printed on it as a souvenir of events of Sept 2022 and whenever Carlo gets a formal coronation. As you say the final form of our constitution will be resolved after securing independence. Even dominion status, which has worked for others, would create a window for further discussion. I have republican ideals but having viewed the general standard of politician paddling around in the Welsh political swamp I’m not immediately persuaded that a radical shift would work. Too many people parading unworkable dogma, the “my way or no way” brigade ( or more likely platoon !) and a Bay Bubble that pays more attention to a cluster of off the wall ishoo peddlers that it ever pays to the real needs of the people out in its communities.
By all means express outrage but our priority should be the isolation and removal of those dogs in the manger down the Bay who stand idly by and let all sorts of social, political and “entrepreneurial” misfits walk all over us. If we get those wasters replaced the problems with imposed royalty will tend to fade away.
You describe a sort of parallel of the Bolshevik or Cuban revolution; get rid of the Tsars or Batista and end up with something even worse!
Dear all, once again, I hear and agree with all of you, and I too was taken aback by the King’s C3 first speech ‘giving’ Cernyw and Cymru (in that order) to his eldest son! However, help may be forthcoming from an unlikely quarter, brother Harry and Megan…
Harry the spare heir, and like his Uncle Andrew, the only two actual war vets at the Queen’s funeral, not allowed to wear military uniform and have less medals than the other Royals, may actually inadvertently aid our cause (Harry that is) as he’s only ended up with a chicken farm in California! Harry is the only Royal to have joined the Army (like his bio – Dad Hewitt!) and is not really at all like the rest of them.
Watch this space…LW