It’s essential that Caroline Lucas is re-elected to Westminster in 2015; it’s essential for the people of Brighton Pavilion; but it’s also essential for all of us who want to make sure that Green policies, the only kind of policies that are designed for the Common Good, impact on the Westminster agenda. Read on to see why and how you can help.

You probably don’t need reminding, either, that with the ‘first past the post’ electoral system to achieve this, we have a mountain to climb.

But we do have things to cheer about: and there’s nothing more important on the list of things we have to cheer about than the fact that in Caroline Lucas, MP, we actually do have one Green MP; and more to the point: we have a fantastic MP! An MP who is working hard for her constituents in Brighton Pavilion, but who is also working hard to bring Green policy to the discussion of the House of Commons.

Just a few reasons why we can’t do without Caroline in the House of Commons:

See some of the priorities she’s working on look at her website:
http://www.carolinelucas.com/about/policies.html

See how hard she is working, have a look at the number of Early Day Motions she has proposed, seconded and signed: http://www.edms.org.uk/mps/24910/caroline-lucas

Early Day Motions (despite Bridgend MP, Madeleine Moon refusing to have anything to do with them) are an important way to put issues on the agenda.
Have a look at the Private Members Bill[1] she has put forward (first reading was on 7 July 2014); it has had its second reading; it may even get passed during this Parliament.

(Note the Plaid Cymru support for Caroline)

Why is it at stake?

In 2010, Caroline won Brighton Pavilion with a majority of just 1252 votes from Labour. That’s a very narrow margin. If you look at the percentage of the vote for different parties[2] you’ll see clearly how narrow it is:

And because it’s so close, and because for Labour a Green MP is a real thorn in the side (because that allows us to show the voting public that the Green Party is the only real voice of the Left, the only real voice for the Common Good), Labour have made Brighton Pavilion one of its top targets to win.

But it is only one of their top targets to win. For us, it is the top target to win again.

So all of us – irrespective of the work we will have to and want to do in our own constituencies – will need to support the re-election of Caroline Lucas as MP for Brighton Pavilion.

How can you contribute?

The easiest way to help is to contribute to the campaign financially; and whatever else you might want to do, please consider this, and consider it urgently. The sooner the campaign can raise funds, the sooner they can be allocated and spent. And don’t forget, that nearer the time of the General Election spending is severely limited. So early spending really counts.

We will also be looking to organise groups to go down and help with canvassing and anything else that needs doing nearer the time. watch this space.

You can donate on line here:

https://my.greenparty.org.uk/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=20

VOTED AGAINST WAR:

Martin Caton (Gower) – Labour
Paul Flynn (Newport West) – Labour
Sian James (Swansea East) – Labour
Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr) – Plaid Cymru
Hywel Williams (Arfon) – Plaid Cymru

ABSTAINED:

Chris Bryant (Rhondda) – Labour
David Hanson (Delyn) – Labour
Elfyn Llwyd (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) – Plaid Cymru
Simon Hart (Carmarthen West & Pembrokeshire South) – Tory

VOTED FOR WAR:

Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) – Labour
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) – Labour
Wayne David (Caerphilly) – Labour
Geraint Davies (Swansea West) – Labour
Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South & Penarth) – Labour
Chris Evans (Islwyn) – Labour
Hywel Francis (Aberavon) – Labour
Nia Griffith (Llanelli) – Labour
Peter Hain (Neath) – Labour
Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney) – Labour
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) – Labour
Susan Elan Jones (Clwyd South) – Labour
Ian Lucas (Wrexham) – Labour
Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) – Labour
Jessica Morden (Newport East) – Labour
Paul Murphy (Torfaen) – Labour
Albert Owen (Ynys Mon) – Labour
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) – Labour
Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) – Labour
Owen Smith (Pontypridd) – Labour
Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside) – Labour
Mark Williams (Ceredigion) – Liberal Democrat
Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire) – Liberal Democrat
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central) – Liberal Democrat
Guto Bebb (Aberconwy) – Tory
Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan) – Tory
Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire) – Tory
David Davies (Monmouth) – Tory

Here we go again. We never seem to learn.

I thought our Labour MP, Madeleine Moon, was asking most of the right questions on Thursday. She posted this on Facebook:
As we move towards tomorrow’s debate I remain very worried about air strikes leading to mission creep.
Questions I feel need answering include;
What role will the Gulf states play militarily?
What role will the Sunni tribes play in attacking IS?
What role will the Sunni and Kurds play in a future Iraqi state?
What role will Russia and Iran play in this conflict?
How can we be confident that Iraq will not end up like Libya where a humanitarian mission led to regime change and a failing/ failed state?
Is the Iraqi army capable of following through on the ground after air strikes?
Is it just coincidence that we are having this vote the day before the Conservative conference? And so on.

There were no answers given to any of these questions, but unlike the her colleagues with the courage of their convictions (listed below), she crumbled and vote in favour of war and the death of civilians and the further radicalisation of young Muslims.
Utterly spineless!!

The action is estimated to have a likely financial cost of £3 billion – great investment for the Tories chums in the arms trade.
Isn’t it amazing how readily available such cash is for slaughtering people. Imagine what the NHS could do with it or consider this….

You can pass judgement yourselves at the ballot box next year – and that will include judgement on you Madeleine Moon!!
We’ll see you at the hustings!

Roll of Honour: Heres a full list of the 43 MPs who voted against military action in Iraq.

Green

Caroline Lucas

Labour (24)

Diane Abbott
Graham Allen
Anne Begg
Ronnie Campbell
Martin Caton
Katy Clark
Ian Davidson
Paul Flynn
Stephen Hepburn
Kate Hoey
Kelvin Hopkins
Sian James
Mark Lazraowicz
John McDonnell
Iain McKenzie
Austin Mitchell
Grahame Morris
George Mudie
Linda Riordan
Barry Sheerman
Dennis Skinner
Graham Stringer
Mike Wood

Jeremy Corbyn (Teller)

Conservatives (6)

Richard Bacon
John Baron
Gordon Henderson
Adam Holloway
Nigel Mills
Mark Reckless

Lib Dems (1)

Julian Huppert

SDLP (3)

Mark Durkan
Alasdair McDonnell
Margaret Ritchie

Plaid Cymru (2)

Jonathan Edwards
Hywel Williams

Respect (1)

George Gallway

SNP (5 and teller)

Stewart Hosie
Angus Roberton
Mike Weir
Eilidh Whiteford
Angus Brendan McNeill

Mike Wishart (Teller)

Begin forwarded message:

From: Cardiff Stop the War <troopsoutcardiff>

Subject: Protest: No New War on Iraq!

Date: 26 September 2014 22:05:58 GMT+01:00

Only 43 MPs voted against the third Iraq War today. The government has won. For: 524 – Against: 43. Government majority: 481
All 4 Cardiff MPs voted for airstrikes, and only 5 Welsh MPs in total voted against: Sian James, Martin Caton, Jonathan Edwards (Labour) and Hywel Williams & Jonathan Edwards (Plaid). With no clear plan, it is likely that air strikes will be thin edge of a bloody wedge leading to “mission creep”, already some leaders are talking of a war that will last years. It is important to take to the streets –

NO NEW WAR ON IRAQ!
Sunday 28 September, 3 pm
Aneurin Bevan Statue, Queen Street
Bring placards, banners, signs etc

British forces will be back in action in Iraq just three years after the last troops were withdrawn from the catastrophic occupation of 2003-11. The development comes in the same week Tony Blair called for renewed bombing in the region and the possibility of boots on the ground. Some politicians say this new intervention could go on for years.

All the experience of the terrible wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya has shown that western military action only serves to kill innocents, destroy infrastructure and inflames violence.

Isis is a reactionary force, but it is in part a product of the disastrous occupation of Iraq by Western powers. Isis is funded by some of our main allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia. Escalating Western military intervention will do nothing to stop them but will create more suffering and further destabilise the region.

NATIONAL DEMO

National demonstation a week tomorrow, 4 October, London (see stopwar.org.uk for details in next 24 hours). Get in touch if you would like to go.

ARTICLES

Some recent articles exploring the politics, our website – www.stopwar.org.uk collects many anti-war articles from variety of perspectives and opinions also:

Useful Primer – “It is important for the masses of ordinary people to build an anti-war movement to halt the rush to greater and greater war. Towards that end, I would like to share some Q&A for those who are not well-versed in the complexities of the situation in the region.”
http://ansibleone.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/a-primer-on-newest-middle-east-war-by.html?m=1

‘Bombing will not destroy Isis, but win it sympathy – or even cause it to mutate into something worse. Only Iraqis and Syrians can defeat Isis. But the US remains determined to keep control of the Middle East, while being unable to find a stable way of doing it. So its response to every failure of intervention is more intervention. The US and its allies are at the heart of the problem in the Middle East, not the solution.’
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/18/another-western-war-spread-terror-isis-us-crisis

Paul Flynn MP writing on why he intended to vote No

“When the war drums are beating, party leaders change their personalities. Prime Ministers talk in a different way. They dust down the Churchillian rhetoric and boom out the war jargon. They walk in a different way and strut like petty Napoleons. This is their great chance to write their page in history. Sadly, it’s usually a bloody page with our soldiers making the sacrifices. As in all wars, politicians lie and soldiers die. Only now are we learning the full truth on the political horse trading and vanities that led to the deaths of 16 million people in WWI.”
http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/09/why-i-will-vote-no-on-friday.html

Plaid Cymru satement on why they would be voting No

“We believe that air strikes will almost certainly result in civilian deaths – as in the case of every other recent Western military intervention in the region and in Afghanistan – and radicalise the young and impressionable…..It is disturbing that the Prime Minister has said that we must not allow “past mistakes” to become an excuse for inaction. The shadow of the Iraq war still looms large – surely we should be learning from history, not forgetting it”
http://www.partyofwales.org/news/2014/09/26/plaid-cymru-urges-region-led-response-to-iraq-crisis/

Adam Johannes
Secretary
Cardiff Stop the War Coalition
www.stopwar.org.uk
07940108146

Jon Plumpton of CND Cymru contacted me a week or so ago asking if I would attend the Drape the Drones event at Aberporth on 21st September, and speak alongside Jill Evans MEP, but as I was planning to be at the Climate March in London, I felt unable to accept. This was a real pity, as it would also have been nice to catch up with Jill (once Chair of CND Cymru) and see how she is getting on with Molly Scott Cato in Brussels.

However, I had a moment of rare inspiration when Jon asked if there was someone from West wales I could recommend in my place. Having met Jim Scott a couple of times, seeing what a good job he was doing setting up a new local party branch in Pembrokeshire, and being aware of his concern for these issues, I proposed that Jim take my place. Jim was delighted to be offered the opportunity and did a fantastic job. The text of his speech is below with a video link at the end.

Enjoy and learn!
Andy C

Drape The Drones Demo, 21-09-14, Jim Scott, Pembrokeshire Green Party

Good afternoon friends and comrades, and thank-you to Drape the Drones and CND Cymru for organizing this wonderful, colourful event today on this International Day of Peace and inviting me to come here today and speak to you on behalf on the Green party, I am from the Pembrokeshire Green party just down the road which we have fairly recently set up.

So, happy autumn Equinox to those of you who celebrate it and may I just say it is very inspiring to see that so many people out here from west Wales and beyond who care so deeply about the despicable state of affairs that the military industrial complex (The War Machine) has led us to; to the point that you have come out here today and given up your Sunday to make a stand against this particularly inhumane technology, namely UAV’s or Drones, a technology that is increasingly taking on larger roles in modern warfare.

At the Green party we are ideologically and diametrically opposed to the West’s addiction to war and we are in full support of this campaign and of CND Cymru in general.

In the British mainstream media we hear so much about threats of terror. We are constantly bombarded with divisive anti-Islamic rhetoric, designed to make us feel divided yet proud and patriotic of our United Kingdom! People argue that our loved ones are sent over to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight for our freedom and democracy and that drones are an essential step towards making this battleground safer for our troops.

What we don’t hear in the media, what they fail to divulge, are the real motivators behind these wars, how the West’s addiction to oil and minerals is driving and perpetuating this onslaught against the earth’s resources and against humanity itself. Not in fact driven by “freedom or democracy”, quite the opposite, these wars are driven by profit, by banks, by the huge international arms trade and multinational companies engaged solely in the exploitation of people and resources across the globe. The media certainly doesn’t mention the vast environmental impact that just the very act of preparation for war has on our planet. If this wasn’t bad enough, we have the politicians to deal with too. Here in the UK, over the last few decades, we have seen us avalanche into neoliberalism and crony capitalism. The very people who are supposedly elected to represent us and represent our views are actually the people signing the cheques and oiling the wheels for the arms dealers, and multi billion pound tax dodgers who profit so much from perpetrating and orchestrating these illegal wars.

Just one example is this is the billions of pounds of our taxes given to private companies for “rebuilding contracts” in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. Not one school or hospital has been built in Afghanistan or Iraq, not one! And to compound this, as John Pilger writes, 300 tons of depleted uranium were rained into Iraq from US and UK military aircraft during the last gulf war. The Iraqi population are now suffering a cancer epidemic. In the Basra area, where the Rumaila Oil field is located, they say the depleted uranium blows in the sand. Where once 2-3 cancer patients were reported per month, now there are 30-35 cancer deaths each month, and just as happened in Hiroshima after the atom bomb, there has been a sudden increase of congenital malformations and nearly half of the people in these areas can expect to get cancer. Yet the roads got built and the infrastructure was put in place so that BP can continue to pump out the oil from the Rumaila oil field, which is soon to become the second largest producing oil field on the planet!

Drone warfare surely embodies the epitome of this modern age of organized war for profit. Youngsters who have been bought up on a diet of PlayStation and Xbox can now sit in control centres in the East of England destroying blobs on screens at the controls of these UAV’s, only these blobs on screens are human beings, women, children, farmers and even, quite commonly, first responders. Just as we’ve seen in Gaza recently with the UK/US backed murder of Palestinians, they launch a missile attack; they wait for the ambulance drivers and first responders and then send in another one. The UK and US are not only complicit in this slaughter in Gaza they have their top military men ‘sitting in’ on Israeli command centres, giving them front row seats of this testing of their new toys and scientific innovations. Whether they are buying or selling, this technological and clinical murder of Palestinians is effectively the shopping channel for these profiteering cultivators of war, and when Israeli arms dealers come to London for the arms fairs, they boast that their weapons are “battle tested”, meaning literally that they have tested them out on unarmed civilians in Gaza. So with all the UK government’s support for this, it comes as no surprise that the UK is the second biggest global exporter of arms after (you guessed it) the US.

Sadly the environmental implications of this false addiction to war and oil are far reaching to, In Canada they are destroying swathes of natural forest and displacing many thousands of people in order to extract oil from the tar sands, a procedure that ‘uses’ one barrel of oil to ‘produce’ just two!

In the US Fracking has already caused untold damage to peoples water supplies and air quality. All the evidence suggests that fracking is completely unsafe now, let alone in years to come when the wells degrade and allow highly toxic chemicals into the aquifers and pollute our water supply. But they are planning thousands of fracking wells here in Wales and the UK, and the politicians who have been put in place to regulate fracking here aren’t just cozying up with the fracking companies, they are the owners and directors of the fracking companies too.

This all makes for grim reading and I do apologize if I have just thoroughly depressed you!

But I am sure that you have come here today because you want change; want a positive and peaceful future, and like us at the Green Party and those at CND Cymru, you will not stop until you get it.

Just like 45% of the Scots, people are waking up to the realities of those who seek to exploit them.

Rather than allowing this minority ruling class of disaster capitalists to profit from their ‘real life’ war games, whilst orchestrating austerity for the rest of us with all our safety nets removed, we could be building a better future for all beings on this planet, and planning for a future where no-one lives in poverty or scrapes by on poverty wages.

Rather than profiteering from the development of technologies designed to murder people by remote control, we could expand the technology of renewables. Just here, in Wales alone, we have a surplus of potential wave and wind. Why not invest in that?

Rather than deliberately causing, funding and creating instability in the Middle East for oil and profit, we could be nurturing stability and peace, we could scrap trident and set an example to the rest of the world that our future–our children’s future cannot be based on fear and the threat of catastrophic world war.

We can build a future based on peace and unity and on solidarity with our brothers and sisters, from whatever piece of this earth they happen to inhabit,

We can start to build a future where the success of humanity is not measured by how much money can be made from exploiting and murdering our neighbours in a free market environment that benefits just the few, but a future where the success of humanity is measured by how well we all look after one and other and how well we protect the planet that we live and rely on.

Thank you.

This image has been doing the rounds on social media and has got me thinking about a few things.

Firstly, is this actually true?
Having spent a few hours researching online, the only evidence remotely contrary to this assertion I could find was a 2011 survey in Jamaica that suggested that around 60% of those surveyed thought Jamaica would have been better off had it remained a UK colony.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110628/lead/lead1.html

Secondly, how accurate is the 140?
Again my research has identified 126, rather than 140, but there are a few grey areas. Whatever, it is well over half the roughly 200 countries on the planet today, that have gained independence since 1945.

Thirdly, how many of these have gained independence from the UK?
I make it 48 (or about 38% of the total) and with the possible exception of Jamaica, I can find no evidence of any of them remotely regretting their decision.

Most are much smaller and less wealthy countries than Scotland. And none of them are known as the Brave either!!

There is only one possible conclusion. Scotland will not regret becoming independent.

Voting NO will consign generations of Scots to the regret of what might have been, and the rule of fear over hope.

GO FOR IT SCOTLAND!!

Countires gaining independence since 1945:

This week… Make hemp whilst the sun shines, with our eco-friendly and Fairtrade clothing sale! Plus, we catch up with the Bridgend Fairtrade Partnership and share top tips on how to cut your carbon footprint in your own home!

OPEN TO ALL:

Click on image to enlarge

Dear friends,

Something special is happening — in just over a week we will take to the streets of London and our local communities for the largest climate mobilisation… ever. Join us to help make history!

Unprecedented numbers are expected on the streets of New York, as well as in Rio, Delhi, Jakarta, London, Paris and other major cities worldwide. In the last few weeks, we’ve also seen over 1,500 events registered across 136 countries – all united in demanding ‘Action, Not Words’ on climate change.

We’ve timed this People’s Climate Mobilisation to coincide with the UN climate summit taking place in New York. What we do together on 19 – 21st September can set the agenda and help raise the ambitions of world leaders going into critical climate negotiations in 2015.

This is going to be BIG. Really big. And that’s exactly why we need you too. Will you join a People’s Climate Mobilisation event near where you live? (or start one?)

In our hundreds of thousands, we must demonstrate to our politicians that money is not everything, that together our voices are louder than the fossil fuel industry that has been causing climate chaos and blocking progress on climate change for decades.

But it won’t happen without all of us. RSVP today so you don’t miss the largest climate mobilisation in history.

In London you can join 350.org on the massive People’s Climate March London. The Fossil Free Bloc – demanding that real leaders ditch this rogue fossil fuel industry – will meet at Kings College London (next to Temple Place) at 12.15 pm. Look out for giant inflatable carbon bubbles!
http://peoplesclimate.org/london/
And around the UK there are events from Stroud to Sheffield, Dudley to Edinburgh – from picnics to petition hand-ins, marches, vigils, bike rides and political lobbies.
It’s not too late to register an event – no matter how big or small – or turn out for one already happening near you.

Please join us and be part of the largest People’s Climate Mobilisation ever seen

This summit isn’t the beginning, nor will it be the end. But this is the fight for our future. It’s time to stand up, be counted and vote with our feet.

Let’s make sure this IS the biggest mobilisation on climate change the world has ever seen – Join us on September 19-21.

See you on the streets,

Danni

p.s. If you’re still unsure about whether to join in or not, here’s 10 reasons why I personally think you should join us!

I am getting increasingly pressed for my view on Scottish and Welsh independence. This is it – as it stands today.

Official Green Party policy on the matter is short and sweet: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will enjoy the degree of autonomy, perhaps involving full self-government or independence, which the citizens of each, expressing their views through referenda, wish them to have.

This is a bit of a cop out admittedly. What do we think they should wish to have? Natalie Bennett has made it clear why we support the Scottish YES campaign. She points out that, at one level, answering why the Green Party of England and Wales supports a YES vote in the Scotland independence referendum is easy. The clue is in the name; our members in Scotland chose independence in 1990, and since then we’ve agreed that on issues specifically relating to Scotland, the England and Wales Party will take its lead from the Scottish Green Party.

And the Scottish Green Party is throwing itself heart and soul into the Yes campaign, where the focus has been on the chance to build an exciting, new, different, fair and equitable society. But our support for a “yes” vote isn’t just a matter of passively following the lead of the Scottish Green Party, nor is it even just our no-compromise respect for the principle of self-determination, the right of people to decide their own future.

First, we can see the enticing possibilities for a new state in Scotland. It’s a country whose voters have never voted neoliberal. Tory dogma of privatisation of public services and its austerity agenda has got the Tories to where they are today north of the border, which is nowhere at all. This is why the Blue Tories are being kept at arms length and the Red Tories have been charged with leading the NO “Conservatives and Labour together” campaign.

There’s clearly a great possibility of rebuilding the welfare safety net that this government has been dismantling, and stopping and reversing the privatisation of the NHS, of taking advantage of the tremendously rich renewable energy resources, that our current government is determined to ignore, as it rushes to appease the Ukip anti-wind lobby and the oil and gas frackers that help to fund the Tories (and for whom so many of their MPs work).

It could be a great model for us to follow. However, there are some cold economic facts that lead me to be cautious, at this stage at least, about thinking that independence for Wales could be as successful as I believe it can be for Scotland.

So what do we the statistics tell us?

(All figures c. 2012 per capita per year)

Indicator:                  GVA1             Tax revenue2                Public spending3

England                 £20,450               £7,600                               £8,530

Scotland                £19,750               £7,100                              £10,150

Northern Ireland    £15,800              £5,700                                £10,880

Wales                    £14,850               £5,400                                £9,700

(1 Office for National Statistics    2 Institute of FiscalStudies    3 House of Commons Library)

All economic indicators have limitations, but I favour GVA (Gross Value Added) as this is linked as a measurement to GDP, as both are measures of economic productivity. The relationship is defined as:

GVA + taxes on products – subsidies on products = GDP

As the total aggregates of taxes on products and subsidies on products are only available at whole economy level, Gross Value Added is ideal for measuring gross regional domestic product of entities smaller than a whole economy.

Scottish readers will dispute these figures, as if they succeed in getting a geographical share of North Sea oil and gas, their GVA shoots up to around £24,000 (England’s would come down slightly), while their tax revenues would also increase to around £8,000. Either way, these figures are substantially greater than for Wales. The difference between the tax revenues and public spending figures is a crude indicator of the gap in public finances being bridged by borrowing. The gap is almost 50% bigger for Wales than Scotland.

It is patently clear that Scotland is in a vastly better position to balance its books and survive independently. If it secures its fair share of North Sea resources, it would be better off than England. This is why the English establishment is worried about losing Scotland. England (not Scotland) is better off together.

Do not expect such resistance to the idea of cutting off Wales (or Northern Ireland). It is patently clear that England would be better off without us. One pound in five earned in London subsidises the rest of the UK – Northern Ireland, Wales and North East England receive more than a fifth of their income as subsidies from outside the region (according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research).

Does this mean Wales should reject independence? Probably, at this time at least. Some sort of Devo Max would be the most sensible route to pursue right now. But I do not completely rule out independence. It would need a political revolution in order achieve the economic restructuring that could make us better off, but that is possible.

Put simply, although Wales may have a significantly smaller cake to share out, it could be shared out a lot more fairly. And there is evidence that this, in itself, can help drive up living standards and quality of life for just about everybody.

If you look at the Nordic countries (Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark – less so Norway as it shares the North Sea with Scotland), They are relatively sparsely populated, with few industrial raw materials and difficult environments. It does not stop them beating the UK in terms of GVA. It does not stop them having much better public services. It does not stop them regularly topping the ‘Happiness’ charts.

Their secret is a simple one. Reducing income inequalities. Tax the rich and eliminate poverty. This is anathema to the neoliberals of the Con/Dem/Lab establishment. Real progress in Wales would therefore not be achieved by independence as we would simply be substituting one self-serving bunch of neoliberals (Westminster’s blue Tories) for another lot (Cardiff Bay’s red Tories).

Scotland’s SNP government has the Nordic Model firmly in their sights. Wales’ only hope is for the ecosocialists in Plaid Cymru and the Green Party to hold sway and build a successful alliance together. There are genuine prospects of this happening. If they can become the new establishment in Wales, then, and only then, should the people of Wales consider full independence. My worry, re Plaid Cymru is that may get overexcited if Scotland votes YES, and wish to jump too soon. This could be catastrophic. Scotland’s time is now. Wales’ will come – but it is a long way off just now. But watch this space.

Andy Chyba

09/09/14