THE Brexit crisis has underlined that the governments of Scotland, Wales and Ireland have more in common with one another than with Westminster. Co-operation between the administrations of the Celtic nations on the European question is of great practical and symbolic importance.
Only a few weeks ago First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Dublin for discussions with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Yesterday she issued a joint statement with the Welsh Government pledging to work together to try and keep the UK in the European Union.
Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford also called on the next UK Prime Minister to “change course and rule out” leaving the EU without a deal. They said they are becoming “increasingly alarmed” by “hard-line rhetoric about a no-deal Brexit”.
Their statement read: “We believe leaving the EU without a deal would be disastrous for the economies within these islands and for the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. A no-deal Brexit would deeply damage the reputation of the UK as a reliable international partner and undermine the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process on the island of Ireland. “The next Prime Minister must pull back from the brink of a no-deal Brexit and be honest with the public. If they continue on their current path, the UK looks increasingly likely to crash out of the EU in just four months’ time,” they said.
The joint statement by the Scottish and Welsh governments came ahead of yesterday’s meeting of the British-Irish Council in Manchester. It was the 32nd plenary of the BIC since it was established in 1999 as part of the Good Friday Agreement and brings together the governments of the United Kingdom and Irish Republic, the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man.
While elected Northern Irish representatives were not present in Manchester owing to the suspension of devolved institutions at Stormont, Sturgeon and Varadkar were hosted by de facto UK deputy prime minister David Lidington in place of Theresa May, who was attending the G20 Summit in Japan.
As uncertainty continues about what will happen after the Tory leadership race in terms of the UK and Brexit, it is clear that precious little beyond lip service is being paid by the English political classes to the Brexit consequences for the rest of us on these islands.
Amongst Tory party members Brexit is more important than pretty much everything. In a YouGov survey of Tories, 63% would rather that Brexit takes place even if it causes Scotland to leave the UK; 61% want Brexit even if it causes significant damage to the UK economy, 59% want Brexit even if it causes Northern Ireland to leave the UK and 54% want Brexit even if it destroys the Conservative Party.
No wonder the prospect of little Britain post-Brexit led by Boris Johnson points to growing support for independence in Scotland.
Meanwhile, there has been an upward trend in favour of independence in Wales, including marked growth in “indycuriosity” among Labour and Liberal Democrat voters – particularly in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
This week Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price was in Scotland to make a keynote speech at the Centre on Constitutional Change at the University of Edinburgh. He said that the nations of Britain should adopt a model of co-operation based on the Benelux countries once they achieve independence.
In his first major speech on independence since taking office as leader of the Plaid Cymru, Price set out his vision for Wales, Scotland and England to “live alongside each other in equality, and as a result, in greater harmony”.
Price argued that independence, and co-operation, would benefit England as much as Scotland and Wales, and referred to the centralisation of power and wealth in the southeast of England, to the detriment of the north.
He set out how Wales, Scotland and England could each be strengthened by pooling their respective sovereignty as independent nations, and drew on the example of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, who have done just that.
In the speech, Price said that his vision for the future of Britain and Britishness is “one where its constituent nations come together to create a new civic sensibility and a new partnership of equals”.
Given that we already have the British-Irish Council bringing together the different nations on these islands, we have the infrastructure of inter-governmental relations that could accommodate the future status of Scotland, Wales (and England) as independent countries. Just as the Nordic Council brings together our northern neighbours, and the Benelux nations are working closely together, we too can be good independent neighbours and friends.
While Westminster is fixated on Brexit and introspection, it is the pro-independence movements in Scotland and Wales that are thinking about how we can have improved relations on these islands.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel