The National Question

Welsh Labour and The National Question

Sophie Williams

It is true that the Labour Party delivered devolution in Wales. However, it was a devolution borne of pragmatism; its development since 1997 has been painfully slow, with primary law-making powers arriving only in 2011 and limited tax-raising powers in 2017. Devolution has often been used to further political goals instead of provoking meaningful theoretical debate; the temptation to dismiss the concept of ‘nationalism’ all too prevalent. The British state is no neutral arbiter nor does it represent the only mechanism by which socialism can be achieved; the concentration of power among an entitled elite largely in the South East of England, the continuing influence of the monarchy, the failure to decentralise power and redistribute wealth in any meaningful way all indicate the need to recognise the British state as highly undemocratic and an increasingly hostile instrument to achieving positive change. We cannot pin all of our hopes on achieving a UK Labour victory; the Welsh Government’s budget has been squeezed considerably through more than a decade of austerity and we must seek to become less financially reliant on the UK Government for our income. 

The time for ambivalence in this area has long passed; if the rising movement in favour of independence in the form of a cross-party campaign was insufficient, the way in which the UK Government has behaved towards the Welsh Government during the coronavirus pandemic and its blatant power-grab in the form of its Internal Market Bill means that the divide between a progressive, socialist agenda set in Wales and the actions of the decidedly hostile and divisive Tory government in Westminster bring these concerns into sharp relief. What happens in Scotland will also be of critical importance; if the Scottish National Party wins an overall majority in their elections in 2021, another independence referendum, this time with a different result, will have a monumental impact on the future in Wales. There will always be other policy areas to consider, but the reaction to Brexit up to today’s coronavirus pandemic has shown that the Welsh public are ready to engage in meaningful constitutional debate. 

At the same time, we must remain alert to the fact that Brexit may have been one of several catalysts for growing support for, or curiosity about, Welsh independence, but some have drawn radically different conclusions. The 2016 Senedd elections saw representatives elected for the first time with a hostility to devolution, representing a vocal minority in Welsh society that professes a conservative populism, including anti-state and anti-immigration sentiment. These divisive undercurrents have not gone away; it is up to progressive forces to stem the tide of racial and societal hatred and discrimination, and Welsh Labour must seek to lead the charge through meaningful engagement on key constitutional questions driving concerns around democratic deficits and feeding into hostile agendas. 

Welsh Labour must once again take the political lead and pursue a new way forward for the UK constitutional settlement, mapping out a future for a UK that will sustainably enable progressive and socialist agendas. In so doing, we must remain true to the principle of self-determination and open to the prospect that such a change may not be achievable and that more radical measures, including independence, may yet prove necessary. 

Welsh Labour should therefore commit to the following:

• Welsh Labour should engage meaningfully with its membership on the national question, articulating its concerns (highlighted throughout the coronavirus pandemic) with the current UK constitutional settlement, how the current status of devolution prevents progressive policy agendas in key areas and what practical changes could be made short of independence, in the form of a federalised UK with truly shared sovereignty and democratic decentralisation of power. 

• As part of this engagement, Welsh Labour should identify the main obstacles preventing the successful implementation of socialist policies insofar as they relate to the British state, and propose practical solutions for overcoming those obstacles, including seeking devolution of the appropriate powers in the relevant areas. This should include the measures by which the Welsh Government could become more financially independent and deepen our tax-raising capacity in Wales. In so doing, Welsh Labour should defend its record under devolution to ensure that only gains, rather than losses, are achieved. 

• Welsh Labour should work alongside the Scottish Government and the Northern Irish Assembly to secure a UK-wide discussion on the failure of the current constitutional settlement. This may also include liaison with English regions where appropriate. As a first step, in the spirit of seeking to preserve the concept of a United Kingdom, Welsh Labour should outline clear and practical ways in which the current devolution settlements could be improved and set clear red lines as to what it will and will not accept from the UK Government. 

• At the same time, Welsh Labour should engage the Welsh public in a national conversation about the current constitutional settlement, exploring the appetite for further devolution in key areas (e.g. law-making powers over criminal justice and policing, large-scale energy projects, transport infrastructure, further taxes such as air passenger duty and broadcasting) and remaining open to the potential for an amended constitutional settlement, including eventual independence. 

• As part of this engagement with the public, Welsh Labour should clearly campaign for further devolution in key areas (as suggested above) and take a leadership role in working with other like-minded forces, including other political parties, in driving debates in this area forwards. Further, as part of this engagement, research should be conducted on the benefits of deepened and strengthened devolution and clearly and accessibly articulated to the public. 
  
  

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