There’s been a lot of noise lately about Wales reaching “parity” with Scotland. Devolution, powers, control over our economy, our justice system, our media. And sure, on the face of it, who could argue? Scotland has more powers than Wales. Always has. So it stands to reason, some say, that Wales should simply be brought up to their level.
But here’s the problem with that framing.
It assumes that Scotland is the bar to aspire to, not the fellow traveller on the road to something far bigger. It assumes that our liberation is about catching up, not moving forward. And worst of all, it assumes that England will always be the default. The centre of power. The seat of legitimacy and control.
I reject that entirely. I don’t want equality with Scotland. I want equality with England. Wales deserves to stand as an equal partner, not as a poorer cousin begging to be brought up to the same tier.
Note - I am the author of this piece, all feedback and constructive criticism welcome
Another well written piece!
Labour sold themselves as being able to create “a partnership in power” at the last General Election, but the whole dynamic is rigged. The way it is structured means that the partnership is similar to that of a parent and child. You can see Welsh Labour are wanting to create space between the two govs, but if push comes to shove, parliament can tell the Sennedd to sit on the naughty step and withdraw power.
I think the only way around this while keeping the union is for England to have their own devolved parliament. There can still be a UK-wide assembly, but this should operate similarly to the EU where each country can still have a fair bit of autonomy.
