For Wales, see Independence

Abstract

Devolution has characterised Welsh political life for about a quarter of a century now. While it has undoubtedly embedded itself in Wales and been strengthened over time, Welsh society is nevertheless still wrestling with a series of entrenched problems, such as child poverty or high unemployment. To many, this is the sign that devolution is not working, and, to an increasing minority, that it can in fact never work. The latter are therefore calling for independence from the United Kingdom (where the gap between rich and poor is thought to be wider than it has been for a century) in an attempt to turn Wales around for good. The logic undergirding their criticisms and policy proposals, however, does not always seem unassailable. For example, they often hold up Ireland as an example although its economy is as liberalised as that of the UK, while their constant focus on London and the British state may well divert attention from far more worrying difficulties.

Keywords

• devolution
• England
• Wales
• Ireland
• liberalism
• Welsh independence