Thursday 28 July 2016

For Wales see England?

This Blog  recently a called  for the Welsh Government  to appoint a Minister for Brexit to make sure that we have a say in the negotiations,'
Plaid seem to have gone further  and  have said  Wales should have its own foreign policy and ‘ministry for international affairs’ rather than relying on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, according to Plaid Cymru.
According to the Wasting Mule
The party made the call as they labelled the newly-installed Foreign Office supremo and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox a “double act of danger”.
AM Steffan Lewis said rather than allowing former Tory leadership hopeful Mr Johnson to speak for the country a team of diplomats who answer to the Welsh Government should be created.
 Mr Lewis, Plaid’s external affairs spokesman, has also proposed creating a “ministry for international affairs” for the Welsh Government in an attempt to prevent Westminster from having the greatest influence over Wales’ global dealings.

Mr Lewis claimed the UK’s global reputation will be “damaged” under Mr Johnson while Welsh trade will be “at the mercy” of Mr Fox.
He said:
 “Wales being tied to this double act of danger poses real questions for us as a nation in terms of how we see ourselves in the world and how we want to be seen by other countries.”
“to mitigate the threats to Wales from the new team of isolationist hawks appointed to key international roles in Westminster we need a dramatic change in Welsh foreign policy”.
 “We need a new infrastructure for Welsh foreign policy backed by a new ministry for international affairs at Welsh government level.
“There is precedent for sub-state governments having significant global roles and reaches such as Quebec in Canada and Flanders in Belgium.”
On the Graham Norton Show. Charlotte  Church, said gaffe-prone Bush had no idea where Wales was when she met him after performing for outgoing President Bill Clinton in Washington in 2000.

He asked me what state Wales was in. I said: Its its own country next to England, actually Mr Bush.

The Establishment  should in itself have raised  our Nations Profile in the World
but I beleive there  is still a huge "For Wales see England"  attitude not only in the Capitol Cities rest of the World but in London as well.

The Scottish Referendum and the Commonwealth Games  both raised that nations profile and the First Minister there is seen as an Internationl Statesman or rather Woman.

But the same cannot be  of our own First Minister who has no ambition for Wales to even run the Commonwealth Games let alone be sen as a Nation beyond Fooball and Rugby.

And what of "Future Prime Minister  Owen Smith?

Here he is om whether   Wales should have its own Cricket Team 

Owen Smith cricket letter

The Welsh economy so dependent on the aid from the EU and hoping against hope that we will receive something similar after Brexit ' Will continue  to be dependent unless we start showing ourselves on the World stage and  our  own foreign policy and ‘ministry for international affairs’ may be the start.

 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Owen Smith's letter on Welsh cricket reproduced above speaks volumes about the man.

He claims to be a proud Welshman but believes Wales shouldn't have it own cricket team. I wonder how those proud rugby and football fans who support our other national teams would react if he used similar arguments for their teams.

This dismissive side of Owen Smith's character is showing more and more frequently as the battle with Corbyn for the Labour Party leadership rolls on. He flip flops along claiming to be the saviour of the party, a born again socialist and moral champion as Labour's bitter infighting continues.

We in Wales are familiar with these career politicians and their chameleon characteristics. I hope the voters in Labour's leadership election are not fooled by his ability to change the colour of his policies.

Anonymous said...

someones started a petition calling on the Welsh Government to form a European Department on the Assembly's website, sign it and promote it https://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-petitions/Pages/petitiondetail.aspx?PetitionID=1026