Even if Wales had voted to temain Would the Welsh First Minister would Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones have had an early visit from new Prime Minister Theresa May
May has offered Nicola Sturgeon a major role in talks over quitting the EU, in a move designed to bind the First Minister to taking a UK-wide approach to Brexit.
The two women, meeting at the First Minister's official Bute House residence in Edinburgh, cleared the room of staff and advisors and spoke alone for around 35 minutes with the fallout from last month's referendum at the top of the agenda.
Ms May, who visited Scotland on her first official engagement after succeeding David Cameron, insisted she is determined to hammer out a "UK approach and objectives" to Brexit before triggering Article 50 - the official move that will see Britain quit the EU within two years - and offered Ms Sturgeon a key role in agreeing a negotiating stance.
But after talks in Edinburgh, Mrs May appeared unwilling to consider a second referendum on Scottish independence.
She said people in Scotland sent a "very clear message" in 2014.
Ms Sturgeon said blocking a referendum, if it was wanted by the Scottish people, would be "completely wrong".
The first minister believes Scottish interests have been put "at risk" by the result of the EU referendum.
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| When if ever will we see our First Minister and the Prime Minister together. |
However the new Prime Minister has also ceded ground by saying she is willing to consider options the Scottish Government puts forward for maintaining its ties with the EU, after the country opted overwhelmingly to remain but finds itself faced with the prospect of being dragged out on the back of votes from England and Wales. The concession came just 24 hours after her Chancellor, Philip Hammond, had dismissed the prospect of Scotland agreeing a separate relationship to the rest of the UK.
Where does this leave Wales? Even if we had voted to Remain in the EU I doubt that there would be any such option ,
With a First Minister who is not only committed to the Union but has avoided any attempt to call for Parity for Powers with Scotland we would still be treated as an irrelevance.
Indeed maybe there was a sigh of relief amongst Labour Leaders in Wales when Wales followed England in voting for BREXIT,
You can imagine the panic that Carwyn Jones and UK leadership contender Owen Smith would have had if we had been seen to expressed a different National Identity .
They do not have to call for a similar option of Wales maintaining a similar it ties with the EU
Oh they will make half hearted attempts to call for Assembly Ministers to be involved in BREXIT negotiations,
But they realise that if they push Welsh Interest to far then it might threaten their Hegemony here as people ask why can't we do the same with all relationships with Westminster,
Nicola Sturgeon gets a new Prime Minister travelling to Scotland within days of "kissing hands with the Queen"
Carwyn Jones gets a Text message .
1 comment:
It was fascinating reading welsh social media yesterday when the new PM met Nicola Sturgeon, the penny seemed to have finally dropped for prominent Welsh business people, academics and a few who were hostile to devolution were openly saying that whatever you thought of Sturgeon’s politics she looks and sounds like a leader and it time Carwyn Jones started to do the same for Wales.
Time will tell if they actually say it to Carwyn’s face or get him to stand down as many are Labour Party members, but in the despair following the referendum, this is a small bright spark.
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