WELSH independence supporters are hoping to capitalise on a dramatic surge in support for self-determination with a march on Saturday against a rising tide of “muscular Unionism”.
Yes Cymru will be leading a march through the streets of Swansea for the first time with an aim to revitalise activists and help “indy curious” people on their “journey to independence”.
Recent polls have consistently put support for Welsh independence at around a third. One poll prior to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 put backing at a mere 5% compared to almost 80% actively supporting the Union.
Gwern Gwynfil, who became Yes Cymru CEO last September, said the pace of change in nine years has been incredible, but argues many people in Wales still haven’t even thought about the issue and is convinced the organisation has “immense” potential to bring more people on side.
He told The National: “Before the Scottish independence referendum, if you were lucky, there was one poll a year on Welsh independence.
“Since 2018, we’ve had about 30 different polls in that five years. It’s a standard question to be asked now. You’re not going to have a poll that doesn’t ask that question in Scotland, and the same thing is true in Wales.
“The most interesting thing, I think, is that so many people in Wales haven’t thought about it because they’re too busy doing other things, like trying to feed their kids at the moment.
“I’ve had some really interesting conversations particularly with non-Welsh people living in Wales. One guy I spoke to said because he had time and space during lockdown to think, at the end of that period, he’d move from being a total Unionist to a complete supporter of independence, purely because he sensed Wales would function better as an independent nation and be more successful than it could ever be in the Union.
“We’re still in the early stages of building a grassroots movement and we have an aim of having a network of Yes organisation across Wales. I would be very confident we could have an enormous impact on support for independence in Wales within the next 12 months.”
This will be the sixth independence march held in Wales with two events having proved particular popular post-pandemic in Wrexham – which attracted between 6000 and 8000 people – and Cardiff, which around 10,000 people attended.
Gwynfil was made CEO last year after a structural overhaul of Yes Cymru and he hopes the march will help to show it is a “professional organisation” with “integrity” amid a lot of what he describes as “political turmoil” in Wales.
Adam Price last week quit as Plaid Cymru leader after a report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.
Meanwhile, Gwynfil insists there are “tensions” in Welsh Labour after UK Labour’s “lurch to the right”.
He added: “There’s always a buzz before and after [marches], and all of it adds to our standing as an independence movement with integrity and as a professional organisation.
“That’s key because there’s been quite a lot of political turmoil in Wales with Adam Price and Plaid Cymru.
“There’s a surprising amount of turmoil in Welsh Labour because UK Labour is not even hiding the fact its lurched quite dramatically to the right.
“Two or three times I think Keir Starmer has doubled down on his conservatism and that is not going to sit well with Welsh Labour which is far more left wing, always has been. They are very good at supressing those tensions, but the cracks are there. That Labour base is a target audience for us, we want to put pressure on those cracks.”
The march will welcome speakers including Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts and Robin McAlpine – founder of Scottish pro-independence think tank, Common Weal.
Excitement has been building around Swansea for the event with members of Yes Cymru Abertawe (YCA) getting the word out through yarnbombing.
The yarnbombing group grew from an idea earlier in the year, when some knitters and crocheters from YCA were making hats and scarves for two local foodbanks and began thinking about what to do in better weather.
Rhiannon Barrar, Lindsay Thomas, Kat Watkins, Kathryn Murphy and Canadian visitor May Stewart have been producing bunting, postbox covers, bollard hats and tree banners.
Rose Davies, chair of YCA, said: “Swansea is an immensely creative and cultured city, and has a terrific sense of humour and social justice.
“We wanted this march to focus on poverty but also to mix up the serious with the, frankly, plain daft to get the message out there.”
On what he feels the march could do for the movement, Gywnfil added: “The main purpose for us is it gives us spotlight.
“The media start to talk to us more. It also allows us to take a march to a place where we maybe haven’t yet had the opportunity to really establish a hard-working group to go out and be active and it really provides a catalyst.
“The Swansea group have really been catalysed – my favourite thing being the group of ladies that have come together as yarnbombers. I’m going to try and persuade them afterwards to recruit a Wales wide yarnbombing network.
“The march often brings indy curious people out and helps them on their journey to independence. The whole of Swansea will be talking about independence for the next few weeks.
“I am a firm believer that the longer the policy of muscular Unionism is pursued, the more convincing the argument for independence becomes. The United Kingdom has no relevance anymore.”
