by Richard A » Sat May 02, 2020 12:25 pm
It'll be interesting to see, but Heid the Ba's right, it's not on a level with Scotland. Previously even less: the referendum over whether they should have devolved government was only passed by a very narrow majority - in contrast with Scotland, where it had overwhelming support. Interesting to hear that it's growing now.
In Wales, far more than in Scotland (as far as I can tell), language is a big, big marker for nationalism. The SNP may also have a Gaelic name - I don't know - but it is principally known by its English name; its Welsh counterpart is Plaid Cymru (it has an English version, Party of Wales, but that's much less well known outside Wales). So devolution had a major language element: all official correspondence, websites, road signs, etc. are bilingual - across the country, not just in certain regions - Welsh is a compulsory subject in schools, etc. That concession may have taken some of the force out of the independence movement. Plus the fact that Nicola Sturgeon and her colleagues are far better at engaging with UK politics as a whole than Plaid Cymru is - relatively few people outside Wales even know the Plaid Cymru leader's name!
Also, the SNP have really gained ground as an anti-Brexit party: a platform of not just independence per se, but followed by (re-) accession to the EU. That works well as Scotland voted solidly Remain. Wales narrowly voted Leave, which the Tories are delivering.