Covid, Brexit and Welsh independence: Do you want an independent Wales?

The reality of devolution has probably never been as widely and as starkly apparent to the people of Wales as it is now.

The radically different approaches of governments in Cardiff and Westminster to trying to control the coronavirus outbreak have illustrated perhaps more clearly than ever before that decisions made by the Welsh Government have a real effect on people’s lives.

And if polls are to be believed, support for Welsh independence is higher now than it has been in recent memory. A poll in August put support for independence at 32%, up seven points on a poll in June. That rises to 46% among people aged 16-24, but it stands at just 18% for people aged 65+.

Another poll in September showed that people in Wales thought the Welsh Government had handled the coronavirus crisis up to that point better than the Westminster government. Asked how well or badly the UK Government has handled the coronavirus pandemic, just 5% said very well and a further 31% said fairly well. By contrast, 20% said the Welsh Government had handled the pandemic very well, with a further  54% saying fairly well.

In a survey of WalesOnline readers in October, the Welsh Government scored highly when people were asked to rate its response to the pandemic.

And Welsh independence group Yes Cymru has been buoyant recently, seeing their membership double since March, from 4,000 to 8,000 members.

Sion Jobbins, the group’s chair, said: “What has helped speed the growth of Yes Cymru is that people have seen that the Senedd in Wales is much more competent at running Wales’ affairs than Westminster, and we can do so with more empathy and compassion as well.”

And while the majority of people in Wales voted in favour of Brexit (by 52.5% to 47.5%) many who voted against Brexit also spoke of a desire to remain within the European Union as citizens of an independent Wales.

We would love to know how you feel about the issue. Please tell us by filling in the survey below.: