A group of Welsh Labour party members has created a template for supporters of independence to provide feedback to the ongoing Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.

Labour for an Independent Wales, the group for Labour Party members who support independence, have created answers for supporters of their vision of Wales to submit to the commission's website.

The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales was set up in November last year to develop options for fundamental reform of the constitutional structures of the United Kingdom, and to develop ways in which to strengthen Welsh Democracy.

Its co-chairs, Professor Laura McAllister and former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams have been taking evidence from interested parties throughout the year, although the deadline for submissions is 31st August.

An eight question form exists on the commission's website for respondents to fill in order to gauge the public's feelings on current constitutional matters in Wales, including potential independence.

Labour for an Independent Wales have provided answers for these eight questions for people to copy and paste in order to provide quick feedback.

The answers that the group has worked to provide are:

  • What matters is that we have the constitutional, environmental, legal, and social systems in place for a fair & sustainable country: this means creating a constitutional arrangement and constitution that guarantees environmental, human, and legal rights that go far beyond what the United Kingdom offers today.
  • The priority should be building a national framework fit for the 21st Century, containing all the constitutional,  environmental, legal, and social systems necessary for a fair & sustainable country, and proving what is necessary to achieve it.
  • The strengths of the current system are continually undermined by its weaknesses. The strength is in Cymru being able to decide things for itself but when it cannot fund those decisions by its own Central Bank, then Westminster has ultimate control. We wish to protect the current Welsh Government’s powers but know it needs more and, as the UK Government has recently proved by undermining the Trade Unions (Wales) Act 2017, we know that any law made by the Welsh Government can be removed by the UK Government - what we might wish to keep is irrelevant when the UK Government can remove it for political expediency, or on a whim.
  • The Powers of the UK monarch and the system of establishment patronage which supports the monarchy is both undemocratic and unaccountable. Arguably this system of royal patronage undermines the principle of the common good in Wales. Such an archaic system of privilege has no place in the modern nation of Wales and should be destroyed in its entirety and replaced. Senedd Members and those  serving the public should be swearing an oath of allegiance and service not to the monarch, but the people they represent. These powers should be transferred to the representatives of the people of Wales. The lands and holdings known as the crown estates should be nationalised and held by the Welsh Government on behalf of y Cymry. The problems of intergovernmental relations between the UK Government and the Welsh Government can be resolved by giving each nation of the UK all the powers of a sovereign country and their own central bank, to best encourage each nation to do best by its people and its geography.
  • In order to truly make a positive difference to the lives of the peoples of Wales (after all, that’s what politics should be about), it is our position that in so long as radical governance of Wales is a possibility and likely, we should seek independence from the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The current balance of power has shown us that Welsh democratic processes making decisions about Wales has proved the most effective. In that regard, devolution as a process must be advanced to its natural conclusion. 
  • Wales is not yet a distinct ‘country’ (nation-state). Cymru is a nation without a state. Wales should be governed as a sovereign nation-state; notable here is a Welsh central bank in order to enable us to enact policy, and sovereignty over the area of ‘Cymru’ where states may not interfere. In short, Wales should be an independent Cymru.
  • What is most important is that Wales should be governed for the purpose of putting people and the environment first, not profit - this should be set in a constitution that creates a sustainable culture of a democratic socialist republic in an independent Wales. Any changes to the constitution of Wales should be part of a nation-wide consultation through a system of regional events and roadshows to ensure wide participation and engagement in the consultation process which should be based on three principles. Strengthening and developing the Welsh language should happen regardless, but we believe that the best hope for the future of our shared language and culture lies in a sovereign and independent Cymru.

Last month Labour for an Independent Wales joined with other independence-supporting organisations to co-sign an open letter to the Constitutional Commission calling on the need for the Senedd to have an unfettered right to trigger a public vote on independence if it chooses to do so.

The Scottish Government is currently pursuing its case through the courts to determine whether or not it can legally call an independence referendum (so called 'Indyref 2'), or if they would need the permission to do so to be granted by Westminster.