Wales Arts Review, in partnership with Bella Caledonia in Scotland, publishes an open letter in defence of the devolved democracies of Wales and Scotland. Jointly composed by writers Ben Gwalchmai and Patrick McGuinness, the non-partisan #DefendDevolution letter calls on Prime Minister Theresa May, David Lidington MP, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns MP, and Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell MP, to change the course of plans to take back devolved powers from Cardiff Bay and Holyrood. This is an open, live letter, and we are accepting new signatures from artists throughout the week. To add your name, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.
Dear Theresa May, David Lidington, and Alun Cairns,
We, the artists and artistic platforms of Wales and Scotland, write today to address your actions and urge you to change course.
In your negotiations with the Welsh and Scottish governments, instead of reaching agreement by consensus you have chosen to ignore them. We can see from the leaked memo of Chloe Smith MP to David Lindington as revealed by BBC Scotland, that your government’s intention has been made clear. You will claim for yourselves 24 areas of governmental control that are currently the remit of the Welsh & Scottish Governments. You will do so without agreement or legal basis. You will steal from Wales & Scotland. This was never part of ‘taking back control’ – this is you taking control over us in ways that directly contravene the principles of devolution, and go against your own promises.
Our First Ministers and opposition leaders have called this a ‘power grab’. They’re right, but that doesn’t go far enough: this is a betrayal. A betrayal of the democratic votes taken for devolution and of the peoples of the devolved nations. It is a betrayal of democracy.
This action by your government is not an isolated incident. Since the last election, you have broken many promises to Wales. When you said the railways would be electrified West of Cardiff, Theresa May personally cancelled it. When you promised a decision on the Swansea Tidal Lagoon, you have not made a decision. When the Welsh Government worked to get rid of the tolls on the Severn Crossing bridges, you claimed it as your own success. The current Conservatives have broken many vows to Scotland – where you have apparently forgotten, we remember The Vow.
These are a just a few examples of a process of connected depredations that stem from an unbalanced system in which Wales and Scotland come last, and where both countries are sacrificed to the unity of a Conservative party that we didn’t vote for and which rules the UK by the skin of its teeth. You think you are papering over the crisis of democratic legitimacy, but you are making that crisis all the more evident.
We urge you to change direction and to respect the devolution settlements of Scotland and Wales.
| 176 | Brigid Haines | Apr 24, 2018 |
| 175 | Tom Matthews | Apr 24, 2018 |
| 174 | Elinor Wyn Reynolds | Apr 24, 2018 |
| 173 | Emyr Young | Apr 24, 2018 |
| 172 | Michael Sheen | Apr 24, 2018 |
| 171 | Kevin McGrath | Apr 20, 2018 |
| 170 | Gwenfair Hawkins | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 169 | Rhys Jones | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 168 | Ashley McNally | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 167 | Julian Hughes-Watts (Trisant) | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 166 | Mary Shaw | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 165 | Kaite O'Reilly | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 164 | Ifan Jones | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 163 | Sharon Eckman | Apr 13, 2018 |
| 162 | Kenneth Pitson | Apr 10, 2018 |
| 161 | Roger Price | Apr 10, 2018 |
| 160 | John Osmond | Apr 10, 2018 |
| 159 | Dr Daniel Hughes | Apr 10, 2018 |
| 158 | Chang-Soo Kim | Apr 10, 2018 |
| 157 | Vivien Bartlett | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 156 | Sheelagh Davis | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 155 | Margaret Smith | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 154 | Jo Rihan | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 153 | Richard Noyce | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 152 | Gwyn Parry | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 151 | Alan Holmes | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 150 | Robert King | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 149 | Helen Noble | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 148 | Anton Farmer | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 147 | Eira Gaunt | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 146 | Marcas Mac an Tuairneir | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 145 | Colin Lloyd | Apr 09, 2018 |
| 144 | Harry Smart | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 143 | Molly Heaton | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 142 | Steffan Ellis | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 141 | Dominic Williams | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 140 | Chris Priest | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 139 | Owain Lewis-Han | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 138 | Chris Paul | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 137 | Yvonne Murphy | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 136 | Lindsey Colbourne | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 135 | Erica Eirian | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 134 | Rhodri Owen | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 133 | Sion Eirian | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 132 | Siwan Rhys | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 131 | Graham Crowley | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 130 | Nia Davies | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 129 | Sian Roberts | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 128 | Tim Price | Apr 08, 2018 |
| 127 | Kevin Lewis | Apr 08, 2018 |
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Please sign our open letter below…
