The Way to an Independent and Prosperous Wales

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

I agree with your viewpoint about looking for reasons why it would work - I've pointed out advantages that I think we have, and also why I think we're trumped by England in almost all respects for people looking to come North if we decide to become independent.

I've spent a significant portion of my life working with Europeans and I think we have an amazing country, but we can't cut ourselves off from the rest of the world if we become independent so we have to look at what we can offer than no-one else can.

My best suggestion to becoming self-sustaining is to become a really expensive, high end destination where we limit numbers coming into the country to maintain quality of the experience for those here. Unfortunately that would mean most of us could not afford to live here and I'd prefer to stay.

What's your suggestion as to how we could make this work? India has tied up the cheap Maths/IT end of things, I'm not sure what else we can offer that we could export...

I would be hoping for a government that would nationalise energy, transport, communications, (not fully nationalise but maybe in the way Welsh Water or Cardiff Airport are run), investment in infrastructure, get our own businesses to supply and build our roads, rail, buildings etc

Make sure that if someone is capable of working, give them something to do, care for others, improve your community.

Give our youth something meaningful to do with their time rather than wandering the streets at night, looking to entertain themselves with mischief.

Invest in education and the sciences, look to the future even if it means borrowing now.

Instil a sentiment of self-belief, pride and self-esteem in people, get people to care for their surroundings and their communities.

I would even legalise drugs in the same way Portugal has successfully done it. Look at it as a public health issue rather than a criminal one.

Make a bigger deal of our culture and history, encourage tourism. Get our film industry up and running. There's all kinds of things we could be doing as a nation if we got stuck into it rather than continue in this eternal malaise.

[blue matt]

I would be hoping for a government that would nationalise energy, transport, communications, (not fully nationalise but maybe in the way Welsh Water or Cardiff Airport are run), investment in infrastructure, get our own businesses to supply and build our roads, rail, buildings etc

Make sure that if someone is capable of working, give them something to do, care for others, improve your community.

Give our youth something meaningful to do with their time rather than wandering the streets at night, looking to entertain themselves with mischief.

Invest in education and the sciences, look to the future even if it means borrowing now.

Instil a sentiment of self-belief, pride and self-esteem in people, get people to care for their surroundings and their communities.

I would even legalise drugs in the same way Portugal has successfully done it. Look at it as a public health issue rather than a criminal one.

Make a bigger deal of our culture and history, encourage tourism. Get our film industry up and running. There's all kinds of things we could be doing as a nation if we got stuck into it rather than continue in this eternal malaise.

Wales does not need to be independent to do most of them, the pride thing is interesting, even though most Welsh are proud of being Welsh, lets face it, we are a great nation, as i have pointed out, some in Wales love the " hard done by " mentality

[Bluebirdman Of Alcathays]

Wales does not need to be independent to do most of them, the pride thing is interesting, even though most Welsh are proud of being Welsh, lets face it, we are a great nation, as i have pointed out, some in Wales love the " hard done by " mentality

National pride and patriotism is fundamentally a religion and a selective identity we give ourselves to make us feel better. If you think we're a great nation it's cos you want to feel good about yourself, and so that can be used to fool ourselves that things are fine as they are.

Maybe you get this idea that there is a 'hard done by' mentality cos others might not be so patriotic?

Paradoxically, national pride is irrelevant in this instance since it's more about ideas and having the savvy to implement them and better organise our arbitrary area. Other arbitrary areas do this regardless of size.

[blue matt]

National pride and patriotism is fundamentally a religion and a selective identity we give ourselves to make us feel better. If you think we're a great nation it's cos you want to feel good about yourself, and so that can be used to fool ourselves that things are fine as they are.

Maybe you get this idea that there is a 'hard done by' mentality cos others might not be so patriotic?

I never really realised that the Welsh had the " hard done by " mentality till a few years after i moved away from Wales

The Welsh are patriotic, well most i have met have been, be it the football, travelling or in day to day life

[Bluebirdman Of Alcathays]

I never really realised that the Welsh had the " hard done by " mentality till a few years after i moved away from Wales

The Welsh are patriotic, well most i have met have been, be it the football, travelling or in day to day life

Did you move to an area that was better off? Or was it the same and people were more stoic?

[blue matt]

Did you move to an area that was better off? Or was it the same and people were more stoic?

Hmmmm

I guess the area is slightly better off, its just outside Bath, but i wouldnt say its a massively huge difference

[Heathblue]

I never really realised that the Welsh had the " hard done by " mentality till a few years after i moved away from Wales

The Welsh are patriotic, well most i have met have been, be it the football, travelling or in day to day life

Extremely patriotic, once they have moved away

[blue matt]

Extremely patriotic, once they have moved away

I was always patriotic, it didnt matter if i lived back home in Wales, Australia or England

Do you feel moving away from Wales makes a person less patriotic ? ? ?

[Heathblue]

I was always patriotic, it didnt matter if i lived back home in Wales, Australia or England

Do you feel moving away from Wales makes a person less patriotic ? ? ?

undoubtedly

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Extremely patriotic, once they have moved away

Yes. Of all countries in the UK, the Welsh describe themselves as more British than any of their celtic cousins.