World
Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will seek to coordinate their push for independence referendums
John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Michelle O’Neill will meet in Cardiff to advance a joint statement. The meeting comes amid the controversy sparked by Donald Trump after he backed a possible reunification of Ireland.
The political leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are scheduled to meet this Monday in Cardiff to advance a joint agreement through which they will seek to pressure London in favor of consultations on the independence of their respective territories.
According to British media reports cited by La Nacion and la diaria, the meeting will include John Swinney, of the Scottish National Party; Rhun ap Iorwerth, of Plaid Cymru; and Michelle O’Neill, of Sinn Féin. The three share pro-independence positions.
According to both publications, the meeting aims to demand the right to hold referendums and to reinforce the idea of self-determination. la diaria noted that the leaders will attend as party leaders and not in formal representation of their governments, although it stressed the political weight of the gesture.
The backdrop to the meeting is an unprecedented change in the political leadership of those nations of the United Kingdom. Both La Nacion and la diaria emphasized that, for the first time, the three administrations with devolved powers are headed by separatist forces.
In that context, Swinney said, according to La Nacion, that the current arrangement is no longer sustainable and that Westminster should prepare for a scenario after the independence of the United Kingdom.
The debate over the possibility of new consultations also persists. According to La Nacion, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested that another referendum in Scotland could be authorized if there were a “clear consensus.” But la diaria added that he later sent a letter to Swinney to clarify that that possibility remained “out of the question.”
The meeting in Cardiff also comes after Donald Trump’s remarks in Dublin in favor of a united Ireland. The U.S. president said he would “love” to see reunification and argued that, in his view, it will eventually happen. His comments drew rejection from British leaders and Northern Irish unionists, while the Irish government downplayed the political significance of those words, according to La Nacion.
The issue remains especially sensitive in Northern Ireland. La Nacion recalled that the 1998 peace agreement provides for a vote on reunification if it appears likely that there is a majority in favor, and that in that case voters in the Republic of Ireland would also have to be consulted.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
