Supporters of independence surge through iconic Welsh town

The Welsh independence movement got a huge boost yesterday as thousands of independence campaigners marched in Merthyr Tydfill.

The independence march in the iconic Welsh town was all the more important as it was joined by a host of celebrities and national figures.

These included the former Welsh rugby union player, Eddie Butler; former Welsh international footballer, Neville Southall; the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones; and the singer, Kizzy Crawford.

The march in Merthyr Tydfil is the third Welsh independence rally this year. It comes after similar demonstrations of national will in Cardiff and Caernarfon earlier this year.

March organizers, All Under One Banner Cymru (AUOBC), claimed that 5,300 people attended the rally.

According to the AUBC, which is a grassroots Welsh nationalist movement, the chaotic politics in Westminster meant that Wales needs to make “its voice heard”.

The AUBC maintains that the only viable alternative to the chaos and unpredictability of Westminster is “independence”.

Lending his support to the Welsh independence movement, the former Wales rugby captain, sports commentator and journalist, Eddie Butler said he had been “waiting for this moment”.

For her part, the Merthyr Tydfil-raised singer, Kizzy Crawford said she was taking part because she is “disappointed with the racism, fascism, unfairness and chaos” rampant in British politics.

Welsh nationalists of all stripes appear to be galvanized by the chaotic politics in Westminster, where Brexit-related issues have paralysed politics.

The paralysis in Westminster has adversely impacted institutional politics in Wales, where the Welsh Tory party is in disarray because of poor leadership and bitter disagreements over Brexit.

Yesterday it emerged that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had kept the Welsh Conservative leader, Paul Davies, in the dark over his plans to suspend parliament.

The successive Welsh independence rallies come in the wake of opinion polling indicating a strong surge of support for the idea of Welsh independence.

The latest poll by YouGov in June suggests that up to 30 percent of Welsh voters favour independence and, furthermore, up to 14 percent are strongly committed to the cause.

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