The Dis-United Kingdom Thread - (Indyref 2, United Ireland poll, Welsh independence)

[Lang Spoon]

https://twitter.com/alexmassie/status/1328648865747251201

this, from the last sentient Tory journalist in Scotland explains pretty well why Johnson was talking pish.

[Patrick Thistle]

Those of us in Northern England and probably everyone outside of the M25, can cry in our beers about being ignored by Westminster. We're paying for HS2 too

There's a Northern Independence Party. Go for it.

[Patrick Thistle]

The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, was also highly critical of the comments. He said: “Devolution comes under the sorts of pressures that it is now under when we have a Conservative government, and where you scratch the surface of the Conservative party and all its old hostility to devolution rises back to the surface."

“That’s what happened yesterday, when the prime minister thought that he could show off in front of a few Conservative MPs from the north of England.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...marks-shocking

Eventually Mark will wake up and realise the Union is being sunk from the Unionist side

[Patrick Thistle]

Plaid Cymru are getting fighty

https://twitter.com/RhunapIorwerth/status/1328450857998962691?s=20

[Patrick Thistle]

And more

https://twitter.com/Adamprice/status/1328440825244684295?s=20

[Lang Spoon]

There's hope for Welsh Labour, aye.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...marks-shocking

Eventually Mark will wake up and realise the Union is being sunk from the Unionist side

i do sort of wonder if the Tory turn against devolution is partly an attempt to break the stranglehold of Labour in the Senedd. In that, if they can engineer a Scotland-style polarisation of the Welsh electorate they can split Labour's coalition down the middle and become the defacto unionist choice.

It's probably not, like it's far more likely that it's an attempt to find other scapegoats for the multiple crises gripping the UK which are largely of the Westminster Tories' own making but it'd be nice to think they gave us a thought now and again, wouldn't it?

[Diable Rouge]

In a further boost for both the SNP and Yes Cymru:

https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1328766474757005312

[Patrick Thistle]

I think it's optimistic to think there's a political strategy like that. For me the current turn is a) because fascism always centralises power, b) the unalloyed corruption in this government makes them want to get their hands on as much power and money as possible, and c) there's a sneering arrogance towards anyone outside their elite circle. The proles just exist to be exploited with simplistic slogans on the sides of buses and the provinces are there to be ruled.

[Lang Spoon]

I thought the "Union Unit' launched yonks ago, under the tutelage of fish cunt Gove.

[S. aureus]

"committee of Tory MPs". Yes, that will work.

[Lang Spoon]

To think I thought there'd never be an indy Scotland in my lifetime. God bless Good Old Boris.

[Levin]

Well, a conservative union task force that's not intent on breaking them? Now I've seen everything.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I thought the "Union Unit' launched yonks ago, under the tutelage of fish cunt Gove.

https://twitter.com/pmdfoster/status/1328969489992593409?s=20

[Patrick Thistle]

So they're on their fourth attempt to set up a committee. Competent bunch aren't they.

[Toby Gymshorts]

I genuinely cannot understand anyone who wants to shackle themselves to this decaying corpse of a country. Absolutely mind-boggling.

[Lang Spoon]

They are mostly over 65 now in Scotland, so being generous I'd say they can't imagine things other than they are.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Is that stats or hyperbole, LS? Like, are actually more than half anti-independence types over 65?

[Lang Spoon]

Actually that is hyperbole and me being innumerate. But over 65s are now the only demographic to be majority against Indy.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Aha. That makes sense, ta.

[Patrick Thistle]

Wales as a whole skews older than the rest of the UK, but from what I've seen "Welsh and British" types seem much more in Mark Drakeford's generation (he's 66) than in mine, or in the generation currently in their 20s.

[Duncan Gardner]

Aye, older people are more likely to be small c conservative. But as well as that, in NI at least anyone older than me (58) can remember our peaceful early childhood replaced by 30 years of paramilitarism. Just possibly they're at least as capable as pre pensioners in Kirkcaldy or Llanfair PG of reacting to changed circumstances...

[Diable Rouge]

59% of Welsh would vote for devo max.

[Patrick Thistle]

There was also large support for devo-max from younger respondents with 82% of respondents aged 18-24 who had a view saying they would vote for Wales to have more powers.

The votes by age group were:

• 18-24 – 82% yes
• 25-49 – 73% yes
• 50-64 – 51% yes
• 65+ – 43% yes

And by regions

• Cardiff and South Central – 64% yes
• South East – 63% yes
• Mid and West – 61% yes
• North – 53% yes
• South West – 52% yes

The regional breakdown is weird. I'm not sure whether the North trailing is because the Senedd is seen as a Cardiff thing or if they said no to devo max because they want full independence. Or if it's just because they have more old people.

[Sporting]

Depends which part of the north...