UK Could Break Up unless It Is Rebuilt as ‘Solidarity Union’, Says Mark Drakeford

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: First minister of Wales says bonds that tie UK together have come under ‘sustained assault’ from 40 years of neoliberalism

Drakeford said Anglocentric Tories in London had shown a ‘fundamental disrespect’ for the Welsh and Scottish parliaments. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/AFP/Getty Images
The UK could break apart unless it is rebuilt as a “solidarity union” where every citizen’s rights to public services and financial security are protected, the first minister of Wales, has warned.

Mark Drakeford said the social and political bonds that tie the different parts of the UK together have come under “sustained assault” from 40 years of neoliberalism, a trend launched by Margaret Thatcher in 1979 and then reinforced after Brexit by Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

“In order to persuade people in all parts of the United Kingdom that their futures lie together within a restructured United Kingdom, we have to recreate a solidarity union,” the Welsh Labour leader said in an interview with the Guardian.

That included rebuilding the safety net for those sick or out of work, with fundamental rights, he said, to environment, consumer and trade union protections, to human rights and to affordable public services. » | Severin Carrell, Scotland editor | Monday, May 29, 2023

Mark Drakeford: 'The Conservative Party Is Ungovernable'

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has said the Conservative Party is "ungovernable" and has called for a general election.

He also spoke about Boris Johnson's chances of a comeback and said "anyone who thinks Boris Johnson returning is a get out of jail card must have some of the shortest memories in political history."


FFS! Keep BoJo the Clown well away from the levers of power! We’ve only just managed to get rid of that idiot. – © Mark Alexander

Britain hangs by a thread. Give the end to Boris Johnson and we’ll unravel: This must be the moment to root out the C-listers and crackpots who have dominated the Tory party ever since Brexit »

Welsh First Minister Says People Have Right to Protest during King Charles Visit

THE GUARDIAN: Mark Drakeford calls for policing to be proportionate, as silent demonstration planned in Cardiff

Placards and wellwishers outside Llandaff Cathedral. Drakeford said he expected protests to ‘be a footnote to the dominant feelings of the day’. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters
The Welsh first minister has said that anti-monarchists have a right to protest in Cardiff when King Charles visits the Welsh capital on Friday on the last leg of his tour of the four nations, but called for them to be restrained.

Mark Drakeford also made it clear that he did not expect there to be an extravagant investiture for William, the new Prince of Wales, but said he thought he could play an important role in Welsh life.

The Labour first minister said that while nobody would expect William to suddenly become fluent in Welsh, he believed he would “want to recognise” its importance in shaping modern life in Wales.

A silent anti-monarchist demonstration is due to begin from 1pm at Cardiff Castle, organised under the banner “Real Democracy Now”. » | Steven Morris | Friday, September 16, 2022

Funérailles d’Elizabeth II : Charles III au Pays de Galles, avant la « veillée des princes » : Le nouveau roi poursuit sa longue série d’engagements officiels, et achève à Cardiff une tournée dans les quatre nations constitutives du Royaume-Uni. Vendredi soir, les quatre enfants de la monarque observeront une « veillée des princes » autour du cercueil de leur mère. »

Boris Johnson’s History Is Catching Up with Him, Says Welsh First Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Mark Drakeford highlights that prime minister has been sacked from two previous jobs for lying

Boris Johnson, the prime minister, has been criticised by Mark Drakeford. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has launched a fierce attack on Boris Johnson, claiming “his history is catching up with him” and suggesting the easing of Covid restrictions in England is designed to distract attention from the crisis the prime minister is facing.

In sustained criticism of Johnson, Drakeford highlighted that Johnson had twice been sacked from previous jobs for lying and said he believed that everything the Conservative UK government was currently doing was about protecting his position.

Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, Drakeford, who leads a Labour administration, said: “The prime minister is someone who’s been sacked from two previous jobs for not telling the truth.”

He flagged up a newspaper editorial on the eve of the December 2019 election that spelled out Johnson’s flaws, adding: “In many ways, I think what you see is his history catching up with him.” » | Steven Morris | Friday, January 21, 2022