Labour for an Independent Wales is a group of Labour Party members who support socialism through independence.
Timeline
2017
The group has its first meeting in the Senedd Cafe and is established by Ben Gwalchmai and Huw Lloyd-Williams.
2018
The group runs its first Welsh Labour Conference event with Neville Southall in Llandudno.
2019
Blaenavon Town Council becomes the first Labour-run council to support independence.
We host our second Welsh Labour Conference event, with the Welsh Fabians, with Carwyn Jones MS, Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Carole Green, and Natasha Davies.
2020
Our constitution is adopted.
Ben Gwalchmai becomes the first, ever openly pro-independence Labour candidate in a Senedd election.
2021
The first Executive Committee is elected.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Ceredigion select pro-independence Labour candidates for their constituency Senedd candidates.
Membership launches.
Welsh Labour, returned to Welsh Government, makes the Welsh Government’s constitutional position ‘4 equal countries…in a future UK’ after internal pressure.
2022
Our Executive Committee members spoke at the relaunched AUOB independence marches.
A member of the Executive was featured on a BBC Wales TV programme about the future of Wales.
Our TikTok and our Shop were launched.
We voted to move from a President & Vice to a Co-Chair system.
Aims & Objectives
Our purpose, first and foremost, is the same as any Labour Party membership group - to bring about a democratic socialist Wales.
Having considered the inflexibility of the current state, the reality of Westminster constitutional conservatism, and the hegemony of the Conservative Party in a UK context, we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to bring about democratic socialism is through independence.
In order to build a country where:
the working class enjoys co-operative independence from their employers;
the often-marginalised are independent of rigid patriarchal, heteronormative, trans-exclusionary, ableist hierarchies through the feminising, queering inclusion of all in our communities; and where
partnership and democracy is embedded in our communities - where leadership is shared and decisions are collective (and more),
we need constitutional and financial independence.
We aim to achieve this by organising within our party and communities - creating and procuring resources for CLPs and trade unions; hosting and publishing events and policy documents to tackle the real policy challenges for a better Wales; and co-operating with other socialists within and outwith the party to bring Wales closer to socialism through independence.
Structure
Labour for an Independent Wales is a membership group made up of members of the Labour Party. These members elect an Executive Committee at an Annual General Meeting whose responsibilities are to organise the affairs of the group. The Executive Committee leads, and is directed by, members.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on a question below to see the answer.
What is Labour for an Independent Wales?
We're a group of Labour Party members who support achieving socialism in Wales through independence.
What is the purpose of the group?
Our aim is to keep open a space in the party to allow the membership to consider all routes to a socialist Wales - for us the clearest route is through independence.
We'll do this by providing members with resources for their branches and CLPs, hosting events, publishing pieces on the big issues for Welsh socialism, and by working within trade unions and the labour movement as a whole.
Are socialism and nationalism compatible?
Yes.
Everyone who believes in organising states around nations - such as Wales, Scotland, or the United Kingdom - is a nationalist. Some expressions of nationalism can take the shape of a superiority over others, whereas different expressions are concerned with equality with others.
Labour for an Independent Wales sees independence as a tool with which to organise a socialist state, on an equal footing with every other state around the world - an ambition that is unattainable in the United Kingdom as it is.
Is the group part of YesCymru?
No; Labour for an Independent Wales has a good working relationship with YesCymru, and some of our members are also members of YesCymru, but we are not an affiliate or part of YesCymru.
How is the group organised?
Any member of the Labour Party can join the group and in return they'll receive the right to vote for the Executive Committee at an AGM.
The Executive Committee consists of 9 members and has responsibility to organise group activities and to make the financial decisions of the group.
Members can put forward ideas and proposals for the group's activities and take part in working groups to shape our direction through the Lab4IndyWales Network.
Why the Labour Party?
The Labour Party believes in democratic socialism.
Over the years we’ve disagreed on how exactly to achieve that - from supporting Home Rule All Round under Keir Hardie, to more central control in London under Attlee, to adminstrative devolution in the Wales Office, back and forth against and for legislative devolution in the 1970s, and now in favour of federalism.
Devolution came about because the Labour Party eventually firmly supported it. We believe the same thing can happen with independence.
These discussions have always taken place within the party, but the aim has remained the same - to achieve a democratic socialist country. Labour for an Independent Wales is well within the party tradition of offering an alternative route to that aim.
I'm not a member of the Labour Party - how can I get involved?
At the moment, Labour for an Independent Wales is a group open only to members in the Labour Party.
You can interact with us on social media, though, and we’re always eager to talk to people and share the message of socialism through independence.