YesCymru continuing to march in 2023

Beca Dallis News Editor

On the 20th of May YesCymru and All Under One Banner’s first march of 2023 will take place in Swansea. YesCymru states ‘we believe in a future independent Wales, which embraces and celebrates the full diversity of everyone who chooses to make Wales their home’. Supporters will come together in Swansea, starting at Wind Street on May the 20th at 11:30 -14:30.

The last march took place in Cardiff on the 1st of October 2022. There were 10,000 supporters in Cardiff marching for independence. Also, there were many enthusiastic and inspirational speakers at the end of the march in the rally at Windsor Place. These included; Dafydd Wigley previous Plaid Cymru MP, actor and author Ffion Dafis, actor Julian Lewis Jones, singer Eädyth Jones, actor Tadhg Hickey, chief of YesCymru Gwern Gwynfil, Welsh business man and campaigner Agit Chevis and young political activist Harriet Protheroe-Soltani. Icon Dafydd Iwan made a surprise appearance to sing Yma o Hyd, which the marchers were thrilled about.

year. Ardern’s term as prime minister will now conclude no later than 7 February but she will continue as an MP until the election this year.

Ardern rose to prominence as a young and progressive leader worldwide since becoming prime minister in 2017. She became the world’s youngest female head of government on her election as the prime minister at the age of 37. Just a year later she became the second elected world leader to ever give birth while in office, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990.

She has led New Zealand through some difficult times during her time in office including Covid-19 pandemic, a series of disasters including the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, and the White Island volcanic eruption.

Ardern candidly spoke on the crisis her government faced while in the office and also highlighted her achievements as she spoke about legislation on housing, climate change and child poverty.

Ardern’s meteoric rise as an empathetic leader started with her handling of the Christchurch terrorist attack. The attack not only marked a defining moment of Ardern’s leadership, but her rapid response gained widespread praise globally as she swiftly introduced gun law reforms, wore a hijab to show her respect for the Muslim community and publicly said she would never speak the name of the alleged attacker.

On being asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind”.

Ardern’s popularity extended overseas, with her gracing the covers of Vogue and Time magazine, and hosting American TV personality Stephen Colbert at her suburban Auckland home.

While her resignation brought into limelight the pressures of leadership and importance of prioritising one’s mental health in a position of responsibility, it also ignited a series of sexist assumptions regarding her departure from the office. From BBC World News publishing a story with the headline: “Jacinda Ardern resigns: Can women really have it all?” to Fox news late night show host Tucker Carlson taking jabs on her appearance, mainstream news media covered sexist news stories.

In the midst of speculations and discussions, Jacinda Ardern leaves behind a complicated yet overwhelmingly positive legacy, serving as an example for modern female leadership and the importance of empathy in politics.

Japan’s Ageing Population Affecting Economy

Dilichi Dieobi Contributor

With the longest life-expectancy in the world, the lowest murder rate, very little political conflict, and their incredible high-speed rail network, Shinkansen, it is absolutely valid to assume that Japan’s economy was about to skyrocket a few years ago. The same way in which Europe and America currently fear the growing power of China’s economy, they once feared the economic growth of Japan, but now they no longer do –so what has happened?

After the Second World War, Japan dominated global manufacturing. This made them a money magnet which then ignited a property boom and people were buying anything and everything, including sections of forest. By the mid-1980s, the bubble era had begun, or as the

Japanese call it – “Baburu Jidai”. In this era stock market prices and real estate skyrocketed, however, early in 1992 this bubble burst, and the country’s economy is still yet to recover.

The bureaucracy of Japan has spent large amounts of public money on things of little utility. For example, in the Japanese Alps the manhole covers are embellished with designs of elephants and flowers to commemorate the 1924 discovery of an ancient elephant species in a nearby lake. The Japan Society for Manhole covers claims there are over 6,000 different designs of these covers and they are stunning, but at 900 dollars apiece, are they really what the country currently needs?

It’s a sign to why Japan has raked up a huge public debt and is not helped by an ageing population who are still employed due to increasing pressure on pensions and healthcare.

Japan’s hostile attitude towards immigration is a key contributing factor to their ageing population too, as youths from all around the world long to move there but their own native young people are reluctant to be in relationships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was quick to shut its borders, even to permanent residents with homes and businesses there.

The foreign ministry was asked why foreigners who lived there were being treated like tourists and their response was short and simple: “they are all foreigners.” With a third of their population being over 60 (making it the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco), the Japanese need to increase fertility or it is projected that by 2050 one fifth of their population could be gone.

Stock market prices and real estate skyrocketed,

Alexa Price, member of YesCymru and YesCymru Caerdydd, which is also an English Literature student at Cardiff University is looking forward to the march. AUOBCymru’s Llywelyn ap Gwilym said: “The march in Swansea will be the sixth march for independence and the most important march so far”.

Alexa Price feels it’s ‘important for Wales to win its independence and to run like the wind from the government in Westminster as soon as possible’. She also added ‘the pandemic highlighted the need for independence and a drastic change in British Governance.

Previous to the Cardiff march Alexa distributed pamphlets and newspapers by YesCymru around Cathays and Roath. She also volunteered to steward in the march last year, and noted ‘that it was a lovely feeling to contribute to the campaign for independence’.

During the march in Cardiff in October there were also objectors to the ideation and campaign of YesCymru. But Alexa reacts to this by saying ‘to look at the history, which there is enough of, it’s not hard to understand and it’s quite straightforward’.

It has been made clear by campaigners that independence will have to be won by a public vote. The UK government does doubt this idea. Liz Truss, former British MP, did declare that the vote for independence, ‘yes’, would have to be 60%. Although Lord Frost, a British diplomat, does want to increase the ‘yes’ percentage. Alexa is ready to remain strong amidst objectors.

Elfed Williams, Chair of YesCymru stated that ‘the cry for independence increases week by week as the people of Wales realise that the only way our country can thrive is to break away from this crumbling union’. YesCymru looks forward to the march in Swansea which will begin at 1pm on the 20th of March.