As widespread discussions continue across Europe about independence, the arena of constitutional arrangements is often overlooked. Amid the precarious positions of many of the largest European nation-states, we often talk about economic arguments or social campaigns, but staking a claim in legal terms is normally seen as a peripheral activity.
Some ground-breaking work has been done on writing constitutions that reflect sub-state nations and people. One of these occurred in Québec under the aegis of Professor Daniel Turp (Université de Montréal). That was a seminal declaration that is viewed as the vanguard for those interested in seeking constitutional change through legal applications.
As the movement towards Welsh independence gathers pace, with Wales now in a similar position to Scotland a few years prior to its Independence Referendum in 2014, we felt that the time was right to compose a Proposed Welsh Constitution (PWC) that could potentially be used as the foundation for an independent Wales.
“As the movement towards Welsh independence gathers pace, we felt that the time was right to compose a Proposed Welsh Constitution that could potentially be used as the foundation for an independent Wales”
The PWC aims to reflect Wales in its contemporary setting, whilst taking account of facets of its historical development. Therefore, the PWC draws on existing legislation and practices. Some elements of the PWC are clearly new, such as the Articles relating to the election of an Arlywydd (Head of State), who would be politically neutral.
The PWC covers areas such as citizenship, democratic values and principles, social justice and human rights (with an Article on the European Convention on Human Rights).
Internationalism is at the heart of the PWC, and Articles 39-43 highlight Wales’ commitment to playing a full role in the international community of nations and peoples.
Perhaps the most pressing international concern is caring for the environment, and the PWC focuses upon Wales’ commitment to Sustainability. Articles 44-48 explain how sustainable development is interwoven with the well-being of our citizens, and our need to sustain bio-diversity.
The PWC is designed to be a document for debate, and something that people across Europe, and globally, can discuss and adapt to their own particular circumstances. We are delighted to say that some movements across our continent are already looking at the PWC and wondering whether it could be used a rubric from which they could formulate a constitution for their territory and people.
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Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.
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