CELTIC UNION A MUST REGARDLESS OF BREXIT SAYS PLAID LEADER

Joint bank could drive co-operation on investment!

The Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said that there needs to be a much ‘greater co-operation’ between the Celtic nations regardless of Brexit and has suggested a Celtic Development Bank for joint infrastructure investment projects in energy, transport, and communications.

His comments come before his keynote lecture at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin later today.

The Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price is visiting Dublin today [Thursday] to address the Institute of International and European Affairs on the future cooperation and relationship of the four nations of the UK and Ireland.

Speaking ahead of the lecture, Adam Price, Plaid Cymru leader said:

“I believe Wales can be much more than just a land bridge for Ireland to England and continental Europe. We hold out the prospect of being a political partner with Ireland in a great project for the 21st Century – a project made urgent by the Brexit debate and a project that is nothing less than a fundamental restructuring of political relationships across western Europe.

“We could see much greater co-operation between the Celtic nations, even the formation of some kind of Celtic union – a multilateral organisation with their own structure and secretariat that could establish, for example, a Celtic Development Bank for joint infrastructure investment projects in energy, transport, and communications.

“We can have a better future forging a new collaboration on these islands. A collaboration that is based on an equality of partnership and respect between Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England which develops structures we already have, built as part of the Good Friday Agreement– the British Irish Council, which could be a meeting place where we can begin to forge the common understanding that we will need to take our new relationships forward.”

The Plaid leader said that Brexit has shown the British political system is ‘broken’ and that the time had come to renew Europe – beginning with a revived partnership of equals on the British Isles.

Adam Price commented:

“Brexit has shown that the British political system is broken, deadlocked and incapable of reaching a consensus. The time has come to choose to not only Remain in but Reform, Renew and Regenerate Europe into a Europe that can be social, democratic, decentralised and diverse.

“Our vision is for a new society, for a new politics, a new Wales, a new Ireland, a new Scotland, a new England, and –a new Europe too.”