1/ The four main duties of government are:

1. Make laws
2. Ensure order
3. Security
4. Welfare of citizens

I'd say that the UK state has done a decent job of the first three for Wales. It's the fourth that they've come up short on.

2/ Lately Wales has suffered a mortality rate of 28.4 per 100k from Covid-19 compared to Germany's 8.43 & NZ's 0.41. The UK govt has come in for severe criticism over its handling of the crisis as has a Labour Welsh Govt which has largely sought a common approach with Westminster

3/ But this is not the only way in which the UK state has been found wanting on best providing for the welfare of Wales' citizens. Most will be familiar with the £13.7Bn public spending deficit figure that's so often quoted.

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1542474/full_gerw_print.pdf

4/ This 35% hole in Wales' public expenses represents the colossal misgovernance of Wales' economy in the 100 years since Labour came to electoral dominance in our country and the establishment of the Free Irish State brought about the modern era of the UK of GB & NI.

5/ Looking under the bonnet of the headline figure reveals much of the structural damage done to the Welsh economy and the socio-economic problems it has yielded. Reading the GERW report reveals that spending on Welsh Transport, Science & Education is 70%/capita of the UK ave.

6/ Little wonder that our productivity is also approximately 70% of the UK/capita ave. This causes all sorts of problems. 1st, it leads to lower wages. It leads to a high rate of child poverty. It leads to worse health and mortality outcomes. It leads to a graduate drain.

7/ What's more, being tied into a UK economy which is unoptimal for our country, driven by a hothouse SE England and City of London economy, we've very little leverage under current constitutional arrangements to change matters.

8/ So next time you wonder why the ave house is 7x the ave wage or why so many are struggling with their health or on low pay remember, this is the political/economic model that the UK state and its political establishment, Labour and Tory parties has chosen for Wales.

9/ So why does the #IndyWales movement want statehood for Wales? We very much want to improve the governance of Wales. We want a fully equipped Senedd that answers to us, Wales' citizens alone. We want it to enact policies that take our economy forwards.

10/ We want our Senedd to raise the funds neccessary to invest in our infrastructure, services, businesses and manufacturers to get our productivity and wages up, to provide a sustainable taxbase that pays for world class services.

11/ In short, we want a Sovereign Senedd to do a better job of performing that vital role of government ... to ensure the best possible welfare of its citizens.

12/ We are confident that the Welsh Nation has the same talent as any other and that with better leadership we will do a better job of governing our country and running our economy.

The first step is to put aside the old ideas that led us here. It's now time to build our Nation.

13/ Please think about this as our Senedd Elections come by in 2021. Until then, no matter your political hue, if you agree that Wales should be in possession of its statehood, let your local party, your MP, MS know. Perhaps you could contribute your voice and ideas to @YesCymru.