Welsh ambitions and English angst

You say in your leader on the elections to the Welsh national assembly (April 12) that close economic ties with England somehow reduce the likelihood of independence. Doesn't Scotland have equally close economic ties with England? Yet these are discounted in the "what if independence?" debate that seems to mesmerise some people in England. You further assume a unity of economic purpose among the English in Wales that is simply not there. Most move for job-related reasons, but I am intrigued by the number of English people who now describe their move to Wales as an escape, usually for quality-of-life reasons. Worries about the state school system are also beginning to appear. Will we now get a flood of economic migrants hunting down our free NHS prescriptions?

The national assembly elections and the complexity of the issues involved deserve better coverage than they have had in the London media. Are they ignored through an assumption about Wales' political status? I can find nothing in the acts of union of 1536 and 1542 that actually says that "Wales shall become a part of England" or any other variations thereof. Wales was probably annexed by Henry VIII for fiscal not political or cultural reasons. It has retained its identity across five centuries, so why is it constantly sidelined in debates about the future of the union?

Political independence is not on the agenda, but if the national assembly does not obtain the same powers as the Scottish parliament, that may bring together concerned coalitions that will demonstrate the many ways of being Welsh. This is more likely to occur in the face of a hostile (not necessarily Conservative) government after the next UK general election. In turn that could trigger the referendum needed to secure primary law-making powers for the assembly. Would that produce another bout of angst among the English?
Jeff Brook
Newport, Gwent

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