WALES will be an independent country “within my lifetime”, according to the founder of food delivery giant Just Eat.
David Buttress, one of Wales' most successful entrepreneurs, has revealed his support for independence in a new interview to be screened tonight.
Buttress, who didn't grow up in a “traditional nationalist family”, says his position comes from “pragmatism", stating: “It comes from a pragmatism based around what I think is best for developing talent, youth and our country. Before 2010, I was opening a business in Ireland, and I realised that the Celtic Tiger and the economy and the opportunity, and the feel of Dublin versus the feel of Cardiff and where I was from.
“And it was very stark. I started to look at the investment that was going into Ireland versus the investment going into Wales. I started looking at the new industries that were being strategically developed by the Irish government versus what was being developed by the Westminster government for Wales, and started to realise the stark contrast between having a clear strategic policy of long-term investment from a government accountable to the people and the one that isn’t.”
On the prospects of a sustainable independent state, Buttress says: “To me, there’s not even a question of whether it can stand on its feet economically. It can.
“A £70bn economy – there are parallels throughout Europe and the world which tell you that’s the case.
“If you look at the taxation in some of the western European democracies, it means Wales could have a deficit running at between around 2-3%, which is in line with European Union regs.
“So there’s no way that Wales could not be an independent country.”
The chair of Yes Cymru, Sion Jobbins, recently told the Sunday National that Wales, where independence support is now polling at 33% per cent, could be independent within a decade.
Buttress said there is a “sense of momentum in the young”, adding: “I really 100% believe in my lifetime Wales will be an independent country. I actually think the momentum around this is becoming an unstoppable force.
“Because if you participate in a union of countries and participate in the parliament where you have the representation of 40 in a parliament of 650, you don’t need to be a mathematician to work out that your voice is pretty insignificant and statistically irrelevant.
“So if you really want to move things forward and give children in Wales the chance to come out of poverty – there are more children in Wales in poverty than in any other part of the UK – you have to ask yourself why. It’s because you have politicians who are not really accountable for that outcome.
“So I want a government in Wales responsible for those outcomes who could actually make a change and stop that happening.”
The interview will be screened on current affairs programme Y Byd yn ei Le on the S4C channel at 8pm.
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