Product Code Database
YesCymru is a non party-political campaign for an independent Wales. The organisation was formed in summer 2014 and officially launched on 20 February 2016 in Cardiff. In 2022 it became a private company limited by guarantee without share capital.
Iestyn told WalesOnline, "YesCymru is a bottom-up organisation rather than a top-down one. We don't have a lot of policies we expect members to subscribe to. Instead we want to discuss the practicalities of Wales as an independent country – what that would mean." He resigned as chairman in October 2018 after proposed changes to the group's constitution were blocked by members; he was later replaced by Jobbins, who was the chair between 2017 and July 2021, who stepped down over health concerns. When asked by the North Wales Daily Post what the group's policies were, Jobbins said: "YesCymru is a single issue movement. Our two main aims are for international recognition which means a seat for Wales in the United Nations and for Wales to have its own written constitution. We're making the general argument for independence. We are working from all parties and none. We welcome people who have different visions as to what an independent Wales would look like in terms of policies etc." Jobbins added that he would continue to support the organisation and that vice chair Sarah Rees would take over.
Polls in 2014 suggested that support for Welsh independence was around 14% of voters. A poll performed in November 2020 found that when looking at those who would vote, 33% would vote Yes to Welsh independence. January 2021's Welsh Political Barometer poll for ITV Wales and Cardiff University suggested 29% of voters would vote 'Yes' to independence in a referendum. The seven most recent polls have found that when looking at support among voters (by excluding answers of 'don't know') support for Welsh independence is between 29% and 33%.
According to Owen Worth, Lecturer of International Relations at the University of Limerick, YesCymru was Britain's fastest growing political organisation in 2020.
During a period of increasing support for YesCymru and independence, Sion Jobbins, chair of YesCymru, stated, "After these dark days there is a message of hope – Wales is big enough, rich enough and smart enough to make decisions for ourselves." In September 2021, Jobbins called for YesCymru to prepare for the Welsh independence following a second potential vote in a Proposed second Scottish independence referendum. He added that 'People don't want to be in a UK with no Scotland'.
In summer 2021, six members of the central committee resigned over leadership and direction, in addition to a bitter debate around alleged transphobia in YesCymru. Sarah Rees told the BBC that members needed to be "respectful to everyone's views". Further to this she said "one of the things of being a broad church and a wide spectrum of people across politics is about making sure that you're respectful. And I think that it's important for me in the position that I'm in now as the interim chair to remind everybody that we have to be respectful to everyone's views, and respectful to everyone as human beings."
In August 2021, an emergency meeting was held between the organisation's local groups in order to discuss making constitutional changes to stabilise the organisation. However, during the meeting, an advisory vote of no confidence in the central committee took place. The vote originally proved controversial, with a number of local groups being accused of failing to consult their members before voting against the central committee. In mid-August, all remaining members of the central committee resigned. In a statement, the committee said that "harassment directed towards Central Committee members, that goes far beyond social media posts, has taken an incredible toll on mental wellbeing and can no longer be tolerated." Between then and the extraordinary general meeting (EGM), an independent third party firm of accountants oversaw limited day-to-day operations of the organisation.
In December 2021, YesCymru was due to hold its EGM, however, after the online voting ballots had been sent out, the organisation discovered that its membership database had not been updated in several months and that a significant number of members had seen their membership lapse without being notified or offered renewal. On 11 December, the organisation revealed that its membership was now around 9,000 active members. In response to legal advice, the organisation further announced that it would be delaying voting for the EGM until 15 December, in order to send renewal emails to those whose memberships had lapsed.
In January 2022, the organisation held elections to fill the new National Governing Body (NGB). Only the Mid and West Wales region saw more than three candidates run, as such the candidates for all others were automatically elected. Initially the post of Chair was rotated amongst members of the Board but in March 2022 a permanent new Chair was appointed, Elfed Williams. Later that year, the organisation posted a job advertisement for a paid full-time Chief Executive Officer as part of its move towards professionalisation. In September 2022, for the first time, the organisation announced it would appoint a paid full-time Chief Executive Officer, Gwern Gwynfil Evans, and a new Head of Communications, Campaigns and Membership Carwen Davies.
A further independence march was held in Cardiff on 1 October, where nearly 10,000 people took to the streets of the capital. There were speeches and performances from a number of high-profile Welsh figures including Julian Lewis Jones, who plays Boremund Baratheon in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, actor and novelist Ffion Dafis, singer Eädyth Crawford and Irish comedian Tadhg Hickey, as well as the Plaid Cymru peer Dafydd Wigley.
With regards to the British monarchy, YesCymru takes no position on whether Charles III would remain head of state in an independent Wales. "Cards on the table, as the saying goes. I am a committed Welsh Republican. I want to see an independent Wales and I want it to be a republic," the group's Director Ethan Jones wrote. "That said, my role is to do my best to represent North Wales members on the National Governing Body of YesCymru. Our membership contains republicans, monarchists, and a segment who don't have a firm view either way. YesCymru reflects this by being committed to entrusting the electorate of a future independent Welsh state with the question."
A second march was held in Caernarfon in July 2019, where organisers claimed 10,000 people gathered at Y Maes. Speakers included Dafydd Iwan and Hardeep Singh Kohli.
A third march took place in Merthyr Tydfil in September 2019. Organisers claimed 5,300 attended the rally where speakers included Eddie Butler, Neville Southall, and Kizzy Crawford. Further marches planned for 2020 in Wrexham, Tredegar and Swansea were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In January 2020, the organisation was in part behind the push to get the song "Yma o Hyd" by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log to the top of the iTunes Charts.
In March 2021, YesCymru launched Yestival, a year-long programme of discussions on the subject of Welsh independence and their first live campaign since before the pandemic. A spokesperson for YesCymru described Yestival as a "festival of digital engagement with groups representing thousands of existing and non-members" which is specifically designed to "continue shaping plans for a stronger and fairer Wales as an independent, neighbouring nation of the UK." They went on to say, "Wales' growing independence movement has to become a digital uprising."
In March 2021, YesCymru announced they aimed to distribute 400,000 copies of a newspaper around Wales, with the hope of reaching an audience of 1 million people.
2022 saw two further marches, the first in Wrexham attended by around 6,000 people and the second in Cardiff said by the organisers themselves to have been attended by nearly 10,000 people. This was followed by a march through Bangor on the 23 September of the same year, which was again attended by nearly 10,000 people. There was only a single All Under One Banner Cymru march in 2024, taking place in Carmarthen on the 22 June. Since then, there has been a demonstration in Barry on the 26 April 2025 and one in Rhyl on 18 October of the same year.
Conservative MP David Davies has criticised the organisation for its stickering campaigning, accusing the group of posting stickers illegally "all over signs and buildings in Wales".
|
|
