One of Wales’ most successful businessmen has come out as a supporter of Welsh independence.
In a TV interview with journalist Guto Harri, David Buttress, who grew the Just Eat food delivery company into a multi-billion operation and also chairs Dragons Rugby, explains his conversion to the indy cause.
When Harri puts to him that at the time he grew up in Gwent, not many people in the area believed in Welsh independence, Mr Buttress, originally from Cwmbran, responds: “Definitely it wasn’t something I could relate to as a Gwent boy, because I wasn’t a Welsh speaker, didn’t come from a traditional nationalist family, and I guess was very closely aligned, culturally and geographically to England.
“So no – it didn’t feel a big part of my thinking, although I did start to explore it as I got a bit older.”
Asked what had led him to the idea that independence for Wales was a good idea, he said: “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.”
Harri puts it to Mr Buttress that he’s been one of the most successful businessmen in the 海角视频 over the last two decades, and asks him whether he believes Wales could stand on its own two feet economically.
He responds: “To me, there’s not even a question of whether it can stand on its feet economically. It can.
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“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. It absolutely can be – and the economics and the maths tells you it could be.
“And if you strip out things like the contribution Wales makes to defence and [the English rail scheme] HS2, it can absolutely start to shape an economy for the long term and the future, which I think would better serve its people.”
Asked whether he was a rare breed at Rodney Parade and more broadly in Gwent believing this, or whether the people he grew up with were more open to Welsh independence, Mr Buttress said: “It feels to me like there’s a change. It’s being driven by a lot of young people. So if you look at that movement, there’s a real sense of momentum in the young, exploring probably some of the questions I asked myself 10 years ago about why Wales was so far behind Ireland.
“I think those people are thinking it doesn’t feel right as a young person growing up in Wales that they shouldn’t have the same opportunity as a young person growing up in England, or in London.
“And it isn’t right. It’s a waste of talent.”
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Mr Buttress said he had no doubt Welsh independence would be achieved: “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.
“What gives me a sense of optimism, is that the more I look into it, the more I understand and the more it just feels logical.
“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 海角视频 – 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 during Y Byd yn ei Le at at 8pm (December 2, 2020) on S4C.