Designs on the Union

Further to my previous posts, Peter Hain is the latest New Labour potentate to proclaim the importance of the Union to Labour hacks the UK (or is it just to Wales?):

Speaking after Chancellor Gordon Brown also warned of a threat, Mr Hain called for the end of the UK a "one-way street to irrelevance for Wales".

"The contribution of Wales to the industrial development of Britain was enormous, helping to create prosperity and to turn us into a world power."

He also said:

"In return, Wales has long benefited from support from the Treasury, with Welsh public spending almost £1,000 per head higher than in England."

Therein lies the rub: the English are increasingly hacked-off with the Celtic tails wagging the English dog. Linked in the public's minds (and in reality) with the increasingly loathed excesses of multi-culturalism, this issue is really hotting up on the street. Polls reveal that the English would be happy to see the back of the Scots (and I'm guessing they'd feel the same about the Welsh)

The feeling in England (outside the chattering classes) will be that he's warning the Welsh not to climb off the gravy train simply because he's a Welsh Labour MP fearing the loss of his position in the UK parliament.