Plaid Cymru has a mountain to climb, but Welsh independence is no pipe dream | Simon Jenkins

Wales has gone from indy curious' to indy plausible', and nationalists should look to Ireland for inspiration

Next year is the centenary of the founding of the Irish Free State and the path to full independence. It is just conceivable that Scotland could celebrate by striking out alone too. But Wales? Surely not.

The Welsh Senedd elections on 6 May seem likely to confirm Labour's Mark Drakeford in office in Cardiff. But he may have to rely on Welsh nationalist backing from Plaid Cymru. That party's polling is following a very similar trajectory to Scotland's nationalists a decade before gaining power in Edinburgh in 2007. After long languishing in single figures, Plaid polls steadily around 20%, running close with the Welsh Tories. At one point in 2019, YouGov briefly gave Plaid the lead.