There'll still be a Britain, says Plaid leader

Leanne Wood will outline her vision of a Britain in which Scotland and Wales are independent countries in a speech today. She says England is not just a neighbour but a sister nation and that a common sense of Britishness will survive. She has previewed her speech in an article for today's edition of 'The Scotsman'.

Today's speech is to the European Free Alliance's conference in Aberdeen. The EFA represents Plaid Cymru, the SNP and similar parties in other countries in the European Parliament. Plaid's strategists see it as the first in a series of speeches in which Leanne Wood will weave her policies into a convincing narrative.

In a sense it will be a return to Plaid Cymru's traditional policy of a Britannic Confederation, which the party promoted under Gwynfor Evans' leadership until it switched to supporting Welsh membership of the European Union. The goal of joining the EU remains but not membership of the Eurozone. Instead there is backing for a 'Sterling Zone', with the British pound remaining as a common currency for England, Scotland and Wales.

In Plaid's model, England would not be able to outvote the smaller members of the currency union, as there would be 'parity of esteem' between the constituent nations. Party strategists deny that there's a danger of the relationship becoming more like that between Germany and the weaker members of the Eurozone, with inevitable pressure to adopt common tax and economic policies. They point to the example of the United States, where some of the constituent members don't even levy income tax.