Is she still in a job?

Has Cathy Owens turned up at her job in the Welsh Assembly Government today? If so - how come?

How can a 'special adviser' paid from the public purse still be in post after saying that Ministers would not countenance 'Quebec-style' language laws in Wales, even though the Assembly Government understood the Welsh Language Board was going through its 'death throes'. She went on to say,

"It's for elected politicians to agree the way forward for public policy in Wales. We are talking about a situation where English speakers have rights too. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but no one voted for the Language Board either."

Other people, who don't have the patronage of the party of power, have been sacked for less. If she is a political appointment to be the Brit Nat Labour Party's spin-doctor then she should be sacked for being so crap - doesn't she realise that she's not allowed to make the news?

But more importantly, what is her problem with the Welsh language. We're not the sort to go kicking up a fuss every time some minor English celeb makes a comment about the Welsh and there are differences between the dynamic of the campaign for racial equality and parity of esteem for Welsh. But really, her comment about the Welsh Language Board is just redneck stuff. Would someone still be in a job after making such un-called for remarks about the Commission for Racial Equality or and English-language organisation?

What's this 'turkeys don't vote for Christmas'? Oh, yes, we see - if the 'English-speaking 80%' don't want their English-speaking communities in Wales to become Welsh-speaking communities, then that's OK - it's 'inclusive' and all the other Brit Nat-Labour speak.

If Welsh-speakers, either the so-called 20% or those in stronger Welsh-speaking communities, don't want to see their communities become English-speaking communities for the first time in those communities history, then they're 'racists', xenophobic, extreme etc.

What's Cathy Owen's problem - no what's the British Nationalist Welsh Labour Party's problem with the Welsh language? Is the party just institutionally anti-Welsh language? We know the Welsh Labour Party is the party of British nationalists and obviously, English language nationalists.

How can decent Welsh-speakers and supporters stay in a party which from top to bottom has just contempt for the language? Does Rhodri windbag Morgan have so little moral authority (or, most likely, doesn't give a toss) that he won't stand up the constant bitchy comments about Welsh?

Even the Tories are now much more supportive of the Welsh language, and have broadly supported the Welsh language Society's call for a New Welsh Language Act, so what's wrong with Labour?

Ah, well! There is one silver lining to the whole shabby affair. As Owens was apparently educated (is that the right word?) at a Welsh-medium school, then maybe the British nationalists in her party and Education Minister, Jane Davidson in particular, will find it OK now to support the sector. You can have a dodgy attitude towards Welsh and be a Labour hack even if you've been to these 'crachach' schools see boys!

David Cameron: Space Cadet

A Good post from the Campaign for an English Parliament website.

Speaking at the Great Briton Awards David Cameron demonstrates our shared Britishness in a sporting context:

There's proof of this in a sporting context…

…the public support for a British football team at the 2012 Olympics, and the huge enthusiasm in every corner of the land for the Ashes triumph over the Australians.

Look too at the seamless transition from Henman Hill to Murray Mound.

Over the course of a fortnight, an English enclave became a Scottish outpost with no discernible change of personnel or flags…

…because they were British, not English or Scottish.

....said Cameron wiping white powder from his upper lip. I'm sorry, but if this guy thinks there is huge support for a British football team then he is high as a lark.

British Nationalists get touchy

Oh, the Brit Nats have come over all queenie and bitchy. I never! They're the only parliament in the village and don't want any one else taking all the limelight.

Yes, the Tories, and more interestingly New Labour, got over all precious at the Lib Dem's idea of changing the Assembly's name to Senedd - the Welsh word for parliament, even though the idea of calling the assembly a senedd was once floated by Tony Blair in an interview with the Western Mail before he became prime minister.

Now, we've got issues with calling a poxy assembly which can't even legislate on smoking, a 'senedd'. We've also got issues with calling it 'senedd' when speaking English. The official name could be 'senedd' but in English it should be referred to as a 'parliament'. There's nothing intrinsically different about the concept of a 'senedd' and a 'parliament' so why use a different word when describing the institution in English?

It seems, the Brit Nats just don't like having anything which could question the legitimacy of Westminster. It seems it's bad enough that the Scots have a Parliament without the Welsh having one too.

Labour cracks start to show

Labour aren't all British nationalists after all (well, not the English ones in anycase!)

Distinguished MP Frank Field has broken ranks and brought a bit of common sense to the whole mess which is Welsh Labour's British nationalist handling of more power for our useless Welsh Assembly i.e. 'The Government of Wales Bill'.

Yes, whilst most Welsh Labour MPs will be spluttering into their pints as they see their days at the UK's best club numberd, the Government of Wales Bill has prompted English Labour MP - Frank Field - to introduce the following amendment:

Clause 102, page 56, line 41, at end add —
(9) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section no referendum shall be held until legislation has been passed providing for the holding of a referendum throughout England on the creation of a National Assembly for England (however named) with at least the same powers and status as the National Assembly for Wales; such a National Assembly for England (however named) either to be separately elected or to be constituted by the Members of Parliament for constituencies in England sitting as the National Assembly for England (however named).'

The amendment, that would trigger either a referendum or a Commons vote on holding "English-only" votes in future, was drafted by the non-partisan Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP).

We support Frank Field MP and the CEP in their campaign.

More info: crossofstgeorge.net/forum

St David's Day Gimmick

Another month, another gimmick. The latest gimmick out of the Sugarpuffs pack dressed up in the usual class jingoisms is Alun Pugh's announcement that admission to some of Wales' most famous castles will be free on St David's Day.

Whoopee. Do they think we're kids - what next, a free lollypop in February's gimmick of the month?

Free entrance on St David's Day to the colonial castles of our conquerors? Great - gimmicky and insensitive too!

And cynical. Of course, we'll all be working on St David's Day because the Brit Nat Labour Government don't want to make it a bank holiday and our useless Assembly doesn't have the power to do so. All the kids will be at school as well - unless Labour suggest they mitch off?

Of course Labour could make St David's Day a bank holiday but they don't want that - they want us to celebrate a British nationalist bank holiday instead.

But, if you are taking a day off to celebrate St David's Day then why not attend the annual St David's Day parade in the capital. There'll be hundreds there including all three opposition parties. But you can count on one thing. In keeping with the previous two events there won't be a single Assembly Member from the British nationalist Labour party. They get a bit itchy if things are 'too Welsh'. Maybe if we flew the union jack they'd feel more at home!

Lord Baker - Welsh Hero?

Who'd have thought that the one-time Conservative Education Minister could do more to promote Welsh democracy and identity than the Richard Commission and the whole Brit Nat Welsh Labour Party?

Baker - quite rightly - points out the growing anomaly of the West Lothian Question. The British Nationalist Labour Party try to dismiss the whole thing, but it's not that easy.

There's a genuine question of representation and legitimacy which Labour will try to ignore for very good moral reasons, erm... that Labour isn't the majority party in England and without Welsh and Scottish MPs they wouldn't win the next election!

So, the slogan from Brown and Morgan is: 'Save Labour - Save Britain' or rather, 'Save Britain to Save Labour'. British nationalism = Labour.

Labour's attitude towards English identity is, frankly, shameful; in their eyes it's either 'racists' or by definition (their definition) 'twee'. Labour's continuous insistence that identity 'multi-layered' and 'complex' is both an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious and in suggesting that any other identity (see English, Welsh or Scottish) is by definition narrow-minded, racists or intellectually lacking.

It's no wonder that English people are increasingly calling for an English Parliament - something we strongly support!

How ironic that the latest Labour Brit Nat fudge, the Government of Wales Bill, is going through the Commons at the very time when an increasing number of English MPs would seem happy for Wales to have more power if only England would too.

Brown the Brit

So, as if we needed confirmation, and to all those Labour people (and even Plaid Cymru supporters) who think that this blog has been wrong to call Labour a British nationalist party, Brown comes out of the closet as a Brit Nat.

Flying the flag from gardens? Well it's a change from garden gnomes at least. A 'British Day' to celebrate Britain's tradition of fairness and inclusivity... like Bloody Sunday or Amritsar? The British state is the reason why Welsh was at death's door, why should any Welshman support a British Day?

Brown - you're a generation too late. The Welsh and Scots aren't peasants any more (except those fawning Brit nat Labour MPs and AMs, like Leighton Andrews who also spoke at the Fabian Society's conference on Britishness in London on the 14th January). We won't accept it. There's more chance of burning flags than waving flags. Even the English have given up on Britain.

So Brown wants to be PM of the UK; and as a Scottish MP, or more importantly an MP representing a Scottish constituency, he has to have something to cover his tracks!

Yes, at last, the truth is out. Maybe the next time Betty Williams MP taunts Welsh nationalist with the 'you can't eat a flag' line, we can send her a knife and fork to go with her Union Jack.

All that abuse by Labour members against Welsh nationalists over the generations was all bunk. It isn't nationalism which Leighton Andrews, George Thomas, Huw Lewis etc disagree with, it's Welsh nationalism. Welsh nationalism = bad, British nationalism = good.

Maybe now, even drippy Plaid Cymru AMs and MPs will start calling Labour by their real name, British nationalists.

Arts to all parts of Wales.

British Nationalist New Labour Minister Alun Pugh, is right to push through a policy of getting the arts to all parts of Wales and all communities. He's to be congratulated for putting this on top of his agenda. He's right also to highlight the way some of the poorest areas get the least for their taxes. Stick to your guns Pugh.

However, yes, there is a however. Sacking Geraint Talfan Davies is a bit harsh. After all the Arts Council of Wales comes under the Assembly Government and before that the Welsh Office remit. Had any of the governments, Labour since 1997 (8 years ago) or Labour Welsh Office Ministers in the 1960s and 70s, made an effort to put this to the top of their agenda, the Arts Council would have jumped - they'd have no choice but to do so.

So what have Labour been doing during their time in office? Or does the Minister blame the Arts Council for not following the Conservatives cultural policy in the 1980s and early 1990s? It's a no win situation for the Arts Council and Davies as scapegoat.

Further more, these deprived areas that are not benefiting from Arts Council money (according to the Minister) are all Labour controlled councils and have been for almost a century. The money, population and skills available are higher in these areas than in more rural areas such as Gwynedd or Powys.

If these areas don't have decent artistic facilities it's because of the lack of vision and intelligence of the Labour controlled councils. These useless Labour councils had had almost a century (and over 60 years since the formation of the Arts Council) to put their case before ministers but did nothing.

It's a damning indictment of the moral and intellectual shallowness of the Labour movement that they've let down their core voters for so long... and now Pugh blames Talfan Davies!

And one last thing. It may be far off in their minds now. But some time Labour will not be in power in the Assembly. How will Alun Pugh, Huw Lewis and the Labour members feel then when an opposition party runs the Arts Council?

Full strength to your campaign Pugh, but don't blame others for Labour's long-term failure - and keep the arts at arms length. The boot could be on the other foot some day!

Brit Nat Labour tensions

The tensions within the various strands of British nationalism within Welsh Labour are well-known. The papers just released from Harold Wilson's weak government of the mid 1970s throw some more interesting light on the Devolution saga.

In fact it's surprising how little has changed since the thirty years ago in terms of the internal splits with Labour.

Fair-play to John Morris for sticking his neck out for Devolution in what must have been a pretty nasty atmosphere. The success of the Brit Nat anti-devo MPs led to 18 years of Tory rule.

But there we are - Brit Nats like Kinnock (and the Chris Bryant and *** of today) despite their boorish class jingoism, prefered to be governed by Margaret Thatcher rather than have a Welsh Assembly.

But then, Thatcher could do a lot of the nasty work which Wilson and Callaghan shied away from and Kinnock et all could blame her - tidy see!

Despite Labour bragging that our Assembly being the most open in Europe - after all, the new assembly buiding is made of glass, so it must be transparent! We'll have to wait until 2035 to see who stitched up who and how much Windbag Morgan caved in for us to end up with the dog's dinner which is 'Better Governance for Wales'