Independence for Kosovo

Congratulations to Kosovo, or rather Kosova, on gaining statehood and voting for independence on Sunday.

There's a lot of doomsayers about the future of the state the usual 'economically unviable' and, yes, at the moment it's in a bit of a mess. But, it's more economically viable than an independent Palestine, and I've yet to meet anyone that says Palestine shouldn't gain independence because of its economic inviability!

In fact, statehood will be a great help towards the economic development of Kosovo, bringing it out of a legal limbo and forcing the Albanians to sort themselves out and stop blaming others. It won't be Sweden in five years time, but then, who would have thought the other East European would have travelled so far in 15 years. Well we would have as Welsh nationalists! We've always known 'you can't make it on your own [sic.]' to be prejudice by proxy.

If Kosova can gain status and recognition (and will in time be economically successful), then what really is stopping Wales? Are we really less of a people than the Kosovar Albanians, one of the poorest people in Europe? Do we have less self-respect and dignity than the Kosovar Albanians? What kind of a nation is Wales that can't even vote to ban plastic bags?

In 2012 Kosova will be represented at the London Olympics, raising the profile of her nation and her self-respect, and where will Wales be, cap in hand asking the Mother of Parliaments for a few more crumbs, no doubt with the Brit Nats telling us how lucky we are!

Welsh Daily Newspaper

If Plaid Cymru Ministers are not willing to fully support the establishment of a Welsh language Daily Newspaper when in Government, what exactly was the point of voting them in? We wanted something different, not the same tired Labour policies!

Below is a copy of an email I received yesterday. I've signed the petition, and call on everyone else to do the same!

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION - http://deiseb.cymdeithas.org/

Keep to your promise Rhodri - Welsh Language Daily Newspaper:

We call on you (Rhodri Glyn Thomas - Plaid Cymru) as minister to ensure that the government honours its clear promise to establish a Welsh language daily newspaper announced in One Wales.

"We will expand the funding and support for Welsh-medium magazines and newspapers, including the establishment of a Welsh-language daily newspaper."

We ask for a new statement from the government that sufficient funds will be set aside specifically to establish a national daily newspaper in the Welsh language.

http://deiseb.cymdeithas.org/

More info available here - http://cymdeithas.org/english/

Nationalia - Welcome to the Real World!

I'm a regular reader of the Eurolang website so it was good to hear about another similar site.

Nationalia is a Catalan site (in English too) which opens the window on the politics of stateless or semi-autonomous nations like ourselves, Kurds, Inuit or Basques. You know, the kind of news that rarely gets covered under the heading of 'nationalism' or 'ethnic tension' presumably because no people are (thankfully) killed.

Ciemen puts the site together, the Catalan linguistic rights NGO. These are the same people who produced a map of the nationalities and languages of Europe in the 1980s - the map of the invisible people who were submerged under the USSR of official maps. Well, the East Europeans like Estonians and Slovenes are not invisible any more and the Welsh, Scots and Catalans are stepping out too.

Nationalia is a site with news from the true nations of the world not just the artificial states, you know those nations and languages which Brit / French / Spanish / Turkish Nats tend to 'forget' about.

Bonkers!

So Paul Englandandwales Murphy thinks it's 'bonkers' to want to reduce the number of Welsh MPs in exchange for more Assembly Members.

Yes, 'bonkers' like it is for the Scots... don't see them being 'bonkers'; Bonkers for the southern Irish (where his great grandparents came from of course) who have no MPs in Westminster... don't see them bonkers either. They all seem pretty grown-up to me.

No it's just bonkers that we Welsh would want to see a proper Parliament on our own soil. Better to keep it a jumped up little talking shop and leave the real politics to real people in a real parliament like Westminster 'mother of parliaments’ - yawn!

Bonkers? Yes, Murphy thinks it’s bonkers because it will mean less jobs for his British Nationalist friends in London. Labour MPs looking after their own careers once again!

So when the Tories win the next UK election, will it still be 'bonkers' to want more power for the Assembly?

Wales Without Frontiers!

Were you there? I was, well in a pub actually, but wasn't it amazing. Amazing to see Wales, a small nation of 3 million beat England a nation of 50 million? It's no disrespect to my English friends, but it was a great feeling.

Wouldn't it be great if we could bottle it - grown men cwtching the man next door, people of all hews of Welshness singing along - a great unifying and positive force in Welsh life. And Wales making the headlines across the World. No doubt the Brit Nats will also come over all Welsh now, and some Labour AM or Paul Englandandwales Murphy will patronise us with some obvious comment.

So, now that everyone's agreed it's such a great feeling, such a good unifying force, such a great positive way of creating a civic Welsh identiity, I look forward to the Brit Nats supporting Adam Price's suggestion that Wales has it's own international athletics team as well. We wouldn't be able to compete in the Olympics. In fact we'll have to suffer the Brti Nats fest which that will be in 2012... and see our culture suffer financially to pay for not being represented there whilst Estonia or Malta or Montenegro hold their heads up high. But we can compete at the World Athletics Championship.

Imagine the positive effects of that, imaging the massive pr for 'brand' Wales, imagine the confidence and inspiration it would give our increasingly fat children to take up sport. All that is within our reach... we're just waiting for the Brit Nats in Labour to put Wales before Britain.

I look forward to see Labour take up (or turn down) Adam's offer. I look forward to Plaid asking Rhodri Morgan and Paul Murphy are they for a Welsh international athletics team or not. And if not, then why make an exception to rugby. Why not get rid of the Welsh rugby team in the name of Britishness? I look forward to see Plaid (and all other supporters) make this a campaign to unite people across Wales

C'mon Cymru! We can be Champions!