Fantastic Speech

Take time out, do yourself a favour, read Adam Price's speech at this year's Plaid Cymru Spring Conference.

How hollow the charges of 'narrow minded' flung towards Welsh nationalists by British nationalists; how Philistine their appreciation of the world's complexity and subtly of language and culture; how ignorant their knowledge of countries, economies and peoples except the Big Boy Nationalists of their own ilk; how Darwinian, wrong-footed, flat-footed, genocidal their actions. How stuck in the past the British nationalists are.

Price puts it better than I ever could. Wales is the future. The politics of the future is the politics of Welsh nationalism. We have much to learn from the world and I say it humbly, maybe some have things to learn from us.

Viva the Welsh nation-state, independent with the Kurds, Tibetans, Greenlanders, Sarahawi, West Papuans, Bretons ... and yes, English, Germans, Russians and Castillians.

South Tirol Against Fascism

This is really obscure I know, but taking a look at the www.nationalia.cat website I found the Plaid Cymru and the SNP's grouping in the European parliament, the EFA (which also includes the Greens) has extended it's membership. Among the new members are the Sued Tiroler Freiheit (South Tirol Freedom). South Tirol, of course was cut off for some reason from north Tirol following the First World War as a way of rewarding the Italians for coming in against Austria-Hungary.

The region has more power than our poxy Assembly does (and will for a while unless the leaders of Plaid and Labour get their act together and start campaigning for a Yes vote in the referendum). But people are keen for more power. My German isn't good enough to work out if the STF want actual independence, union with Austria or just more autonomy (grateful for any clarification by German speakers).

In any case, one thing struck me about their website and especially the YouTube video on the right hand side, 'Marsch gegen Faschismus' (March against Fascism). It's obvious that a monument built by Mussolini is upsetting people and they've organised what looks like a very effective rally against the Faschis Denkmal (Fascist Monument). Contrary also to Welsh Labour prejudice (and also some left wingers in Plaid) the traditional costume usually associated with being reactionary and fascistic by some has become a badge of anti-fascism, democracy and rights by the Southern Tirolers. Maybe we Welsh should worry less our Labourist hang-ups (the successful St David's Day parade being a case in point) and confirm our traditional costume a badge of identity and anti-fascism and like in the Tirolean case a badge of anti centralised British/Italian nation statism.

Freiheit fuer Sued Tirol!