Gibraltar - a Footballing Nation

UEFA have decided that they had no argument not to recognise Gibraltar as a footballing nation. ... much to Spain's dislike.

Nothing against Gibraltar, but I'd have thought that the Basque and Catalan nations would have a stronger moral and legal case.

I look forward to Catalonia, Basque Country, Brittany, Kurdistan and Flanders competing in the European and World Cup.

At least the Basques, Catalans and Bretons are European nations ... unlike the recently and bizarrely accepted Kazakhstan.

CATALAN FA - www.seleccions.cat

BASQUE FA - www.eff-fvf.org

BRETON FA - bfa.ifrance.com

KURDISTAN FA - www.kurdistan-fa.com/

'New Labour has had its Day' - Rhodri Morgan

Haven't we heard this one before?... like a few months before the last Assembly election and the famous 'clear red water' between 'Welsh' Labour and New Labour?

Does Windbag honestly think we're that stupid?

I know what 'Welsh Labour socialism' means - bribes! 'free' train trips, 'free' school breakfast i.e. Labour's suspected core voters get stuff for free whilst somebody else pays for it.

'New Labour's had it's day' - yes Rhodri, like Trident, Iraq and 'Welsh' Labour being too useless even to ban smoking in Wales until it's going to happen in the mother country (see walesworldnation.welshblogs.co.uk - 'Smoking for Britain')... oh, and it's a month before the election.

No doubt 'Welsh' Labour won't be accepting any cash nor support by New Labour nor New Labour MPs in the run-up to the Assembly Election?

England Awakes

Simon Heffer makes a good argument for English independence in the Telegraph.

Labour's Brit Nats can't put the genie back in the bottle. It's either a UK federal parliament within 10 years, or independence all round. The English aren't as timid as the Welsh and so won't put up with an useless Assembly like ours.

It's interesting to see that the radical thinking in England on the constitution is coming from the right wing. Just shows the slow death (or self-censorship) of the English left wing.

Labour’s Brit Nats run Scared

When British Nationalist Labour members are scared - they scare the electorate. How else can you explain the pathetic remarks by senior Scottish Labour MPs at the Labour Scottish Conference? It just proves that they've lost the intellectual and economic debate, and have to resort to scaring people.

Are they seriously saying that Scottish people living in England would be treated differently from Irish people living there, or that they would have less rights than Polish plumbers, if Scotland was to become independent?

Can John Reid name one EU state that has passport controls at its borders? Is John Reid in favour of creating an European Superstate (and get rid of the UK) so that we can tackle the environment?

International terror (yes, go on John, scare the granny) - there's actually an argument that more states with more border controls (yes, even at Gretna Green) could stem international terrorism - but then he's against that as well.

No control on mass migration? What's John Reid trying to say - vote independence and thousands of third world scum will swamp Scotland? - that seems to be the dog whistle to me!

Douglas Alexander waffles about 'teaching Cantonese not Culloden'. What, like schools in England, where the teaching of modern languages has decreased under Labour?

Don't the Scots find the implication that an independent Scotland can't be fit enough to sort out basic things like education on their own and that they'd revert to some music hall parody of themselves insulting? Sounds so very much like the nonsense peddled by the British Nationalist Labour Party in Wales to me.

As usual, Salmond is right. Labour needs Scotland for the egos of its own Scottish Labour politicians.

Interesting link - Independent Scotland 'will work with England' (Scotsman)

The Union is there for the Sake of the Labour Party

Johann Hari's article in Wednesday 9 November's Independent was instructive in its view of the continuing debate on Scottish Independence.

Hari, a thoughtful and sensible writer, lamented the proposed independence for Scotland basically on the premise that it would deny Labour of ever winning power in London! He seemed to ignore the flip-side which is, were Scotland and Wales to leave the Union, then Labour may tailor its policies to suit English voters and by doing so recognise the different political culture there.

He also peddled the old lie that the UK subsidises Scotland. Look, Johann, it works like this. Scotland gives it's oil revenue to the London Exchequer, which then gives the Scottish money back in the form of 'subsidies' and by doing so kills two birds with one stone - creates a dependence culture in Scotland and gives the impression that Scotland is poor. Bravo!

Recent papers reveal that the Labour government in the 1970s lied over the oil benefits for an independent Scotland and would probably do so again.

Neither Scotland nor Wales should be voting fodder for the Labour party. It's time The British Nationalist Labour Party wasn't subsidised by Celtic votes.

Campaign for a Welsh internet domain.

A new campaign calling for a '.cym' domain for the Welsh language and culture has just launched. A .cym domain would allow Welsh websites or websites about Welsh culture to use .cym instead of .com, .co.uk, .net . It would also make it possible to have email addresses ending with .cym

.

The campaign must show that it has strong support before important meetings in London and Brazil next month where the body responsible for deciding which domain names should exist (ICANN) will discuss whether or not to allow other minority languages and cultures to follow Catalonia's lead (they successfully campaigned for a .cat domain) and have their own domain names.

If you would like to see the Welsh language and culture acknowledged on the World Wide Web then sign the online petition.

Anti-Welsh Labour Party

After some research, this blog can reveal that New Labour is the only main political party in Wales without any regularly updated Welsh language content on its website.

When we visited the site of the British Nationalist Labour Party, and put the word "Cymraeg" into the search engine a message appeared saying, "Sorry, your search was empty".

Dafydd Morgan Lewis, national organiser of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, said:

"The lack of the Welsh language on their website is a reflection of the party's lack of commitment generally to the Welsh language."

"Since 1999 we have lobbied the National Assembly quite often, but on all the occasions when we have held meetings there, no members of the Labour Party have ever turned up."

"I am not a Conservative supporter, but these days we have a better understanding with the Conservatives than we do with Labour. They are the only party refusing to back any aspect of our call for a new Welsh Language Act."

A Plaid Cymru spokesman said:

"Labour's lack of Welsh on their website shows their contempt for the Welsh language. For all their warm words in the Assembly chamber, when it comes to action, they do nothing. They say they can do, but they don't do and won't do."

"Plaid Cymru believes in parity between the languages of Wales and our website is fully bilingual."

This is further proof that the Labour Party has taken over from the Conservatives as the most anti-Welsh political party in Wales.

Rhodri Morgan - A lost man!

DIMBLEBY: Hold on, you are the First Minister of Wales.
MORGAN: Yes.
DIMBLEBY: surely the people of Wales are entitled to hear from you what your view is on the invasion of Iraq.
MORGAN: I don't know, I have not looked at the issues, I am not in the House of Commons.

Rhodri Morgan AM, First Minister of Wales is a Lost Man. Should a Lost Man be allowed to lead Wales?

Rhodri Morgan - an embarrassment to the Welsh nation.

Wales can Do It! (well half and half says Morgan)

Morgan says we shouldn't talk Wales down any more. "It is time to dump outmoded, negative perceptions about Wales" First Minister Rhodri Morgan told the Institute of Welsh Politics Conference yesterday.

What? Does he mean the negative perceptions his own party has of Wales?

Wales can do anything he says - well - except for becoming an independent European state that is!

Seems some "outmoded negative perceptions about Wales" will never get dumped by the British nationalist Welsh Labour party.

Welsh for all - It's your right!

An online petition in support of a New Welsh Language Act was launched this week, please take the time to sign it.

www.welshlanguageact.org

The petition calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure a New Welsh Language Act that will provide official status and a Commissioner for the language, along with basic rights that will give everyone in Wales fair and real opportunities to learn Welsh, receive a Welsh-medium education and be enabled to use the language in every aspect of life.

If you'd like more information about the campaign and the latest news, take a look at the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) website.

British v Welsh

Despite the propaganda of the Brit Nat parties, centuries of denigrating Welsh identity, and the attractions of the global mass culture (or maybe because of it), 57% of young people in Wales felt Welsh as compared to 27% who felt British.

Britain is dying!

People will continue to cross the border for work and love. English people will continue to move here. We'll continue to watch Eastenders and Coronation Street, but when it comes to identity, then Welsh comes first.

Some may see the 50+ as a small percentage. But when one considers that some 25% of the Welsh public were born outside of Wales, when one considers the opposition held by many Brit Nats to symbols of Welsh nationhood, lack of Welsh history in schools, availability of the British media, lack of status to Welsh identity in many spheres where 'Britishness' is the norm and default, then this figure is quite remarkable.

It shows a tenacity in the appeal of Wales and Welshness which has wrong-footed the class jingoist Brit Nats like Neil Kinnock, the socialist realists of so-called 'international socialism' which saw no need for (small) nations.

And, this has all been achieved with no bloodshed or murder as compared to many other aspirant nations, which surprisingly (or not) are supported by Brit Nat left.

Maybe the Welsh aren't so divided as we sometimes think?

WRU show the very worst traits of 'Welsh' Labourism

They're like teenage boys fingering their first porno-mag. The Welsh Rugby Union, which at times shows the very worst traits of 'Welsh' Labourism, does it again.

Prince William - the Jac-Saes, who's about as un-Welsh and more importantly as disinterested in Welsh culture as a British citizen can be - has been awarded some cocked-up post with the WRU.

It's all so pathetic. Grown men, palms-sweating as they imagine themselves climbing another rung to get their OBE for services to arse-licking of the British establishment. God, it all just reminds my why I hate the WRU!

No personal offence William (and yes, I do mean that) but I hope you get thoroughly booed when you do bother to patronise Welsh rugby. And please, do patronise the boyos - they won't even notice, and if they do, they won't say anything, serfs don't.

British nationalism - it's so demeaning!

PS. If you're wondering about the picture, that's Prince Harry, the other son of the Prince of Wales (and William's brother) celebrating England's victory over WALES at the 2003 World Cup!! There's more pictures on princeofwales.gov.uk

Here's a few letters that appeared in today's Western Mail:

Any Welsh Williams?

SIR – So, yet again the WRU looks across the border for patronage, in the form of a certain English William. Whether or not you agree with his appointment, the questions loyal Welsh rugby supporters – indeed, Welsh citizens – should be asking are:

Can the WRU explain the need for a vice-patron, or even a patron, from outside Wales?
Who made the decision to ask William?
Were any other people considered?
Why weren’t Welsh rugby supporters asked for their opinion?
Will William openly support Wales against England?
Will he learn the Welsh National Anthem?

It really is high time we grew up as a nation and democratically appointed our own people to represent our major institutions. Surely, there is an ex-Welsh rugby international or some other well-known Welsh person out there with a son called William.

JD GRUFFYDD
Oakfield Drive, Crughywel, Powys

Hanger-on as patron

SIR – I see that one of the many royal hangers-on has been appointed vice-patron of the WRU. I have two questions.

Was this because throughout the whole of Wales not one suitable Welsh candidate could be found?
Or was it because the WRU leadership is riddled with forelock-touchers who pray nightly that their pathetic sycophancy will soon be rewarded – as it most surely will be – with gongs galore?

It’s bad enough that Welsh rugby players are forced to wear the badge of our supposed conquerors upon their shirts.

SUE DAVIES
Whitchurch, Cardiff

Labour call for grown-up debate on immigration - does that also include English migration to Wales?

Westminster Home Office Minister, John Reid, said recently that he wanted to change the culture of the debate and end the "daft, so-called politically correct notion that anybody who talks about immigration is somehow a racist".

How refreshing - time for Welsh Labour to apologies to Simon Glyn? Time for Plaid Cymru's leaders to call on Rhodri Morgan, Huw Lewis, Leighton Andrews and the other Labour British Nationalists to apologise to Simon Glyn?

We believe that it's time we had a clear, sensible debate on movement of people in to Wales. That includes the English who have, over the last few hundred years, failed as a community to 'integrate' into Welsh life. In fact, Welsh people have been forced to integrate into English norms - especially language.

In any case, I look forward to the debate. It seems that Labour's fear of losing seats to the BNP (a nod that their core-voters are institutionally racist?) has got them thinking.

I live in hope. Discussing the laughable idea that Poles and and people from Pakistan are a threat to English/British culture is 'sensible' but discussing that English is a threat to Welsh is racist.

Labour listens to BNP voters, shakes hands with Irish terrorists but will never, ever, admit that Welsh nationalists like Simon Glyn or Glyn (Big Brother) Wise have a point too. Maybe the Valleys boyos and English AMs and MPs who love Wales for the life-style but not the culture would feel a bit foreign here then, eh?

Wales' next First Minister?

Watch Glyn's final interview on Big Brother, where he pronounced his love for Wales, the Welsh language and Cymdeithas yr Iaith, and said that he wants to be the 1st Welsh Prime Minister. (OK, Lloyd George was Welsh, but give him a break, he's only 18!)

He also claimed his full support for Plaid Cymru on an earlier episode. Will Glyn be the 1st Plaid Cymru First Minister for Wales? He has this blog's full support!


If you only want to see the above mentioned bits, fast forward to the 4th minute

Not surprisingly Rhodri Morgan has congratulated Glyn on raising the profile of Wales. Morgan is right to congratulate Glyn; after all Glyn's done more for the Welsh language than Morgan's done, and Morgan's the First Minister of Wales!

When was the last time you heard Morgan stick up for the Welsh language? Where was the windbag when his own party was throwing insults at the language and Welsh-speaking communities? Talking shite about rugby no doubt!

Glyn Wise is the very epitome of the kind of Welsh-speaker his Labour attack-dogs were libelling at the height of the Simon Glyn affair. As Cymuned say, Morgan's hypocrisy is breath-taking.

The Welsh language is safe with people like Glyn Wise - not so with hypocrites like Rhodri Morgan. Policies not PR please Morgan - that's your job.

Wales is just a rubbish tip?

I think you may have something to say about this. I'm incensed, but sadly I don't think it will even raise many eyebrows in apathetic Wales.

Sam.

Thanks for your email. Couldn't agree more Sam! Here are a few more comments by angry Welsh people from the welshrepublicandebate forum:

I see Liverpool are as irreverent and arrogant to Wales as they have ever been in the past, how they can have the temerity to try something like this after Tryweryn, AND after aplogising last year for that beats me. They are literally taking the piss out of us.

Catweazle

This is disgraceful. The frigging trouble is that for the most part the Welsh will just take this lying down.

Owain

I am absolutely furious!

How many more times can this type of thing happen before the majority of Wales wakes up and smells the coffee!

I cannot believe in this day and age, that these situations are still arising.

The sooner Wales is Independent and can actually have a say on these matters the better!

Cadi

Labour's Oliver Twist Wales Bill is Law...

Part of the following post featured in today's Wales on Sunday. It's brilliant to see that 70 per cent of Welsh people polled by the Wales on Sunday say they are happy with Wales having more powers, and 52 per cent of those polled think it is time to break from the UK - suggesting the new powers are viewed as a stop-gap with full independence the real goal.

Labour's Oliver Twist Wales Bill is Law...

So, Wales becomes a one third of a nation, better than a quarter possibly. But it's still patronising as hell for Labour to submit this Oliver Twist Government of Wales Bill.

Please Governor General, please Westminster, can we have a pat on the head and discuss the future of our country? We promise not to ask for too much because we know if we do the heavens will fall on our head and a plague of locusts will devour our crops and we won't be able to watch Eastenders any more!

We also know if we ask for too much power then people will ask why have we got so many (useless) Labour MPs from Wales. English MPs will say;

"you can have more power but be warned - you'll have less MPs being sent on the gravy-train to the Mother of Parliaments."

Where will that leave the egos of your Labour MPs then?

Hain says this is the 'settled will' of the people of Wales for a generation if not forever. Dream on Hain. The British nationalist Labour establishment can hope so. This is just the beginning boy! We'll be a European nation despite Labour's British nationalism.

The message is clear. We won't get anything else from the British Nationalist Labour Party. Any one in that party who wishes for more power for their country (Wales and not Englandandwales) needs to wake-up and smell the coffee.

Now that this Bill is passed there is no reason to vote, or even support, Labour. They've done their historical bit. Time for others, Welsh, Scottish English and Cornish nationalists outside the Labour establishment to cooperate for independence all round.

Wales, a Nation once again... maybe; not sure like!

Whilst we're fussing about with an useless Assembly and haggling to get some more powers (but not too much either, just in case Labour can't govern the UK), nations much smaller than Wales (and less economically developed) have grown up and become independent.

Yes, welcome to crummy Cymru!

Ah well, maybe even the slow pace of a snail is better than no pace at all.

It seems Hain is working with the LibDems to get the Government of Wales Bill through before the summer hols. This is the Government of Wales Bill you'll remember which explicitly states that Wales will have no control over it's own water or nuclear plants... does the word Bolivia come to mind? Where's the Welsh morale... where the hell is Ieuan Wyn Jones and Plaid Cymru?!?

Not sure what the Tories are up to. They seem to be mostly in a sulk over the Government of Wales Bill, but then in the same issue of the Western Mail, Cameron (much to his credit, and in keeping with democratic logic) wants to bar Welsh MPs from voting on English-only issues. Good! I'll settle for that and a federal UK within 10 year and independence then.

To answer your question Normal Mouth...

Normal Mouth asks a decent fundamental question on this site about Britishness and why can’t people feel affinity (and be proud to feel affinity) to the concept of British nationality. I thank him for his genuine question:

"My point was that if we are going to descend into national identity politics then a British identification is just as valid as a Welsh/English/Scottish/Cornish one.

It's not written anywhere that Wales/Scotland/England/Cornwall have a stronger right to be considered a nation than Britain. Do you agree with that?"

There are many reasons why I believe the concept of Britishness has been inherently bad for Wales. There are also many reasons why it has been catastrophic for the Welsh language (which isn’t a concept) and which is a more important element to me, than debates about imagined communities – Welsh and British included. Everyone will have their own reasons and priorities for their distrust of British identity and British nationalism. This is mine. They are not arguments against English people, the English language or the concept of England.

Britishness, for me, is an immoral concept. It’s immoral because it’s the political concept that has led to colonisation and the legitimisation and normalisation of that colonisation of my country (Wales) and its language (Welsh).

The British concept is quite wide, but there are two fundamentals to it, which transcend class and political affiliation. It is the understanding that Britishness is at its root a Christian, if secular Christian, state. This issue hasn’t really raised for over a 150 years, but with the increase in Islam then it is once again raising its head as a fundamental pillar of Britishness and nothing will be allowed to undermine the nature of this secular Christian state.

That’s one pillar. There’s another fundamental concept, which is so all prevailing that it goes without notice. It’s not the Monarchy (there are plenty of British nationalists in the Labour Party who are not monarchists). It’s language. The language of the British state is English. You cannot be British and not speak English – the British nationalists, be they Labour in Wales, Conservatives or Lib Dems all agree on this.

Britishness has contrived as well to make sure that to be Welsh you also have to speak English (but not Welsh). The British state and Britishness is therefore not a multinational concept. It’s not Switzerland in the rain. Britain, Britishness, never states, OK, the language of Wales is Welsh, we respect that and the English language will not infringe on its territory.

The British state and Britishness - certainly in the Welsh context - is by definition an extension of England. The situation in Scotland is different, where language isn’t so much the defining object, but a common remembrance of sovereignty – had the Bible been translated into Scots in 1588 it would have been different.

The British state, or the British nationalists, believe in different types of identity - every empire does - it gives the empire colour and allows it to bask in it’s imperial mission of buying different tribes to its identity. Wait for the Beijing Olympics when Tibetans will dress in their ‘national costume’ to show off the ‘diversity’ of the Chinese empire.

Like China, British nationalists believe in different types of identity... as long as it is in the image of Englishness; English speech in particular but adherence to the English/British state. As long as it is a ‘tribal’ identity, within a larger civic British/English one it's fine. When another language challenges this, Welsh for instance, then it’s slapped down.

The whole Simon Glyn affair had nothing to do with Glyn supposed ‘anti-Englishness’ it was a straight fight between Welsh nationalism and English/British nationalism. The Labour Party in Wales as the main British nationalist party never has and never will allow the Welsh language to undermine the hegemony of English in any part of Wales – English-language nationalism is territorial.

Welsh is given favours by the British nationalists, but any thing fundamental, be it a Welsh medium university or making Welsh the main medium of a territorial community, is denied. Wars have been fought to stop0 us 'speaking German/French now' - the British nationalists are willing to kill and be killed for the sake of their language - that’s how strong their attachment is to English.

Britishness is essentially Englishness with a funny accent. It’s Wales as a region not nation. It’s a vote for the invisibility of Wales or Wales as an appendage. It’s a mark of subservience that Wales thinks itself too stupid to run its own affairs. By accepting Britishness we will always have to put our language and nation second. It normalises the colonisation of Wales.

With Devolution, and the increasing power of Islam, there is a new threat to the British-state-as-extension-of-England. I support English nationalism because it shows the Emperor’s new clothes; it shows the contradictions within this Britishness. I welcome an independent England as it respects Welsh nationality in a way Britishness never will.

A Britain of independent nations will give Welsh some slim chance of becoming a normal language in Wales once again (and everyone will still be able to speak English naturally). An independent Wales in a global age will give us the dignity and aspiration of being able to look at other cultures and languages in the eye as we share and draw strength of those other languages and cultures.

Independence is the only chance for Wales if you believe in any meaningful Welsh identity and Welsh language. It’s a chance to build a modern, multi-ethnic Wales on Welsh terms.

Britishness, with British nationalism in whichever one of the 57 varieties it comes, is an effective, beguiling glass ceiling on those moral aspirations. As I believe in plurality of world cultures and languages, and Britishness has a bad track-record (would the English swallow a British identity where only 20% of their population speak English?) I’ll go for Welsh, not British.

Flanders Next

Following the end of Serbia & Montenegro could Belgium be the next ex-state?

On 1 June the Belgian parliament agreed to discuss its own dissolusion. A motion tabled by one of the Flemish nationalists party (and the largest) the Vlaams Belang was supported by all but one of the Flemish deputies in the Belgian parliament but opposed by all of the Walloon (French-speaking) deputies.

The break-up of Belgium has long been predicted - it may, or may not happen. But then, in an increasingly global world what is the point of propping up states which are lines on maps when the much older and richer historic nations can do the job just as well if not better?

If they can sort out Brussels, my bet is that Flanders will be the first historic nation in Western Europe to regain its independence.

Wales can't say no to Nuclear Power

Wales can't say no or yes to any blinking thing. What's the point of this useless Assembly?

We can't control our own water, we can't control nuclear, can't have our own team at the Olympics - we have to raise our hands just to go to the toilet.

Are we a nation or a region, or simply Englandandwales? I'm not sure if we're governd by Brit Nats or Englandandwales Nats - nationalists of a non-nation.

British Nationalists Fight Back

I quite like Jonathan Freedland. I thought his book, Bring Back the Revolution was an interesting read and raised some good points. His article in the Guardian last week is also worth a read, if only to see how left wing British Nationalists (are there any right wing ones left?) are starting to arrange their troops.

For a start - it really is a bit rich for a Labour supporter to accuse the Tories of raising the English deficit in a blatant way to win votes. What, and Labour don't? Labour don't use the chinless cannon fodder of the Celtic constituencies to shore up their vote? Brown and Blair aren't deliberately promoting British nationalism to save their own Labour skin? Come on Jon!

Normal Mouth asks on a previous posting what's wrong with someone believing in Britain? Freedland also tries to make a case for the imagined community as well. There's nothing wrong in that. The whole point of this blog is to say to Freedland - be honest. You're British Nationalists - come clean about it.

Making the case for an independent sovereign Wales or Scotland is a Welsh or Scottish nationalist statement. Doing the same for Britain is a British Nationalist point of view. Once Freedland and the other Brit Nat Left come honest with themselves and the public about that position then the mud-raking, insults and racism nonsense we in Wales have put up with for decades will cease and we can get on to the facts.

To answer Freedland's article though - what's the point of being a 'middling size' state? The UK Labour government can't influence labour laws, ties itself into US nuclear defence policy, its health system is creaking. I'm at a loss to think of an answer to what is the point of Britain? What can the UK do (apart from having a nuclear capability) which its constituent nations couldn't do? Why bother being a 'middling state' at all - why bother being a 'middling' anything? May as well be Welsh and proud of it. There are numerous smaller nations that prove how wrong the Brit Nats have been.

Normal Mouth is right - nothing is inevitable. But looking around Europe it just seems to me that Britain is losing its will to live.

Read Alex Salmond’s views on the article in the Guardian today!

The Scottish Trip

Any one fancy a trip up to Scotland? I think 2007 will be a big year up there - things are hotting up already.



www.independence1st.com

1066 > 2006: England Reborn - Britain Dying

We welcome the rebirth of one of Europe's first nation states - England. As Welsh nationalists we rejoice in England's new found national pride - more so than many English people. It's time the British nationalists saw the writing on the wall. Britain is dying, and good riddance to it too.

Let the Labour Party and the BNP fly the Union Jack, the rest of us will get on nicely as Welsh, Scottish and English nationalists. When is Plaid Cymru going to come out clearly for an English Parliament, yes, even at the probable and necessary loss of our (useless) MPs?

It's not about football, it's bigger than that - Bryan Appleyard, The Times, July 02, 2006

They're Going Home!

Yes, England are going home after losing to Portugal on penalties in the World Cup. In a way I feel sorry for the players (Except for idiot Rooney) and the fans. Sven's a bloody useless manager. With all those players to choose from England should have been in the semis without any problem.

I'm also sorry in another way, because with every win England were becoming less British and more English - and that's something I welcome.

My only problem with the whole affair, and the Edward the Conqueror flags flying about Wales, is that it's a sign of a nation that has imposed its language on our country and a nation that has consistently failed, as a national and linguistic community, to integrate into Welsh-speaking Wales.

It's not an argument against individuals, but an argument against the colonisation of Wales over the centuries, and especially the last 50 years.

That's why I applaud the brave (and humorous) members of Cymuned who made their feelings felt at a protest event in Abersoch last Saturday. Of course the usually crap about being 'anti-English' was thrown at them., but there are many English people who are members of Cymuned - so that's rubbish.

As I said it's a political thing not a personal or racial one. Give us the means to integrate the English into Welsh society and make them learn the Welsh language (as Gordon Brown and Brit Nat Labour insist happens to people in respect of the English language and 'British' culture) and there'd be no problem.

Blaenau Gwent Results

Excellent news from Blaenau Gwent - Labour losing two seats! Truly excellent to see the smuggers lose. At last we're starting to get rid of their dead hand!

But also a bad night for Plaid Cymru, especially the Welsh Assembly vote, and a bad omen for the Assembly elections next year.

Parliamentary By-Election 2006 - Blaenau Gwent
Dai Davies – Independent: 12,543
Owen Smith – Labour Party: 10,059
Steffan Lewis – Plaid Cymru: 1,755

Welsh Assembly By-Election - Blaenau Gwent
Trish Law – Independent: 13,785
John Hopkins - Labour Party: 9,321
John Price - Plaid Cymru: 1,109

Plaid's profile is so low because it's lead by Ieuan Wyn Jones. A leader who mistakes silence and being charisma-free to being statesmanship. If Plaid have any thought of staying second party in the Assembly IWJ needs to pick up his game - big time. That means saying interesting things and taking Labour on. Leaders need to be intelligent and trustworthy; they also need to be brave!

Talking of Plaid, IWJ and Peter Law. Plaid were very keen to support Law's stand against Labour following Labour's decision to chose from a women's only list. However, Plaid have just got themselves into the same mess with some of the party's most popular politicians unlikely to be in the next Assembly because of Plaid's policy of women on top of the list.

That means Dafydd Wigley and Dr Dai Lloyd out of the Assembly. Bonkers! It's all good saying what a brave man Peter Law was, but wouldn't the Plaid version of Peter Law be Dafydd Wigley standing in next year's Assembly election as an Independent Nationalist? What would Plaid do then? Who'd bet against Wigley getting elected? And who wouldn't bet the Assembly would be better for it?

Plaid - it's no good crowing over Labour's failures when lack of leadership could leave you fourth party in next year's Assembly election. Politics is just a posh word for power. Plaid needs to think about that and less about branding and principles.

Llew in fantasy land!

Amazing thing British nationalism, especially the kind fought over by the likes of former Blaenau Gwent MP (or Blaenaw Gwent as they say on the BBC).

Poor Llew Smith, he's living in the fantasy land of the 'Real' Labour Party. Dreaming that somewhere out there the 'Real' Labour Party will return. Sorry Llew. Blair, Brown, PFI, privatisation and more Trident - this is as good as it gets Llew. This IS Real Labour.

Llew's recent letter in the Western Mail attacking Brown's support for a new generation of Trident nuclear weapons just shows how blind that British nationalism is. Nuclear power is one debate, nuclear weapons is another.

Are they really any use? Nuclear warheads are just the phallic symbols of the British state. Trident isn't a Labour or Tory problem - it's a problem of the British state.

A state created by conquering neighbours in the name of unity and peace, and then conquers more countries… in the name of unity and peace. Nuclear warheads are the designer jewellery of the British hoodie.

Llew - there will never be a nuclear weapons free UK because that will mean surrendering the whole point of the UK. How deep is your British nationalism? I know you preferred having Margaret Thatcher rule Wales than Devolution in 1979, so now I presume that you'd rather have nuclear warheads than a self-governing Wales?

Smith's most basic principle it seems isn't 'socialism' or 'peace' or 'equality', it's British nationalism and a blind adherence to the British state. My country, right or wrong, eh Llew?

Rhodri Morgan will support Ecuador against England

Two weeks before the World Cup kicked off, gaffe-prone First Minister Rhodri Morgan told Wales on Sunday he would be following INGERLAND - until their supporters started acting "stupid". Then, he said, he would cheer on anyone playing England. He said:

"When England fans do something stupid I switch my support to other teams... Or just whoever England are playing against when their fans start acting stupid.

At the time, we said that the truth is that Morgan, who always comes over as a proud Welshman in the English press but is in fact a British Nationalist, will support England because England is the 'motherland' for Labour Brit Nats in Wales. He also supports England because he doesn't want to offend the English vote in Wales.

We also said that you either support a country or you don't. It's not the fault of the football team, or nation, if a bunch of idiots riot... and that's exactly what happened last night. Erwin Hetger, head of Stuttgart police told BBC News:

"We had no problems at all with the French, Swiss and Dutch fans that were having a great party here. It all changed when the English fans arrived. The atmosphere changed."

It looks as if Rhodri will be cheering for an Ecuador victory today then!

An Answer to the West Lothian Question

Former SNP's deputy leader - Jim Sillars - talks sense, and says it in an interesting way in a recent opinion column for the Edinburgh Evening News... Oh, for a high profile member of Plaid Cymru to be so confident and clear!

In case you don't read the Scottish press, enjoy this article by the Scot who doesn't make love to the Union Jack.

England has got no use for us any more
JIM SILLARS

ENGERLAND, Engerland - roar the Sassenach supporters in Germany. That noise will die if England get knocked out, but there is another cry being heard, of far greater importance: the call from influential voices down south saying ever more firmly, England for the English.

England for the English isn't simply a reaction to the probable premiership of Gordon Brown, the Scotsman whose supposed support for England during the World Cup fools no-one. No, the reason lies in the West Lothian question posed by my old friend Tam Dalyell.

They seek it here, they seek it there, they seek it every blinking where. But so far, Tam's question of how long can the English tolerate Scottish MPs voting on English education etc, when English MPs are barred from voting on similar Scottish issues because of devolution, has found no answer.

Tam first asked it when devolution became a serious runner, away back in the 1970s. Forty years later, it still hangs around our politicians' necks, and remains a conundrum for constitutional gurus. Within a single United Kingdom there is, of course, no answer.

As reported in the Evening News on Monday, the House of Commons select committee on Scottish Affairs, with nine Scots out of a membership of 11, has puzzled whatever brains it can muster on the subject and has noted four possible solutions: (1) only English MPs allowed to vote on English matters; (2) English devolution; (3) fewer Scottish MPs; (4) the dissolution of the UK.

The first would require the House of Commons to bar Scottish MPs from attending and voting, which would turn it into an English Grand Committee. English votes on English laws? Seems an obvious and fair solution to Tam's question. But it is nonsense on stilts.

Take a likely future scenario of the Tories not only getting a majority of votes in England, as they did last year, but a majority of seats too; but Labour having an overall Commons majority through their Scottish MPs topping up the number gained in England. We would have a UK Labour government, but the Tories in the majority in England Grand Committee.

Most matters now dealt with at Westminster, post-Scottish devolution, are on English issues, such as education, the NHS, criminal justice, police, transport, local government, council tax, social work etc. The Labour government would find itself defeated every time on its English domestic legislation if only English MPs could vote. It would be a government stripped of power over almost 50 million of its citizens. So, that is no solution at all.

But what if the second idea - let the English have their own way in England by creating assemblies all over that country? Problem is that the English don't want that. John Prescott tried it and was humiliated in a referendum up in the North East, where there has been much anger over Scotland getting so much say out of devolution. If it isn't acceptable there, it has no chance anywhere in England.

There is good reason from an English point of view in rejecting internal assemblies. For centuries centralised government from London has brought England success at home and abroad. Their whole political culture has been developed to centre on London and Westminster. It is from there that they still seek solutions to their problems, not from devolved assemblies with artificial boundary lines breaking up their country.

The English lost no political power in the Union of 1707. We did. We have a clear border upon which to define the writ of devolution. They have no clear boundaries between their regions. So, English devolution is no solution either.

The third notion of fewer Scottish MPs could actually make matters worse. Let's say the number is reduced from its present 59, down to 20. If Labour had a tiny overall majority, dependent entirely on those 20, then the sense of unfairness, and justified outrage, down in England would grow. So, that solution is out too.

The fourth idea, the dissolution of the United Kingdom, is for me, a former SNP MP, a welcome one. But my view is not important. It's how the English view is developing that really matters. The English are not like the supine Scots who put up with an alien English-based government they detested in the form of Margaret Thatcher. The English are of a different stamp. Where we are timid, they are assertive. Where we believe in the myth of our own inadequacy (too wee to survive, too poor, not good enough to run ourselves) they are not known for such modesty. While Scots sing Flower of Scotland, with its pessimistic wail of when will we see their likes again, the English belt out Jerusalem with pride about England's green and pleasant land.

Where we long ago forgot the art of statecraft, and didn't even know we had explicit Scottish state interests, the English practised statecraft and realpolitik with zest when they flushed Scotland's oil into their southern flesh pots.

There are no ifs, no doubts in the English mind about English rights; and if those can only be protected by English independence, that is what will happen. As Michael Portillo put it last Sunday when advocating that England evict Scotland from the UK:

"The loss of one-twelfth of our population in a region that drags down our national performance could not harm us. Our hydrocarbons are less of an issue now they are being exhausted."

England held fast to Scotland for what we had: strategic military bases during the Cold War, and vast wealth from oil.

No Cold War, oil running out, goodbye to the Jocks: that's the English answer to the West Lothian question.

Another small nation takes a step towards independence

Another referendum and another small nation takes a step towards self-respect and self-government. Last time Montenegro - this time a country 12 times its size - Catalonia.

An overwhelming majority voted for the New Statute that gives the Catalans more power over their own affairs and more power to normalise their language.

The new statute recognises Catalonia as a nation and will strengthen the Catalan language - a language, like Welsh, which was banned in its own country.

Many see the new statue as the last step before full independence. However, there is a snag in calling a referendum on Catalan independence - it's 'illegal' i.e. unconstitutional under the Spanish Constitution.

So there we go, the democratic will of nations - and people - had more right under the constitution of Serbia and Montenegro than in Spain! What moral right does the Castilian population of Spain have to deny and put a boundary on the legal right (by the United Nations charter - of which Spain is also a member) to self-determination? It seems democracy has its limits in Western Europe.

An interesting snipe in the BBC's coverage claims that only 50% of Spaniards support more power for Catalonia. This is a bit like quoting that only 50% of Russians support Estonian or Chechen independence, or that the British didn't agree with Irish independence or independence for the 13 Colonies.

What's it got to do with the Spanish? Independence for Catalonia would still mean Spain would have its own government, embassies, football team and language.

Visca Catalunya - Cymru am Byth!

Why I don't support England in the World Cup - An explanation to my English Friends

I know that a good number of English people, and English nationalists in particular, read this site. So let me explain why I and many thousands of other Welsh people (and other Celts presumably) won't be supporting England in this World Cup.

It's not because of anti-English racism. As a Welsh nationalists I'm supportive of a strong English identity and don't believe the bile and slander I read from British nationalists and the Brit Nat Labour Party in particular, that Englishness = racism. I believe that there is a strong civic English national identity and I support that. In fact, all Welsh nationalists are more supportive of English identity than the British establishment.

It's not a hatred of England, things English or English people. Many Welsh nationalists reading this site will know, be married to, or have good friends who are English. Welsh nationalists have a great respect for the English who have made a massive contribution to world literature, culture and scientific development.

So, what is this business of supporting teams which play against England? Why do some Welsh people daub walls, snap England flags off cars in Wales or wear the shirts of obscure countries that play against England?

It's politics. I know as night follows day that if all Welsh people and Welsh nationalists were to support England in this World Cup the message it would send wouldn't be 'aren't the Welsh an open-minded, liberal people who deserve our respect and support'. The message the governing classes, the media, tourists and ordinary English people will see is 'Wales = England' or as the Encyclopaedia Britannica used to say, 'for Wales, see England'.

Our nationality, our language and our concerns will be ignored - 'they all support England, they identify with England, they really are the same as the English. There wouldn't be a Welsh Language Act or a strengthening of the Wales Act to give the Assembly more power.

Welsh people would gradually think, 'yes, your right, for Wales see England, that's it'. As I've said before, Welsh nationalism is a political concept that had to be invented because Britishness/British nationalism was (and is) negating our existence and language. By supporting England we'll make ourselves invisible and when you're invisible you're ignored. Not supporting England makes us visible and affirms our nationality and gives us strength.

Those Welsh people who tell us to support England are by and large the ones who've accepted an ethnic Welsh identity within a larger civic English/British nationality. They've accepted a Welshness that is acceptable to English norms; it's Welshness in the image of Englishness. This isn't an argument against Englishness; it's an argument against this type of Welshness that makes Wales a province not a nation.

So, to my English readers. I hope you have a good World Cup. Yes, I would dearly like to be there with you supporting a Welsh team in the finals. I'm very glad you have your own national football team and aren't submerged within a British one. I support your efforts to fly your flag and to create a civic, passionate and exciting new English identity.

But I ask you to keep in mind my feelings, and thousands of others like me when you visit Wales, and accept that the reasons we won't support your team is purely political not personal, or jealousy. Enjoy your World Cup.

Aberystwyth is NOT in England!

It seems that the good people of Aberystwyth in west Wales have not been best pleased by English chain stores displaying the St. George's Cross, and items plastered with ENGLAND, in their branches in the town (which is in Wales by the Way!)

The biggest culprits have been Giles Sports and Bewise. The stores have recently been re-decorated with the words "Be Wise, Don't shop here!" and "Aber(ystwyth) is not in England!"

The story comes from the famous Welsh language 'Dogfael' blog.

We have also received an email advertising a T-shirt printed with one of John Toshack's famous quotes.

"Support England? You must be joking!"

We've always known that Labour Ynys Môn MP, Albert Owen, is a British Nationalist, but by signing this early day motion, we are a little confused?

The motion calls on all constituent parts of the United Kingdom to get behind England during the World Cup. Does he therefore believe that the UK, Britain and England are one of the same? Or is he now an English nationalist as well?

Police Chief Speaks Sense!

At last, some common sense. Deputy chief constable of North Wales Police Clive Wolfendale asks England fans to be sensitive when flying their national flag in Wales.

The Labour MPs are all for flying English flags in Wales, of course. English votes are more important, and England is a real country. Funny how English flags is a problem for Labour in England but not in Wales.

We can cope with English tourists flying the flag, but when people living in our country fly the flag in a blatant show that they will not integrate into Welsh life, and if they do it's on their terms linguistically and culturally (like Labour MP Mark Tami), it gets too much!

With all these English flags in Wales it's like King Edward's army is back to show us who's boss. It's a sign of our colonisation by a more powerful neighbour - swords in 1282 and 1400s, British capitalism and consumer culture backed by Labour loathing of Welshness today.

For our readers who understand Welsh, here’s a wonderful poem on the subject by Llion Jones from Yr Annedd:

Mae rhodres ymerodraeth yn y gwynt
ac awch hen ymyrraeth
yn gyrru drwy'r Gymru gaeth
yn chwifio'i goruchafiaeth.

Here’s a dodgy translation by yours truly!

The arrogance of empire is in the air
and the sharpness of old interference
driving through conquered Wales
waving its dominance.

Labour Can Run ... But they Can't Hide

C'mon boys, you know it makes no sense, and all this cross-dressing in Union Jacks just looks silly. We all know the reason Blair and Labour won't answer the West Lothian Question. Labour will never pass any motions at Westminster without the donkey vote from Wales and Scotland.

The issue has been discussed on Newsnight (at last) and the Labour Scottish MP came over as the usual member of the Labour smugocracy (do they have a special mould in some factory to create these people?).

As Alan Williams, Swansea MP (I thought he'd retired?!) said, the English have woken up.

The game's over. It's either a full-blown Federal set up or, my choice, independence for Wales, Scotland and England (+ Cornwall). Who wants the status of Schleswig-Holstein when they can have the status of Denmark or Germany?

Labour Apologise to Plaid Simon Glyn

In a candid interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Labour Chancellor, Gordon Brown openly apologised for the personal abuse and insult which Plaid Cymru councillor, Simon Glyn suffered on the hands of Welsh Labour British nationalists members following Glyn's comments about the future of the Welsh language in 2001.

Brown said:

"Simon Glyn was treated awfully by the Welsh Labour Party, which hounded him for saying that people moving into Wales should learn to speak Welsh or at least be made aware of the Welsh language and culture. In hindsight it was all black propaganda waged by British Nationalists to kill off an intelligent debate on the future of the Welsh language and the impact of people moving into Welsh-speaking areas. I offer Simon Glyn my full apology."

Well, OK, Brown the Brit didn't quite put it that way, but his comments about the duty of people who move to a country to learn the language of that country does sound a bit hollow in light of the bashing Welsh-speakers received for voicing the same points five years ago.

Ah well, there we go then. It wasn't that Labour were opposed or offended after all by arguments that people moving into a country should learn the indigenous language of that country. It was that English-speakers shouldn't have to learn Welsh. I see. Just good old-fashioned British nationalism once again from our great 'international socialists'. The same old story. Tossers.

Doesn't Bother Me

Are we meant to get upset by this?

Labour started this nonsense to begin with and now everyone is trying to sue - or is afraid of being sued by someone else. The Welsh Nationalist movement have taken Blair to the police for his F**king Welsh remarks, which is only right in light of the fact that obscure Welsh nationalists have been hounded from their jobs by Labour members.

But isn't it now time to give the whole thing a rest? So some chavs in England chuck some darts at a Red Dragon – who cares, who's offended?

I can't be bothered to get upset nor could the Western Mail a day later. Question is, will Labour Brit Nats let it go too or more importantly, stop frothing if some one says something that they believe is vaguely 'anti English'?

I'm not so sure? Imagine some landlord in Cardiff chucking darts at an English flag, or better still, a landlord in Caernarfon doing the same, and who wouldn't bet on some Labour wannabe calling the CRE to complain and then asking Plaid Cymru to 'disassociate themselves' from the darts-at-flag-gate affair?

Depends how much you trust Labour's British Nats I suppose ... not much in my case. But, let's give it a go eh?

Europe of the Future - The Times gets it right

Congratulations to The Times - newspaper of the British establishment - on an excellent article on Friday 2nd of June.

Jeremy Page and Richard Beeston seem to fully understand what is going on across Europe more than any other journalists.

Their outlined scenario (with helpful map!) gives a glimpse of a Europe of more nation states than today.

Many states are new – i.e. Wales, Flanders and the Basque Country- and many are ancient nations that regain their sovereignty – i.e. Scotland and Catalonia.

If you’re not China, India or the USA, what's the point of being a middle-sized European state in the 21st century?

What's the point of Britain, Belgium or Spain? What can these states do, that historic nations can't? (Except, possibly wage war... not the best advert).

Page and Beeston's article however did have one massive oversight. They didn't include one of Europe's oldest nation states, which has made a massive contribution to European literature and learning.

That country? Theirs - England. If Wales and Scotland become independent, then England will also regain hers!

The times they are a changing!

Wear with Pride!

Fed up of seeing England flags invading our country like something from the Crusades? Why not buy some stylish stuff to show off whose country this is:









* Welsh Footie T Shirts
* Cowbois T Shirts
* Shwl Di Mwl T Shirts
* Welsh Flags & Car Flags

Wear with pride!

Englandandwales Labour

Is there such a thing as a 'national' Labour party any more or is it Scotland and then Englandandwalesland? Scottish First Minister - Jack McConnell - says he won't support England in the World Cup, but the ever waffling Rhodri Morgan says he will support England 'unless they misbehave'. Eh?

Morgan, who always comes over as a proud Welshman in the English press but is in fact a British Nationalist, will support England becaue England is the 'motherland' for Labour Brit Nats in Wales. He also supports England because he doesn't want to offend the English vote in Wales.

You either support a country or you don't. It's not the fault of the football team, or nation, if a bunch of idiots riot.

Come on Morgan - stop sitting on the fence.

Kernow - A Nation Once Again

The future of Europe is a patchwork of historic and (what Marxists used to call) 'non-historic' nations - England, Estonia, Montenegro, Germany, Flanders and Cornwall. The more nation states the greater democracy.

The more nation-states the greater we educate one another about different cultures and languages. Those who wish to see a Europe of a dozen or so large countries are the ones who belong to the past, or to the rectangular states of the American Mid-West. Europe's strength is its diversity.

In this new Europe we wish well to our English neighbours in their quest for independence, but ask them to respect the Cornish identity. An amazing blossoming has happened in this small corner of Europe.

A national consciousness re-born in the last few decades. With the re-launch of the Cornish Constitutional Convention, now is the time that we recognise its constitutional aspiration. Cornwall's population is onlyslightly less than Montenegro - who only a few weeks ago regained her independence.

The results from the 2001 UK census show that over thirty seven thousand people claimed Cornish identity instead of choosing English or British. On this census to claim Cornish identity you had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option, and then write Cornish in the others box. Additionally the decision to collect information on Cornish identity was extremely badly publicised.

How many more would have described themselves as Cornish if there had been a Cornish tick box? How many people knew that it was an option? How many ticked British but feel themselves Cornish British? Cornwall Council's Feb 2003 MORI Poll showed 55% in favour of a democratically elected, fully devolved regional assembly for Cornwall, (this was an increase from 46% in favour in a 2002 poll).

Labour's typical Brit Nat response has been to ignore the overwhelming public support for a Cornish Assembly. Instead, it has constructed a network of bogus unelected and unaccountable bodies such as the South West Regional Assembly and the South West Regional Development Agency, which have taken control over areas such as economic development, housing and strategic planning, further and further away from the communities of Cornwall. It's about time the Brit Nat Labour government organised a referendum in Cornwall for a devolved Cornish assembly and stopped pushing the South West boil-in-the-bag region on the Cornish.

All right-minded nationalists should sign this petition calling on the UK Government to hold a referendum in Cornwall on the question of establishing a Cornish Assembly.

'We Were Wrong' - Labour

Yes, Labour finally admit they were wrong about the whole 'nationalism is Nazism' crap we Welsh nationalists have had to put up with since, well, since before Nazism was even invented!

Labour thinkers finally come out of the closet and admit that nationalism can be a good thing. Shock horror! The article that comes clean is one by David Goodhart, author of Progressive Nationalism: Citizenship and the Left, published by Demos and featured in the Guardian.

There's a typical Labour caveat, 'progressive nationalism', just in case we thought Labour was for ethnic cleansing and genocide - which it isn't of course, but this doesn't stop them implying that Welsh nationalists are.

We're glad that the Labour Party is discussing this. We'll be very glad (and surprised) when we see Labour include Plaid Cymru as being 'progressive nationalists' - we don't hold our breath - their whole being in Wales depends on being anti-Welsh nationalist and so can't give any credibility to it's position.

Of course, Labour being Labour, are still talking about British Nationalism. If Britain is a nation, what are Wales, England, and Scotland, and what is Cornwall? Is Britain some 'uber-nation' maybe?

There's the usual patronising stuff too about members of ethnic minorities feeling safer with British as opposed to English nationalism - which is both insulting to the ethnic minorities who'll be supporting England in the forthcoming World Cup and an insult to white English people by implying they're incapable or unwilling (i.e. racist) to creating an English civic/progressive nationalism.

Goodhart - welcome to the club, you've realised nationalism is a more respectable being than patriotism because nationalism is built on a political theory which is to create a vehicle for a defined political means. Patriotism is emotion - a dangerous emotion that can be used by politicians.

Welsh nationalism is a vehicle to protect and promote the Welsh language and the concept of Welsh cultural, political and economic priorities. It was created to de-normalise the political vehicle of British nationalism that has decimated our language and denied our identity. Nationalism is a political vehicle not an end unto itself. People aren't Welsh nationalists because they think Wales is better than any were else (it patently isn't!).

Where Goodhart's thesis falls down is with his turgid adherence to British nationalism. The English are disengaging from Britain it will soon be a minority sport supported by the Brit Nat left wing and the egos of politicians.

Goodhart, forget Britian and do something exciting and honest - go create a vibrant civic left wing English nationalism. Now that WOULD be revolutionary.

Football of the future

It was great to watch Wales's football match against the Basque Country on Sunday. Wales were playing against a country which fully deserves to have its own football team and which in comparison to Wales, is in many ways more developed as a nation.

It is a lucky historical fluke that Wales (along with England and Scotland) has it's own football team. It's a great source of joy, and would be even more so if we actually made our way to the final rounds sometimes! Never mind, better a national team that doesn't win world cups than no national team at all. It's with commiseration then that we see that our Basque brothers don't even have the right to try and qualify for the World Cup Finals.

The joys of having a national team are many. Not only are people across the world more likely to know about Wales - which is good for self esteem and the tourist industry - but there's also the great away trips.

But one fact that is rarely mentioned is the importance of a national football team in creating a civic identity. For a stateless nation Wales has a surprisingly advanced civic identity. This is to be welcomed (as long as it's not used to demote the centrality and rights of the Welsh language, as is sometimes done by Labour Brit Nats).

Our civic national identity is down, in no small way, to our national football and rugby sides and is an important unifying expression for all people who live in Wales. This is something that the Spanish Nationalists wish to deny the Basques. And isn't it funny, that those who whish to deny a national football team for the Basques, Catalans or Bretons would never get rid of their own Spanish or French teams.

Maybe had the Basques had their own football team in the 1960s then ETA's violence would have finished earlier and the Basques would have developed a stronger civic nationalism.

We look forward to playing the Basques again - but next time in UEFA's European Cup! Gora Eskadi - Cymru am Byth.

Brit Left - Brit Nats!

The Brit Left are increasingly coming out of the cupboard as Brit Nats. Nothing new there - any Welsh nationalist knew that British nationalism was the one defining thing that held the Labour vote together. All talk of socialism and internationalism was just dressed up class jingoism to give some legitimacy for instinctively being hostile to any Welsh identity which went further than the rugby field and semi-racist nonsense that Welsh people and communities were friendlier than any where else.

Labour was built on cultural nationalism; a British, white colony, English-language nationalism ... a point which their most intelligent AMs like Leighton Andrews understands - hence the Kulturkampf over the leadership of the Arts Council and appointment of the Dai Welsh-isn't-good-enough-for-me-to speak Smith.

This article in the Fabian Review gives an interesting argument laying out justification for the Labour's latest instalment of British nationalism.

But, hell, why don't they just give it a rest and treat the Welsh, English and Scots like grown-ups? There is no need for Britain. In an interdependent world, apart from wage war, what can Britain do which none of its constituent countries couldn't? We understand that Scottish and Welsh Labour MPs want to keep Britain for the glory of their own personal egos, but, please, give it a rest.

UK RIP? Yes. It wouldn't be the 'Balkanisation of Britain' as Kim commie-cum-capitalist Howells famously said, but the 'Scandinavianisation of Britain'!