Rhodri and Saunders

I saw Rhodri Morgan's interview on 29 December and a few paragraphs stood out. He said:

“It never crossed my mind [joining Plaid Cymru]. I can remember actually realising that for some reason there was a generation of young people about the same age as me who got terribly agitated over a speech made by Saunders Lewis [Plaid Cymru president 1926-1939] in 1964."

“This young man – he was sitting round in the Swansea Eisteddfod – was so worked up by what Saunders had said, saying we must go out and support him, I just sort of realised at that point there was something going on in that man’s mind which was definitely not going on in my mind.”

Mr Morgan’s father TJ Morgan, a distinguished professor of Welsh, had been a supporter of WJ Gruffydd, the candidate who defeated Lewis in the hard-fought University of Wales parliamentary by-election in 1943. The ex-First Minister said:

“He [Gruffydd] didn’t think Saunders was a fit and proper person to become an MP, and I don’t think my father did either. Saunders could make speeches and was a very good playwright, and that was it. But as an MP it never crossed my mind that he was a figure of influence.”

Quite a shocking quote really. So, in 1964ish Rhodri Morgan in a rather condescending way couldn't get worked up about Saunders Lewis's speech. So, Rhodri Morgan, following another census return which saw the Welsh language accelerate its downward spiral couldn't get 'worked up' about it? What kind of a Welshman can't get worked up about his native language dying? Would he be so blaze about the Wales rugby team losing every consecutive game since 1901? Would the average Labour party member be so blaze were the English language to fall of a cliff? No, this blaze, dressed up as internationalism, is part of the DNA of the 'Welsh' Labour party.

Saunders Lewis 'not fit' to be an MP? I'd agree that Saunders wasn't cut out to be an MP. He was too honest for that. I don't say that in a pejorative way, but being an MP of any party, requires a level of social skill and what could be called ability to be careful with the truth, which SL didn't possess. He was a writer and thinker not a politician. But I can't think he was 'not fit' to be an MP. What and all those long-forgotten Labour MPs were? So being institutionally anti-Welsh (like a good majority) of Labour MPs were - is OK. Being for state socialism which saw the nationalisation of Thomas Cook among other barmy ideas - is OK. Campaigning against Welsh language education - OK. Sucking up to the English establishment and Monarchy - OK. Lewis was no less fit to be an MP than the vast majority of Labour MPs.

In another part of the interview. Morgan says he was inspired by JFK. OK, fair enough, he was a charismatic figure who brought hope to the Cold War generation, but isn't there something missing that a Welsh person, an intelligent Welsh person, projects his aspirations and fears through the politics and policies of another country which he isn't a part of. And that, at the same time, a new, young, radical, peaceful movement, in the spirit of the Black civil rights movement in his own country doesn't 'agitate' him.

Did the young socialist Morgan, not think for one moment, that the language he spoke with his parents in its own country, was in grave danger because the forces of consumer culture, capitalism and status was mitigated against it? Didn't that in any way strike a chord with him? Did he not for one minute just think it was a bit odd that the aforementioned Eisteddfod in Swansea was held in a city which had not one official sign in the Welsh language? Was it not odd that Welsh had not official status in its own country? Maybe Morgan is from that category of Welshman who saw Welsh as being quite nice but really was past its sell-by date and, in the interest of World socialism and internationalism, should just be allowed go quietly into the night?

Morgan is an intelligent man, he's not some bloke who never thinks about abstract ideas. So, the casual, standard, anti-Welsh line of the Labour party that this isn't 'what ordinary people want' doesn't wash (although for thousands of ordinary Welsh people the language was a big issue). Why didn't Morgan have any interest in a new secular type of Welsh language culture - was Welsh just for the past and English the language of the 'white heat of technology'. I don't know.

In any case, it's caused a dislocation between Labour and the Welsh language where any foreign cause, no matter how obscure (Africa is a perennial popular one) is more interesting and less threatening than the Welsh language. Unfortunately, Morgan and much of the Labour party seem ill at ease in modern Welsh language culture - it seems beneath them or alien or 'too Welshie'. It's a pity, a great pity, because had the young Morgan been just a little less condescending towards his own language then Welsh history and the story of the Welsh language since then could have been much brighter and more interesting. Certainly more interesting than following the latest American election in which Morgan could play no part.

Things Are Moving in Catalonia

The recent referenda on independence held at 160 Catalan municipalities has raised the issue and temperature in Catalonia!

Now, a poll published in the daily El Periodico (which is published as separate Catalan and Spanish editions every day) has found that the public is evenly split on being for and against independence with 20% undecided.

If one takes into account that the poll probably asked people of all backgrounds on their views on the subject then my guess is that a majority of Catalan people are in favour of independence with many of the antis (not all of course) would include 'native' Catalans, people of Spanish decent, Latin American and other nationalities who've moved to the country. It would be interesting to know.

The people who've moved to the UK are by a vast majority very supportive of British independence so, would 'British' people of any political persuasion, be happy to see recent immigrants decide on the constitutional future of the UK? Or the Tibetans happy to see their constitutional future decided by Han Chinese?

Is it also the case that the central Spanish government sees the movement of people into Catalonia as a way of keeping Catalonia a part of Spain in the same way as pro-Belgian Francophones see immigrants to Belgium (who tend to be Francophone) as being voters for the continuation of Belgium and promoters of the French rather than Dutch language? I don't know, Just asking.

Also interesting is the definition of Catalans as a nation (52% among people in Catalonia - the same split again?) whereas the rest of Spain don't see Catalans as a nation (80% against).

Funny that Catalonia with its own language, government which celebrates its 650 anniversary this year and who fought a war of liberation in 1714 is not a nation whilst 'imagined communities' created by the landed elites means that Spanish people recognise such 'nations' as Uruguay, Chile or Columbia!

Catalan News Blackout on BBC and Western Mail

As one comment on Syniadau'r blog put it, it seems the Catalans will have to start killing people if they want their cause to be covered by the BBC or the 'Welsh' press.

Many of you may know that because the Spanish Constitution (which can't be changed because it was given by God on Mount Sinai) doesn't allow a democratic referendum on independence for Catalonia or the Basque Country. The Catalans have side-stepped the band and are holding a series of referenda on 13 December on the subject in some 150 local councils.

This is big news. But, not big enough for the BBC or the Western Mail. Vaughan Roderick gave is a quick mensh a few weeks ago and there was a piece in Golwg360 as Jill Evans Plaid MEP will be in Catalonia as an observer. Other news which is covered in BBC Europe online include a hunger strike by a Western Saraha dissident (another Spanish colony) and conseiderations by Turkey to ban the pro-Kurdish DTP party . So, the subject of minority righst, or independence movements isn't a problem for the press, it's just that, well, by not killing people or threatening to kill people or not being attacked by tanks or water canons, the Catalan cause isn't deemed newsworthy.

However the big story is that Spain, unlike the UK, which, would in theory at least, allow a referendum on independence for Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales won't allow a similar democratic vote for the constituent nations of their state. The Catalans, like the Basques and Galicians, predate the Spanish state. Catalonia is only a part of Spain because they lost a war of independence in the early 18C - a cause which Westminster supported.

Spain isn't Turkey, but denying a referendum on independence for a European nation within the EU, a nation which has not used violence or intimination is news. Is Spain the kind of EU member state we want to have?

http://syniadau--buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-on-receiving-end_09.html
http://cataloniathenextstate.blogspot.com/
http://www.cataloniadirect.info/2009/11/welsh-party-plaid-cymru-questions-europarliament-catalan-referendum/

Glasgow North East

Lots of talk been on Celtic nationalist blogs about the Labour hold at the Glasgow North East even on the Welsh blogger site, Grangetown Jack.

It's a terrible indictment that after 75 years of holding the seat, 12 years of power in Westminster (and several other stints) and 8 years in power in Holyrood - Labour blame the SNP (who've been in power at Edinburgh for 18 months) for Glasgow North East's ills! Yes, you couldn't make it up.

That the SNP failed to take the seat is also an indictment.

The best analysis I've read is in The Times. It'd be worth Plaid supporters, policy makers and politicians taking time to read it too.

Remembrance Day

You've got to admire the gall of British nationalism. The Remembrance Day and wearing the poppy especially.

There are two things going on. On one hand the Remembrance Day is a sort of pseudo pacifist event to remember the waste of World War One especially... conveniently forgetting that it was British nationalism that got us into the war. The other is basically an armed forces flag day.

I'm not a pacifist and don't begrudge either paying respects to men and women who've died in combat. As a Welsh nationalist I believe that they, and their families, deserve that from the state to which they gave their lives.

But the hypocrisy of British nationalism tries to have it both ways. The pacifistic side is basically 'all nationalism are bad and lead to war (like the Great War) ergo, Welsh nationalism will lead to war'. Failing to mention that it war British nationalism and the British national narrative which lead us into war and so, rather than fighting Welsh nationalism, Welsh people should be fighting British nationalism and British nationalism dressed as 'normal' and 'acceptable' and 'civic pride'.

The second armed forces day side of Remembrance Day says some soldiers are good, some are not. So, a commemoration to remember Glyn Rowlands the former FWA member in Machynlleth is followed by the Special Branch. Services to remember an army which as well as fighting a good war against Nazis also fought more 'bad wars' in South Africa, Kenya (well, all Africa), Malaysia, America, Ireland (do I need to go on?), WWI is 'good'.

I remember those brave soldiers, and those like Hedd Wyn, every day of my life. That's why I wish to see the end of the British state. I'm fed up of seeing Welsh men die fighting for Britain. What right or business does a Welshman have killing Indians, Zulus, Irish, Kenyans or others?

The British nation state is a state built on military conquest. It is a state where the military is totally central to its narrative and collective cohesion. And now we see Labour, the ultimate Brit Nat party, sending men to war to feed the insatiable appetite of this state for military endeavours, because as they know, Britain with out an active military, is just Belgium on stilts. There will then be nothing that the British state can do, which its constituent nations as free countries, couldn't do better.

Without war and the memory of war (dressed up as pacifism and militarism), the British state is an empty vassal.

No more Welsh men fighting British wars!

Eorpa's Back!

The best current affairs programme on UK network? It's got to be Eorpa on BBC Alba (the new Gaelic language channel).

Items from across Europe and also Scotland makes this an interesting and insightful series. Much more interesting than anything on S4C or any English language serive and without the 'Europe is cuddly, little nations with their silly languages' feel of Euronews.

For all non-Gaelic speakers - it's no problem. There's on-screen English subtitling. Go over to BBCi and check it out.

Wales in Catalan

Being an internationalist movement, the Welsh national movement has close links and affinity with other state-less nations. One of the most successful in terms of political power and language regeneration (not to talk of economy - and yes, there is a link) is Catalonia. And it seems the affinity is reciprocated.

For all those Catalan-speakers, there's a new site about Wales and the other Celtic nations. La Llengua de drac - the dragon's language, surely - is a great addition to the Welsh and Catalan blogesphere. (If, like me, you don't speak Catalan, you can use googletranslate).

There's also an article in the Catalan daily, El Punt about Rhodri Morgan. In it Rhodri tries to outline Wales's insulting and confusing constitional mess to the Catalans - the mess his party got us into to keep happy it's Brit Nat section!

Catalan Town Votes for Independence from Spain

Surprised (am I really?!) that none of the 'Welsh' media ran this story. Arenys de Munt, a small town mid-way between Barcelona and Girona in Catalonia, voted for independence from Spain.

The town's mayor held the election.... even though (or because of rather) the fact that Spain won't allow Catalonia to hold such a vote. The Spanish state declares that a vote on independence in 'unconstitutional' - the word 'unconstitutional' is used of course to give their colonial prejudice some semblance of intelligence and legality.

Much the same way as divorce was once 'unconstitutional' or gay rights was 'unconstitutional' or breaking apartheid laws were 'unconstitutional'. Put it in UK terms, under Spain's 'constitution' the Irish (and the Good Friday Agreement) would not be allowed nor would the Scots or us be allowed to hold a referendum on independence! It's all nonsense really.

The Catalans, like the Basques and Galicians, predate the Spanish state and so have a right to leave that state. In fact, had luck (and France) been on their side in the 18th century Catalonia would now be independent like Portugal are.

In any case, a campaign is gathering apace in Catalonia for the right of the Catalan nation to decide its own destiny within or without the Spanish state. Some time the Spanish conquistadors will have to give into democracy in Catalonia like the Basque Country and Galicia.

Cornwall Census - sign up!

Saw this piece on the newish www.golwg360.com site about the campaign for a Cornish tick box at the next census in 2011.

Why not go over and join the Facebook group?

Seems to me here in Wales that things are starting to move down in Kernow. That's good news. Together we're stronger. Lot's of respect for Dick Cole and the Mebyon Kernow party... their paper, Cornish Nation, is also better than Plaid Cymru's Welsh Nation!

We are now on Twitter!

Follow us here - http://twitter.com/britnatwatch

What's the Point of Britain?

Interesting article in The Times by Rachel Sylvester on 1 September. Now that Britain is just a medium-sized state why stick with it? What ever your view on the Lockerby Bomber decision it's interesting to note two facts. It took a Scottish Parliament Minister to stand up to the Americans in a way the 'Brits' never would, what Blair called the 'Love Actually moment' and related to that, the general increasing irrelevance of, or irritation with, Britain which the US feels.

Now that Britain can't offer the glory which always attracts a type of person who just like to be on the winning side, then what does Britain offer? Unlike a Welsh or Irish or Estonian state which are there to foster and promote weaker cultures and languages, the most appealing parts of British identity - comedy and popular music are independent of needing a state. After all, would the independence of four Britannic nations undermine 'British' comedy or pop music? Hardly ... it would probably strengthen it if anything. So, why stick with Britain?

Basically, there's nothing a British state can do which a Welsh or Scottish one can't do just as well or better. Now that the glory and prestige once attached to it is fading it will lose the affection of those fickle people who want to associate themselves with it. There is no point to Britain!

Welsh Baseball

At last, after years of waiting, suffering the Brit natfest (or even worse, English nat in Wales fest) which was the Ashes (haven't they bloody finished yet!) we get an item on Welsh news about one of closest things to an indigenous Welsh sport - Baseball.

It was on S4C's news program at 7.30pm Monday 17 August - about 23 minutes into the programme and BBC Wales. Good on Wyre Davies! Of course, this being 'Welsh' media the item was only broadcast because of the lack of support by the Olympic committee towards the game and also because the item was run on Radio 4's Today programme the previous Thursday - if it's been in 'national' (UK) radio then it must be a proper story see boys! It was also featured in the letters pages of the Times.

It's an excellent game, an honest working class game, which is played mostly in Wales (Cardiff and Newport) and Liverpool in England. View Wikipedia page. BBC Wales used to broadcast the annual Wales v England international in the mid 1980s, but that stopped. Why? Clip available on youtube. (ignore the cheesy music!)

I went to a school, like so many, that made us suffer playing cricket. The usual sports personalities of the year would go in to bat and bowl and would be there for the rest of the sports lesson, leaving the rest of us to lust after the girls or if they weren't about be bored rigid. Baseball, by comparison, gives everyone a chance, has no pretences, isn't a class bound English thin ... and yes, it's still an English outpost in Wales - notice the decidedly mute response from 'Welsh' cricket fans to the campaign for a Welsh national cricket team.

Had the BBC and S4C spent just a fraction of the money spent on covering the Ashes in Cardiff on baseball the game would be set up for years. Why isn't it promoted in schools? It's a much more democratic game - everyone participates, size and height doesn't matter, you could easily have mixed sex teams. Why won't the Assembly run with it? Owen John Thomas, Plaid's AM for Cardiff and Valleys, was a keen advocate of baseball. Maybe Mohammad Ashgar being from Pakistan is more inclined towards cricket, but what about good blokes like John Griffiths in Newport or Chris Franks? C'mon boys.

Why won't Golwg360.com or BBC Wales/Cymru news just include the scores - hardly a difficult job - everything else is listed? Don't the Welsh Baseball Union contact these people? How about S4C broadcasting the annual international with England - it can't get worse ratings than some of their programmes, the broadcast rights would be small, it would be a unique sport on the channel and would fill in time? With just a bit of promotional work the game could be played across Wales. Teachers - do the 'pepsi challenge' - give the kids a choice of playing cricket or Welsh Baseball and I'll take no bets which they'll prefer!

So, good to see an item of the final between Grange Albion and Grange Catholics - but next year I'd like to see more coverage on the Welsh media - web, tv and print!

Cymraeg, Quecha, Amara, Guarani - Save Struggle

Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia is making history. Not only taking control of the country's natural wealth which goes down well with the Brit left wing, but is also proving that the battle for economic control is the same as the one for dignity of marginalised languages and cultures... something some of our British nationalist friends in the Labour party conveniently forget.

My Spanish is pretty ropey, but from what I gather from this news item, the fantastic President has opened 3 university sites in Bolivia teaching in three of the states languages; Guarani, Quecha (language of the Incas) and Aymara (his people's language). This battle to win rights, dignity and normalising marginalised languages is the same as the fight in Wales or Brittany for Welsh and Breton education.

What serendipity. After denying the need or ability to develop a Coleg Ffederal, funny that Labour, with Plaid in government - and keeping to the One Wales pact, now goes about actually delivering a gear change in university education through Welsh with the delivery of the Coleg Ffederal Cymraeg. Evo Morales is doing the same in Bolivia. The Welsh nationalist project is a world-wide project not the spiteful one so long propagated by some Labour members.

And the proof, well, this item on the www.eblul.org site (the old Eurolang.net site) mentions that the Bolivian Ambassador will visit Machynlleth on 14 August. Why? Well to learn and hear from us Welsh about our struggle for linguistic rights and our efforts to normalise our language in our own country.

Fantastic! Funny, I don't think our Brit Nats friends like the Kinnocks of this world (and some AMs) will have much to contribute to that discussion. No doubt, were they in Bolivia they'd be doom-saying that 'we can't afford this', 'it's divisive', 'should be spent on schools (Spanish/English speaking of course) and hospitals'.

British Labourism has run it's course. It has misread the cultural change which is sweeping across the world. Labourism is a cult of the discredited modernist 20th century a Darwinism of culture and languages. Good riddance to it. It served us badly. Welcome to the new world where Wales talks like friends to Bolivians and Welsh is an asset not a problem. Viva La Revolución - in all our languages! May the conquistadors mentality of Bolivia and British nationalism in Wales perish!

Traning Manual For British Nationalists

Hat tip to Scottish side, 1820, for this. Of course substitute Wales for Scotland ... Chinese probably use same arguments in East Turkmenistan; Danes re Greenland; George III re the 13 colonies ... you get the gist!

Mebyon Kernow - Putting Cornwall Back on the Map!

BTW doesn't know enough about Cornish politics - why didn't the Welsh media give it some space, not even the eclectic Vaughan Roderick. But in any case, with a blue tide washing across the UK (it would include Wales were there local elections here - don't fool yourself) Mebyon Kernow got three of its members elected.

Especially heartening was the thumping and well-earned vote for MK leader, the 21st century's An Gof, Dick Cole - 78% of the vote! Overall the party managed 4% of the total Cornish vote. A good vote for the Cornish nationalists considering the lack of publicity which MK suffers from (as opposed to bigoted British Nationalists) and the fact that the party didn't stand in many wards. Their vote would undoubtedly have been higher had they fielded more candidates.

It seems the election of the first Cornish unitary authority ... I'd expect the first step to a Cornish Assembly... was a straight battle between LibDems and Tory with the Independent holding up well.
The Tory's took Cornwall which bodes badly for the LibDems at the next General Election. That could be good news for MK if they can garner the anti-Tory vote in the future.

I'm not sure if the MK team are disappointed or not with the election as there was no commentary on their website as this was being written, but from where we're standing it seems they have a lot of work to do but a good platform to work on. MK have done a heroic job to place St Piran's flag flying higher than ever and get a Cornish national agenda on the Cornwall 'county' council. A stronger Cornwall means a stronger Wales.

Kernow bis vykhen!

Greenland Awakes!

Change is afoot in Greenland. In a national election held to elect a government as it enters a new enhanced form of self-government within Denmark on 21 June, the voters have gone for a left-of-centre nationalist party Inuit Ataqatigiit, a sort of Greenlandic Plaid Cymru .

This is good news. The voters in Greenland have seen that after 30 years of rule by the more cautious devolution party, they want a new party for a new constitutional set-up... will the same be true of Wales? Lets hope so.

BNW is all for independence for Greenland but as we've written before, we believe that the Danish connection is an important one as trilingualism - Greenlandic, Danish and English is better for a small linguistic community like Greenlandic than bilingualism where the second language, English, is such a strong and potentially fatal one for the smaller language. From the Greenlandic point of view, keeping Danish as a second language would enhance Greenland's independence not undermine it. The lesson from Nunavut, the semi-autonomous Inuit Canadian province next door confirms this. For small linguistic communities like Greenlandic or Welsh isn't that speaking another language is a threat but that speaking only one other language is a threat - it's best for us to be trilingual not bilingual.

It seems, that now the Greenlandic language and community is the dominant one in terms of number and confidence that Danish is no longer a threat. There's a lot to be said then for keeping the Danish connection therefore... a connection which stretches back centuries and is a window on a wider (and quite appealing) Scandinavian culture.

Maybe Greenland could have independence within a Danish commonwealth along with the Faroe Islands - another nation, were it governed by a more powerful linguistic community, English in Scotland or the UK for instance, would have seen it's language lost and economy weaker - see the Shetland islands as a comparison.

In any case - Greenland leads the way where Wales will follow!

Brittany - A Nation Reborn

The French Cup Final on Saturday 9 May was anything but French! The two teams in the Final were both Breton; Gwengamp (a small town) and the capital of Brittany, Roazon (Rennes). The euphoria surrounding the event it seems to me will renew Breton confidence and politics for a generation to come. http://cymru-llydaw.blogspot.com/

Not only did the French press make much of the event - the sports daily Equipe gave a Breton make over but the Bretons made most of the day.

The nationalist Parti Breton asked for the Breton national anthem, Bro Goz ma Zadou (Hen Wlad fy Nhadau - literally the same title and same tune as ours) to be sung before the final a la Cardiff City at Wembley last year. Of course, the French wouldn't allow that, but they did allow the Bretons to sing their anthem before the game (that's big of them!) ... and tens of thousands did.

A huge Breton flag the Gwenn ha Du (yes, gwyn a du - white and black) covered a good part of one of the stands and thousands of Breton flags were flown with pride. To tell the truth, I'd be damned if I could see any French tricoleurs being flown by the fans at all.

This is incredible. After two hundred years of the awful French republic which has tried its best to kill off any significant sign of Breton language and culture beyond the folkloric, the events on Saturday prove that the Bretons are a nation reborn. Their flag is the Gwenn ha Du, their anthem is being confirmed as Bro Goz ma Zadou and they're not a cowered and beaten nation which the French have come to expect. That Breton, the nation like Kurdish, so long humiliated by the French like the Kurds by the Turks, is still fighting is proof that the French state has not won.

The Breton, for so long humiliated by the French and the French state (and it is a French state) have turned a corner. There's no turning back. I don't expect Brittany to become independent any time soon, but with this historic football event, the ongoing campaign for the reunification of Naoned (Nantes) with Brittany and the continuing call for Breton status, Brittany is on the march. President Sarkozy stayed away - a quite incredible decision for a head of state. Maybe after implying he'd support reunification of Nantes he didn't want 80,000 booing him and making him keep to his word.

All in all, a historic day for Brittany. A Nation Awakes. Good news for the Breton language and culture and all who believe that the beauty of Europe is the plurality of her languages and her peoples.

Good for Leanne, Alun Ffred and Jenny Randerson

Had a quick look at the Western Mail phone around asking the AMs for their view of the Assembly's achievements over the last 10 years.

Wasn't much to say really - Labour spend the first 8 doing as little as possible so as not to upset London. A lot of stuff about the Children's Commissioner - who's done sod all to change the life of any kid in Wales as far as I can see. Some stuff about 'free' (working people pay for it) transport and 'free' prescriptions, and erm, that's it. Not much to boast about. Some of the answers (if important in their own way) were very parochial for a Q&A in national, as opposed to, local paper.

The much-respected John Griffiths, Newport spoke some sense (he usually does) but my hat is donned to Jenny Randerson, Alun Ffred and Leanne Wood for actually saying that one of the achievements of the National Assembly was to do something about one of the biggest things that makes us special and unique as a nation. Not just hospitals, buses nor parking, but the Welsh language. Good on them.

However, one hopes to God that in 10 years time, the Assembly Members will have much more to boast about.

Labour Voters are Racists?

So, has Kinnock admitted that a large section of traditional Labour voters are racists when he says the BNP can attract votes from his party?

Is the former Labour leader dog whistling to appeal to the less attractive side of Welsh Labour voters? Can one imagine were Ieuan Wyn Jones to say 'Plaid needs to do something in case our traditional voters go over to the BNP?' Hmm, you can hear the Labour attack dogs barking at the press straight away!

So, how do Labour apologists and members think this sounds to Welsh nationalists (and Tories for that matter)? Years of inane comparisons between Welsh nationalism and racism/Nazism endless quoting of a couple of sentences by Saunders Lewis or misquotes of Dafydd Iwan or Simon Glyn or Dafydd Glyn Jones or any one else who raises any issue other than schoolsandhospitals? It really does grate.

Are most Labour supporters racist? No, I don't think (though a fair number have hostile views towards Welsh medium education). But no, they are not! Are the BNP a threat? Yes. Do I like the BNP? No. Trouble is, after years of having Labour accuse good people who are Welsh nationalists of being xenophobic or racist, I've started thinking to myself, 'hmm, aybe Labour are just calling wolf here too? If they were wrong with Plaid/Cymdeithas/Cymuned over the years, what's to say they're not wrong with the BNP?'

And you know what, it seems to me that a good part of the traditional (read 'white' English-speaking Britishers) of the Welsh Labour party have maybe come, independently and from a different position, to the same conclusion. Labour are to blame for the rise in the BNP. Difference is, I won't be voting for the BNP in June but it seems a lot of Labour people will.

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.